CHAPTER ONE Objectives After completing this chapter, you should be able to: use the QuickBooks data files on the Data DVD access QuickBooks data files update your QuickBooks company fi le understand the QuickBooks Home page understand QuickBooks Centres use QuickBooks lists use QuickBooks keyboard shortcuts change QuickBooks preference settings access Help, Live Community, and Support back up and verify a data file restore a data file from a backup finish a QuickBooks work session Getting Started Data Files The data files on the Data DVD were prepared using the Windows 7 operating system and the QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition 2015 by Intuit that has been toggled to the QuickBooks Premier (General Business) Edition. If you do not toggle to the QuickBooks Premier (General Business) Edition as instructed later in this chapter and follow some of the other changes, your print screens will not appear exactly as those shown in the textbook. Subsequent versions of the software may have changes in screens or keystrokes. The instructions in this workbook have been written for a stand-alone PC with a hard drive and a DVD-ROM drive. Microsoft Windows should be correctly installed on your hard drive. Your printers should be installed and accessible through the Windows operating system. Refer to Windows Help and manuals for assistance with these procedures. This workbook reflects the authors approach to working with QuickBooks. There are alternative approaches to setting up company accounts and to working with QuickBooks. Refer to QuickBooks and Windows Help and manuals for further details. The instructions in this chapter for starting the program, and copying files refer to Windows 7 procedures. If you are using a different version of Windows, please refer to Windows and QuickBooks Help for assistance with these procedures. M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 1 12/06/15 4:23 PM
The Setup folder has data files for chapters that require you to set up the company file before working through the transactions. Three of these files River, Darya, and Vent-data are complete setup files that allow you to proceed with entering source document transactions. The other two data files Vent-start and Melody are starter sample files that allow you to set up the data file and use the payroll features. After you install the data files on the DVD, they can be found within the C:\QkBkData folder. The Data DVD also includes a brief review of basic accounting principles and a Tax Appendix. These files are PDF documents, and you need to have Acrobat Reader installed in order to read them. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, you can install it from the Adobe website using the link on the Data DVD. All company files for each chapter have been set up in advance so you can begin entering transactions immediately. For chapters that require you to create the company data files from scratch, a setup company file has been created for you and can be found in a Setup folder on the DVD. These data files will allow you to complete the transactions or source documents without working through the company setup, if required. QUICKBOOKS COMPANY FILES COMPANY NAME FOLDER\FILENAME CHAPTER Practice Data\Practice.qbw 1 Chelsea s Chocolates Data\Chelsea.qbw 2 Bob s Bookroom Data\Bookroom.qbw 3 River Run Setup\River.qbw 4 See Just a Buck Data\Buck.qbw 5 Malin s Makeovers Data\Malin.qbw 6 Terrifi c Tours Data\Tours.qbw 7 Curly s Cabinets Data\Curly.qbw 8 Darya s Dance Studio Setup\Darya.qbw 9 See Scotts Total Concept Data\Scott.qbw 10 Sparkles Data\Sparkles.qbw 11 Contre le Vent Setup\Vent-start.qbw 12 See Setup\Vent-data.qbw 12 See Melody Music Centre Setup\Melody.qbw 13 See OTHER FILES ON THE DATA DVD Ch. 12 Contre le Vent : Payroll & Inventory Setup Ch. 13 Melody Music Centre: Practice Application Appendix: Tax Source Documents ReadMe fi le Review of Basic Accounting Accounting Cycle Tutorial As you work through this textbook, the businesses and the chapters become more complex, with each chapter introducing new features or setups. Each chapter also includes the features covered in previous chapters for review. This progression is shown in the following chart: CHAPTER COMPANY NAME TOPIC NO.* NEW TOPICS** ALL TOPICS*** No keystroke instructions are provided for Melody Music Centre in Chapter 13, which is found on the DVD that accompanies this textbook. 2 Chelsea s Chocolates 1 Cash sales and purchases 1 3 Bob s Bookroom 2 General Journal 1 + 2 4 River Run 3 Set up a cash only business 2 + 3 5 Just a Buck 4 Basic vendor transactions 2 + 4 6 Malin s Makeovers 5 Basic customer transactions 4 + 5 7 Terrifi c Tours 6 Advanced customer and vendor transactions 5 + 6 8 Curly s Cabinets 7 Credit cards and bank reconciliation 6 + 7 9 Darya s Dance Studio 8 Setup for complete customer and vendor transactions 7 + 8 10 Scotts Total Concept 9 Payroll 7 + 9 11 Sparkles 10 Inventory 9 + 10 12 Contre le Vent**** 11 Comprehensive setup with payroll and inventory 10 + 11 13 Melody Music Centre**** 12 Comprehensive setup practice exercise 12 NOTES * Topic No. is the number that identifi es new topics covered in a given chapter for reference in the All Topics column. ** Step-by-step instructions are provided throughout each chapter for new topics. You are required to set up company fi les from scratch for River Run (Chapter 4), Darya s Dance Studio (Chapter 9), Contre le Vent (Chapter 12), and Melody Music Centre (Chapter 13). As discussed in the notes, you can use the company data fi les in the Setup folder for each of these companies if you prefer to work through the transactions and not complete the company setup. *** These numbers indicate that each chapter includes the topics and features that are explained in the previous chapters, except for the company setup. For example: Scotts Total Concept (7 + 9) introduces payroll (9) as a new topic and includes cash sales and purchases, general journal transactions, advanced customer and vendor transactions, and credit cards (all the topics in 7), but setup is not required. **** Chapters 12 and 13 are found on the DVD that accompanies this text. 2 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 2 12/06/15 4:23 PM
Using the DVD Data Files Many of the chapters in this textbook begin with a QuickBooks company file that has already been created for you. These QuickBooks company files are found on the Data DVD that accompanies this textbook. Before you can use these company files in QuickBooks, you must copy them from the Data DVD to your hard drive. QuickBooks cannot open the files directly from the DVD. If you open QuickBooks and try to select a company file directly from the DVD, you will see the following warning: FPO Figure 1-1 After copying the data files to your computer following the steps below, store the original DVD in a safe place. If you install the data files from the DVD, the files will automatically be placed in the QkBkData folder below drive C. Installing Data Files to Your Hard Drive We have set up the Data DVD so that it will open automatically. When you choose the button to install the data files, the files will be copied directly to your hard drive and the read-only attributes will be removed in a single step. To do this: 1. Insert the Data DVD into your DVD-ROM drive and the Data DVD should open immediately (follow the instructions below if it does not open) If the DVD does not open immediately, follow these instructions if you are using Windows 7 (ask your instructor for instructions if you are not using Windows 7): a) Open Windows Explorer (a shortcut to open Windows Explorer is to press the Windows key + E or you can right click on the Start menu and select Open Windows Explorer) b) Browse for the DVD Drive c) Click the DVD drive to open it d) Double click Start.exe When the Data DVD home page is displayed, you can choose to install the data files; to view Chapters 12 (Contre le Vent Payroll & Inventory Setup) and 13 (Melody Music Centre) and the Practice file, the Appendix document entitled Tax, the Source Document files, or the ReadMe file; to view the Accounting Cycle Tutorial; to open the Review of Basic Accounting file (in PDF format); or to install Acrobat Reader (required to open the Review of Basic Accounting file). 2. Click Data & Setup Files 3. Click INSTALL Data & Setup Files button Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 3 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 3 12/06/15 4:23 PM
After you install the data files, they can be found on your hard drive in a new QkBkData folder in drive C. A Data and Setup folder will be created below the QkBkData folder. The data files in these folders are now ready to be used and can be opened directly in QuickBooks. 4. Close the Data DVD window Copying Data Files from the DVD If a single data file becomes unreadable or if you want to start a chapter over again, you can copy a single file from the DVD to your working folder. 1. Insert the Data DVD into the DVD-ROM drive 2. Open Windows Explorer 3. Browse for the DVD drive 4. Click the DVD drive to open it 5. Double click the Data folder or the Setup folder to view the individual data files You can copy the entire data folder at once, or copy only one or more files in the Data or Setup folders to your hard drive. 6. Right click an entire folder or a specific data file and click Copy 7. Browse for the QkBkData folder (created when you originally installed the files from the Data DVD) or select a different folder if you are storing your company data files in a different folder 8. Right click the folder where you want to save your files and click Paste Required Steps to Use the QuickBooks Student Edition with This Textbook After you have copied the data files from the DVD onto your hard drive, it is time to start working with the QuickBooks company files. Intuit has supplied QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition 2015 as the student edition that is available as a download with this textbook; however, this textbook has been written using QuickBooks Premier (General Business) Edition 2015. You will need to toggle to this edition before working with each QuickBooks company file. If there are any new QuickBooks product updates available, you will have to update your company file when prompted. In addition, there are some preferences that have been selected by the author to maximize the information displayed on the print screens in the textbook. The author has also changed some of the default preferences in the QuickBooks company file for each chapter so you can view the same print screens as shown in the textbook. Even after these changes have been made, there are still a few steps you must follow when opening a QuickBooks company file when starting a new chapter. The following is a list of the steps you will need to take when opening a QuickBooks company file: 1. Start QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition 2015 and open the QuickBooks company file for the current chapter 2. Update the company file with the latest product update if one is available (this step only has to be done once to each company file for each new product update) 3. Click No on the Set up an External Accountant User screen 4 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 4 12/06/15 4:23 PM
4. Close the Accountant Centre by clicking on the close button at the top righthand corner of the screen 5. Maximize the Home page if necessary 6. Toggle from the QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition 2015 to the Quick- Books Premier (General Business) Edition 2015 from the Home page (this step has to be done every time you start a new QuickBooks session) Starting QuickBooks and Opening a QuickBooks Company File 1. To start the QuickBooks program: a) Click the QuickBooks Premier - Accountant Edition 2015 icon on the Desktop if you installed the shortcut; or b) Choose Start, then All Programs; click QuickBooks, and then click QuickBooks Premier - Accountant Edition 2015 Figure 1-2 In the following steps, you will open a QuickBooks company file that has been copied onto your hard drive from the DVD that accompanies the textbook. When you open QuickBooks, the QuickBooks company file you used previously will automatically be displayed on the screen. We need to close it before opening a new file. 2. Choose File from the menu, and then click Close Company (this step assumes that a QuickBooks company file opened automatically when you opened QuickBooks) 3. The No Company Open window is displayed: If you have opened other QuickBooks company files you will have other companies listed on the No Company Open window. Figure 1-3 Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 5 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 5 12/06/15 4:23 PM
Each time you start QuickBooks, the company file you previously worked with will open automatically (unless you choose Close Company from the File menu before exiting QuickBooks). 4. a) Click the Open or restore an existing company button ; or b) Choose the File menu and click Open or Restore Company... Figure 1-4 This is the File menu that is displayed when you open QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition 2015. Once you open your QuickBooks company file, you will toggle to the QuickBooks Premier (General Business) Edition and this menu will be slightly different. Figure 1-5 to display the Open or Restore Company screen: Figure 1-6 6 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 6 12/06/15 4:23 PM
The option you select on this screen depends on how the company data file that you want to open was saved. You can determine how the file was saved by the extension of the file name as shown in Windows Explorer: FILE TYPE FILE EXTENSION SELECT QuickBooks company fi le.qbw Open a company fi le QuickBooks backup fi le.qbb Restore a backup copy QuickBooks portable fi le.qbm Restore a portable fi le 5. Select Open a company file (this should be the default) and click Next Use this window to browse for the QuickBooks data that you copied onto your hard drive. If you used the install option on the DVD, the data files can be found in the Data or Setup folder within the QkBkData folder on drive C. 6. Click the drop-down arrow in the Look in field and click Drive C 7. Double click the QkBkData folder and then the data folder to view the files in the data folder as shown: All company files on the Data DVD are QuickBooks company files and can be opened by selecting the Open a company file option on the Open or Restore Company window The default starting file location when you open a company is the Company Files folder inside the QuickBooks program folder. If you used a different location for the data files, browse for that drive and folder in the Look in field. Figure 1-7 8. Highlight the company file that you want to open and click the Open button We will switch between the Bookroom company file and the QuickBooks Sample file for this exercise. Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 7 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 7 12/06/15 4:23 PM
Companies using Quick- Books payroll must be signed up for the QuickBooks Payroll Service with Intuit before the payroll features in the program can be used, unless you are working with a QuickBooks sample company. Updating your QuickBooks Company File (If a New Product Update Is Available) If a new product update has been downloaded when you open QuickBooks, you will be prompted with a message to install it. Updates fix problems in the software, incorporate new features, and contain updated payroll taxes. You must download and intall updates regularly if you want to use the payroll features of the program. This ensures that you have the latest tax tables available for the program. The QuickBooks program that is available as a download with this textbook contains the Payroll Service and is available for you to use for 12 months after installation. The Company files in this textbook have been updated to Release 6; however, a new product update may be available when you download and install the QuickBooks program. After a new product update has been installed, you will be prompted to update each company file as you open it in QuickBooks. If, when you downloaded the QuickBooks 2015 student edition available with this textbook, a higher release than Release 6 is available, the following message will be displayed when you open a company file provided on the Data DVD for the first time: Figure 1-8 If you work in a multiuser environment, it is highly recommended that you install the product update on all computers that access QuickBooks. The Update Company screen in Figure 1-8 indicates that QuickBooks needs to update your company file. This update is considered to be a minor update because it will allow the company file to be opened in QuickBooks 2015 with the new release installed as well as with a previous release installed. For information on updating from one QuickBooks version to another, for example from QuickBooks 2014 to QuickBooks 2015, please refer to page xxx in the Appendix: Installation of the QuickBooks 2015 Student Edition. 1. Click Yes if you receive this message 2. The following QuickBooks 2015 Company File Upgrade Progress screen will be displayed as the company file is updated: Figure 1-9 8 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 8 12/06/15 4:23 PM
After your QuickBooks company file is upgraded to the latest product update, the QuickBooks Home page will be displayed on the screen. Opening a QuickBooks Company File When you first open a company file in QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition 2015, a number of windows open automatically. Close the Live Community and Help window and the Accountant Centre. Maximize the Home page if necessary to display it as shown here: When you open a Quick- Books company file, the Home page is displayed according to the selection of a few Quick- Books preferences. The Home page displayed in Figure 1-10 is based on default QuickBooks preferences. When you open a Quick- Books company file from the DVD that accompanies this textbook, the Home pages will NOT appear as shown in Figure 1-10. We have changed the preferences in the company files on the DVD to display coloured icons on the top Icon bar and we have turned off the What s New feature. If you open a Sample file or a QuickBooks company file that is not included on the DVD that accompanies this textbook, the Home page will be displayed as shown in Figure 1-10, assuming the default preferences have been selected. Figure 1-10 Toggling to QuickBooks Premier (General Business) Edition 2015 As previously mentioned, the QuickBooks 2015 student edition is QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition 2015. All information and print screens in this textbook are based on the QuickBooks Premier (General Business) Edition 2015. Although you can work in the Accountant Edition, there will be menus and icons on forms that you will not see in the print screens in this textbook. It is highly recommended that you use the QuickBooks Premier (General Business) Edition 2015 while working with this textbook. IMPORTANT: While using the student edition, you will have to toggle to the QuickBooks Premier (General Business) Edition every time you open a company file while using the QuickBooks 2015 student edition. Follow these steps to toggle from the QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition 2015 to the QuickBooks Premier (General Business) 2015 Edition: 1. Click File from the menu 2. Click Toggle to Another Edition Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 9 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 9 12/06/15 4:23 PM
3. The following screen will be displayed: Figure 1-11 4. Click the radio button beside Premier Edition (General Business) as shown: Figure 1-12 5. Click Next 6. The following screen will be displayed: Figure 1-13 This screen indicates that you can toggle back to the Accountant Edition or toggle to any other QuickBooks editions by following the same steps you did to toggle the company file to the QuickBooks Premier (General Business) Edition. 7. Click Toggle 10 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 10 12/06/15 4:23 PM
8. The following screen will be displayed as it toggles to the new edition: Figure 1-14 9. Maximize the Home page if necessary You will know that you have toggled to the QuickBooks Premier (General Business) Edition successfully because you will see the following information in the title bar at the top of the screen: Figure 1-15 Notice the company name is displayed followed by the edition you toggled to. It also indicates that you toggled to this edition via the Accountant edition. 10. The QuickBooks Home page is shown here: 4 3 9 1 2 12 We have opened the Bookroom company file from Lesson 3 for this demonstration. If you cannot see the title bar at the top of the screen, you may have to lower your screen resolution within the Windows Control Panel. The Home page displayed in Figure 1-16 assumes the QuickBooks preferences that control how the Home page is displayed are set to the default settings. 10 13 7 5 6 14 8 11 Figure 1-16 Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 11 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 11 12/06/15 4:23 PM
If you compare Figure 1-16 (The Home page in the QuickBooks Premier (General Business) edition) and Figure 1-10 (the Home page in the QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition) you will see very little difference. In fact, the only difference is that the Accountant Edition has an Accountant menu in the title bar. Transactions specific to Accountants are available on the Accountant menu. The QuickBooks Home Page Customizing the Icon bar is covered in Chapter 2. If you decide to display the Icon bar on the top of the screen, the Account Balances section is displayed on the right-hand side of the Home page. Clicking on one of the reports will display it on the screen quickly. 12 Each area on the default QuickBooks Premier (General Business) 2015 Home page shown in Figure 1-16 has been numbered and is described below: 1. QuickBooks The title bar contains the control button at the far left, displays the Title Bar: company name, the QuickBooks edition of the current page displayed, and the usual Windows sizing icons on the right. The in the title bar can be used to close QuickBooks. If you click the in the title bar, a warning will be displayed asking if you want to exit QuickBooks. 2. Main Menu: The main menu is displayed directly below the title bar. Many activities in QuickBooks can be accessed from more than one location in the program, but all activities are available from the main menu. The Reminders list icon can be used to quickly display the Reminders list, which will list reminders that you have set up in QuickBooks, such as a list of outstanding invoices or cheques that need to be printed. The usual Windows sizing icons are displayed on the main menu and affect the current open window. The in the main menu can be used to close the current open window. 3. Home Page The Home page contains two tabs. The Home Page tab allows you to tabs: access the Home page as displayed in Figure 1-16. The Insights tab allows you to see at a glance how your business is doing. 4. Left Icon Bar: The left Icon bar provides quick and easy access to some of the most commonly used QuickBooks activities and functions. Beginning with QuickBooks 2013, the Icon bar is displayed on the left-hand side of the screen by default. Clicking on one of the icons (referred to as shortcuts on the left Icon bar) will open the appropriate form. There is a scroll bar to the right of the Icon bar that allows you to scroll down to view all the shortcuts. Although Quick- Books sets the shortcuts on the Icon bar by default, when you create a new company you can customize the Icon bar to include only the icons that represent the tasks you use on a regular basis. The Icon bar can also be displayed on the top of the page. You will learn how to do this in a later exercise in this chapter. 5. View With the Icon bar displayed on the left, a View Balances shortcut Balances: is listed within the Icon bar. When you click on the View Balances shortcut, the current heading displayed at the top of the Icon bar is replaced with the View Balances section. By default the bank accounts, credit card accounts, Accounts Receivable, and Accounts Payable accounts are displayed together with their current balances. You can customize which accounts are displayed in the View Balances section. 6. Run Favourite The Run Favourite Reports section allows you to quickly run reports Reports: that you have marked as a favourite report in the Report Centre. When you click on the Run Favourite Reports heading, the Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 12 12/06/15 4:23 PM
current heading displayed at the top of the Icon bar is replaced with the Run Favourite Reports section. Favourite Reports are then displayed down the left-hand side of the screen and can easily be selected for printing. 7. Open The Open Windows section allows you to move to an open window Windows: quickly and easily. When you click on the Open Windows heading, the current heading displayed at the top of the Icon bar is replaced with the Open Windows list. Each open window is displayed down the left-hand side of the screen. Clicking on an open window will display it on the screen. 8. Do More With With the Icon bar displayed on the left, a Do More With QuickBooks: QuickBooks heading is listed within the Icon bar. Use it to order cheques and supplies, add more users, and accept credit cards. 9. Vendors The Vendors section of the Home page shows the workflow arrows section: for business tasks specific to vendors. You can click on an icon to open the form, and you can click on the Vendors button in the middle of the Vendors section to open the Vendor Centre. The Vendor Centre will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 5. 10. Customers The Customers section of the Home page shows the workflow section: arrows for business tasks specific to customers. You can click on an icon to open the form, and you can click on the Customers button in the middle of the Customers section to open the Customer Centre. The Customer Centre will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 6. 11. Employees The Employees section of the Home page shows the workflow section: arrows for business tasks specific to employees. You can click on an icon to open the form, and you can click on the Employees button in the middle of the Employees section to open the Employee Centre. The Employee Centre will be discussed in more detail in Chapters 10 and 12, the latter of which is found on the Student DVD. 12. Company The Company section of the Home page provides quick access section: to the Chart of Accounts, the Item list, and the Calendar. 13. Banking The Banking section of the Home page provides quick access section: to all banking-related functions, such as recording customer deposits, reconciling accounts, writing cheques, using the cheque register, printing cheques, and entering credit card charges. The Enter Credit Card Charges icon is displayed only when a credit card account is entered on the Chart of Accounts. 14. What s New: The What s New feature displays the changes made in QuickBooks 2015 from QuickBooks 2014 as you access each screen. Clicking on one of the open windows will display it on the screen quickly. If you decide to display the Icon bar on the top, the Do More W ith QuickBooks section is displayed on the right-hand side of the Home page. Bob s Bookroom does not accept credit cards; therefore, the Enter Credit Card Charges icon is not displayed on the Home page in Figure 1-16. You will enter credit card charges in Chapter?. The What s New Feature By default, the What s New feature displays the new changes in QuickBooks 2015 from QuickBooks 2014 as you access each screen. While the What s New feature is toggled on, Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 13 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 13 12/06/15 4:23 PM
the What s New button will be displayed on the right-hand side of the current screen as shown here: Figure 1-17 Clicking on the What s New button will display all the new features on the current page, as shown on the Home page: Figure 1-18 As you turn off the What s New feature, an information box will be displayed indicating that to turn the What s New tips back on, choose Help and then What s New. The author has turned off the What s New feature, so it will not be displayed in print screens displayed in the rest of this textbook. 14 As you can see, the new features on the Home page consist of a new feature in the File menu that will allow you to send a portable copy of your company file, an Insights tab displayed in the top left-hand corner of the Home page that shows you how your business is doing at a glance, and a new icon to view your alerts and reminders. When you have finished viewing the What s New information, you can click anywhere on the screen to dismiss the information. The What s New button will remain on the right-hand side of the screen. As you access different screens in QuickBooks, the What s New button will only appear on the right-hand side of the screen if the current screen contains changes made from the previous QuickBooks version. Toggling the What s New Feature On and Off You can turn off the What s New feature by clicking the on the What s New button. You can toggle the What s New feature on and off by performing the following steps: 1. Click Help from the menu and then What s New You may want to leave the What s New feature turned on if you are familiar with QuickBooks 2014 and want to view the changes made in QuickBooks 2015. Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 14 12/06/15 4:23 PM
Viewing the Top Icon Bar By default, the Icon bar is displayed on the left-hand side of the screen, as shown in Figure 1-16. In QuickBooks 2012 and previous versions, the Icon bar was only displayed across the top of the screen. Unless otherwise noted, all print screens in this textbook are displayed with the Icon bar across the top of the form to maximize the information displayed in each print screen. To display the top Icon bar, follow these steps: 1. Click View from the menu 2. Click Top Icon Bar 3. The Icon bar is now displayed across the top of the screen as shown: The preferences that control the Icon bar in the QuickBooks company files that accompany this textbook have been set to display the top Icon bar, as shown in Figure 1-19. Figure 1-19 Switching to Coloured Icons on the Top Icon Bar When Intuit introduced the left Icon bar, the icons on the top Icon bar were displayed in black and white. Based on customer feedback, they released a product update that included the ability to display the icons in colour. You can change the icons to be displayed as colour icons by following these instructions: 1. Select Edit from the menu and then select Preferences 2. Click on the Desktop View heading and click on the My Preferences tab if necessary 3. Click in the box beside Switch to colored icons/light background on the top Icon bar 4. Click OK to close the preferences window 5. The top Icon bar is displayed as shown here: The QuickBooks company files that accompany this textbook have been set to display coloured icons on the top Icon bar. Figure 1-20 Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 15 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 15 12/06/15 4:23 PM
Setting Transaction Preferences The transaction preferences in the QuickBooks company files that accompany this textbook have been set to prevent warnings when entering transactions in the past and in the future. The transactions entered in each chapter of this textbook are in various months in the year 2017. If you are using this textbook prior to 2017, you will be entering transactions in the future. If you are using this textbook after the months in each chapter in 2017, you will be entering transactions in the past. To prevent a warning message from appearing every time you enter a transaction, you can turn off the preferences that warn you when you enter dates in the past or future by following these instructions: 1. Click Edit from the menu and then select Preferences 2. Click the Accounting heading on the left-hand side of the screen 3. Click on the Company Preferences tab Depending on the actual date you are using this textbook, you may have to change the 90 and 30 days in each preference to stop the warning messages from appearing while you re working with the company files provided with this textbook. 4. Click in the check box beside Warn if transactions are 90 days(s) in the past to turn this preference off 5. Click in the check box beside Warn if transactions are 30 day(s) in the future to turn this preference off 6. Click OK QuickBooks Centres QuickBooks organizes specific functions in centres. There are four centres in QuickBooks: the Customer Centre, the Vendor Centre, the Employee Centre, and the Report Centre. In this chapter, we will look at the Vendor Centre, the Customer Centre, and the Report Centre to learn how centres are used. You will be referred back to this information about each centre as you work with other chapters in the textbook. The Vendor Centre 1. Open the Vendor Centre using one of the following options: a) Click the Vendors button in the Vendors section of the Home page Figure 1-21 The Vendors menu contains other menu options when Inventory and Purchase Orders are enabled for a company file. OR b) Choose the Vendors menu and then select Vendor Centre OR Figure 1-22 c) Click the Vendors icon on the top Icon bar if it is displayed Figure 1-23 16 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 16
OR d) Click the Vendors shortcut on the left Icon bar if it is displayed. Figure 1-24 2. The Vendor Centre will be displayed as shown: We have displayed a QuickBooks Sample company in this print screen because Bob s Bookroom does not have any vendors. Figure 1-25 The Vendor Centre contains all the information about your vendors and their transactions. On the left-hand side of the screen, you ll see two tabs: Vendors and Transactions. When you click the Vendors tab, the Vendors list is displayed on the left-hand side of the screen, showing each vendor s name and balance total. You can sort the Vendors list by vendor name or balance total and in ascending or descending order by clicking on the column headings. When you highlight a vendor in the list (the first vendor in the list is highlighted by default), their vendor information is displayed in the top right portion of the screen, allowing you to quickly view the vendor address information. Click the Attach button to attach a document to the vendor s record, click the Edit button to access the vendor record where you can make changes to it, or click the QuickReport or Open Balance links to print reports for the vendor. The bottom right section of the screen contains five tabs: Transactions, Contacts, To Do s,, and Sent Email. The Transactions tab displays the transaction details based on the transaction criteria you select in the Show, Filter By, and Date fields. The Contacts tab allows you to view and manage the vendor contacts by adding a new contact or editing or deleting an existing contact. The To Do s tab allows you to view and manage all the To Do s for the vendor by creating a new To Do or editing or deleting an existing To Do for the vendor. You can also launch the To Do report from this tab. The tab allows you to manage all for the vendor by creating a new note or editing or deleting an existing note for the vendor. The Sent Email tab contains a record of all emails sent to the vendor. You can use the icons across the top of the Vendor Centre to add a new vendor or add multiple vendors; enter new transactions; print vendor information; export, import, or Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 17 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 17
paste information from and to Microsoft Excel ; or print Microsoft Word documents. The highlighted vendor will automatically be selected when you choose one of these options. When you click on the Transactions tab, a list of vendor transaction types is displayed down the left-hand side of the screen. When you click on one of the transaction types, a list of all transactions for all vendors will be displayed based on the criteria selected in the Filter By and Date fields. The Customer Centre 1. Open the Customer Centre using one of the following options: a) Click the Customers button in the Customers section of the Home page OR Figure 1-26 b) Choose the Customers menu and then select Customer Centre Figure 1-27 OR c) Press <CTRL> + J, the keyboard shortcut OR d) Click the Customers icon on the top Icon bar if it is displayed Figure 1-28 18 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 18
OR e) Click the Customers shortcut on the left Icon bar if it is displayed Figure 1-29 2. The Customer Centre will be displayed as shown: We have displayed the QuickBooks Sample Company in Figure 1-30 because Bob s Bookroom does not have any customers. Figure 1-30 The Customer Centre contains all the information about your customers and their transactions. On the left-hand side of the screen you ll see two tabs: Customers & Jobs and Transactions. When you click the Customers & Jobs tab, the Customers list is displayed on the left-hand side of the screen showing each customer s name, any jobs associated with each customer, and the customer s or job s balance total. You can sort the Customers list by customer name or balance total and in ascending or descending order by clicking on the column headings. When you highlight a customer or job in the list (the first customer in the list is highlighted by default), their customer information is displayed in the top right portion of the screen, allowing you to quickly view the customer s address information. Click the Attach button to attach a document to the customer s record, click the Edit button to access the customer record where you can make changes to it, or click the QuickReport or Open Balance links to print reports for the customer. The bottom right section of the screen contains five tabs: Transactions, Contacts, To Do s,, and Sent Email. The Transactions tab displays the transaction details based on the transaction criteria you select in the Show, Filter By, and Date fields. The Contacts tab allows you to view and manage the customer contacts by adding a new contact or editing or deleting an existing contact. The To Do s tab allows you to view and manage all the To Do s for the customer by creating a new To Do or editing or deleting an existing To Do for the customer. You can also launch the To Do report from this tab. The tab allows you to manage all for the customer by creating a new note or editing or deleting an existing note for the customer. The Sent Email tab contains a record of all emails sent to the customer. You can use the icons across the top of the Customer Centre to add a new customer, a new job, or multiple customers and jobs; enter new transactions; print customer information; Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 19 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 19
export, import, or paste information from and to Microsoft Excel; print Microsoft Word documents; or view the Income Tracker. The highlighted customer:job will automatically be selected when you choose one of these options. When you click on the Transactions tab, a list of customer transaction types is displayed down the left-hand side of the screen. When you click on one of the transaction types, a list of all transactions for all customers will be displayed based on the criteria selected in the Filter By and Date fields. The Report Centre The Report Centre deals only with reports, and most QuickBooks reports are accessible from it. Although it offers most of the same reports as the Reports menu, it has the advantage of showing a sample report and a brief description of what you can learn about your company from the report. 1. Open the Report Centre using one of the following options: a) Choose the Reports menu and click Report Centre Figure 1-31 OR b) Click the Reports icon on the top Icon bar if it is displayed Figure 1-32 20 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 20
OR c) Click the Reports shortcut on the left Icon bar if it is displayed Figure 1-33 2. The Report Centre will be displayed as shown: Figure 1-34 Various report categories are listed down the left-hand side of the screen. The Company & Financial category is selected by default. As you select a category, the reports for that category are displayed to the right. How the reports are displayed is dependent upon the view that is currently selected. By default, the reports are displayed in grid view when you first open the Report Centre. There are three views that can be used to display the reports: Carousel View, List View, and Grid View. You can change the view by selecting the icons in the top right-hand corner of the screen as shown: Figure 1-35 The icons that represent the views are displayed in order: Carousel, List, and Grid. Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 21 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 21
Grid View With the reports displayed in Grid View, a sample of each report is displayed on the screen. When you run your mouse over a report while in Grid View, a square defines the entire report as shown: Figure 1-36 Before you display the report on the screen, you can change the date range by clicking on the drop-down arrow currently displayed beside the date range and selecting a new one. You can also click on the From and To fields to display a calendar and select the appropriate dates. The following icons are available for each report: Figure 1-37 Use the Run icon to display the report on the screen. You can also double click on the sample report to display it on the screen. Figure 1-38 Use the Info icon to display a sample of the report that includes a description of the report. Figure 1-39 Use the Fave icon to add the report to the Favourites menu for easy access. 22 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 22
Figure 1-40 Use the Help icon to open QuickBooks Help to learn more about the report. List View With the reports displayed in List View, the reports are displayed in a list, as shown: Figure 1-41 As you can see, more reports are displayed on the screen at one time in List View than they are in Grid View. Also, notice that a sample of each report is not displayed in this view. When you run your mouse over a report in List View, a square defines the entire report as shown: Figure 1-42 A question the report will answer is displayed under the report name. The same icons available in Grid View are available in List View. You can use the Run icon to display the report on the screen or double click on the report name. Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 23 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 23
Carousel View With the reports displayed in Carousel View a sample of the current report is displayed in the middle, while a sample of the previous report is displayed to the left, and a sample of the next report is displayed to the right: Figure 1-43 Again, you ll notice that in this view a question the report will answer is displayed, together with all of the icons that we ve seen in both List and Grid View. When you click on a sample report, either to the left or right of the current sample report, it will become the current report. You can then use the icons to display the appropriate information for the report. In addition to the different views that you can select in the Report Centre, there are four tabs across the top of the screen. The Standard tab displays the list of report categories and their reports, the Memorized tab displays reports that you have memorized (you ll learn how to memorize reports in Chapter 3, Bob s Bookroom), the Favourites tab displays reports that you have selected as favourites by clicking the Fave icon, and the Recent tab displays the reports that you have displayed in the past 30 days. 3. Click the various report categories to view the reports available for each category 4. Change the view to display the reports in Carousel, List, and Grid View 5. Display a report on the screen When you open a report, you can select a predefined date range from the Dates drop-down list or enter a range of dates. To begin the customization of a report, you use the Customize Report button. Once you have entered your report settings, the updated report should automatically be displayed on the screen; however, you may have to press or click the Refresh button to update it. You can select Print to print the report, select E-mail to email the report as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or as a PDF, or select Excel to save the report as an Excel spreadsheet or update an existing spreadsheet. You can modify reports by adding or omitting information, by changing font style and sizes, and by sorting and filtering the reports to reorganize or select certain criteria to include in the report. Once you have customized a report, you can memorize the report 24 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 24
settings so that you do not have to re-enter them the next time you want to print the same report. QuickBooks Lists The QuickBooks Centres contain their respective lists. You will find the Customers & Jobs list in the Customer Centre, the Vendors list in the Vendor Centre, and the Employees list in the Employee Centre. There are other lists found in list windows that are also available in QuickBooks. To view the lists in list windows: 1. Click the Lists menu: Figure 1-44 All the list menus, other than the QuickBooks Centre lists, can be found in this menu, and some of them can also be found in other related menus. Lists are central to the way QuickBooks works, and we will work with many different lists as we work through the chapters in this textbook. All QuickBooks list windows include the same three buttons with menu options relevant to the open list. Some lists contain additional buttons. To see this, let s open the Chart of Accounts. 2. Click Chart of Accounts to view the Chart of Accounts: Figure 1-45 Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 25 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 25
Let s review the different buttons available on the list: 3. Click the Account button (this button s name is always indicative of the list) to view the menu available with this button: Figure 1-46 4. Click the Activities button (this button s name is the same in each list) to view the menu available with this button: Figure 1-47 26 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 26
5. Click the Reports button (this button s name is the same in each list) to view the menu available with this button: Figure 1-48 Other lists may contain an Excel button, which allows you to import and export information from the list to and from Microsoft Excel, and most lists contain an Attach button, which allows you to attach documents to the list. 6. Click to close the Chart of Accounts list Company Snapshot The company snapshot provides real-time company information in one place and provides quick access to various QuickBooks tasks. 1. Display the Company Snapshot using one of the following options: a) Choose the Company menu and then select Company Snapshot: Figure 1-49 Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 27 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 27
OR b) Click the Snapshots icon on the Icon bar: Figure 1-50 2. The Company Snapshot will be displayed as shown: We have displayed the QuickBooks sample data file here in order to demonstrate the information available in the Company Snapshot. Figure 1-51 There are three tabs displayed in the top left-hand corner of the Company Snapshot: Company, Payments, and Customer. Each tab contains separate content about your company in separate panels. Depending on the content displayed, the content in a panel may be displayed as a list with links to access other information in QuickBooks, or it may be displayed in the form of a graph. The following content can be displayed on the Company tab: account balances, previous year income comparison, income breakdown, previous year expense comparison, expense breakdown, income and expense trend, top customers by sales, best-selling items, customers who owe money, top vendors by expense, vendors to pay, and reminders. The following content can be displayed on the Payments tab: recent transactions, receivables reports, A/R by aging period, invoice payment status, customers who owe money, quick links to tasks you use most often, and payment reminders. The following content can be displayed on the Customer tab for each customer along with their statistics and sales summary: recent invoices, recent payments, sales history, and best-selling items. Customizing the Information Displayed on Each Tab You can customize the content displayed on each tab. For example, to remove a panel from a tab, simply click on the in the top right-hand corner of the panel. To add additional content, select the appropriate tab, click on the Add Content button in the top 28 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 28
left-hand corner of the screen, and then select the additional content that you would like to add. To add additional content on the Company tab: 1. Select the Company tab (if it is not already selected) 2. Click the Add Content button to display the content that can be added on the tab: We have used the Quick- Books sample file to generate this print screen. Figure 1-52 By selecting the Add Content button, the content that can be added on the Company tab is displayed across the top of the screen. Each topic contains either an Added button or an Add button. The Added button indicates that the content is already added on the tab, and the Add button allows you to add the content to the tab by simply clicking the button. The indicator displayed below the content that can be added indicates which content panels are currently displayed and the number of content items available in total. As you can see, we are currently displaying the first four content panels of a total of 12 available to be added on the Company tab. You can use the arrows to scroll through the different content boxes. 3. Click the Add button under the Income Breakdown content The Add button should now change to an Added button, indicating that the Income Breakdown content has been added to the Company tab. 4. Click the Done button Clicking the Done button on the same line as the indicator information closes the content window and displays only the content in the tab. The information in each content window can be printed separately by clicking on the drop-down arrow in the Content window heading and selecting the Print option. If you want to restore the content displayed on a tab back to the default settings, you must select a tab and click on the Restore Default link. The restore default link only restores the defaults for the tab currently selected. When you restore the default settings, you will receive a warning indicating that the control panels you Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 29 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 29
added will be returned to the gallery, remaining panels will be returned to their original positions, and dates ranges you chose will be returned to the original settings. Home Page Insights Only the QuickBooks administrator has access to the Home page Insights. Users may be granted access to the Home page Insights by the administrator if their role is changed to include full access to Sales and Accounts Receivable, Purchases and Accounts Payable, and Sensitive Financial Reporting areas. The Insights tab found on the Home page is new to QuickBooks 2015 and is used to see how your business is doing at a quick glance. This dashboard contains information similar to that of the Company Snapshot; however, it contains only the information used most in the Company Snapshot according to customer research performed by Intuit. To access the Home page Insights: 1. Click the Insights tab in the top left-hand corner of the Home page as shown here: Figure 1-53 2. The following screen will be displayed: Figure 1-54 30 You can customize the Insights dashboard by adding a logo in the top left-hand corner. The Insights dashboard is divided into three sections: the Centre Pane, the Income section, and the Expenses section. In the Centre Pane, you can view the company s profit and loss, previous year income comparison, top sales by customer, business growth, and net profit margin. To move between these different panes, click the left or right arrows. You can also customize the panes that are displayed by clicking the gear button and selecting the information you want to see in the Centre pane. The Income section displays the open and overdue customer invoices as well as the invoices paid in the last 30 days. As you move your mouse pointer over one of the coloured bars, the total number of invoices in that category will be displayed. If you click on one of the coloured bars, the Income Tracker will open where you can view more details about the information displayed. Clicking the Create Invoice link will open the Create Invoices form where you can enter a new invoice. Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 30
The Expenses section shows your major expenses over the selected time period. Each expense account is colour coded. On the left you will see the individual account balances, and on the right a graph shows you how each expense relates to the big picture. If you click on any section of the graph you can view a custom transaction detail report that will list every transaction that makes up the total of the expense over the selected time period. Clicking the Create Bill link will open the Enter Bills form where you can enter a new bill. In the Company Snapshot, you can only print each graph/chart individually; however, you can print the entire Insights dashboard to the printer or as a PDF document by clicking the drop-down arrow beside the print button in the top right-hand corner. Using QuickBooks Keyboard Shortcuts All Windows-based software applications are designed to be used with a mouse. However, there may be times when you would prefer to use keyboard commands to work with a program because they are faster. There are also times when you need to know the alternatives to using a mouse, especially when the mouse doesn t work. It is not necessary to memorize all the keyboard commands. A few basic principles will help you understand how they work, and over time you will use the ones that help you work most efficiently. Some commands are common to more than one Windows-based software program. For example, + C (press and hold the key while you press the letter C ) is commonly used as the copy command and + V as the paste command. Any selected text or image will be copied or pasted. + <F4> is a common shortcut for closing a window or program. Many QuickBooks functions can be accessed in more than one way from the Home page icons, QuickBooks Centres, the main menu, list menus, the Icon bar, and keyboard shortcuts. Most menu items on the main menu contain an underlined letter. Simply click an underlined letter in a menu item name to open the menu. Once the menu is open, use the up and down arrow keys to move up and down through the menu, or the left and right arrow keys to move back and forth to other menus. Some menu choices have direct keyboard alternatives or shortcuts. If the menu item has an underlined letter, pressing together with the underlined letter will access that option directly. For example, + F (press and while holding down press the letter F ) accesses the File menu. Then pressing O (the underlined letter for Open) will display the Open or Restore Company screen. Some of the most common QuickBooks functions have their own keyboard shortcuts other than the ones discussed. For example, to open an invoice you press + I, to open the Customer Centre you press + J, and to open the Chart of Accounts you press + A. These shortcuts are displayed beside the items in their respective menus. Some icons and buttons in QuickBooks have a direct keyboard shortcut. When available, these shortcuts appear as an underlined letter on the button. Press + the underlined letter to enter the button s command. For example, on the Invoice form, you can Save & Close the invoice by clicking the button or by pressing + A, the underlined letter in Save. To choose or open a highlighted or selected item, press. To cancel the menu display press. When forms with input fields are displayed in QuickBooks, you can move to the next field by pressing or to a previous field by pressing and together. The key can be used as a quick way to accept input, advance the cursor to the next field, and highlight field contents for editing purposes. Using the mouse while you input information requires you to remove your hands from the keyboard, while the key does not. To demonstrate how to use the keyboard shortcuts: 1. Press + U to open the Customers menu ( u is the underlined letter in Customers ) Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks Keyboard shortcuts are also available for many functions. Keyboard shortcuts are not case sensitive. You do not need to hold down the key even if the underlined letter is upper case. 31 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 31
Each menu item in the Customers menu also has an underlined letter in its name. Selecting a letter will open the form. 2. Press Y to open the Receive Payments form (you could also have used the down arrow key to select the Receive Payments option) The buttons on the bottom of the form also contain underlined letters. When you enter a customer payment in the Receive Payments window, you can press + A to select Save & Close, or press + S to select Save & New. 3. Press to close the Receive Payments form When you open a menu, some of the items in the menu also have shortcuts displayed to the right of their name. These shortcuts are usually memorized by QuickBooks users and are used for quick access. Let s take a look at this. 4. Press + U to open the Customers menu: Figure 1-55 On this menu, both the Customer Centre and the Create Invoices options have specific keyboard shortcuts. To open the Customer Centre and the Create Invoices form: 5. Press + J to open the Customer Centre 6. Press to close the Customer Centre 7. Press + I to open the Create Invoices form 8. Press to close the Create Invoices form QuickBooks Preferences In this chapter, we will provide only an introduction to the preference settings. As discussed earlier, you will need to change a Desktop View preference by switching to coloured icons on the top Icon bar and an Accounting preference to warn when 32 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 32
transactions are entered in the past or future to work with this textbook, as described on pages 15 16 in this chapter. You won t need to change any other preferences for the files we have set up, but you may be asked to adjust some of them as we work through the chapters. In this chapter, we will show you the preference settings that do not affect how the program works. We will cover the preferences for other modules in detail later as we use them in later chapters. Preferences are divided into two tabs: Company preferences that can only be changed by the administrator of the company file or a user set up as an external accountant, such as whether or not specific QuickBooks features are used; and My Preferences that influence how you work with the program and can be modified by all users to suit their own personal preferences. 1. Choose the Edit menu and click Preferences: 2. Click the Desktop View heading on the left-hand side of the screen and click the My Preferences tab: Figure 1-56 The preferences on the My Preferences tab can be modified by individual users to suit their own preferences while working in QuickBooks. On the My Preferences tab of the Desktop View preferences, you can allow the simultaneous display of multiple open windows or just one window, save the desktop when you close the file, show the Home page when opening a company file, switch to coloured icons/ light background on the top Icon bar, show Live Community and Help, and access the Windows settings for Display and Sounds. You can also change the company file colour scheme used in QuickBooks. The Help button will explain each option on the Preferences window. The Default button will return all preferences on the current tab back to default. Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 33 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 33
3. Click the Company Preferences tab: Figure 1-57 The preferences on the Company Preferences tab can only be changed by the administrator of the company file or a user set up as an external accountant and affects all users of the system when you are working in a multi-user environment. If you are the only user accessing QuickBooks and no Admin user has been created, then you will be able to make the necessary changes on the Company Preferences tab. On the Company Preferences tab of the Desktop View preferences, you can select the features you want to show on the Home page, such as Sales Receipts, Statements and Statement Charges, and Enter Bills and Pay Bills. If you don t use these features, you can turn them off so you don t clutter the Home page with icons you don t use. You can also use this tab to turn on or off Estimates, Sales Tax, Sales Orders, Inventory, Payroll, and Time Tracking. The Help button will explain each option on the current Preferences window. 4. Click the General heading and click the My Preferences tab: Figure 1-58 34 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 34
On this tab there are a number of preferences you can select, such as beep when recording a transaction, warn when editing a transaction, warn when deleting a transaction or unused list item, and the default date to use for new transactions. 5. Click Help and read the explanation for each preference 6. Click the Company Preferences tab: Figure 1-59 Use this tab to determine the date and time format, to indicate whether name information changed on forms should be updated in the QuickBooks record, and to save transactions before printing. 7. Click Help and read the explanation for each preference 8. Do not save the changes you make 9. Close the Preferences window when you have finished If you make changes to the preferences and want to reset them back to the default settings, click the Default button on the right-hand side of the screen. Accessing Help in QuickBooks QuickBooks Help QuickBooks Help is displayed in its own window together with the Live Community. Clicking the Help tab will display QuickBooks Help as shown here: Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 35 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 35
Figure 1-60 QuickBooks Help is in the same window pane as the Live Community; therefore, Help is also displayed when you click the Live Community icon. QuickBooks Help is context sensitive, so as you move around in QuickBooks, the information displayed in QuickBooks Help will automatically change to reflect the current open form. For example, when you open the Create Invoices form, relevant help topics about entering invoices will be displayed. As you move to other forms, the help topics will be updated to include relevant help topics about that form. With the Help window displayed on the screen, you can click the Relevant Topics tab (displayed by default when you open QuickBooks Help) in the upper section of the screen to view relevant topics for the current screen selected. Click on any of the relevant topics to view the help information in the bottom of the screen. Use the Back, Next and Print Topic icons to move back and forth between previously viewed help topics or print the help topic currently displayed. Alternatively, you can click the Search tab and enter a help topic. You can access Help using one of the following options: a) Click Help on the top Icon bar or on the left Icon bar (if it is displayed on the Icon bar) OR b) Choose the Help menu and click QuickBooks Help OR 36 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 36
c) Press F1 (the keyboard shortcut) to display the Help menu: Figure 1-61 Practise using QuickBooks Help by performing the following steps: 1. Click the Help icon on the top Icon bar or the Help shortcut on the left Icon bar depending on which Icon bar you have displayed 2. Click the Create Invoices icon on the Customer section of the Home page to open the Create Invoices form 3. Click the Relevant Topics tab (if necessary) to view the help topics relevant to creating invoices. Notice the topics are all about invoices because you have the Create Invoices form open 4. Click a relevant topic in the top of the Help pane to view the information in the bottom of the Help pane 5. Click the Search tab 6. Type Vendor bills and press Even though you are currently on the Create Invoices form, help topics about vendor bills are displayed. 7. Click a topic to view the help information 8. Click the Previous icon to display the previous help topic displayed 9. Click the Next icon to display the next help topic displayed 10. Click to close QuickBooks Help Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 37 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 37
Live Community QuickBooks Live Community is displayed in its own window together with QuickBooks Help, as shown here: Figure 1-62 If you have an Internet connection, you can use Live Community to receive answers directly from the QuickBooks community from within QuickBooks. As you learned earlier, Live Community is displayed in the same window as QuickBooks Help. You can switch between QuickBooks Help and Live Community by selecting the appropriate tab. To access Live Community: You can also click on the Help icon to display the Live Community and Help window. a) Click the Help icon on the Icon bar Figure 1-63 (as mentioned, Live Community and QuickBooks Help are displayed in a window together); or b) Press any of the options that open QuickBooks help c) Click the Live Community tab on the QuickBooks Help window to display Live Community When you first open Live Community, you may see a Go Online button. You must be online in order to use Live Community. With Live Community displayed, enter your question in the box and click the Ask button. You can also view the top questions asked, or click the View All link to view all previous questions. You can then set filters to display the questions you need answered. Under the Help Others section, you can answer questions from other Live Community users. 38 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 38
QuickBooks Support You can access QuickBooks Support from the Help menu or by clicking the Support Icon on the top Icon bar or the Support shortcut on the left Icon bar if they are displayed. You need an Internet connection to use this feature. Using QuickBooks Support is a quick way to find the answers you are looking for. To access QuickBooks Support: 1. Choose Help from the menu 2. Click Support to open the QuickBooks Support webpage: Figure 1-64 To find an answer to a specific question, enter it in the Search QuickBooks Desktop Support field and click the Search button. Additionally, you can select one of the categories under the Find your answers fast section of the screen and additional topics will be displayed for you to select. On the right-hand side of the screen, you will see a list of Today s hot topics. If you are having a problem with the software, take a look at these topics first. There may be a product update that will resolve the problem. 3. Take some time to review the information found on the QuickBooks Support website The Learning Centre The Learning Centre includes a number of resources to help you get started using QuickBooks. To access the Learning Centre: 1. Choose Help from the menu Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 39 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 39
2. Click Learning Centre: Figure 1-65 3. Click on the topics down the left-hand side of the screen to view the different information available 4. Click the Upgraders tab on the left-hand side of the screen and then click on each link on the page to learn the new features in QuickBooks 2015 5. Click to close the Learning Centre when you re finished viewing it Backing Up and Verifying Data Files If you are working in a multi-user environment, you must switch to single-user mode in order to perform a backup. Therefore, only one user can be in QuickBooks when a backup is performed. QuickBooks automatically saves your company file as you work in the program, but backing up your data files regularly ensures that you can continue working with your company data even if the working copy of the file becomes damaged. You should back up to a separate drive whenever possible for even greater security. Although you can copy your QuickBooks company file in Windows Explorer, a backup file will contain everything you need to re-create your company file and QuickBooks environment in case of loss. This includes all templates, letters, logos, and images that you have created in your QuickBooks company file. A copy of your company file will not include these items. We will demonstrate the backup procedure by saving the backup file onto a USB drive. To back up the QuickBooks company file currently open: 1. Choose File from the menu 40 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 40
2. Click Create Backup to open the Create Backup screen: Figure 1-66 Use this screen to indicate whether you want to save your backup online or locally. If you select Online backup, your QuickBooks company file is saved at an offsite location over the Internet using QuickBooks Online Backup. If you select Local backup, you save your QuickBooks company file on a storage device at your own location. 3. Accept Local backup (this is the default) and click the Options button: Figure 1-67 Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 41 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 41
If you are using another location for your backup files, or if you are working on a network, enter the appropriate drive letter for your computer setup. The Backup Options screen is used to set the backup options. 4. Click Browse to display the Browse for Folder screen: Figure 1-68 5. Select your USB drive (or the drive you want to use) If you select to save your backup onto your hard drive, you will receive the following message: Figure 1-69 You might want to save your backup onto your hard drive if you will be backing up the file with a cloud backup program. You can also verify your data at any time by choosing the File menu, then choosing Utilities and Verify Data. Notice that the option to Rebuild Data is located here as well. 42 This message is warning you that saving your backup to the same hard drive that holds your company file is not recommended. If your computer s hard drive fails, you may lose your backup files as well as your company file. You can then select to change the location or continue with the location. 6. Click OK to close the Browse for Folder screen The next time you back up this company file, this drive will automatically be displayed in the Browse field. You can use the Backup Options screen to select a number of backup options. Add the date and time to the backup file name so it is very easy to identify when the backup file was created. When you limit the number of backups in the folder, you ll be prompted to delete the oldest backup from the folder when you reach the number entered in this field. You can decide to delete the oldest backup or choose not to. We want to verify the data file each time we make a backup. Although this step will slow down the backup process, data file errors can be detected during this process. We can then choose to rebuild the data file to correct the errors or to restore the file from an earlier backup. We will also set the program to remind us to make a backup when the company file is closed every four times. Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 42
7. Accept Complete Verification as the verify option (this should be selected as the default) 8. Accept the default to be reminded to back up the company file when it is closed every four times 9. Click OK to close the Backup Options screen 10. Click Next on the Create Backup screen to view the next backup screen: Figure 1-70 You can choose to create a backup now, create a backup now and schedule future backups, or only schedule future backups. 11. Accept Save it now 12. Click Finish When the backup is complete, you will see the following message: If you click Next instead of Finish, the Save Backup Copy screen will be displayed where you can change the location and name of the backup file. This is helpful if you missed entering information on the Backup Options screen. Figure 1-71 Notice that the file name contains the date and time when the backup was created and the file name ends with a QBB extension. Adding the date and time of the backup to the file name was a default option on the Backup Options screen, and all backup files end with a QBB extension. 13. Click OK to return to the company file Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 43 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 43
Scheduling Automatic Backups QuickBooks allows you to schedule automatic backups so the data file is backed up regularly either when you close the data file or on some other schedule. 1. Choose the File menu and click Create Backup to open the Create Backup screen 2. Select Local backup and click Next The screen shown in Figure 1-70 is displayed. Since we just completed a backup, we ll choose to schedule future backups. In order for a scheduled backup to be performed, the computer you use to run QuickBooks must be turned on and the company file you want to backup cannot be in use. 3. Click the Only schedule future backups option and click Next: Figure 1-72 You can select to back up the company file automatically when you close it after a certain amount of times by selecting the Save backup copy automatically when I close my company file every times option and entering a number in the field. 4. Click the box beside the Save backup copy automatically when I close my company file every times option The number field will become available. Every three times is entered as the default frequency. If you want to back up each time you close the file, enter 1 to replace the 3 as the default frequency. The Backup Options screen will be displayed, as shown in Figure 1-67. 5. Enter the number you want in the every times field 6. Click the Options button and enter the location of the backup. Modify any of the other information found on this screen 7. Click OK to close the Backup Options window after you have selected the appropriate options 44 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 44
You can also schedule automatic backups. Companies frequently back up their data at night when the computers are not being used by employees. To use this feature, you must, of course, leave your computer on, and the data file being backed up must not be open or in use. 8. Click New to open the Schedule Backup screen: Figure 1-73 You must enter a description or name for the backup task, select a location for the backup file, enter the number of backups to keep before they are replaced by more current files, and determine how often you want to perform a backup. To back up the data file daily, you would choose 1 in the Run this task every weeks on field, and click each weekday name. You must enter the Windows login and password for the computer in order for the automatic backup to work. You must make sure that the login you enter has Windows permission to use the location you have selected for the backup. You must enter the Windows password for a scheduled backup to run. Without the Windows password, the backup will fail due to a Windows permission failure. 9. Type Daily Backup in the description field 10. Click Browse to browse for the drive and folder you will use to save your backup file 11. Select the start time for the backup 12. Choose 1 in the Run this task every weeks on field 13. Click in the box beside each weekday name 14. Click OK to save the scheduled backup Be sure to schedule a time when no one is using QuickBooks. The QuickBooks company file you want to backup cannot be in use when performing a scheduled backup. Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 45 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 45
15. You will be prompted to enter the Windows password: Figure 1-74 If you change your Windows password, you must remember to change it here. You must enter the Windows password required to unlock your computer so the QuickBooks backup can run at the scheduled time. 16. Click OK to close the Store Windows Password screen 17. Click OK to close the Schedule Backup screen and you ll be returned to the Create Backup screen where the new backup schedule is listed: As you can see, the next backup is scheduled for February 26, 2015. Figure 1-75 Restoring a File from a Backup If your data files have become damaged, or if you need to recover lost data, you can restore a backup that was made before the damage or error occurred. If you need to move your QuickBooks environment from one computer to another, you can restore a backup file to its new location. 46 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 46
1. Choose the File menu and click Open or Restore Company to open the Open or Restore Company window: You can also choose the File menu and click Restore Previous Local Backup. This option will list up to???? local backups. The No Company Open window also includes an Open or Restore an Existing Company button. If you select to restore a backup copy the Restore Company Backup wizard will start. Figure 1-76 2. Click Restore a backup copy and click Next: You can only use the Restore a backup copy option to restore a QuickBooks backup file that ends with a.qbb extension. Figure 1-77 Use this screen to indicate whether the backup you want to restore was saved locally or online. Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 47 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 47
Your file may be displayed differently depending on the view you have selected to display your files. In Figure 1-78, files are set to display in Detail. 3. Click Local backup and click Next: Figure 1-78 4. Use the Look in field to browse for the backup file if necessary 5. Highlight the file and click Open: Figure 1-79 This screen indicates that you must choose the location where you want to restore your backup file. As the backup file is restored, it will be converted to a QuickBooks company file with a.qbw extension. The backup file will remain intact and can be restored again if necessary. This screen also gives you information about overwriting your existing company file. If you need to overwrite a QuickBooks company file because it is damaged or you want to restore it back to a specific period in time, you will need to overwrite your existing company file. Keep in mind that if you create a new company file, you need to make sure you know which QuickBooks company file is the latest version. You do not want to open an old version and update it with current data. 48 Chapter 1 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 48
6. Click Next On this screen, select the location where you want to restore the backup file. The default is the original file name and location of the file you are restoring. 7. Click the drop-down arrow in the Save in field to select the drive and folder where you want to restore the backup file 8. Click Save If you are replacing an existing data file, you will be asked to confirm that you want to replace it: Be very specific about your intent. Are you trying to overwrite your existing company file or create a new one? Figure 1-80 You must confirm that you are replacing the existing file. You can still make changes by clicking No and returning to the Save Company File as screen to select a different location or change the file name to create a new QuickBooks company file. 9. Click Yes (if you are going to replace the existing file) If you receive a message that this file is set to read only, please refer to page xi of the Preface under the Restoring files from different updates heading under the Updating QuickBooks heading. If the file already exists and is not set to read only, the following message will be displayed asking you to confirm deletion of the data file: Figure 1-81 If you are restoring a sample company file (which is used in some of the chapters in the textbook), you will also receive a message indicating that the file is a QuickBooks Sample File and that the payroll calculations in the sample file will be incorrect. a) Type yes in the confirmation field if you want to permanently delete the existing file 10. You will receive the following message after you restore your file regardless of whether you created a new company file or replaced an existing company file: Figure 1-82 11. Click OK Getting Started: Introduction to QuickBooks 49 M01_HEAN4846_01_SE_C01.indd 49