SeroBooks keeps your company in the SeroBooks cloud. The cloud copy is the master: every invoice, bill, payment, journal entry and report figure is stored and calculated there, and everyone who signs in to the company, on any computer, works on the same books. This article explains what that means day to day, what SeroBooks keeps on your computer, how the two stay in step, and what happens when you switch companies, sign out or use more than one computer.
You need an internet connection
SeroBooks talks to the cloud as you work: when you open a list or report, it reads the latest figures; when you save a document, it is saved to the cloud. Keep this computer connected to the internet while you use SeroBooks. If a screen cannot reach the cloud you see a message saying so; check your connection and try again.
What is kept on this computer
Each computer keeps a local copy of the lists that forms need, so that item searches, customer look-ups and drop-downs respond straight away as you type. The local copy holds, for each company:
- your business and its locations, and your invoice layout;
- items (products and services, their variations, units, categories and brands), price levels and group prices, discounts and warranties;
- customers and vendors;
- tax rates;
- roles.
It is a working copy, not a second set of books. Reports, balances and ledgers always come from the cloud.
Settings that belong to this computer rather than the company are also kept here: the printers chosen in Printer Setup and the companies this computer has opened.
One file per company
SeroBooks keeps each company in its own database file on this computer, named after the company's number (for example serobooks_1856.sqlite). On Windows these files are in your user profile's application data folder (%APPDATA%\Sero Technologies\SeroBooks). You never need to open, move or copy them.
- Signing in to a company opens that company's file. The files of other companies stay on the computer untouched, so going back to one only brings across what changed since.
- Each file records which company it belongs to. A file that belongs to a different company is never used: SeroBooks moves it aside and gives the company a fresh file, which fills from the cloud.
How syncing works
- When you sign in, SeroBooks brings this computer's copy up to date. The first sign-in to a company on a computer downloads everything; after that, each sign-in brings across only what changed since the last one.
- As you work, what you save goes to the cloud. When you add or change an item, SeroBooks updates this computer's copy straight away.
- Sync DataBase, in the side menu (the Menu button at the top left), brings everything up to date on demand. It shows "Syncing Data..." while it works. As well as bringing across what changed, it reads every customer and vendor again and downloads anything else this computer is short of. Use it when something changed on another computer and you want it here now. Your role needs the Sync Database permission.
Your lists are kept complete
SeroBooks checks that this computer holds all of the company's customers, vendors and items, not just the ones that changed recently. For each of these lists it compares how many this computer has with how many the cloud has:
- when the company opens, and every ten minutes while you work;
- again soon after the connection comes back, if a download was interrupted.
If this computer has fewer, SeroBooks downloads the rest in the background, a page at a time, while you carry on working. A download that is interrupted carries on from where it stopped, and one that fails is retried on its own, soon at first and then every ten minutes, until the list is complete. A list is only marked complete once this computer holds as many as the cloud does.
While a list is still arriving:
- the top bar, beside Online, shows what is happening, for example Downloading customers & vendors 450 of 1,890;
- the Customer Centre, the Vendor Centre, the Item List and the customer, vendor and item search boxes show a thin amber line, for example Still downloading customers & vendors — 450 of 1,890. The list fills in as they arrive.;
- if it keeps failing, the top bar says Customers & vendors incomplete on this computer — retrying. Anyone not yet on this computer is still in the cloud; nothing is lost.
When everything is complete the top bar shows nothing extra.
A customer or vendor you changed on this computer that has not reached the cloud yet is never overwritten by these downloads.
The first time a computer runs this version it counts each company's lists the same way. A list that is already complete is simply marked so; one that is short (because an earlier version missed part of it) is downloaded in the background until it is whole.
Refresh on the Customer Centre, Vendor Centre and Item List
Refresh on these lists reads the whole list from the cloud again, not just this computer's copy: every customer (or vendor, or item) is brought across, anyone missing is added, and anyone deleted in the cloud is taken off the list here. The button reads Refreshing… while it works, and the amber line shows how far it has got. If the cloud cannot be reached, a message says so and the list shows what this computer has.
Several people and several computers
Everyone signed in to a company, on any number of computers, is working in the same cloud books. A document saved on one computer is in the books for everyone at once; lists such as items and customers reach another computer's local copy at its next sign-in or Sync DataBase. There is no single-user mode to switch into and no company file to lock.
What each person may see and do is set by their role, not by the computer. See Set Up Users and Roles.
Switching companies and signing out
- File ▸ Open Company… lists the companies this computer has signed in to, and any others registered to your email address. Choosing one signs in to it and opens its own local file. See Open Company and working with several companies.
- If you ticked Remember me for a company, its password is kept in Windows' secure credential store, never in a plain settings file, so switching back can sign in without typing it.
- File ▸ Sign Out signs you out and returns to the sign-in screen. The company's local file stays on the computer, so the next sign-in only brings across changes.
Keeping your data safe
- The cloud copy is the one that matters, and it is not affected by anything that happens to this computer. If a computer is lost or replaced, install SeroBooks on the new one and sign in: the company's copy downloads again.
- For a copy of the books you hold yourself, use Back Up Company regularly, for example at each month-end or year-end.
- Anyone who can sign in to your company can see your books within their role. Give each person their own sign-in rather than sharing one.
Common problems
An item or customer added on another computer is not here yet. Click Refresh on the Customer Centre, Vendor Centre or Item List, or use Sync DataBase in the side menu.
A customer I know exists cannot be found on one computer, though other computers have them. This computer's copy of the list is short. Open the Customer Centre (or the Vendor Centre for a vendor) and click Refresh: SeroBooks reads every customer from the cloud again and adds anyone missing. Compare the number beside the heading (for example 1,890 on file) with another computer. If the top bar says a list is still downloading, wait for it to finish, or click Refresh to fetch it now.
A report shows different figures on two computers. Reports come from the cloud, so press the report's refresh to read it again; check that both use the same dates and filters.
I signed in to the wrong company. Use File ▸ Open Company… to switch. Each company keeps its own file, so nothing is mixed.