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Optimize File

GrandTotal writes every save as its own entry in the file. “Optimize File” tidies these entries up. What happens depends on the file format. Open File Info to see it: the “Format” row shows 2 for the current format and 1 for the older one; if the row is missing, it is the older format as well.

Files in format 2

No manual run is needed here: GrandTotal maintains the file by itself; the menu command only starts that maintenance right away on this Mac. Completed weeks are bundled into a segment.

The file keeps every save. The history stays complete, and so does the verification chain that links every save to the one before it. The file is not rewritten, no backup copy is created, and other devices keep working undisturbed. This does not make the file smaller, only faster: a fresh state shortens opening.

Files in format 1

A file from GrandTotal 6 to 9 is converted to format 2 when you optimize it. The history is carried over, and the previous file stays next to it with the extension .backup.

If a Mac with an older GrandTotal version is still writing to the same file, the conversion waits. GrandTotal names that Mac and runs the previous consolidation instead: the entries are merged into one state, the file gets smaller, and the editing history is lost. The GoBD logs are kept.

How to start it

  1. Hold down the ⌥ key (Alt/Option)
  2. Open the File menu
  3. Choose Optimize File

Before a conversion, GrandTotal shows which devices last wrote to the file and asks for confirmation.

File menu with the Optimize File command
Shared files in format 1: After a conversion or consolidation it takes a while, depending on the sync service, until every device has received the new file. Pick a time when nobody is writing invoices.

At a glance

All data is kept

Documents, clients, products and settings are unchanged afterwards.

History

In format 2 it stays complete. Only the consolidation of a format 1 file resets it to the merged state.

Backup copy

Only for a format 1 file: the original stays with the extension .backup.

File size

In format 2 it stays the same; opening gets faster. Only the consolidation of a format 1 file makes it smaller.

Which format do I have?

The “Format” row in File Info shows 2 or 1; if it is missing, it is format 1.

Hidden command

The command appears only while you hold down the ⌥ key.