Purge Procedures

 

There are several things that indicate that it is time to do a purge.  If you answer ‘Yes’ to all of the questions below, it is time to do a purge.

NOTE:

***You will be required to contact the RMS Support Desk during office hours to obtain the password to complete the purge.***

 

1. Is your system telling you that it is time to do a purge?

2. Is the size of your database greater than 40Mb?

3. Have you noticed that RMS has started running significantly slower over the past 6 months?

4. Are you keeping more than 13 Months of data?

5. Do you understand what you will loose when completing a purge?

6. Have you read and understood the procedures for completing the purge below?

 

1. Checking and setting the purge warning date.

 

The Purge warning date is set in RMS in the General information and is based on a number of Months that you wish to keep your reservation data.

To check or change this setting, follow these steps –

  1. Go to The Main Menu
  2. Click Set-up
  3. Click on General Information
  4. Select the System TAB
  5. Check the boxes marked Months to keep data

 

 

It is normal to keep anywhere between 13 and 25 Months of data at all times, however it would be advisable to keep at least 36 Months (if not more) of Client records.

 

Reservation Data = Number of months to keep cancelled and departed reservations

 

Long Term Transactions = Number of months to keep transactional details on a Long Term account before showing a brought forward balance. This figure is usually set between 6 and 13 months.

 

Boom Gate History = Number of months to keep historical records of pin number usage (only applicable to those properties who have the Boom Gate interface and who are using pin numbers)

 

Client Records = Number of months to keep historical client records, such as names and addresses, provided that they have not had a reservation within this time. Normally set between 36 and 60 months.

 

2. Checking the size of your database

 

Note.. This function is not available in version prior to version 7.1.0 – for versions prior to this you can find the database size by running the Repair and Compact utility located in the RMS for Windows program group in your Start Menu.

 

From the Main Menu, click on the Help Menu at the top of the screen and select ABOUT.

You will see the database size in this box.

 

3. Speed of RMS

 

The more data that is stored in the database the slower the system will become when performing reservation searches, moving the booking chart and displaying accounts. This is normal in a database system such as RMS. Proper maintenance and purging regularly will reduce the amount of data stored in the database.

 

4. Data Retention

 

It is normal to keep anywhere between 13 and 25 Months of reservation data on hand at all times. Keeping more than this may compromise the speed of the system.

Please refer to point 1 above for more information.

 

5. Purge Rules

 

The purge procedure follows a complex set of rules to ensure that no critical information is deleted.

 

The purge will only delete reservations provided that they are beyond the number of months set to keep reservations and only if they are departed or cancelled and have a zero account balance with no bonds/refundable items still left to be refunded.

 

The Purge will only remove transactions off a long-term account provided that they are beyond the months to keep long-term transactions. The system will create a Brought Forward Balance as at that date. Any Bonds/Refundable items will not be purged until they are fully refunded.

 

The purge will remove all Boom Gate pin number access logs after the number of months specified by the number of months to keep Boom Gate History. This is done regardless of each reservations status (i.e. cancelled, arrived, departed etc.).

 

The purge will delete all client history, names and addresses, provided that this name has not been used against any booking for the number of months specified by the months to keep client records.

 

The purge will remove all cash account transactions up to the month BEFORE the date specified by the Month System Updated To date, located in the General Information - System TAB.

 

6. Purging procedures.

 

These procedures are extremely important and must be fully completed regardless of the outcome of the purge itself. If you do not fully complete these procedures you will run the risk of damaging your database beyond repair.

 

These procedures are clearly shown on the Purge screen located in the Utilities Menu as shown below.

 

  1. Monthly Updates.

From the Reports Menu, click on Update Monthly Figures – the explanation for this procedure is described on this screen.

  1. Print the Debtors ledger including future transactions.

From the Main Menu, click on Reports then Accounting.

Click on Debtors Ledger. Ensure that the tick is in Include Future Transactions (top centre).

Build and print this report in FULL.

  1. Backup.

Do your usual daily backup on a NEW disk/s and Label Prior to Purge with Todays Date. This backup must be kept forever and stored separately from your normal daily backups.

  1. Exit out of RMS

If you use RMS on more than one computer make sure that all terminals are turned OFF and only the computer that you are doing the purge on is using the system.

  1. Run the Purge

Press the purge button on the bottom of the purge screen in the Utilities Menu. BEWARE – the purge can take anywhere from 15min to 6hrs. It is impossible to predict how long it will take. It is advisable to complete the purge on the same calendar day.

IMPORTANT! - If you receive any unusual errors or messages throughout the purge, simply write down the message and continue (click OK). Even if the purge appears to STOP you must complete the full procedures to follow.

It is normal for the purge to simply drop back to the Utilities menu when complete. There is NO message saying that the purge has been completed.

  1. Run a Database Compact. NOTE!!! This step is not required for version 8 users.

Exit out of RMS.

Click on Start, Programs, RMS for Windows, Repair and Compact Utility.

Wait for the Top line of data to be filled out with numbers – Notice the database size.

Click on the Compact button and wait for the compact line to be completed. You should notice a significant reduction in the database size.

This would indicate that the purge has removed many records.

  1. Final Debtors Ledger

Load RMS again and run the same debtors ledger as done in step 2 above. The two debtors ledgers should have identical balances at the end.

If not, follow these steps.

    1. If the difference is less than $1000.00 compare every entry from the before and after debtors ledgers to identify the offending accounts – they should all be the same. On those that are different, identify what the difference is and make an adjustment on the account if necessary.
    2. If the difference is greater than $1000.00 please contact RMS ASAP, as you will need to restore the backup.

If both debtors’ ledgers balance, the purge is complete and has been successful.