To Set Up Automatic File Synchronization

You can use automation schedules to perform periodic synchronization between a file on an MYOB Advanced site and a file on a local computer or network.

You find the file whose synchronization you want to schedule by using the Search in Files (SM202520) form, configure file synchronization by using the File Maintenance (SM202510) form, and then schedule the synchronization on the File Synchronization (SM202530) form.

Before You Proceed

Before you start configuring synchronization between a file on your MYOB Advanced website and a file or folder on your local network, share the folder (which includes the file to be synchronized or which will itself be synchronized with the file on the MYOB Advanced website) through your operating system. Make sure the folder is shared with proper rights for writing.

Note: Synchronization (of the export type) with a folder means that each time synchronization is performed, a new file with the appropriate date and time stamp is created in the specified folder.

To Configure File Synchronization

  1. Open the Search in Files (SM202520) form.
  2. To find the file, on the form, do one of the following:
    • In the Selection area, specify criteria to help you find the file. This criteria can include the file name (or part of the file name), the time interval of the import, and the name of the user who imported the file or checked it out. The table in the right pane lists the files that match the criteria you specified.
    • In the left pane, navigate to and select the form to which the file is attached. The table in the right pane lists the files attached to the entities created by using the form you selected in the left pane.
  3. In the right pane, click the file to open the File Maintenance form for this file and view file properties.
  4. On the Synchronization tab, select the Synchronize check box.
  5. In the Synchronization Type box, select Shared Folder.
  6. In the Path box, enter the path to the shared folder on a local network computer.
  7. In the Login and Password boxes, type the login and password of an account with sufficient rights to allow system access to the shared folder.
    Note: If you synchronize files with an FTP server, you should use a login without the /, or \ characters in synchronization settings. Otherwise, MYOB Advanced will not be able to connect to the server.
  8. To configure synchronization with the folder, do the following:
    1. Select the Synchronize Folder Content check box.
    2. In the Import File Reg. Exp. box, enter a validation mask for the files in the folder that are involved in synchronization.
  9. On the form toolbar, click Save.

To Schedule File Synchronization

After you have configured the file synchronization, you can perform synchronization manually by using the File Synchronization form. Alternatively, you can assign it to a schedule to be performed automatically by using the Automation Schedules (SM205020) form. For more information about automation schedules, see Automated Processing: General Information.

To schedule file synchronization, do the following:

  1. Open the File Synchronization (SM202530) form.
  2. In the Operation box, select the synchronization operation to be performed, Import File or Export File. This displays (in the table in the lower part of the form) the pairs of files for which synchronization of the selected type has been configured.
  3. In the Selected column, select the check boxes for the files you want to have automatically updated.
  4. On the form toolbar, click Schedules > Add. This opens the Automation Schedules (SM205020) form as a pop-up.
  5. On the Automation Schedules form, in the Description box, enter a description of the new schedule.
  6. On the Details tab, specify the additional settings of the schedule:
    1. Optional: In the Starts On box of the Details tab, select the start date. By default, the schedule execution starts on the current business date.
    2. Optional: If you need to specify an expiration date for the schedule, clear the No Expiration Date check box, and specify the expiration date in the Expires On box.
    3. Do one of the following:
      • If you want to limit the number of executions, in the Execution Limit box, specify the number of times the schedule should be executed.
      • If you do not need to limit the number of executions, select the No Execution Limit check box.
    4. Optional: In the Process with Branch box, select the branch under which the schedule should be processed. For example, if documents are created by this schedule, the system creates these documents and specifies the selected branch for each document.
    5. Optional: Change the time zone in which the schedule will operate. By default, the time zone specified on the User Profile (SM203010) form for the currently signed-in user is selected.
  7. On the Schedule tab, configure the execution dates and time as follows:
    1. Specify how often the schedule execution should be performed:
      • To execute the schedule daily or every x days, do the following:
        1. In the Schedule Type section, select Daily.
        2. Optional: In the Schedule Details section, in the Next Execution Date box, select the date when the schedule should be executed next.
        3. In the Every x Day(s) box, type the number of days between successive executions of the schedule.
      • To execute the schedule weekly or every x weeks, do the following:
        1. In the Schedule Type section, select Weekly.
        2. Optional: In the Schedule Details section, in the Next Execution Date box, select the date when the schedule should be executed next.
        3. In the Every x Week(s) box, type the number of weeks between successive executions of the schedule.
        4. Select the appropriate check boxes for the day or days of the week on which the schedule should be executed.
      • To execute the schedule monthly or every x months, do the following:
        1. In the Schedule Type section, select Monthly.
        2. Optional: In the Schedule Details section, in the Next Execution Date box, select the date when the schedule should be executed next.
        3. In the Every x Month(s) box, type the number of months between successive executions of the schedule.
        4. Select when the schedule should be executed: the day of the month, or the week in the month and the day of the week (such as the third Friday of the month).
      • To execute the schedule once per financial period or every x financial periods, perform the following steps:
        1. In the Schedule Type section, select By Financial Period.
        2. Optional: In the Schedule Details section, in the Next Execution Date box, select the date when the schedule should be executed next.
        3. In the Every x Period(s) box, type the number of financial periods between successive executions of the schedule.
        4. Select the appropriate option button to indicate when the schedules should be executed: at the end of the period, at the start of the period, or on a fixed day of the period (which you should specify if you select this option button).
    2. In the Execution Time section, specify the particular time of the day to start and stop the processing as follows:
      1. In the Starts On box, select the hour and minute when the first execution of the schedule should start.
      2. If you want the processing to be stopped at specific time or you want the processing to be repeated multiple times a day, in the Stops On box, select the hour and minute when the first execution of the schedule should stop.
      3. If execution of the schedule should be repeated multiple times a day, in the Every box, select the interval between successive executions of the schedule.
      4. In the Next Execution Time box, make sure the next execution time is correct.
      5. If you want the system to execute the schedule at exactly the time specified in the Next Execution Time box, select the Exact Time check box. If the check box is cleared, the system may shift the next execution time of the schedule by multiple minutes.
  8. On the Conditions tab, specify conditions to select only specific pairs of files for automatic synchronization:
    • In the Field Name box, select Name.
    • In the Condition box, select Equals.
    • In the Value box, select the file by its name.
  9. On the Filter Values tab, choose the synchronization operation to be performed, Import File or Export File.
  10. Click Save on the form toolbar to create the schedule. When you save a newly created schedule, the system gives it an identifier in accordance with the built-in numbering sequence intended for automation schedules.

To View the History of Schedule Application

  1. On the Configuration tab, click Document Management. In the left pane, click Schedule > File Synchronization.
  2. On the form toolbar, click Schedules > History.
  3. In the dialog box that opens, select the schedule whose history you want to view, and specify the date range for which you want to view the history.
  4. Click History to view the history of the schedule execution and the list of file pairs that were synchronized automatically as the result of the schedule application.