How to identify and fix QuickBooks data file corruption or damage?

When QuickBooks Desktop users encounter data damage error, it could mean that QuickBooks Desktop was unable to read the data in the company file. These errors can appear because of internal errors within QuickBooks, or due to external factors such as an incorrect path for the file location. Regardless, these errors can adversely impact business operations because QuickBooks will not be able to process the information provided by the users. Let us understand what the various types of data damages in QuickBooks Desktop are, and how to fix them.

What Are the Causes for Data Damages in QuickBooks Desktop Company Files?

There could be various reasons why data can be damaged while working with QuickBooks Desktop. Here are some of the reasons for data damages.

• There is a high probability of corruption if the system on which the company file is stored stops abruptly.
• Company files can get corrupted if there is insufficient storage space, and data is not entered correctly.
• Third-party applications may have interfered with processes leading to data corruption.
• The application might have been attacked by some malware designed to corrupt files.

What Are the Different Types of Data Damage Errors in QuickBooks Desktop?

There are broadly four categories of data damages in QuickBooks Desktop. These are as follows.

• Structural Data Damage

  QuickBooks Desktop uses a database in which data is stored in tables. When there are issues with the contents of the table or their headers, QuickBooks Desktop will throw errors such as Error -6000, -301 or Error -6150, -1006. These indicate that there could be structural damage to QuickBooks data.

• List Data Damage

  QuickBooks Desktop records information on certain attributes as list items. These could be customers, employees, vendors, charts of accountants, inventories, and services, among others. List Data damage occurs in QuickBooks Desktop if the sequence is wrong, there are incorrect or duplicate entries for unique attributes or some other issue.

• Transaction Data Damage

  In some cases, users might notice an incorrect open balance or mismatches between item history and their sales orders. These errors occur due to transaction data damage.

• Link Data Damage

  These errors occur when there are broken links between transactions. These damaged links could result in discrepancies in reports. These are relatively difficult to diagnose as transactions have to be opened manually to rectify them.

How to Rectify Data Damages in QuickBooks Desktop?

The steps to diagnose and rectify these errors often depend on the type of data damage. Here are some of the most commonly used techniques to rectify data damages in QuickBooks Desktop.

• Using the Rebuild Data Tool

  The Rebuild Data Tool is a built-in feature available in QuickBooks Desktop that can be used to fix minor issues with company files automatically. You will find it in the File menu under utilities. The tool scans for issues when you click on Verify Data. If QuickBooks detects data damage, click on Rebuild Now to resolve the issue.

• Using QuickBooks File Doctor

  Sometimes, the issue persists even after rebuilding the QuickBooks company file. Or, the rebuilding process itself takes an unexpectedly long time. This might indicate that the data damage could be more deep-rooted, or there are other factors such as network issues. QuickBooks File Doctor and other features in the QuickBooks Tool Hub can run deeper scans to identify and rectify data damages and other issues.

• Applying Manual Fixes

  Neither of these tools might be able to certain errors that appear because of data damage particularly the ones involving link data damage. You can try to fix these manually with the help available on the Verify Results screen.

If none of these methods work, the last option is to contact QuickBooks support for recovery assistance.

Apps4Rent Can Host QuickBooks Desktop on the Cloud

Most types of data damages in QuickBooks Desktop can be pre-empted by following the best practices of using the application. Among these, hosting QuickBooks Desktop with an Intuit Authorized Hosting Provider such as Apps4Rent is of distinct importance. Not only is your data better protected against threats, but you can also access the solution of scalable virtual desktops that can be accessed from anywhere. We create backups regularly so that you can recover from data damages faster. Contact our QuickBooks hosting team available 24/7 via phone, chat, and email for assistance.