DEAD FILE MATTERS IN LEGALSUITE

Author:                   Cindy Kruger

Date:                      August 2007

Audience:             Bookkeeping

Summary:              How to dead file matters in LegalSuite

CONTENTS:

· Introduction

· How to Dead File matters

· Conclusion

Introduction:

We do not delete accounting transactions in LegalSuite which means that the integrity of the data can always be proven and this is one of the reasons why our Accounting module has been so successful. This means that your database will keep on growing forever more, but this in itself is not a problem because Microsoft SQL has been designed to accommodate huge databases.

When you Archive matters LegalSuite marks it as not in use but keeps the data for reference purposes. After five years your firm might deem it necessary to Dead File the matters. LegalSuite calls this Dead Filing matters and even now all it does is summarize or shrink the matters information and move it to another area of the database. We can verify the integrity of the accounting transactions even after this has been completed. Once a matter has been dead filed you cannot restore it. We recommend that you run a backup prior to dead filing. A copy of this backup should then be copied and saved offsite.

How to dead file matters

Select File… Maintenance… View Archived Matters on the main menu bar

Fig 1: Archived Matters screen

Click on the   Dead file Icon, a screen will appear with two options:

Fig 2: Dead File options

Click on the Dead File Archived Matters option. A filter screen will open, in this filter screen you can select which Archived matters you would like to dead file:

Fig 3: Filter matters that are to be dead filed

Once you have set your filters click on

A warning screen will appear, informing you of the Dead file process

Fig 4: Dead File warning

Click on

LegalSuite will start dead filing the matters:

Fig 5: Dead filing in progress

Conclusion:

The reason we Dead File matters is to reduce the number of files listed when you look at the Archive Matters and to remove the files that have been archived for more than two years.

Dead Filing also summarizes the matter information without losing the integrity of the accounting information.

Once the archived matters have been Dead Filed then they will no longer be able to be reinstated.