Question
You have been using a particular ACT! database for a while. You would like to keep your database stable, and working smoothly and efficiently. You would like to familiarize yourself with the database maintenance features within ACT!.

Answer

There are different types of database maintenance functions you can perform on your ACT! database. Refer to the section that best describes your intent:

Warning: Depending on the health of your database when you perform these procedures, data loss may occur. Before performing these steps, we recommend that you back up your database. For help making a backup of your database, refer to the following document:

Title: How to Backup and Restore Your ACT! Database
View This Document

Checking for Duplicate Records

1. Display the Contact or Group window, depending on the type of duplicate records you want to check for.

2. Click the Tools menu, click Scan For Duplicates. A lookup of duplicate records is generated. You can decide whether to delete records, copy information between records, and so on. You cannot automatically merge duplicate records to make a composite record. However, you can copy and paste data between fields in different records. It can be useful to use the Contact List view when deciding how to manage your duplicate records.

Caution: Duplicate records cannot be restored once they have been deleted.

Locking a Database

1. Click the File menu, point to Administration, then click Lock Database. If no other users are logged on to the database, it locks immediately. If other users are logged on, the Lock Database dialog box appears listing the users logged on to the database.

2. If the Lock Database dialog box appears, specify the amount of time until the other users are automatically logged off the database, and then click Lock. If it fails to lock, refer to the following document on what might be causing this:
   
   Title : Error Messages that Refer to Locking the Database
   View This Document

Unlocking a Database
Click the File menu, point to Administration, and then click Unlock Database.

Compress and Reindexing

1. Make sure your database is locked. Click the File menu, point to Administration, and click Database Maintenance. The Database Maintenance dialog box opens.

2. Under the Periodic Maintenance tab, be sure that Compress Database is enabled.

Note: Compressing large databases can take time. You may want to reindex your database without compressing it, then compress it when you have more time. Compressing a database frees up disk space that was occupied by records you previously deleted.

3. If you want to display a reminder to perform database maintenance, Enable the Remind me again in checkbox, then select the number of days between reminders. It is recommended that database maintenance be performed at least once per week.

4. Click Reindex.

Deleting Obsolete Data

1. Click the File menu, point to Administration, then click Database Maintenance. The Database Maintenance dialog box appears.

2. Under the Data Clean-up tab, enable the type of data and then specify the age of that data (in days) that you want to remove from the database.

3. Click Remove Selected Items.