How do I name my data file and define its location

The data you enter with Office Maker or BiblioMaker is stored in a data file independent of the software. So if you update or reinstall the program, there's no risk of your data being deleted.

Data file name

One of the first steps in using the software is to create your data file. Here are some recommendations for defining its name:

Data file location

By default, when you create a data file, it will be placed in the Documents/[Program name] folder of the current user account. You can, however, place it elsewhere:

With the single-user version

• If the data file is to be accessible to several users on the same computer, each with a separate account, use the folder Macintosh HD:Users:Shared (on Mac) or C:\Users\Public Documents (Windows).
• If the file is to be opened in turn by several users, each working on their own computer, you can place the data file on a file server. Make sure that access authorizations are set correctly.
• Avoid placing the data file in the applications folder or the program folder.
• Avoid opening a data file stored in a Cloud folder such as Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud Drive, One Drive, etc. If you open the same data file from two different computers at the same time, you risk damaging it.

With the client-server version

• It is strongly recommended to place the file on an internal server disk and not on a remote disk (such as a NAS server). This is because the data file is permanently open and could be damaged in the event of a network failure.
• Don’t save the data file in a folder that is shared on the network. Indeed, the data file is shared by the Office Maker or BiblioMaker Server application using its own protocol and not Windows’ or macOS’ filesharing protocol. By saving the data file in a shared folder, there would be a risk that a user accesses the data file from the network using the filesharing function and damages the file.
• Don’t save the data file in a folder shared «in the cloud» (such as Dropbox, One Drive, iCloud Drive, etc.), because the synchronization operations of such folders are not compatible with Office Maker and BiblioMaker. You could damage your data file or work with a file version that is not updated.

Folders structure

If you manage several companies, we suggest you create one folder per company name, and for Finance and Staff, one folder per financial year. The result could look like this, taking the fictitious example of two companies named Edelweiss and Sanzot:

Business

Finance

Staff

BiblioMaker