Year End Procedures

Perhaps the most important task you should perform annually is to review your normal data backup process. This should include reviewing that proper procedures are regularly being followed to create backup copies of your system data, verifying that the hardware and media being used are functioning properly, and making an additional copy of your Keystroke system and data - using a different computer or media than used for your normal routine backups, and storing it separately (off-site) from your other backup copies.

When a hard-drive fails, about the only thing worse than not having a backup copy of your data files is discovering that what you thought was a reliable backup is not readable or is otherwise unusable. Unfortunately, this has happened to all too many Keystroke customers, and while a hardware failure is always a problem, it's much less devastating if a recent and usable data backup is available.

If you do not already have a regular backup procedure in place, now is the time to start.

The Keystroke system maintains inventory on a real-time basis, which enables you to always know exactly how many of each item is in stock. However, there are issues you must periodically address when using a real-time perpetual inventory system.

If you need to know the value of your inventory on a particular date such as the last day of the year, you will need to make a record of the inventory levels on that date. To do this, you can print a totals report (in Report Manager, Inventory menu, Database report), or make a copy of your Keystroke data that you can easily access to run end-of-year reports at a later time.

Also, inventory levels in Keystroke do not reflect unrecorded changes due to theft, damage, spoilage, entry errors, etc. To record these changes, use the Variance function in the Keystroke Database Manager. While New Year's Eve is probably not when you want to count your entire inventory, the Variance function can also be used to quickly take a snap shot of inventory levels on that day.