Networking or sharing data with Powerquote

Networking the Powerquote database allows separate users on separate computers to all share the saved database information. You can do a quote on one computer, then print it out on another computer or allow someone else at another computer to view or work with the quote.

The setup involves sharing the main database from the main computer or the 'server', then connecting all of the other computers ( clients ) to the server

These directions only apply to Windows XP Professional and XP Home.

The file that needs to be shared, is pquotes.mdb. Install the Powerquote program on this computer first. Then, starting on the server, we recommend sharing the folder it is in, with these directions:

From the desktop icon or start menu, go into 'My Computer'

Double click the C drive icon

Then double-click the Program Files folder

Then, right click on the Powerquote folder, and click 'sharing and security...'

In the Quomation Properties window, click 'Share this Folder', type Quomation as the Share name if it is not there already, and click the "Maximum allowed' checkbox. ( Windows Home and Pro with simple file sharing already enabled, will not have the permissions button or security tab, skip those steps for XP Home. Just click the option that says "allow network users" to change files instead, and click OK)

Click on the Permissions button, then make sure 'everyone' has Change and Read selected, then click OK.

Click on the Security tab, and click on 'Users', and make sure they have Modify and Write selected, then click apply, then OK.

That's all there is to "Share" the Quomation folder. Within the Quomation folders, are the databases for the Quomation programs.

We just need the computer name now, to be able to set up the other computers. Right click on the 'My computer' icon either on the start menu or desktop, and click 'properties'.

Click on the "Computer Name" tab, and the computer name is next to "Full Computer Name". Write this name down EXACTLY as it appears here. You can then close this window. That's all we need to do on the Server.

Next, go to the client computer. Meaning, the computer that will be reading the shared database form the server. By default, the powerquote installation sets up a local database on each computer it is installed on. We have to map a drive to the server, then make the Powerquote program look on that drive for the shared database.

First, go into "My Computer" either from the start menu or the desktop icon.

Here, click on the Tools menu, then click "Map Network Drive..."

In the Map Network Drive window, change the drive letter to Q in the top drop down menu.

Then, in the folder line, enter the computer name and share of the server. For instance, if we determined the server's computer name was virtual-xp-pro.quomation, then format this line as shown in the example line:

\\virtual-xp-pro.quomation\quomation

Make sure the "Reconnect at Logon" is checked, then click finish. It will connect to the server and open a window with the server folder contents. You can just close this window. You now have a Q drive which contains the Powerquote Databases. Now, we just have to tell Powerquote to look there!

Open Powerquote, and from the first window, click on the "Misc Info" button.

Then on the left, click on 'Database Options'. On the right, click on the 'Advanced Options' box so your window looks like this:

Now, to point ot the database, click on the little folder to the right of the first line. You will see the 'Where is Pquotes.mdb' window open. Once open, click the 'my computer' button on the left. Then, click on the Q drive Icon.

Then, double click on the Powerquote UT ( Or whatever state abbreviation applies for your state ) icon.

Then in the next window, click on the pquotes or pquotes.mdb icon, and click Open. You will see this message once the link has been completed.

You can also link to a shared Pforms database this way, just choose the folder next to the second line in the default options window, and browse to the powerforms folder in the shared quomation folder, and pforms.mdb file.

Click save and close on the default options window, and you are all connected and sharing with the server!