Here's the basic procedure:
1. Figure out which of the the users has the largest database. Then figure out where this user's data directory currently resides. You can find out where the program is looking for their data by opening Essential Forms and clicking on View>System Information. The System Information screen has a "Directories" section and on the third line under that is the entry for "Data". (Note that you may have to drag open the window to see the full pathname.)
2. After closing the program, move this person's Essential Forms data folder to a shared location on the server. Users will need read, write and modify rights to this folder. You can rename it if you like.
3. Open the user's Essential Forms back up, click on Configure>Data Directory, choose "Browse" and browse to the shared Essential Forms data folder on the server. Select it and click "OK", then "Use this directory". The program will close down, and when you reopen it, it should be looking at the data folder on the server. You can verify the program is now using the data folder on the server by looking at the System Information screen as detailed in 2. above.
4. (Here's where it gets tricky.) In order to merge the smaller database into the one that's now on your server, you'll have to open the program on the other computers.
How to Import/Export Clients/Matters:
Just like the usual Exporting/Importing Clients/Matters And Saved Forms as covered on pages 24-25 in the Essential Forms User's Manual under Help.
You can select multiple Clients (matters and saved forms are brought over) at once by using any of the following Windows™ blocking techniques:
* Hold down the <Ctrl> key and left-click your mouse on the Clients you want to Export, in any order you wish.
*To select a range of Clients, click on the Client at the top of the range, and then hold the <Shift> key and click on the Client at the bottom of the range.
*To select all of the Clients in a group simply click on any Client in the group and then hold down the <Ctrl> key and the <A> key.
Once you've selected the desired Clients to Export right-click and Export Client(s)/Matter(s)...
You will get an Export Data window with a file name Multiple Clients. You can choose where to save the Multiple Clients.efx file from the drop-down arrow. Then, click Save.
*Note: Either use a USB stick or cloud storage location to physically move the Multiple Clients to another Essential Forms database.
You can take that USB stick (or open the cloud storage folder) to the Essential Forms where you want to Import the Multiple Clients or click Configure>Data Directory to repoint to the desired current/live data folder and click Ok and Use This Directory. Reopen Essential Forms should be looking at the desired data folder now.
Insert USB (or open the cloud storage folder) Essential Forms and click File>Import Client(s)/Matter(s)...
Follow the prompts to point to the location (USB or cloud storage folder) that contains the Multiple Clients.efx file. You will see an Import data window. Browse to the drive or media containing your exported Multiple Clients.efx. Select Multiple Clients.efx file for import and click the “Open” button:
The client data will automatically be imported into Essential with all of its associated matters/saved forms. If the copy of Essential Forms you’re importing to already has a client and matter with the same names, you will get a confirmation screen asking you if you want to replace the existing matter with the new imported matter. Select the appropriate button.
5. Repeat the export/import process on the other stations as covered in #4 above.
**TIP: If the matter you want to import already exists under the same client and matter names, but contains different saved forms, you can preserve both matters and form sets by renaming the existing matter before importing the exported matter from the other copy of Essential Forms. See pages 12-13 for details on renaming clients/matters in the Essential Forms User's Manual under Help.