I have been exploring options for managing batch attachments but could not find sufficient information regarding this feature. Specifically, I am looking for a way to facilitate batch downloading of attachments.
The idea is to download attachments while renaming them with relevant form details and numbers for better organization. This would enable us to safely store these files offline and subsequently delete the originals from the system to reduce file size. Smaller files are much easier to back up and manage in the long term.
For example, my file storage from 2021 has grown to approximately 40GB, despite efforts to remove unnecessary images and PDFs. This size is primarily due to critical files like proofs of delivery, purchase invoices, and other documentation that must be retained.
Could you please advise on the best approach to address this, or if any features support such operations?
In my opinion, your difficulty arises because you seem to be relying on Manager as your primary data storage and are now looking for a way to reorganize and manage attachments as you move them elsewhere. I urge you to reverse your thinking.
Decide how you will name, store, and manage files first. Then determine which ones, if any, are critical to be closely associated with specific accounting transactions. Manager was never intended as a file management system. It’s an accounting application. I suspect you will be happier if you think of it that way. You would think nothing of your aggregate business records requiring 40 GB of storage, or even several times that much. But jamming that much data into a single accounting data file obviously causes you consternation.
I’ve always been puzzled by many users’ commitment to keeping all remotely related documentation within Manager. In my view, that complicates access, backup, and both software and file maintenance. I’ve run some businesses with Manager for 10 years without a single attachment and never felt constrained. And I never worry about program updates rendering data unrecoverable. Sometimes there is safety in task separation.