Step 1	Find where your data is stored and what your Settings directory is.	More details....null;null;det,wiz1;sum;
Step 2	Check to see if the issue also occurs in Demodata. If it does, this indicates a problem with the software rather than the data.	More details....det,wiz2;sum;null
Step 3	Check the exact error message, you need this if you have to contact our Support team.	More details....det,wiz3;sum;null
Step 4	Check your version number is correct.	More details....det,wiz4;sum;null
Step 5	Run a repair on the data.	More details....det,wiz5;sum;null
Step 6	If your data is stored on a network, test the data locally.	More details....det,wiz6;sum;null
Step 7	Rename the Payroll.dat file to Payroll.mdb.	More details....det,wiz7;sum;null
Step 8	Create a new company and restore a backup.	More details....det,wiz8;sum;null
Step 9	Contact our Support team.	More details....det,wiz9;sum;null

Detailed solution - Step 1

For the following steps, you need to know where your data is stored and the settings directory. To find where your data is stored:

• Double-click the Sage 50 Payroll icon from the desktop. From the Open Company window, note the Path to Data of the affected company.
  
  

  NOTE: If the Path to Data shows Company_001\PAYDATA\Payroll.mdb, you can find the first part of the path in the PayData.txt file in the Settings Directory.

To find the settings directory:

• Open Demonstration Data then click Help then About. Check under the Program Details heading and note the path to the Settings Directory. Click close.

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Detailed Solution - Step 1 > Step 2

Check to see if the issue occurs in demodata. If it does, this indicates that your data isn't corrupt, and that the problem is with your software. To resolve this, you should uninstall and reinstall the software.

If the issue doesn't occur and you log in to demodata, click File then Open Company. Try to open your company. If this works, follow our guide Software closes when opening a company or you can only open a company through Demonstration Data to resolve this issue.

If you're not able to log in to your company from Demodata, click Next.

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Detailed Solution - Step 1 > Step 2 > Step 3

Corruption can occur in lots of different ways. The most common types of data corruption show in the form of one or more of the following messages. If you receive an error message, search our knowledgebase for a solution.  Search now >

• 'GPF in Odbcjt32.dll'
• 'Pay 5: Failed to Open.'
• 'Open Record set Failed.'
• 'Failed to Update.'
• 'Failed to repair payroll.dat file.'
• 'MS Access Driver Login Failed: Could not find object: payroll.dat files'
• 'MS Jet Database Engine cannot find object Databases.'
• The Microsoft Jet database engine could not find the object 'Payroll.mdb'.

NOTE: The last two messages indicate data corruption. To resolve this, please proceed to step 7.

Sometimes corruption may not produce a message at all but you may notice something unusual happening, for example, incorrect figures on a report.

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Detailed Solution - Step 1 > Step 2 > Step 3 > Step 4

Using new data in an older version of Sage 50 Payroll can also cause corruption. If the software is activated with an old activation key, it can cause corrupt history or legislation settings due to differences in features between the versions.

1. Open Sage 50 Payroll and log in to Demonstration Data.
2. Click Help then About. Under Program Details, check your version number is on the latest version. To check the latest version, visit our download and install Sage 50 Payroll page

If you're not using the latest version, install the latest update, then:

1. Click Tools then Upgrade Program.
2. Enter the correct account number, serial number and activation key, click Update then OK.

Check to see if the issue still occurs, if it does, click Next.

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Detailed Solution - Step 1 > Step 2 > Step 3 > Step 4 > Step 5

If your data has become corrupt, a repair of the data may find and fix any errors. It also compacts the size of the database which helps to reduce the size of your data and improve performance.

1. Right-click the Sage 50 Payroll icon, click Properties then Open File Location.
2. Double-click DBUtilities.exe. Select the affected company and click Clear Locks.
3. Click Yes then OK.
4. Click Repair then OK, then click OK.
5. Click Repair a second time, and click OK when complete.
6. Close DBUtilities.
7. Open Sage 50 Payroll, and log into the affected company.

Check to see if the issue still occurs, if it does, click Next.

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Detailed Solution - Step 1 > Step 2 > Step 3 > Step 4 > Step 5 > Step 6

If your data is stored on a network, you should check if the problem also occurs when the data is stored locally on the computer. If your data is already stored locally, click Next.

1. Browse to the data and right-click the Company_001 folder then click Copy.
2. Browse to the C:\ on your computer then Paste the Company_001 folder here.
3. Browse to the settings directory.
4. Right-click Payroll.usr and click Rename. Change the name to Payroll.old
5. Right-click Pay.usr and click Rename. Change the name to Pay.old
6. Double-click PayData.txt and note the path within.
7. Browse to this path and check that Company_001 doesn't already exist. If it does, right-click this folder and click Rename. Rename it to OldData
8. Open Sage 50 Payroll, enter your account number, serial number and activation key then click Next.
9. Select an existing set of Windows data then click Browse. Browse to C:\Company_001\PAYDATA\Payroll.mdb. Click Next then Finish.

If you don't experience the same issue while the data is local, this indicates that the data is not corrupt and that environmental factors are causing the problem.

In this case you can follow our guide covering environmental issues, or ask your local IT support to investigate the cause. Environmental issues - What's next.

If the issue still occurs, click Next.

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Detailed Solution - Step 1 > Step 2 > Step 3 > Step 4 > Step 5 > Step 6 > Step 7

The Payroll.dat file is a copy of the Payroll.mdb that is updated every time you take a backup of your data. If you have a corrupt Payroll.mdb, you may still be able to access the Payroll.dat file. To do this:

1. Browse to the data and right-click Payroll.dat and click Copy.
2. Paste this file in the same folder to create a copy of payroll.dat
3. Right-click Payroll.mdb then click Rename. Rename to Payroll.old
4. Right-click Payroll - COPY.dat then click Rename. Rename to Payroll.mdb
5. Open Sage 50 Payroll and open the affected company.
6. Check the Last Updated date and Last FPS date to ensure the data is up to date.
   
   

   NOTE: If Last Updated is not up to date, you must reprocess any missing periods. If Last FPS is not up to date, you must submit a dummy FPS for any missing periods.

If this resolves the issue, to prevent further corruption, repeat step 5. If the issue still occurs, click Next.

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Detailed Solution - Step 1 > Step 2 > Step 3 > Step 4 > Step 5 > Step 6 > Step 7 > Step 8

TIP: If you have a multi-company licence and haven't reached your maximum number of companies, you can easily create a new company to restore the data in to. Simply click File then New Company, and select Create a new set of data files then continue from step number 8 in the list below.

1. Browse to the settings directory.
2. Right-click Payroll.usr and click Rename. Rename to Payroll.old
3. Right-click Pay.usr and click Rename. Rename to Pay.old
4. Open PayData.txt and note the path. If the path is a networked location, note this path then replace it with C:\. Click File, then Save, followed by File then Exit.
5. Browse to C:\ and check that Company_001 doesn't already exist. If it does, right-click it and click Rename. Rename to OldData
6. Open Sage 50 Payroll and enter your account number, serial number and activation key, then click Next.
7. Create a new set of data files and use the New Company Wizard to create a blank set of data.
8. Click File then Restore. Click Next then select all types of Files.
9. Click Next, then click Browse. Locate the most recent backup for this company then click Open, Next then Finish.
10. Check the Last Updated date and Last FPS date to ensure your data is up to date.
    
    

    NOTE: If your data is not up to date you must reprocess any missing periods. If you reprocess a period that you've already submitted to HMRC, you must complete a dummy FPS.

If the data restores and the issue doesn't occur, run a repair on the data. If you want to move the data elsewhere:

• Click File then Relocate Data. Click Browse and locate the folder you want to move the data to. Click OK on each of the prompts that appear.

If the issue still occurs, click Next.

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Detailed Solution - Step 1 > Step 2 > Step 3 > Step 4 > Step 5 > Step 6 > Step 7 > Step 8 > Step 9

If the issue still occurs, please contact Sage technical support for further troubleshooting.

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