Manage the parent file

Every file in a synchronization hierarchy has a _Sync folder where changes are temporarily stored. Opening the file automatically applies these changes to ensure the file is up-to-date.

While the parent file typically does not require you to open the file to apply the latest changes, doing so will apply the changes to the shared engagement file which can reduce the overall size of the _Sync folder. Maintaining a smaller _Sync folder can improve performance by decreasing network bandwidth usage.

As long as you have access rights to open the parent file, you can open it as you would any other Working Papers file. When there is a synchronization hierarchy in place, we suggest that you do not make changes directly to the parent file itself, but rather to your local sync copy.

Publish a parent file

You can publish Working Papers files to a SmartSync Server or Caseware Cloud for use as a parent file in a synchronization hierarchy.

Prerequisites:

To publish a parent file:

  1. In Working Papers, open the file you want to publish.
  2. On the ribbon, click SmartSync | Publish or Cloud | Publish. The Publish to Server dialog displays.
  3. Select the applicable SmartSync Server or Cloud server from the drop-down menu. If applicable, select the SmartSync Server folder where you want to publish the file. For Cloud publishing, select the entity where you want to publish the file. Click OK.

The parent file is published to the server. If the process is interrupted, the upload will automatically resume after a connection is re-established.

Replace a parent file

After publishing the parent file to a SmartSync Server or Cloud, the parent file itself is typically no longer accessed directly. If there have been important changes to a sync copy that you want to include as part of the base file, you can easily replace the published parent file to cause minimal impact on the sync hierarchy and other users with sync copies.

To replace a parent file:

  1. In Working Papers, open the sync copy that you want to use as the new parent file. Ensure the sync copy is online and fully synchronized.
  2. On the ribbon, click SmartSync | Replace Server Copy, or Cloud | Replace Server Copy.
  3. In the confirmation dialog, click Yes.

The published parent file is replaced with a compressed copy of your local file. If the process is interrupted, the upload will automatically resume after a connection is re-established.

Note: After promoting your local sync copy to the new parent file, a sync copy is retained on your local machine for continued use.

Replace a parent file with a backup or offline sync copy

Some caution is required when replacing a parent file with a backup or offline sync copy. If the backup or offline sync copy contains a _sync folder, opening the file may trigger automatic synchronization with the current parent file, resulting in unwanted changes.

To replace a parent file with a backup or offline sync copy:

  1. Save a copy of the backup or offline sync copy and the _sync folder as a precaution.
  2. Delete all sync copies and clear synchronization information from the existing parent file. Do not delete the parent file itself from Cloud.
  3. In the backup or offline sync copy, temporarily rename the _sync folder to prevent synchronization.
  4. Open the backup or offline sync copy and verify that it is in the desired state to replace the parent file. If not, complete the following:
    1. In Working Papers, click File | Close to close the backup or offline sync copy.
    2. Click File | Options | Caseware Cloud.
    3. Deselect Integrate with Caseware Cloud.
    4. Restore the _sync folder back to its original name.
    5. Open the backup or offline sync copy again to apply all unapplied sync events.
  5. Close the backup or offline sync copy.
  6. Delete the _sync folder of the backup or offline sync copy.
  7. Open Working Papers and ensure that you're integrated with Caseware Cloud.
  8. Open the backup or offline sync copy.

  9. Perform a Copy Components and copy the data into a new file.

    Note: If you're using an older version of Audit 22.00, there is a potential known issue when creating new files based on existing files. Proceed with caution or skip this step.

  10. Publish the new file to Cloud.
  11. Delete the old parent file from Cloud.

Connect to a parent file

You can manually connect your local sync copy to its parent file, or change the parent file that it synchronizes with. We recommend that you exercise caution when changing the parent file as it can create numerous synchronization conflicts.

To connect to a parent file:

  1. In Working Papers, open the sync copy.
  2. On the ribbon, click SmartSync | Properties.
  3. Select the current parent file for the sync copy. Click Change Location.
  4. Navigate to the location of the new parent file. Click Connect.

The sync copy connects to the specified parent file.