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Accounting CS systems information

The following information is mainly meant for your qualified IT professional to use while planning for changes such as server migrations, or when setting up, configuring, and troubleshooting CS applications. This information can also help you share technical details of our applications with other staff members in your office, or when discussing an issue with our Support team.

Accounting CS directories

Accounting CS has 4 primary installation directories:
\WinCSI\Accounting CS
This directory includes program level files and folders on the network. In addition to the executables the program uses, it also contains imperative configuration settings files, as well as folders from which license and program updates are run and stored.
\WinCSI\Accounting CS Data
Unlike other CS Professional Suite applications, no relevant client or firm data is located here. In addition to files used to help the program communicate with the proper instance of SQL Server, this directory also consists of folders and files used by Accounting CS for integration and data sharing. This directory is also the default location for files exported from Accounting CS.
C:\Program Files\Creative Solutions\ Accounting CS
 (
C:\Program Files (x86)
 on a 64-bit computer)
This folder gets created on the workstation during a desktop installation. It will contain version folders, DLL files, executables, and other files that need to be run locally on the machine rather than on the network.
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\ MSSQL10_50<SQLInstanceName>\MSSQL\DATA
This is a location on the server where your SQL instance resides, which is where the actual firm/client data is located. While this is the default location in most cases, the version of SQL and any customization to the location of the data files may cause the folder to be named differently and for the SQL data files to reside elsewhere.

Global files

\WinCSI\Accounting CS
  • Networkinstallation.ini
    : The computer's Localinstallation.ini file points to this file when launching the application. The program then uses the information in this file to determine the location of the other needed components, including: data location information, license file locations, network application files, and any special configurations added to the program.
  • Version.Dat
    : This file holds the version of Accounting CS currently installed on the network. It's compared to the local version of the file to determine if the computer needs updating when launching the application.
  • CSIUPD.exe
    : This executable file is used to access CS Connect to download updates and licenses.
\WinCSI\Accounting CS\DESKTOP
  • SETUP.EXE
    : This executable file is used to install Accounting CS to computers on the network.
\WinCSI\Accounting CS Data
: This folder holds information that is directly integrated with Accounting CS and is where other applications within the suite would send files that will be automatically imported into the program upon launch. This folder also contains export files for integration with UltraTax and GoSystem Tax.
  • DataSource.xml
    : This file holds the name of the server and SQL Server instance that the program uses. Other files also contain this same information, but this is the one the program primarily looks to for it.
\WinCSI\Accounting CS Data\CISData
: In this folder, the application will build and update files for each client in order for other CS Suite applications to compare data that is being data shared to or from Accounting CS.
\WinCSI\Accounting CS Data\Forms
: This directory stores ELF files and internet files for payroll tax forms by default.
\WinCSI\Accounting CS Data\NetClientData
: This directory temporarily stores data that's transmitted to NetClient CS.

Local installation files

During the desktop setup of Accounting CS, files are installed on the computer. These files are computer specific and don't affect other users in the program. The following are a few of these important local files:
C:\Users\<UID>\AppData\Local\Creative Solutions\Accounting CS
  • ClientSettings.xml
    : This is the Accounting CS user preference file that holds stored sign in information, as well as some filter/search settings, dashboard information, and other various user-specific configurations.
  • Log.xml
    : When Accounting CS encounters an error, this file is appended with the error message. If you select Send log file on the received error, the log file is emailed to the Development Team for review and tracking purposes. The sent log file is renamed to log.xml.000. Each time a log file is sent, the files will be renamed and kept up to log.xml.005.
C:\ProgramData\Creative Solutions\Accounting CS
  • LocalInstallation.ini
    : This file points the workstation installation of Accounting CS to the shared network files.
C:\Program Files\Creative Solutions\Accounting CS
  • AccountingCS.exe
    : This is the executable that runs Accounting CS on the workstation. Unlike a few other CS Professional Suite applications that store and run the executable from its shared WinCSI directory, Accounting CS keeps this file local and workstation specific.
  • AccountingCS.exe.Config
    : This .config file can be modified to include more in-depth error log file information. When edited, it can capture information, warnings, and errors within the program, rather than only error messages.
  • Version.dat
    : This file is created during a desktop setup and records what version of Accounting CS is running. Upon opening the program, this file is compared against its network version to determine if a local update is needed.

SQL files

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.<SQLInstanceName>\MSSQL\DATA
*
  • ACS_<FirmID>_FIRM.mdf
    : This is the primary database file on the server where your SQL instance resides and contains the actual database data for the program.
  • ACS_<FirmID>_FIRM.ldf
    : This is the transaction log file on the server where your SQL instance resides. Transactions made in the program are written to this file, which then stores them as it writes the requests to the .mdf file.
  • Backup.bdf
    : If using the automatic backup process within Accounting CS, this is the most current backup of the SQL data.
  • ACS_<FirmID>_FIRM_<timestamp>.bdf
    : While the naming of this file can be modified during the process, this is the default naming convention and file for one-time manual backups of SQL that have been initiated from Accounting CS.

Installation prerequisites

Accounting CS has several prerequisites for the operating system in order to run the application on a workstation, including Microsoft Edge, Microsoft .NET Framework, and Microsoft Visual C++. The desktop setup for Accounting CS will check that your workstation has these components and automatically install any prerequisites that are missing. If you need to individually reinstall or repair the separate components needed to run Accounting CS, see the locations of the following installation files.
\WinCSI\Accounting CS\DESKTOP
  • Setup.exe
    : Executable file to run the Accounting CS desktop setup.
\WinCSI\Accounting CS\DESKTOP\MSI
  • dotNetFx40_Full_x86_x64.exe
    : Executable file to install or repair Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0
\WinCSI\Accounting CS\DESKTOP\MSI\VC2010SP1
  • vcredist_x86.exe
    : Installer file to install or repair Microsoft Visual C++ 2010

This article applies to:

  • Product: Workpapers CS
  • Subject: Install