Dear MYOB Product Team, I am writing on behalf of our accounting practice regarding the recent removal of the offline backup function in MYOB AccountRight 2026.5. We are extremely concerned that th...
Hi Mike
I really can’t see what the issue is with MYOB. Why can’t subscribers keep their own backup and retain control of their own data? After all, subscribers are paying a premium price for the AccountRight version.
The solution seems simple:
Option 1 – Reinstate the offline backup facility.
Option 2 – Allow subscribers to download a backup of their data directly from MYOB’s servers.
MYOB is a service provider and should be there to meet its customers’ needs and reasonable expectations, rather than making it more difficult for customers to access and safeguard their own data.
Customers should have the ability to maintain their own independent backup of their accounting data. This is a basic and reasonable expectation, particularly for businesses that rely on this information.
Hi Folks
This subject has been done to death over the last 2 months and asking MYOB to roll back to an old solution is as impossible as rolling back the Titanic to before it the iceberg is - .......... Oh and for the record I do not work for MYOB, I am not paid by MYOB and if you look at my posts - I have fired shots across MYOB's bowels and had a post yanked - but have also been given private air time with development MYOB seniors to discuss this very subject and to get some perspective.
As a developer for both MYOB and XERO and having used MYOB since 1994 and XERO since 2023 I do understand the forward momentum of software generation of the big boys like Microsoft and Big Blue and Intel etc - they drive the game - and we all have to use products that we believe are going to be around for a good time - if not a longtime - if not 'for ever' - a dream.
I use MS SQL and MS Access databases and they have been around since the early 1990s and are still going .... however, MYOB hitched it early local database legacy for their new version of online/offline MYOB AccountRight products to a compact version of Microsoft's MSSQL database product a CE SQL database - and Microsoft in their great wisdom - decided it no longer was going to roll out updates - so its support has been deprecated - finished - which means MYOB in their offline version has, by default needed to be deprecated - i.e. when you do an offline backup from an online file - software converts the online format to the offline CE Sql format so you can open it with AR SE offline and work it as a normal MYOB file offline --- from 2026.6 this has ended.
Nothing MYOB can do about that - Microsoft drives that boat - CE SQL database is no longer being supported.
So MYOB - pick another database product that isn't deprecated - ok - MSSQL - that would work except everyone would need to install MSSQL on home computers, servers etc to open offline MYOB - actually not a big deal - MS SQL free version runs fine - but that needs time and energy and development .....
There are other databases products suitable - but that is a dilemma now MYOB are caught in - how to re-instate creating an offline working file - and it will take some big development energy to fix and come up with that solution - but using SE AR 2026.5 with the CE Sql database is not a realistic long term option - though a stop gap until they have a solution I suggest.
There are other options - as a developer I can think of a few - permitting backups offline to continue but converting any online format back to the last working SE AR 2026.5 version ... workable not ideal..... only a thought.
But one thing Not possible folks - is a roll back to continuing with the old solution so any suggestion in that vein is false hope - it isn't possible.
Oh, someone suggested moving to XERO - yep I use it, I reluctantly develop for it in a minor role - but people forget one serious flaw with this software ( there are others) - it is totally internet based - it has no backup facility and there is absolutely no disaster recovery capability - at least MYOB still retains that.
Do I spruik MYOB over XERO - no I do not - I just have used MYOB since 1994 and it has worked well as an accounting product - oh boy it does have moles, and bunions and warts - don't get me started but it is robust and full of features that other products do not match - enough said ... MYOB is guilty of a bad rollout of this transition that has been said .. .but I do know they are working on a solution of offline backups and the ability to run these for whatever reason you desire.
I am not happy at huge amount of hours I have spent fixing Remote Server access to on and offline files whilst this rollout has happened - not withstanding my remote client server has to now be manually configured per user, because the PC AR edition doesn't install as advertised by MYOB with the ALLSUER flag set.
Enough said by The Doc ... if you want to criticise me on my opinion - be my guests .. if it helps.
Hopefully MYOB will leave this post up as every post I do now is reviewed and yanked if I get to tough on my criticism.
The Doc