Manage your Business Contact Manager database
To manage a Business Contact Manager for Outlook database, you may need to check its size, create or select a new or different database, clean up or check for errors in your database, delete databases, or switch to the sample business to try out different features before you use them in your own database.
This article covers checking the size of your database and switching to the sample business, and provides links to articles about creating or selecting a database, checking for errors in an existing database, and deleting a database.
What do you want to do?
Check the size of the database
Business Contact Manager for Outlook uses Microsoft SQL Server Express, a smaller-scale version of Microsoft SQL Server, which supports databases of up to 4 GB. If you attach rather than link files to your Business Contact Manager records, the files increase the size of the database. To see how much space you have available in your database, you can check the size of your database. If you are using a full version of Microsoft SQL Server, you do not have the 4 GB size limit.
Tip: If your database is shared, and a user does not have access to your network but needs to access files that are listed in the communication history, attach the files in the Comments section of your records, rather than linking the files to the communication history. Keep in mind that files that are attached increase the size of the database. For more information about sharing databases, see Share your Business Contact Manager data with other users.
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Click the File tab.
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Click the Business Contact Manager tab.
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Look in the Manage Databases section.
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Database size The amount of space used of the maximum 4,000 MB (4 GB) allowed for the database is displayed
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The Manage Databases section also displays the following information:
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Database name The computer name and database name display (computer name\database name). If your database is shared, users need this information to connect to your database.
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Database owner The domain or workgroup name and the database owner name display (domain or workgroup name\database owner name).
Create or select a database
Business Contact Manager for Outlook stores your business data as records in the Business Contact Manager database that you will create or select. You can create a database when you first install Business Contact Manager for Outlook, or select an existing one. You can also create a new database at any time.
Make certain that you select the database version in Business Contact Manager that matches the version of Microsoft Office you're using.
For more information, see Custom Startup: Choose your Business Contact Manager database, if you have just installed Business Contact Manager for Outlook, or Create or select a new Business Contact Manager database if you are already using Business Contact Manager for Outlook, and you want to change your database or create a new one.
Warning: If you install a trial version of Microsoft Office 2013 and decide to go back to an earlier version of Microsoft Office, back up your data first. You will need to save a copy of both your Business Contact Manager for Outlook database and your Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2010 database (synchronized into one backup database) in order to see any changes you made while using the trial version. For complete instructions, see Go back to an earlier version of Business Contact Manager and Microsoft Office.
Check for errors in the database
To improve the efficiency of your database, we recommend that you occasionally check for errors by performing the TE000129525 of your Business Contact Manager database. For more information, see Check for errors in your Business Contact Manager database.
Caution: If your database is shared, before checking the database for errors, you should ask all of its users to exit Outlook to prevent errors.
Delete a database
From time to time, you may need to delete older versions of your Business Contact Manager database or a database that you no longer need. For more information, see Remove or delete a database in Business Contact Manager.
Important: If you delete a database, the database cannot be restored. Because of this, it may be a good idea to create a backup file of the database before you delete it. For more information, see Why you should back up your Business Contact Manager data.
Use the sample business database
Business Contact Manager for Outlook includes a sample database to show you what a populated database looks like, and to help you get comfortable with using it.
The sample database contains business data for the fictional Adventure Works Bicycle company. You can use the sample database to practice configuring the workspaces, creating and naming your own forms, finding a record, or whatever you imagine, all without compromising your own business data. For more information, see About Adventure Works and the sample business database.
Note: The database that you use for your own business is not affected by your temporary use of the sample business database.
Switch to the sample business database
To practice in the sample business database, switch to it at any time. You can switch back to your database whenever you need to.
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Click the File tab.
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Click the Business Contact Manager tab, and then click the Manage Databases button.
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Click Switch to Sample Business.
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In the Switch to Sample Business dialog box, click Next.
When the process completes and the Switch to Sample Business dialog box closes, the sample business database is ready for you to use.
Switch from the sample business database to your database
If you are practicing in the sample business database, you can return to your database at any time.
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Click the File tab.
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Click the Business Contact Manager tab, and then click the Manage Databases button.
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Click Switch to My Business.
Note: The Switch to My Business option appears only if you are in the sample database.
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In the Switch to My Business dialog box, click Next.
When the process completes and the Switch to My Business dialog box closes, the database that you were using before you switched to the sample business database is ready for you to use.
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