Sometimes problems can occur in the RTG Bills or RTG Timer database. The cause might be a hardware problem, a software crash, or even a bug in RTG's software.

Certain problems are easily fixed with software that you can download by following the instructions on this page.

One such problem is the error message Invalid use of Null, which may occur when you try to edit a matter, fee, expense, payment, or adjustment. It also may occur when you try to view or print a bill, a prebill, or a report. When you click OK in response to the error message, RTG Bills exits.

This problem occurs when a record in the database contains bad data. A field in the record contains Null, which in database terminology means that the field was not given any value.

A few other problems can also be fixed by this software. RTG will refer you to this page if we believe the software described here can solve the problem for you. Usually this happens after you have sent us your data and we have confirmed that it does, in fact, solve the problem.

We will assume that you need to fix the Invalid use of Null problem mentioned above. If you have a different problem, install the program as described here and then follow the directions supplied by RTG.

You will install a small program that will fix bad database records. It puts appropriate "default" values in the fields that now contain Null.

1. Back up your data. We recommend using File > Backup in RTG Bills. If anything goes wrong, you can restore your data using File > Restore From Backup.
   
   
2. All users should exit from RTG Bills and RTG Timer.
   
   
3. Start RTG Bills. (If you have Windows Vista, right-click the shortcut and choose Run as administrator.) When RTG Bills appears, choose:

   File > Upgrade > Yes > Check The Internet For Upgrades

4. Ignore the list of upgrades. Click the Other button.
   
   
5. You should see a window entitled Enter An Upgrade Number. In the box, type the number 283. Click OK.
   
   
6. You should now see that Upgrade number 283 has been added to the list of upgrades. It should have a checkmark next to it. Click Install to install this upgrade.
   
   
7. If the upgrade is successful, the program will tell you that one upgrade was applied. Click OK, Close, and Close again.
   
   
8. Start RTG Bills again if it does not start automatically. Choose File > Tools from the menu. You should see Fix RTG Bills Database in the list of tools. Select it and click OK.
   
   
9. The program should appear, with the title Fix RTG Bills Database. Choose:
   
   File > Fix Matters
   
   When that is done, choose:
   
   File > Fix Payments and Adjustments
   
   When that is done, choose:
   
   File > Fix Fees and Expenses
   
   When that is done, choose:
   
   File > Fix Retainers
   
   
10. Choose File > Exit to leave the program.

Questions about this procedure should be directed to RTG Support.

The database problems described above for RTG Bills rarely occur in RTG Timer. However, if a problem does occur, we have a program to fix it. The detailed instructions which follow are essentially the same as the previous instructions for RTG Bills.

You will install a small program that will fix bad database records. It puts appropriate "default" values in the fields that now contain Null.

1. Back up your data. We recommend using File > Backup in RTG Timer. If anything goes wrong, you can restore your data using File > Restore From Backup.
   
   
2. Start RTG Timer. (If you have Windows Vista, right-click the shortcut and choose Run as administrator.) When RTG Timer appears, choose:

   File > Upgrade > Yes > Check The Internet For Upgrades

3. Ignore the list of upgrades. Click the Other button.
   
   
4. You should see a window entitled Enter An Upgrade Number. In the box, type the number 278. Click OK.
   
   
5. You should now see that Upgrade number 278 has been added to the list of upgrades. It should have a checkmark next to it. Click Install to install this upgrade.
   
   
6. If the upgrade is successful, the program will tell you that one upgrade was applied. Click OK, Close, and Close again.
   
   
7. Start RTG Timer again if it does not start automatically. Choose File > Tools from the menu. You should see Fix RTG Timer Database in the list of tools. Select it and click OK.
   
   
8. The program should appear, with the title Fix RTG Timer Database. Choose:
   
   File > Fix Fees and Expenses
   
   
9. Choose File > Exit to leave the program.

Questions about this procedure should be directed to RTG Support.