Understanding Lacerte data file structure and extensions

Lacerte's data path is where client information is stored to calculate and print returns.

To find the data path:

• Press F10 to open the Technical Support Information window.
  • The data path is listed in the System Information tab.
• Go to the Settings menu and click Options.
  • In the Setup tab, the Data Path field is the first one listed.

How to find data path files

The default data path is: X:\Lacerte\YYTax\#Data, where:

• X is the drive letter where the data is stored
• YY is the year of the program
• # is the module letter the data is set to
  • For example, I indicates Individual data, C stands for Corporate. 

Tax module identifiers are:

I = Individual (1040)
P = Partnership (1065)
C = Corporate (1120)
S = S-Corporate (1120S)
F = Fiduciary/Trust (1041)
R = Exempt Org (990)
B = Benefit Plan (5500)
T = Estate (706)
N = Gift (709)

Client information files in the data path

Inside the data path is a list of *.DBF Files. These files contain client information (Screen 1) and subclient information.

• Subclients are dependents (Individual), partners (Partnership), officers (Corporate, Exempt Organization), shareholders (S-Corporate), beneficiaries (Fiduciary, Estate), donees (Gift), and participants (Benefit Plan).

You will also see a list of *.MDX Files. These are index files used to find records in the *.DBF files.

• The Detail folder contains all detail screens except Client Information, Subclient Information, and Notes.
• The Detail folder holds one file for every client in that particular tax type.
• Client files will have a 3 digit file extension with the letter of the tax type, follow by the letter D, then the last digit of the tax year.
  • For example, a file extension of .ID9 would indicate an Individual 2009 client file.

Other folders stored in the data path

Not all folders listed here are applicable to all tax modules.

• NOTES: contains clients notes (Screen 47) and other miscellaneous information. There will be several files with different extensions for each client.
• BAD: stores defective Bridge and Detail files.
• DCDATA: contains custom templates for the data conductor.
• EF: contains e-file transmission and acknowledgement files.
• ESignature: contains files related to eSignature.
• EXPORT: default location for export files.
• Link: contains files related to Intuit Link.
• RefundsN: contains information used by Refunds Now for Rapid Anticipation Loans.
• TaxImport: contains files related to scan and submit, and financial institution downloads.
• TBData: contains trial balance data for all clients combined into a set of database files.
• URN: contains information regarding users in the program.