Sage 50’s Remote Data Access, commonly known as RDA, is pushed as a convenient method for accessing your Sage data from multiple computers. Unfortunately, more often than not, it can create more issues than it solves. Users regularly run into error messages and sync issues, resulting in unwanted downtime. 

In this article, we’ll go over the most common RDA errors, explain what causes them, outline Sage’s recommended fixes and then we will give our 50 in the Cloud recommendation. Spoiler alert! Hosting your Sage 50 in the cloud as oppose to using Sage Remote Data Access is easiest way to stop the issues reoccurring.   

1. “Processing, please wait”
2. “Uploading your data for Remote Data Access, please wait.”
3. “An error was encountered while transferring data for remote Access.”
4. “Your company is currently unavailable whilst it synchronises for Remote Date Access. Sage Accounts must now close.”
5. “The Remote Data Access service is currently unavailable and may be inaccessible for some time.”
6. Transactions showing on one PC but not another
7. Sage Remote Data Access Offline
8. Sage Remote Data Access issues / Sage Remote Data Access problems
9. Sage Remote Data Access not working
10. Sage Remote Data Access status
11. Sage Remote Data Access is busy

1. “Processing, please wait.” 

This message usually appears when Sage 50 is trying to upload or sync data through Remote Data Access. This can be stuck for minutes (sometimes hours), leaving users waiting to complete the simplest of tasks.

What Sage suggests: Wait for the process to finish, check your internet connection, or restart Sage. 

Sage knowledgebase guide: Error: “Processing, please wait…” when processing or opening a company  

What 50 in the Cloud suggests: Hosting your entire Sage 50 application and data in the cloud, with cloud hosting, your company data files run directly from our servers, SSD. There’s no uploading or syncing delay – you’re always working on the live data, in real time. 

2. “Uploading your data for Remote Data Access, please wait.” 

This appears during the sync when Sage 50 is attempting to send company data to Sage’s servers. This usually fails if the connection drops, or if the .dta file that’s being uploaded is too large (although the latter is unlikely).

What Sage suggests: Reduce file size, retry the upload, or try re-enabling RDA. 

Sage knowledgebase guide: ERROR: ‘Processing, please wait…’ when using Remote Data Access   

What 50 in the Cloud suggests: Stop uploading your data. By utilising cloud hosting, your Sage 50 environment is always online, ready to access from any PC or Mac. No more failed transfers = no more waiting.  

3. “An error was encountered while transferring data for remote Access.” 

This means the sync to the Sage servers has failed. It’s either caused by internet instability on your end, or server issues on Sage’s end.

What Sage suggests: Check firewall settings, retry the transfer, or contact support. 

Sage knowledgebase guide: ‘An error was encountered while transferring data for Remote Data Access.’     

What 50 in the Cloud suggests: You’re no longer reliant on fragile file transfers. All users connect to the same hosted environment, so there’s no chance of sync failure or corrupted data.  

4. “Your company is currently unavailable whilst it synchronises for Remote Date Access. Sage Accounts must now close.”  

This error can be particularly disruptive. The company file locks up when the sync starts, preventing anyone from accessing until the process is completed.

What Sage suggests: Wait for sync to complete, then reopen Sage.

What 50 in the Cloud suggests: With our hosting, there’s no synchronization step at all. Your company file is always available, so you never get locked out in the middle of your workday.   

5. “The Remote Data Access service is currently unavailable and may be inaccessible for some time.”  

This message usually means Sage’s Remote Data Access servers are down. During this time, no one can sync or access shared company data, and it can last hours.

What Sage suggests: Wait until the servers are up and running again.

Sage knowledgebase guide: ERROR: ‘The Remote Data Access service is currently unavailable and may be inaccessible…’      

What 50 in the Cloud suggests: Our hosted servers are under our control, fully monitored, and backed up with both onsite and offsite redundancy. If there’s ever an issue, our team resolves it quickly instead of leaving you waiting on Sage.   

6. Transactions showing on one PC but not another   

One of the most confusing RDA issues is when some transactions appear on one machine but not another. This is usually tied to one device being out of sync (often due to one of the aforementioned issues), which can in turn result in accidental postings of transactions that are already there.

What Sage suggests: Refresh data, re-upload, or disconnect and reconnect the company file.

What 50 in the Cloud suggests: Our hosted servers are under our control, fully monitored, and backed up with both onsite and offsite redundancy. If there’s ever an issue, our team resolves it quickly instead of leaving you waiting on Sage.   

Other Common Sage 50 Remote Data Access Problems 

Sage Remote Data Access Offline 

This happens when Sage cannot connect to its servers, leaving you unable to work.

With 50 in the Cloud, your data is always online and accessible. 

Sage Remote Data Access issues / Sage Remote Data Access problems 

These terms cover sync failures, data corruption and downtime.

All of these vanish when you switch to our direct hosting solution. 

Sage Remote Data Access not working 

A common frustration when Sage fails to load the company files up properly.

On our hosted platform, you always connect to the live data file without interruption.

Sage Remote Data Access status

Users often search this when Sage’s service is down. You can check the status of Sage Remote Data Access here.

Cloud hosting with us, you don’t have to check a status page – we manage uptime and proactively monitor your system. 

Sage Remote Data Access is busy

This means the system is tied up syncing or locked by another process.

On our servers there’s no waiting, all of the company files are always ready to go. 

Sage Remote Data Access processing, please wait

Another variation of the same syncing problem we covered above.

With our hosting, syncing isn’t required; you’ll never be stuck waiting again. 

The bottom line: Remote Data Access often fails when you need it most. If you’re tired of waiting on error messages like “Processing, please wait” or discovering missing transactions, let us show you a better alternative. 

With 50 in the Cloud, you get reliable, secure, and hassle-free Sage 50 hosting that just works. 

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