Error 21: Library Out of Sequence

If you receive an Error 21 while opening or restoring your time clock database, it is an indication that your time clock database has been corrupted. Database corruption is rare, but can sometimes happen during a power outage, network interruption or unexpected computer shutdown when your database is writing, reading, transmitting or storing time clock data. Occasionally this error can be linked to hardware issues on the TimeClock Server computer that are disrupting normal database activity.

Resolving an Error 21
There are several options for resolving the error and getting your time clock up and running again.

Restore a database backup
If you have a backup of your TimeClock database, you can use that backup file to complete a database restore which will fix the problem. You may need to add manual time punches to get your backup database caught up to the current date. For more information, review the Restoring a Backup article.

Contact Technical Support
If you do not have a backup of your database, or if you would like to see if your database can be recovered, contact our Technical Support team for assistance. Some databases are unrecoverable, so we cannot guarantee successful database recovery. If you are enrolled in Premier Support, we will attempt repair at no charge; determine which support plan you have. If you have Standard Support, there will be a $69 support fee to attempt the repair.

Start a new database
If you do not have database backup and recovery is not an option, you will need to start a new database. When you start a new database you will lose your historical timecard data. To start a new database, select New from the Open a company database screen.

It's important to remember that if the database error was caused by faulty computer hardware, you may experience a similar issue in the future. Where possible, we recommend moving your TimeClock to a new computer.