Web service call to get the server time failed" in Sage 50
Sage 50 could not read the clock from the computer hosting your company data, which usually points to a network or connection fault.
The message “Web service call to get the server time failed - the database time was not received from the server” means Sage 50 asked the computer that hosts your company data for its clock setting, and got no answer. Despite the wording, this is rarely about the time itself. It is almost always a sign that the workstation lost contact with the data host, or that the connection service on the host is not running properly.
What the message actually means
In a multi-user Sage 50 setup, one computer holds the company file and the others connect to it. Sage 50 checks the host’s clock so every user’s entries are stamped consistently. When that check fails, the software is telling you the request never completed. The clock is the messenger, not the problem. The real issue is the connection between your workstation and the host.
Check the connection to the host first
Confirm the computer hosting the data is switched on and that you can reach it from your workstation. Try opening another shared folder on that machine. If nothing on the host responds, the fault is with the network, not with Sage 50. Restarting both machines and the network switch or router resolves a surprising number of these cases. Also confirm the host is not asleep or hibernating, since power settings often drop shared connections mid-session.
Restart the Sage 50 connection service
Sage 50 relies on a background service on the host to accept connections from workstations. If that service has stalled, time requests and other traffic fail together. Restarting the host machine restarts the service, which is why a simple reboot often clears this message. If the error returns on one workstation only, the problem sits on that machine; if it affects everyone, look at the host.
Look at firewalls and antivirus
Security software can block the ports Sage 50 uses to talk between computers, sometimes after a routine update. If the message started appearing after a change to your security settings, that is the likely trigger. Temporarily test with the firewall relaxed on the host, and if that fixes it, add a permanent exception for Sage 50 rather than leaving the firewall down.
When the data itself may be involved
If the message appears while opening a company file, and the file then fails to open or behaves oddly afterwards, the database connection may have been interrupted at a bad moment. Interruptions during activity can leave a company file in a damaged state. In that situation, restore your most recent backup rather than forcing the file open repeatedly. If the backup is old or also fails, the file needs professional attention, and continuing to retry can make things worse.
Our engineers repair damaged Sage 50 and Simply Accounting databases, and we can tell you quickly whether your file is affected. Send it for a free evaluation of your Sage 50 database and we will report back on what, if anything, needs repairing. If you were already planning a move, we also handle Sage 50 to QuickBooks conversions, which can be a clean exit from a recurring network setup.