First determine where the failure occurs
Ask what the user was doing immediately before the failure and capture the exact message. Determine whether the issue is limited to one screen, report, user, workstation, or affects the entire practice.
A local interface issue, a shared data issue, and a service or connectivity issue can look similar to the user. Scope is the fastest way to avoid changing the wrong layer.
- One workstation: compare the application version, local configuration, and recent workstation changes.
- One user: compare access and user-specific workflow with an authorized peer account.
- All workstations: check shared service health, network reachability, current vendor notices, and whether a recent change affected the shared environment.
Collect evidence in a predictable order
- Record product version, Windows version, affected task, exact error text, and time.
- Check whether the same task works for another user or from a known-good workstation.
- Review application and Windows logs for the matching time window using the supported collection method.
- Compare current configuration with an approved known-good reference.
- Make only one approved change at a time, then repeat the original task and confirm the result.
Avoid risky first responses
- Do not edit database connection settings based on a guess.
- Do not restart a shared service during active use without confirming operational impact and change authority.
- Do not copy a configuration value from another site without verifying that it is intended for this environment.
- Do not treat an old ticket or a proposed cause as a confirmed fix.
Use current vendor material for the exact version
Dolphin Management procedures can change between releases. Use the current vendor article or support team for the product version in front of you, especially for setup, licensing, database, and shared-service work.