Disable automatic entry of downloaded transactions
I've just switched from Quicken Windows to Quicken Mac. I have Quicken Premier 2018 v5.5.7 Mac.
It seems that transactions downloaded from my banks are automatically categorized and entered into my registers. The automatic categorization is annoying and sometime wrong but not too big of an issue. However, the automatic entry of the transactions into the register is often incorrect, frustrating and time consuming.
It is extremely difficult to find all the matching errors and resolve them when the transactions are automatically accepted into the register.
Quicken Windows had a feature where downloaded transactions were kept separate until they were reviewed and entered/matched one by one. How do I enable that feature for Quicken Mac?
It seems that transactions downloaded from my banks are automatically categorized and entered into my registers. The automatic categorization is annoying and sometime wrong but not too big of an issue. However, the automatic entry of the transactions into the register is often incorrect, frustrating and time consuming.
It is extremely difficult to find all the matching errors and resolve them when the transactions are automatically accepted into the register.
Quicken Windows had a feature where downloaded transactions were kept separate until they were reviewed and entered/matched one by one. How do I enable that feature for Quicken Mac?
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Meanwhile, you can add your VOTE to Restore Transactions Downloading Acceptance and Matching workflow.
First, click on the underlined link above to go there, then click VOTE at the top of THAT page, so your will vote count for THIS feature and increase its visibility to the developers by seeking to have the features you need or desire end up in the latest version.
While you are at it, you may want to add your VOTE to related IDEAS found on the List of Requests for Downloading Data into Quicken. Click on the underlined link, then follow the instructions to add your vote to more related ideas. Your VOTES matter!
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(Canadian Q user since '92, STILL using QM2007)
The workaround that smayer97 refers to above is primarily to turn on the Status column (menu View > Columns if it's not already showing). There will be a blue pencil in that column for transactions that have been matched to a manually entry or a blue dot for transactions that were downloaded only. Consider any transactions with either of these icons to (virtually) not yet be in the register. As you review each transaction, click the icon and select "Reviewed". The icon will disappear and you will know that you've dealt with that transaction. Once you have marked all the transactions (cleared the status icon), you can consider them "accepted" into the register.
You can show only the not yet reviewed transaction by using the Status filter: Not Reviewed. Also, you can mark a bunch of transactions as reviewed all at once by selecting them, right-clicking and choosing Mark Selected Transactions As > Reviewed.
The lack of this feature seems like one of those cases where the people that decided to not have this feature do not use the product and are not in touch with how people use it.
Others, such as myself, have been glad to get rid of it and find the procedure I outlined above not only sufficient, but smoother and less cumbersome.
Before you dismiss it out of hand, I suggest you try the workflow outlined above. Give it a chance and see if it works for you.
That said, I do agree that there are cases where this workflow just does not meet the needs of how some of us need to use the product.
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(Canadian Q user since '92, STILL using QM2007)
https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/disable-automatic-entry-of-downloaded-transactio...
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(Canadian Q user since '92, STILL using QM2007)
Please reference the new conversation here: QM2007: Online Payments
Community Moderator
For long over a year, maybe 2, I have had to spend hours and hours every month correcting completely incorrect automatic entries. Typically that involves rejecting incorrect matching, fixing the Payee and/or almost everytime entirely correcting the auto-categorization and transfer destinations/sources for 90+ transactions. Often that is near 100% of my transactions.
And lately, Q has been prohibiting me from correcting transactions by refusing manual matches to the correct manually entered/copied transactions. At this point, Q has become completely unreliable and has ceased to be of benefit to me. (If I am unable to find a workable solution I will have to completely abandon Quicken)
Just my frustrated 2 cents worth.
Quicken Windows also has the guessing features, but frankly after you have got most of your payees setup I think it is best to turn off that automatic guessing, have straightforward renaming rules to make the payee names uniform, and memorized payees so that you can state what categories and tags and such they should get.
But on Windows even if the person doesn't turn off Quicken's guessing of categories/payee names and such the manual renaming/memorized payees always are checked first, so I think it is less of a problem on the Windows side even if the user leaves the guessing on.
Both the automatic entry mode and non automatic entry mode have ways to "review/accept" transactions and correct them and match and such. There really isn't a lot of advantage of one of these systems over the other.
But the users shouldn't have to be correcting "mistakes" made by "guessing", at least not after they have used Quicken for a while and got things setup the way they want.
Ability to LOCK a payee and categorization.
First, click on each underlined link above to go there, then click VOTE at the top of THAT page, so your will vote count for THAT feature and increase its visibility to the developers by seeking to have the features you need or desire end up in the latest version.
While you are at it, you may want to add your VOTE to related IDEAS found on the List of Requests for Downloading Data into Quicken. Click on the underlined link, then follow the instructions to add your vote to more related ideas. Your VOTES matter!
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(Canadian Q user since '92, STILL using QM2007)
How many votes will this take to get action?
Every time I open Quicken, I have a big mess to sort out from the new downloads from incorrect matching and incorrect categorization.
Personally when I look at this request and the one about local renaming rules and the controlling of the categorization (what Quicken Windows would do with memorized payees) and see that they have a lot of votes, but less than this feature, I have to believe that people don't really get what the real core problem is.
The core problem is that the renaming of payees, categorization, and such isn't working. The automatics are fine for getting started, but need to be turned off and put into the control of the user so that these problems don't come up in the first place.
On the other hand the only real difference between the automatic entry mode and the non automatic entry/Downloaded Transactions tab is where you are dealing with the transactions. Both when properly implemented are fine. They are not causing the problem. And getting a non automatic entry mode will not solve your current problems.
https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/disable-automatic-entry-of-downloaded-transactio...
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(Canadian Q user since '92, STILL using QM2007)
"They have a lot of features that people want. This is just one of them. And I'm sure others would contend that the features they want are more important."
True, and I manage the backlog for large products so I understand the challenges there. Note that I'm asking a different question...how many votes does it take to get action?
"The core problem is that the renaming of payees, categorization, and such isn't working."
"On the other hand the only real difference between the automatic entry mode and the non automatic entry/Downloaded Transactions tab is where you are dealing with the transactions. Both when properly implemented are fine."
I disagree. A separate manual review is the only way to ensure everything is correct.
Separate from that, I want to disable automatic matching and categorization as much as possible.
I suppose it is the matching that causes more trouble than the categorization. In any case, A) I don't want either automatic matching or automatic categorization and
I agree there should be a manual review!
But you can do a manual with either system!
And you can mess it up with both systems!
Example flows. First non automatic entry.
Question what category is going to be assigned to the TJ Max in the Downloaded transactions tab? How about Subway?
In this flow you need to select a transaction to find out.
And then if correct you select Accept, if not you change it in the new transaction that appears in the register.
Note that if I hit Accept All I can "defeat" this whole review system.
Now for the automatic entry mode flow.
All the transactions I should review are going to be marked New or New Match.
I can see all the categories that were assign in one go. And I can go in and change anything that needs it. I can also sort by the status (blue icon) column to make sure all the New/New Match transactions are together. I can also multiple select and edit/delete, something the Windows Downloaded Transactions tab doesn't allow.
The "New/New Match" status is cleared by selecting the New/New Match icon and this menu comes up.
I can do them one at a time, or mark them all reviewed. Note that marking them all reviewed at the same time is NOT the same as using Accept All from the Downloaded transactions tab. Since I can see exactly what categories all my transactions got, I have really made sure they are right before marking them reviewed. In the Downloaded Transactions tab I can only see one transactions assign category at a time. If I hit Accept All, I'm blindly accepting whatever category Quicken assigns, and have no real good way to separate them out from the old transactions.
After marked reviewed.
Note that none of these categories were picked by "guesses". I have Quicken automatic categorization off. Each of these are picked by first going through my renaming rules, and then my memorized payees to pick the category.
And here is an example of what would happen if I don't have a memorized payee for a new payee.
If I don't give it a category it doesn't get one. And that is exactly what I want for any new payee, instead of Quicken guesses.
I also use this for when the payee is "generic" like "Check".
For those I either pre enter the check and match it, or I fill it in during this review process.
Now explain to me how going through the Downloaded Transaction tab is better?
Restore Transactions Downloading Acceptance and Matching workflow idea thread.
I won't run them all off here but some differences and benefits include:
- being able to have a different window layout, showing different columns, sorts, etc. for that process that are not necessary outside that process
- being able to explore other parts of the account register independently without interfering or interrupting the download, matching and acceptance process
- not having the balance of those transactions impact the account register until matching and acceptance of a transaction is complete. This is especially useful when there are either duplicate or unmatched or even incorrectly matched transactions.
- when there are large volumes of data being downloaded (whether from a single month or when processing multiple months worth of data--this can happen quite a lot for some), the matching process is far easier to navigate since you do not have ALL the transactions from the register getting in the way. For people who are willing or able to download and reconcile very regularly, this becomes less important. Not all of us have that luxury.
- a separate window allows you to the stop the process midstream and not lose track of what you are doing more easily... again not mixing in downloaded vs manual or other processed transactions unnecessarily.
These are only highlights. Bottom line, there are many situations to which a separate download window lends itself far better than auto-acceptance and matching, which provides far more control and flexibility over the process and workflow, making the process far more efficient and effective in many situations.(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)
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One might say well the Mac version wouldn't have that limitation because the Mac programmers are better than the Windows ones. Or the APIs are better or the code is less convoluted at this point...
The point is that every one or your "advantages" could be programmed around in automatic entry mode. And the same goes for the Downloaded Transaction tab limitations.
And frankly I'm tired of correcting the SuperUser that tell people to turn off automatic entry mode for problems that have nothing to do with it, just because they don't use it and don't understand it.
And that carries into the whole point I posted on this thread even though it is Mac.
The complaints are all about incorrect changing of the payee name and categorization. And that somehow magically when you switch to non automatic transaction mode those problems will go way.
They won't. They will simply have to be fixed in a different mode.
Personally if I was in this situation I would like the developers to fix the actual problems so that I could do what I do right now in Quicken Windows (in either mode), and that is NOT have to fix transactions.
I almost never have to change any transactions. They are all correct.
This is because the options I select and the processes I use to work with Quicken, instead of again it.
But to each his own.
I will stop bothering people now.
They won't. They will simply have to be fixed in a different mode.”
I disagree. With non-automatic entry, the problems of incorrect automatic categorization and matching get isolated for separate review at the user’s leisure.
“The point is that every one or your "advantages" could be programmed around in automatic entry mode.”
I don’t see how. The point is that I don’t want automatic entry and I do want the ability to both review each transaction and correct the mess created by automatic categorization and matching at my leisure. I certainly agree that the downloaded transactions tab the Windows version could be improved, but there is no doubt that it is an unqualified improvement over what we have in the Mac version today.
Also, addressing these issues does nothing for many of the issues I raised, regarding the independence of data in a register vs this workflow.
And you said it well in the end..."to each his own"...everyone has different ways of interacting with and managing their data, and the current workflow in QMac does not lend itself well to all situations, which this feature does provide in QWin and QM2007 (and earlier). That is why so many people still desire it.
After all, it is the third top voted on feature for QMac that is outstanding...(only surpassed by some budget features, full loan amortization (this is only partially implemented) and arguable report types and formatting features, which have slightly fewer because they are fragmented votes but the cumulative votes are higher). I think that says a lot.
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And frankly Quicken Mac is following the exact path I thought it would, because all software does. People think you rewrite it and then you get it right because now you know better and are "smarter" than the people that wrote the convoluted code before.
But in reality every developer makes mistakes and some they "can't take back". Like Quicken Mac's transfers with two "systems" is going to be nothing but a pain to the developers. It already probably is. It is probably one reason Quicken Mac's budgets don't allow transfers. Marcus has even stated it is very involved to get it working.
Having two different systems for processing transactions doesn't come at no cost.
Currently both the automatic and non automatic entry modes in Quicken Windows have significant bugs in them, and one of the factors has to be the fact that both exist.
For instance the Downloaded Transaction tab popup up when it shouldn't, or not showing up when it should (linked cash accounts). Or not being able to see transactions that need attention in an investment account when in automatic entry mode because the are "stuck" in an hidden Downloaded Transactions tab.
There was a recently added bug where people would click on a transaction and the one it match in the register would go away (no such problem in automatic entry mode).
And neither did Quicken Window of old or QM2007. Neither of these had automatic entry mode. Automatic entry mode was first added to Quicken in Quicken Essentials Mac, and later added to Quicken Windows.
So for all the people that did want (and requested) an automatic entry mode, the Quicken of "old" didn't satisfy them either.
While manual entry mode in QWin does have problems (I categorize these as nuisances), the manual entry mode solves major problems and is a far less problematic and far more manageable workflow that automatic entry will never match.
Second: Another factor is deciding when to open up certain parts of the code for revisions. As we know, changes in one area can often cause unintended consequences elsewhere, so they probably try to group several needs in a particular area together before diving in. And that brings up a third factor: with a small development team, there can be one or two key programmers for certain parts of the code, so work on a particular feature can sometimes depend on the availability of personnel who may be tased with other priorities. And some changes require just a user interface designer to make a change, while others require coordination between the database developers, interface developers, perhaps the Quicken Cloud developers, etc.
All of which is to say that it's pretty much impossible for us to judge what is or should be easily doable or doable soon, because we can't see all the pieces involved.
Oh, and sometimes, the developers think their new way of doing things is a better way, and they hit pause on early user feedback to "make it work like it used to." Sometimes, given more time using it, users come around to liking the new way; sometimes, they continue to think the developers got it wrong and need to make changes. (For instance, when the new Quicken Mac rolled out four years ago, a significant majority of users cried out missing the old two-line checkbook-style register interface. Because we were all used to it, and how we managed screen real estate on our desktops. And while some users still want that, there are many, like me, who have come around to liking the new interface better.) I suspect that may have been at play in terms of automatic entry of transactions in Quicken Mac -- the developers wanted users to try their new way, which they thought was a better way to do things. In this case, I'd guess the majority of users who didn't like it Day One still don't like it today. Hopefully, the developers recognize that this is an area they need to revisit.
Second: Another factor is deciding when to open up certain parts of the code for revisions. As we know, changes in one area can often cause unintended consequences elsewhere, so they probably try to group several needs in a particular area together before diving in. And that brings up a third factor: with a small development team, there can be one or two key programmers for certain parts of the code, so work on a particular feature can sometimes depend on the availability of personnel who may be tased with other priorities. And some changes require just a user interface designer to make a change, while others require coordination between the database developers, interface developers, perhaps the Quicken Cloud developers, etc.
All of which is to say that it's pretty much impossible for us to judge what is or should be easily doable or doable soon, because we can't see all the pieces involved.
Oh, and sometimes, the developers think their new way of doing things is a better way, and they hit pause on early user feedback to "make it work like it used to." Sometimes, given more time using it, users come around to liking the new way; sometimes, they continue to think the developers got it wrong and need to make changes. (For instance, when the new Quicken Mac rolled out four years ago, a significant majority of users cried out missing the old two-line checkbook-style register interface. Because we were all used to it, and how we managed screen real estate on our desktops. And while some users still want that, there are many, like me, who have come around to liking the new interface better.) I suspect that may have been at play in terms of automatic entry of transactions in Quicken Mac -- the developers wanted users to try their new way, which they thought was a better way to do things. In this case, I'd guess the majority of users who didn't like it Day One still don't like it today. Hopefully, the developers recognize that this is an area they need to revisit.
Anyway, this issue is NOT isolated to the categorization issue, as I tried to clearly point out. It is far more about control over data flow and accommodating different workflows, which automatic entry cannot accommodate, as much as it is useful to some. It is all about choice. And a choice that CAN accommodate far more use cases that a single approach.
It seems that some of the aversion to having both methods available is predicated on the experience with QWin having both. I get it. But QWin and QMac are different beasts. And I often tend to support the idea of leave well enough alone.... but that is the problem... it is NOT well enough for many.
BTW, though not perfect, I have never had any major issues with the download matching and acceptance workflow in QM2007, unlike the many problems I see described for the QWin equivalent. It pretty much just plain works. AND meets my needs very well, addressing all the points I raised. Cannot say the same for automatic entry.
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(Canadian Q user since '92, STILL using QM2007)
See Add option for 2-line/row display in Quicken For Mac
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(Canadian Q user since '92, STILL using QM2007)