Sharing data without modification ability

Unknown

I'm using Quicken for Mac to handle my dad's finances (checking, savings, bill pay, investments). I'd like to be able to "share", i.e. for him to be able to view the data without the ability to modify it, so that he can see his financial status and feel part of the process. For now I'm sharing reports generated by the program, but that doesn't give him the "feel" of being involved. Is there a better way?

jacobs

Tom, Quicken is designed as a single-user program; it's trick when users simply want to the the same data file on two different computers. There is definitely no concept of a "read-only" mode for Quicken, or different users with different access levels.

So what can you do beyond the reports you're doing now?

You could give him copies of the Quicken data file while keeping the "live" version on your computer. It's easy enough to File > Compress the data file on your computer, email it to your father, and have him double-click on the .zip file and drag that desktop file over the Quicken icon in the dock. The only issue I can see with this is the he could initiate actions with any connected financial institutions, particularly if you're using bill-payment via Quicken. You'd need to change the passwords so he can't log in, or you'd need to disconnect the accounts in Quicken before sending him the file each time, which sounds impractical. (He could also generate checks, if he still has checks and a printer.  But if he still has his own checks, then access to Quicken likely isn't a problem.)

You could alternatively keep only one Quicken data file and use screen sharing software so either you could access Quicken on his computer or he could access it on yours. I use TeamViewer, which is free for personal users, to connect to my parents' computer periodically for tech support; I'm not sure I'd want to do a lot of Quicken work on their computer regularly, though. You can configure remote software to allow anytime connections, or connections only when the other party is present.

I think giving him a copy of the Quicken data file, and replacing it monthly, weekly or however often is significant, while retaining the "live" data file on your end, is the easiest to do. How would that work? What problems would you foresee doing that?

Unknown

Thanks for the response. I figured your recommendations were probably the answer, but it was worth asking. Thanks for the quick response and info.
Tom

smayer97

Tom said:

Thanks for the response. I figured your recommendations were probably the answer, but it was worth asking. Thanks for the quick response and info.
Tom

As for passing the data file on to him, you can consider saving a backup from within Quicken onto a cloud-based storage, like DropBox, where he can simply copy it onto his computer. 

If you are technically inclined, you could store the data file in read-only image that you pass on to him. Of course, nothing would stop him from copying the data from the image onto his hard drive, where the data file would no longer be read-only. Or you can use terminal commands or other online utilities to make his copy truly read-only. 

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

jacobs

Tom said:

Thanks for the response. I figured your recommendations were probably the answer, but it was worth asking. Thanks for the quick response and info.
Tom

@smayer97, since Quicken is constantly both writing to and reading from its database, I'm curious how you create a "read-only image" that Quicken will work with? I didn't think that was possible. (If you create a disk image and set it to read-only, then Quicken 2007 won't open the file.)

Unknown

Tom said:

Thanks for the response. I figured your recommendations were probably the answer, but it was worth asking. Thanks for the quick response and info.
Tom

I appreciate smayer97's thought and I'm technically inclined, but seems like a lot of effort and some unneeded risk. So I think I'll stick with sending the reports each month or so. Thanks to all for the thoughts/recommendations!