Experience Working in Quicken 2020 with large files?

Ron Ellis

Experience Working in Quicken 2020 with large files?
Our clients uses Quicken files on behalf of their financial management clients. We would like to connect with a consultant that has relevant experience with using using large Quicken files, benefits of using 'year-end' copy, managing files via a network, etc. Any referrals would be appreciated.

Chris_QPW

I think there use to be one person here that did financial consulting using Quicken, but advertising on here is not allowed any more so I don't know if he is still available or will see this.

After that all of the questions you have asked have been answered numerous times on here.

But I will summarize here.

"Large file size" is meaningless for Quicken like it it is for most database programs.  The size of the file doesn't tell you anything about the performance.  For non investment accounts until you get to around 32,000 transactions in a register there is very little difference.  And then after that you should break up the account, not the data file.  For investment accounts the number of transactions, securities, security lots, greatly affect the performance of that account, and there needs to be a lot less transactions in a given account.  Note the use of attachments greatly increases the size of the data file, just because those files tend to be large, but do not affect performance.

Year end copy tends to be a useless function for people that feel the need to break up their data file so that they can't search all of their history and can't put it back into one data file if they change their minds.  Year end copy removes reconciled non investment transactions, which don't usually affect the performance.  It will not tough the investment transactions.

Storing your data file on the network is ill advised, because Quicken was never designed for it, and as such you have a higher risk of corrupting your data file, not to mention slower performance in Quicken for things like startup/loading of the data file or a given account.

And I will answer a question you didn't ask based this being used for multiple clients.
Again something that Quicken wasn't designed for.

Each Quicken data file is tied to a Quicken Id, which is tied to a subscription.
Any syncing of data to the associated Quicken Cloud account has the possibility of "cross communication" in both the sense of one data file getting the wrong transactions (when data files are copied instead of using a new data file), to possible "security concerns" since the one Quicken Id/password would have access to all the data files.

Jim_Harman

How big do you consider "large"? My QDF file is 146 MB with a mixture of banking, credit card, and investing accounts, with transactions going back to 1999. I do not use attachments, which can make a file much larger.

I would not recommend using the Year end copy or storing your working data file anywhere other than a local hard drive.

splasher

First off, how about NOT posting the same question multiple times.  On some forums, you would have been banned as a spammer.

Chris_QPW

I think there use to be one person here that did financial consulting using Quicken, but advertising on here is not allowed any more so I don't know if he is still available or will see this.

After that all of the questions you have asked have been answered numerous times on here.

But I will summarize here.

"Large file size" is meaningless for Quicken like it it is for most database programs.  The size of the file doesn't tell you anything about the performance.  For non investment accounts until you get to around 32,000 transactions in a register there is very little difference.  And then after that you should break up the account, not the data file.  For investment accounts the number of transactions, securities, security lots, greatly affect the performance of that account, and there needs to be a lot less transactions in a given account.  Note the use of attachments greatly increases the size of the data file, just because those files tend to be large, but do not affect performance.

Year end copy tends to be a useless function for people that feel the need to break up their data file so that they can't search all of their history and can't put it back into one data file if they change their minds.  Year end copy removes reconciled non investment transactions, which don't usually affect the performance.  It will not tough the investment transactions.

Storing your data file on the network is ill advised, because Quicken was never designed for it, and as such you have a higher risk of corrupting your data file, not to mention slower performance in Quicken for things like startup/loading of the data file or a given account.

And I will answer a question you didn't ask based this being used for multiple clients.
Again something that Quicken wasn't designed for.

Each Quicken data file is tied to a Quicken Id, which is tied to a subscription.
Any syncing of data to the associated Quicken Cloud account has the possibility of "cross communication" in both the sense of one data file getting the wrong transactions (when data files are copied instead of using a new data file), to possible "security concerns" since the one Quicken Id/password would have access to all the data files.

Ron Ellis

Hello Chris_QPW,
Thanks for this thoughtful response which confirms some of what we knew and offers a bit of new useful insight too. If you would be wiling to talk by phone please let me know? [email removed] .

Ron Ellis

> @splasher said:
> First off, how about NOT posting the same question multiple times.  On some forums, you would have been banned as a spammer.

Hello Splasher,
Please be assured that I feel sufficiently shamed for my crime of 'posting twice' there is apparently no excuse for begin both new and un-sure. A friendly forum member might suggest deleting one and how to do that, or even pointed me to the clearly not yet understood relevant guideline.

However, If the objective is to keep the forum as clean as possible of anyone with less experience, I don't think I could improve on your response.

splasher

Ron Ellis said:

> @splasher said:
> First off, how about NOT posting the same question multiple times.  On some forums, you would have been banned as a spammer.

Hello Splasher,
Please be assured that I feel sufficiently shamed for my crime of 'posting twice' there is apparently no excuse for begin both new and un-sure. A friendly forum member might suggest deleting one and how to do that, or even pointed me to the clearly not yet understood relevant guideline.

However, If the objective is to keep the forum as clean as possible of anyone with less experience, I don't think I could improve on your response.

Twice in the same category is an "oops"/mouse stutter, three times in different categories is spamming.

thecreator

Ron Ellis said:

> @splasher said:
> First off, how about NOT posting the same question multiple times.  On some forums, you would have been banned as a spammer.

Hello Splasher,
Please be assured that I feel sufficiently shamed for my crime of 'posting twice' there is apparently no excuse for begin both new and un-sure. A friendly forum member might suggest deleting one and how to do that, or even pointed me to the clearly not yet understood relevant guideline.

However, If the objective is to keep the forum as clean as possible of anyone with less experience, I don't think I could improve on your response.

Hi @""Ron Ellis" ,

How much are you paying for a Consultation for your To Strategic Systems Company?

This you never mentioned.

Also review the link in my signature.