Using Quicken Web and/or Quicken Mobile vs Express Web Connect and Sync

Alan Devan

I am using the updated subscription version of Quicken on Windows 10 machine. I have five checking accounts for which I manually enter all the transactions which includes transfers between accounts. Every 3-5 days I will enter transactions from receipts and download cleared transactions from the bank using Express Web Connect on all the accounts. Using the compare window I will matchup the cleared transactions with the ones I entered or manually enter what I might have missed. I would like to move to using Quicken Web (QW) and /or Quicken Mobile (QM) to enter transactions to make it more real time.

Question:
1) Do I need to deactivate Online Services (Express Web Connect) from the accounts in the desktop program to allow the QW and/or QM to get the cleared transactions from the bank without creating duplicates?
2) If Yes to #1, how will the cleared transactions in QW and/or QM match up with manually entered transactions?
3) How often would I need to fire up the desktop program and sync with the Quicken Cloud?
4) Is there any issues with using QW and/or QM simultaneously meaning alternate between using whatever app based on the available device?

Chris_QPW

I'm going to state what "should happen", I give no guarantee that Quicken's "sync" will actually work right, based on the complaints in this forum, and the fact that no SuperUser will trust it not corrupting their data file.

#1 No you do not need to deactivate the Online Services.

The Express Web Connect flow looks like this:

Quicken data file/Quicken -> QCS (Quicken Cloud Service, also known as your Quicken Cloud data set) -> Intuit servers -> Financial institution.

So you can see it is in fact the Intuit servers that are doing the actual fetching of the transactions from the financial institution.  And it is actually the QCS/server that is making that request, in this case when Quicken requests it.  And then the results are synced back to Quicken.

Quicken Mobile/Web are the "GUIs" for the Quicken Cloud data set.  So they can also make the same request to the Intuit servers to get the transactions.  And this "request" is also done periodically even if Quicken Desktop/Mobile/Web doesn't request it.

#2 The sync between Quicken Desktop and the cloud data set, is "powerful" (that is what makes dangerous).  During the sync "information" travels in both directions.  Transactions you have marked cleared in the Desktop sync to the cloud data set, and the same is true in the opposite direction.  And it isn't just transactions, there is the budgets, more.

As for how it keeps it straight, well they don't tell us the details, but I say it works pretty much like how Quicken detects duplicate transactions, with unique Ids for things.  And then some kind of recording of what is changed and in both cases.

One BIG warning.  Each data file has a unique Id in it that is used to connect to the cloud data set.   It is "expected" that this is a one to one sync.  If you copy a data file it will have the same unique Id in it.  If you now use both of those copies you will be "confusing" the sync on the state of the data file and bad thing can happen to both the data file and the cloud data set.  Only File -> New Quicken File gets you a new unique Id.

#3 There isn't any "backup" for the cloud data set.  And when strange things happen and people ask what to do the most common answers are "Reset your could  data", and "Delete your cloud data" (Note this is from Quicken Desktop).  Reset is delete and then send information again.  "Delete your cloud data" is for the situation where you need to delete it and recreate it, but don't want to so the sync to Mobile/Web.  Note if the problem is something like "the sync corrupted my data file", the most common answer for that would be "Restore from a backup".

I think you now have a feel for how long one should go without syncing from the Desktop, it is the same as "How long would you go without backing up Quicken's data file?"

#4 In theory you should be able to switch back and forth however you like.

Alan Devan

WOW! That's a lot to digest and at first read I don't understand it all. Makes me want to back off of my plan. One thing is I do a backup after every session with the Desktop Quicken so I would always have a recent backup if needed. My fear is duplicate cleared transactions from the bank. Last year when I tried using the QM app I ended up with a bunch of duplicate transactions from the bank and it took forever to clean it up. Everything works great right now with only using the desktop and express web connect but I would like the ability to enter transactions using the QM when I'm out and about and then sync to the desktop. I had read somewhere that if using the QW or QM that I shouldn't use Express Web Connect as the QW and QM will download the cleared transactions. Lots to think about.

Chris_QPW

Alan Devan said:

My fear is duplicate cleared transactions from the bank. Last year when I tried using the QM app I ended up with a bunch of duplicate transactions from the bank and it took forever to clean it up.

Well that is what I meant about the difference between "theory" and "reality".
In theory you shouldn't get duplicate transactions by using it.  In reality there have been reports on here of all kinds of problems.

Alan Devan

Thanks for your comments and info. If I only sync two of my five accounts with Quicken Cloud will I be putting the other three at risk if something goes wrong?

Alan Devan

I would like to hear of successful use of Win Quicken Desktop, Quicken Web, and Quicken Mobile on multiple checking accounts including manually enter transactions and transfers. And using WinQ, QW, and QM to enter transactions and downloading cleared transactions for matchup. I am curious to know how this has worked for others.

Chris_QPW

It isn't likely you will get such a response.  The people that frequent this forum and answer most of the questions, most likely don't use Mobile/Web.  And other people coming here that do use it, will most likely be here to report a problem.  Forums are filled with people having problems, not with people wanting to tell you how they don't have any problems.

BTW just so you know, I recommend against using QM as an abbreviation for Quicken Mobile (use Mobile instead), because QM tends to be used for Quicken Mac, and you can see what kind of confusion that would be if read out of context.

Alan Devan

Got it, makes sense. So do you see any problems only syncing two of the five checking accounts to limit what I may have to fix until I figure this out.

Chris_QPW

There shouldn't be any problem limiting the number of accounts you sync.