Option to preserve online account connections when performing File Copy

Rocket J Squirrel
Rocket J Squirrel SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
edited October 2023 in Backups and File Conversions
For decades, File > File Operations > Copy was the only way to create a record-by-record (as opposed to bit-by-bit) copy of a Quicken database. This was useful to prune the database after large deletions, and also helped prepare a file for validation.The new "Create a copy or Template" presumably performs the same record-by-record copy, but disconnects all online accounts. It is also an important new feature that Copy creates a new, unique File ID. We have never had this capability before.
I often want to make a record-by-record copy which I intend to use going forward. With all my accounts disconnected, I cannot use this copy without a lot of extra work.
Request: provide an option at copy time to preserve the online connections.

Quicken user since version 2 for DOS, now using QWin Biz & Personal Subscription (US) on Win10 Pro.

32
32 votes

Reviewed · Last Updated

Comments

  • TTSguy
    TTSguy Member ✭✭✭✭
    If there was a reason it was eliminated then we have to adjust, if not PLEASE allow us to have "Save As" again. I think that c an be very useful
  • I have the same concern. My file size is about 95 Meg. I have multiple performance issues with Quicken choking. I want to archive and only keep the last 2 years in the file. However, the powers to be have decided to remove all online connections for all of my accounts. It would take me too much time to restore all of the connections. Bad Customer Service - Quicken.
  • TTSguy
    TTSguy Member ✭✭✭✭
    @UKR thanks for bringing this up in support of the old "Save As". I've always said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! It was working great before the change. I'm now occasionally experiencing "Can't find Drive C" errors with certain files when I try to do a backup. I'm convinced it has something to do with file size or content somehow, but I NEVER had that happen until the change!
  • UKR
    UKR SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    I believe this Idea / discussion can be put to bed, at least for the Year End Archive function.
    According to https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7897852/windows-r35-xx-release-us#latest the problem was fixed with the R 35.23 release, August 2021.

  • Chris_QPW
    Chris_QPW Member ✭✭✭✭
    TTSguy said:
    @UKR thanks for bringing this up in support of the old "Save As". I've always said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! 
    The problem with that statement is that first off it was broken.  Second off the world changes whether people like it or not.

    I personally hate that statement because it is seldom right.  It used by people that think they don't have to keep up maintenance or changes that the world brings.  When I have to follow in these people footsteps I end up having to work more than I should to bring their work up to date because they have neglected it for years.

    The problem with "Save As" is that Quicken Inc can't tell what you are going to do with that copy.  It has been a regular practice that people will use Save As and use it as a template for another data file that they are going to modify.  This data file had the same unique Id as the original, and now that there is a lot of information synced to the server, even if you don't us sync to Mobile/Web, it will cause problems as it tries to sync two different data files to the same data set on the server.

    One might say that they should have left Save As in because both situations of a copy or a template are valid use cases (same for the Copy record by record as this idea suggests), but I have noticed that Quicken Inc and Intuit before they don't trust the users to understand such differences and go for the more conservative approach.

    UKR said:
    I believe this Idea / discussion can be put to bed, at least for the Year End Archive function.
    According to https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7897852/windows-r35-xx-release-us#latest the problem was fixed with the R 35.23 release, August 2021.

    I believe this is in fact a different subject.  Whereas the Year End Archive was a bug (they disconnected the online connections from the wrong data file), for the "copy/template" they definitely intended to break the connections to make sure that it is "really separate" from the original.
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  • A-Lo
    A-Lo Member ✭✭
    Today I tried to trim the size of my Quicken file to the last 10 years using the Create Copy function. All looked great until I tried using it and found all my passwords were gone. What a waste of feature. I am now back to using my huge bloated original Quicken file as I don't have time to enter all the passwords again. Silly right???? Please fix this feature to hold on to the passwords (or at least given one the option).
  • FlyerFran
    FlyerFran Windows Beta Beta
    We need the option to save our online setup when copying.  Thanks @Sherlock for pointing me to this post.

  • salsburyg
    salsburyg Member ✭✭
    +1!
    I, too, beleive there should be an option to preserve, at least, the online connectivity/password settings in the File Copy function.
    Geo. Salisbury
    Long Valley, NJ
  • Why not just copy the data file outside of Quicken and name it what you like... start using it?

    User since the DOS days.

  • Berklee
    Berklee Member ✭✭
    I have no idea why they would remove all of the online connectivity/password settings in a data file trim function... but this is the case as of 5/15/2022. It would appear that this function has not been fixed. I have a data file going on 9 years and startup is taking a while, I wanted to trim to 4 years of past data but found that the trimmed copy did not include the Password Vault and disconnected all of my accounts. This makes absoluately no sense.

    @Ken Derrenbacker For Ken (Above) Why not just copy the data file outside of Quicken? Well that would not trim the data file and improve performance... certainly it would provide a backup but that is not the issue. I do not want a full copy of the data file I want a trimmed copy so Quicken can load data more quickly and efficiently.
  • Sal Ricciardi
    Sal Ricciardi Member ✭✭
    Exactly.
  • Nomadprime
    Nomadprime Member
    Agreed - definitely need ability to retain online connections. As my file size increases, I am watching performance slow - and yet having to reconnect ALL my MANY online connections in an otherwise perfect copy is a waste of time enough for me to consider "maybe now is the time to ditch Quicken for good..."
  • FlyerFran
    FlyerFran Windows Beta Beta
    As I indicated above, this is something we need.  I don't see a way to vote?  
  • leishirsute
    leishirsute Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2022
    I used this feature to "reorganize" the database file and free up deleted account and security slots.  Please add an option to keep connections when doing a copy. Please don't make the user have to do the work for the program, make the program have to do the work for the user.

    Deluxe R53.32., Windows 10 Pro

  • Well said leishirsute.

    User since the DOS days.

  • leishirsute
    leishirsute Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2022

    I believe this Idea / discussion can be put to bed, at least for the Year End Archive function.
    According to https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7897852/windows-r35-xx-release-us#latest the problem was fixed with the R 35.23 release, August 2021.


    This partly works.  I did a year-end archive with Transactions starting from 1/1/1920, which would pick up al my transactions while doing a record by record copy.  After the copy finished, the current file had lost all investment current pricing.  Not a big deal, I just updated the quotes.  But when attempting a OSU, the account connections seemed to remain i.e. the password vault existed, but all passwords were empty and had to be reentered.  Why so many workarounds, just provide a datafile reorganize option.  The "reorganized" file went down by 20MB in size.  SO a reorganize function does have value.  Also, Quicken lost all password vault entries for Direct Connect accounts and the password vault could not be modified: Change, Add, Delete were greyed out.


    Deluxe R53.32., Windows 10 Pro