Best practices for syncing to the cloud

FuzzyMonitor

I'm a new user. I've read about various issues in these forums that sometimes seem attributed to syncing to the cloud. For example, in one thread where transactions went missing or spontaneously became uncategorized, the recommendation was to stop syncing to cloud.

Are there any best practices to follow if I will do most of my financial work using Quicken for Windows, but still occasionally want to myself and spouse to use Quicken Mobile (add transactions while at the store) and Quicken on the Web (occasional transaction maintenance while at work)?

For example, can I expect issues if my spouse and I are at different stores throughout the day, and both are using Quicken Mobile to add transactions.

What other precautions or considerations should I take?

Chris_QPW

FuzzyMonitor said:

Are there any best practices to follow if I will do most of my financial work using Quicken for Windows, but still occasionally want to myself and spouse to use Quicken Mobile (add transactions while at the store) and Quicken on the Web (occasional transaction maintenance while at work)?

The best practice is not to use sync to Mobile/Web.  If that isn't followed, then there isn't any "best practice" for syncing other than hoping that you aren't one of the victims.

This applies to Quicken Windows, it seems like Quicken Mac has far less problems (but not zero, and maybe not as bad).

Note this is my opinion and Quicken Inc has a different one it seems.

splasher

I don't use QMobile/Q-Web, but if I did, it would only be to sync a cash account, entering transactions into it while away from home and then moving the transactions into the appropriate accounts in desktop Quicken at some later time.

By only syncing a cash account, there is no chance of Quicken getting mixed up between the Quicken Cloud Account's changes due to downloads into from the financial institution and the ones that were caused by you via One Step Update to the desktop data file since there is no FI connection to a cash account.

Chris_QPW

I think @splasher's idea is about as close as you can come to a "best practices", but I will point out that categories and budgets sync whether you ask for it or not.  And there might be other things that sync too.

garysmith87

Just a note here.

When you go to select the Accounts to sync to mobile, ALL Express Web Connect accounts (Quicken Connect in Quicken Mac) are automatically checked and will sync to the mobile device.

And those EWC accounts cannot be excluded from the sync.

Why?  I assume since they now use Quicken's QCS servers, where the sync data resides, is also where EWC transactions are stored.

So...the idea that you could just sync a cash account won't work.  

Chris_QPW

@garysmith87 I hadn't noticed this behavior (mostly because I only use "sync to Mobile/Web" in a test file), but it makes perfect sense.  Express Web Connect is using the same sync (without the "allowing" of the Mobile/Web Apps from seeing the data if Sync to Mobile/Web is off).
https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7882641/qcs-express-web-connect-is-cloud-sync

Q97

For another perspective, I sync most of my accounts (Banking and Investment) to Quicken Mobile without any issue. However, I enter all my Banking transactions manually (using either Quicken desktop, Mobile, or Web) and do not have any of these accounts set to download transactions from the FI. I do download transactions from a couple of brokerage accounts using Direct Connect, again without any issues. I suspect that some of the data corruption issues others report may not be due strictly to syncing to Mobile, but doing this in conjunction with downloading transactions from the FI.

TTSguy

For me I do not download my transaction from my FI by using Express Web Connect, but rather just "Web Connect" from the FI end to Quicken. Though a little slower, I have eliminated about 99.9% of the issues I experienced with missing transactions, repeat transctions, or corruption. It works very well, like Quicken used to in the past! 

FuzzyMonitor

So, I think what I'm hearing is that using Mobile & Web along with Quicken for Windows can cause issues with missing transactions and such. So, the recommendation is to stop using Mobile & Web, which is accomplished by going into Edit/Preferences/Mobile & Web and turning the slider to Off. Or, possibly leaving the slider to On and disabling all accounts except for Cash.

Is that about right?

FuzzyMonitor

> @FuzzyMonitor said:
> So, I think what I'm hearing is that using Mobile & Web along with Quicken for Windows can cause issues with missing transactions and such. So, the recommendation is to stop using Mobile & Web, which is accomplished by going into Edit/Preferences/Mobile & Web and turning the slider to Off. Or, possibly leaving the slider to On and disabling all accounts except for Cash.
>
> Is that about right?

P.S. If I already synced multiple times, and then turn Mobile & Web Off, should I reset Cloud Data as an extra maintenance step, or maybe that doesn't matter?