Does Complete Backup preserve online connections to financial institutions?

crowslivebig

Does a complete backup preserve connections to financial institutions? A Quicken phone tech support agent told me that those connections would not be preserved but I wonder if that is correct.

Greg_the_Geek

Yes, a backup will preserve connections to financial institutions but a copy of your Quicken data file will not.

Greg_the_Geek

Yes, Create a copy or template under Advanced Options will remove connections to financial institutions. A complete backup or copy made from Windows will not. Yes, you can rename your QDF file. After renaming, double click on it to open in Quicken.

Greg_the_Geek

Yes, a backup will preserve connections to financial institutions but a copy of your Quicken data file will not.

crowslivebig

Thank you @Greg_the_Geek By a copy of the data file, do you mean the one that is available within the program under File -> Copy or Backup File ... ->Advanced Options -> Create a copy or template? On the other hand, a copy of the QDF data file that is made from Windows, with Quicken closed, should preserve connections to financial institutions, shouldn't it? Also, a second question: I can rename the QDF file (with Quicken closed, of course) and I don't need to worry about the associated .dat files. Is that correct?

Greg_the_Geek

Yes, Create a copy or template under Advanced Options will remove connections to financial institutions. A complete backup or copy made from Windows will not. Yes, you can rename your QDF file. After renaming, double click on it to open in Quicken.

crowslivebig

Many thanks! I will toast you at dinner @Greg_the_Geek!

Ps56k2

crowslivebig said: Thank you

Just a warning.... Quicken has an internal data file ID that is used with the Quicken Cloud and Sync'ing to the Quicken on the Web and the Quicken Mobile App.   Do not use BOTH the original file AND any of the backups as a data file - as they are exact clones of each other - and things will get confused. Same for any Windows copied/renamed of the cloned backup QDF file. That is why the "Copy" function was created - to create a "disconnected" copy of just the data, with a new data file ID, and new connections to the Quicken Cloud and all the financial institutions.

Ps56k2

WOW - it appears that your long response and posting has for some reason vanished....

You seem to be wanting to go thru lots of hurdles to create backup data....
Would suggest just make sure that automatic backups are being created in the \BACKUP\ folder,
and you manually create some additional backups via the .... File --> Copy/Backup --> Complete Backup menu

... Edit --> Preferences --> Backup

crowslivebig

@Ps56k2 Yeah, I don’t see my last post either. Basically I think your caution had to do with some cloud feature that I don’t use or with keeping two versions of the same file going at one time. I am just trying to recover when things go wrong and then, once things are working again, proceed with that data file.
The reason I take control of the backups is that I’ve been burned too many times. I always do a backup before updating online. Usually I don’t need them but it doesn’t take long and can save many hours when something goes wrong. Just this week, I was able to recover from a server error at Fidelity by restoring a backup instead of disconnecting and reconnecting four accounts. I do let the program do the automatic backup as well.

Greg_the_Geek

You may not use the cloud features but as @Ps56k2 stated, every Quicken data file has a cloud dataset associated with it.

Ps56k2

crowslivebig said: @Ps56k2 Yeah, I don’t see my last post either.

It is all back - except for that last long one - unfortunately

crowslivebig

Thanks, @Greg_the_Geek I just don’t understand quite what to do to avoid that data set causing problems.
Here is what I am trying to do: I want recover when something goes wrong (e.g., a sever outage or a tricky brokerage transaction for which I answered a question incorrectly) by using a back up data file (either made from within Quicken as a complete backup or by a drop and drive from the Windows level). On occasion in the course of troubleshooting, I may need to try several things, requiring a few attempts and restores. Once I get things fixed, I stick with that data set. Do you and @Ps56k2 think that will cause a problem with the associated cloud dataset?

Greg_the_Geek

I would suggest if it's necessary to use a complete backup file, change the backup file extension from .QDF-backup to .QDF and open directly in Quicken.

crowslivebig

@Greg_the_Geek Ok. Thank you.

crowslivebig

@Ps56k2 and @Greg_the_Geek Could you tell me a bit more about this internal data file ID, the one you mentioned can get confused if one isn't careful with restores? Can you point me to a written resource? I tried calling Quicken technical support multiple times to understand better and they are unaware of any such internal data file ID and cannot escalate my call. To remind, I do not use mobile or web services but I do download brokerage and bank transactions.
I think you were just cautioning me to actively use only one file at a time. I can backup and restore to my heart's content, but do not use File_A and File_B at the same time, downloading from brokerage/banks to each of these and playing around. However, it is OK to make a backup of File_A, call that backup File_1, download brokerage data to File_A, see that something went wrong, rename File_A to File_A_old (from File Explorer with Quicken closed), restore from File_1, rename it File_A, and go on my merry way. Does that sound right?
I assume this internal data file is truly internal to my .qdf file and is different than the hidden .dat files such as the FILENAMEOFXLOG.DAT and filename_SyncLog.dat that I see in File Explorer. Is that correct? Quicken phone tech support has been surprised to hear that those files are being made but, clearly, they are.
I'd be grateful for any clarity you can provide.

Greg_the_Geek

Can this problem still be caused by too many restores?
Yes, if the user attempts to restore a file and use that file with the Quicken Cloud.  There are two types of restore: one is if you're just looking at the file, in which case, a cloud dataset is not created.  The other is if you restore a file and intend to use it moving forward, in which case, your cloud dataset for the old file is removed, and the one for the new restored file is created.

Also, if you subscription expires, the only way to fix the error is by renewing. 
This is not true.  There is currently an issue that we are working to correct, where users who attempt to restore backups in older/expired versions of Quicken are creating cloud datasets; as users are not allowed to create new cloud datasets with an old/expired version, they are hitting the "exceeded" message.  We are working to fix this issue, and the user should, in this case, contact support so we can work to correct this in the backend.  

What leads to new datasets being created? Is it just creating new data files and restoring backups, or are there other actions as well?
These are the only two cases where a user should be able to create a new cloud dataset.  We are only concerned in this case with the creation of the cloud dataset, not the manual dataset on the user's system (hence, why we are fixing the issue above).

If a user's dataset limit is exceeded, can they delete them to make room for more, or is this something only Customer Service can do?
This is only something customer service can do.  The limit is in place not for any kind of space-saving purposes, but it is rather a security feature.