Tag issue - single Tag becoming Multiple:Tag on reports

gp999

This is so hard to explain, but it keeps happening, even when I make a whole new quicken file:
I'll make Tag A, Tag B, Tag C, etc. Then Quicken will glitch and create sort of "sub-tags" that I don't want Tag A:B, Tag A:C, and put just a few transactions into them. So instead of being in Tag A, one or two transactions will be in Tag A:C. So instead of ~15 tags, I end up with maybe 35 tags on my end of year report.

Been happening for YEARS, and Quicken won't help me solve it!

Rocket J Squirrel

Ps56k2 said:

HOW do you physically select multiple tags ?

I don't use the Tag column, so I just type multiple tags separated by colons, following the category and the slash.

If you do use the Tag column, you have the right idea with "Multiple tags". Click that and highlight the tags you want to apply, then Done.

Rocket J Squirrel

But to get back to @Dinna 's problem, perhaps the file contains corruption and would benefit from a Validate & Repair.

UKR

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words … can you show us some real examples of your tags and how you use them in transactions? Can you show us your Tag List?
Can you please capture one or more images of the parts of your Quicken window showing the issue, sensitive information blacked out as necessary to protect your privacy but annotated to describe the situation, and attach the image(s) here?
https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7867159/faq-how-do-i-post-a-screenshot-in-the-community-from-windows

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7663259/faq-how-do-i-post-a-screenshot-in-the-community-from-a-mac

Please save images to files of file type PNG, JPG, or GIF only. They're easier to work with than PDF files.

P.S.: I don't use tags myself. No need for them. I'm here to triage, to ask for more details and to make it possible for the real experts to chime in and help you based on the details you provide.

gp999

I'd love to, but it doesn't give me the option to post a photo - I don't have that toolbar that is referenced in that link. The only thing I have is an option to add an emoji. :/

UKR

gp999 said:

I'd love to, but it doesn't give me the option to post a photo - I don't have that toolbar that is referenced in that link. The only thing I have is an option to add an emoji.

In that link, did you miss this sentence?

As noted in the popup (or if you don't have this icon available), you can also simply drag and drop an image file from Windows File Explorer onto your post.

volvogirl

What version do you have?  I use tags.  You might have set them up wrong or be entering them wrong on the transaction.  Are you using the separate Tag column or entering it in the Category column?

There are Categories and Sub-Categories and Tags. You use a colon in front of a sub-category.  The forward slash / designates a Tag  or there is also a TAG column.  

Example of Sub-Category….

Auto:Auto Fuel

Auto:Maintance

Example of Tags…

Auto Fuel/Toyota

Auto Fuel/Ford

I have a home business and  use Tags  for each job.  Then when I run a report I can sort it by job.  So an expense entry might look like this…

Business Expense:Supplies/Maple Street

gp999

> @UKR said:
> In that link, did you miss this sentence?

I did miss that, ty!

The orange circle is my actual tag. Yellow circles are the weird sub-tags that shouldn't be there.

gp999

> @volvogirl said:
> What version do you have? 
Quicken Deluxe for Windows, version R43.32 (no updates available)

> I use tags.  You might have set them up wrong or be entering them wrong on the transaction.  Are you using the separate Tag column or entering it in the Category column?

I have a separate Tag Column and I'm using it. I'm also using sub-categories, then the tag. An example would be Auto:Repairs/TagA. But then, even though in my register entry it still shows TagA, it will show on my report as TagA:TagB. Here's a screenshot example - orange circle is the tag I want to use, yellow circles are the extra tags that Quicken created.

UKR

Thanks you showing us your Tags. The list makes it easier to see and try to explain ...

Can you also show us register transactions where you are trying to tag a purchase to 2 or more worksites?
If the result of this transaction comes out incorrect, please explain in your own words what result you are trying to achieve. For example, "I purchased Drywall at Home Depot and will be using half of it in 16852 Green, the other half in 211 12th St."

gp999

@UKR Here is one that's glitching, shown wrong in the report as it's own category 16852 Green:211 12th, but shows correctly in the register entry split as two separate fields.

gp999

@UKR Also, here is my list of tags, you can see that there is no "16852 Green:211 12th" tag.

volvogirl

That one picture shows the split entries.  But what does the whole transaction line look like without the split details?  What is in the category field (not the one on the split).   Could the Category also have the tag listed in it (in addition to the tag field)?  Like it might say 
Utilities:Electric/16852 Green 

gp999

@volvogirl Quicken just formats the view different when it's split. If it weren't split, it would look like Utilities:Electric/16852 Green , like you said. Yellow circle around the tag field on this photo.


The category is Utilities, with a subcategory of Electric - those parts give me no issues. Just the tag.

Dinna

If I have category H, when I run a report, it may come up as H:D. I go back and change it, and it still reverts to the double in the report.

Boatnmaniac

You post title says "tags" but the body of your post talks about "categories".  Please confirm which you are inquiring about.

If you are talking about categories:  When using a top-level category for a transaction and when that category has other sub-categories beneath is, then in reports that transaction will show up as a "Other" subcategory.  For example:

• Bills & Utilities is a top-level category but it also has several sub-categories, such as Gas, Electric, Cable, Water, Sewer, Telephone, etc.
• You have a transaction that you enter Bills & Utilities for the category.  This transaction would show up in reports under Bills & Utilities:Other Bills & Utilities.  This needs to be done because otherwise the total of the sub-categories would be less than what is shown for the top-level category.  Example:  If you have 3 sub-categories with an expense for each of $10, you would want the top-level category to show $30, right?  But if you enter a 4th expense of $10 against just the top-level category then the top-level category would show $40 but the sub-categories would total only $30.  So Quicken adds that dummy Other sub-category to the report for $10 and then there will be 4 sub-categories that total up to $40 and that will then match the total of $40 for the top-level category.
  

This does not happen when the top-level category has no sub-categories.

To prevent this from happening, do not use the top-level category for any transactions.  If the sub-categories don't meet what you need, you can create a new sub-category for it or you can do what I do and name the new sub-category as Misc.  Then enter future transactions for it with Bills & Utilities:Misc.

Is this what you are seeing and inquiring about?  Any questions?

Dinna

This is exactly the problem I am having. And very hard to correct. Sometimes it won’t change in the transaction even after I correct. Taking out the transaction and reentering does not always change it. It’s just making up its own tags. This has not always been a problem so do not think tags are set up wrong. These are tags I have used for years. This is not helpful for end of year reports.

Dinna

it's a tag issue.. I have tag D and tag J. On a report I will have columns for tag D, one for tag J, and one for a tag D:J. I have not tag D:J. If I go back and change it typically won't change.

Rocket J Squirrel

The notation "D:J" means that transaction is tagged with both tags D and J. If that was not your intent, you can remove one of the tags from the transaction.

gp999

Thank you!!! Everyone else I've heard from acts like this is a crazy concept, esp. Quicken support. They definitely did something to mess it up. I've been using tags without issues for years as well.

FYI, I've found for those stubborn ones - it helps to delete the memorized payee (which also memorizes your category/tag) and start the payee from scratch. Then delete the entry, and re-enter. But of course, that's a pain to do, especially for payees where I have multiple recurring category/tags with separate acct #s to enter (like utilities). And the TIME it takes, and the potential to mess something up on re-entering, ugh.

Dinna

I can remove them and renter but doesn't always stay corrected. Some tags are correct in the register but wrong on reports

Ps56k2

Rocket J Squirrel said: The notation "D:J" means that transaction is tagged with both tags D and J.

How do you get TWO tags applied to a line item transaction ?

Rocket J Squirrel

Ps56k2 said:

How do you get TWO tags applied to a line item transaction ?

You can have multiple tags on a transaction, separated by colons. Unlike categories, this is a list, not a hierarchy.

Category:Subcategory/Tag1:Tag2:Tag3

Ps56k2

Rocket J Squirrel said: You can have multiple tags on a transaction, separated by colons.

How... the screen mechanics ?
Select a transaction - see the TAG pulldown - click - go to the TAG list ... now what -
I see at the bottom the "Multiple Tags" but HOW do you physically select multiple tags ?

Ps56k2

Dinna said: On a report I will have columns - one for tag D, one for tag J, and one for a tag D:J.

Wonder how you get multiple "columns" for tags ?
For a quick report..... Reports --> Spending --> Itemized Categories {or} --> Itemized Tags

Rocket J Squirrel

Ps56k2 said:

HOW do you physically select multiple tags ?

I don't use the Tag column, so I just type multiple tags separated by colons, following the category and the slash.

If you do use the Tag column, you have the right idea with "Multiple tags". Click that and highlight the tags you want to apply, then Done.

Rocket J Squirrel

But to get back to @Dinna 's problem, perhaps the file contains corruption and would benefit from a Validate & Repair.

gp999

@Rocket J Squirrel So simple, yet so effective! It worked for me, thank you!!!

rbknox

I have a different tag reporting issue.   As noted above, it is possible to add multiple tags to a transaction.  However when I run a tags report, the transactions with multiple tags get reported as a separate grouping, which for me is not useful.  To clarify with the example above, If I have a transaction tagged D;J, I would expect this transaction to be reported along with the D tag group and with the J tag group.  Instead, a new group D;J is reported.

I suppose there are use cases where this reporting choice is useful.  But in my case, for example, I am tagging car gas purchases by “which” of our cars, and also by “who” purchased the gas.  In a report, therefore, I want to see all the gas charges for a given car, or, for a given person.  I’m not as interested, in this case, of knowing that car D had gas purchased by person J.   

To put this another way, when I use multiple tags, it is because I want to track a transaction category multiple ways.  If I wanted to track instances of “D and J”, I would instead create a tag representing “D and J”.  So I think the reason for allowing multiple tags is not being fulfilled at the reporting level.

Martinxl

I have the same or similar problem with tags in split transactions. I have a separate tags for separate properties. Say the tag for property 1 is Tag 1 and the the tag for property 2 is Tag 2. Sometimes a bill is paid that is split between property 1 and property 2. If the bill is for say maintenance and is $100, $50 is tagged to Tag 1 and $50 is tagged to Tag 2 in the split transaction. When doing a report for property 1 however, even though the report only selects Tag 1 items, the report is picking up all of the split transaction and putting both Tag 1 and Tag 2 items in the property 1 report. (Likewise a report for property 2 selecting only Tag 2 items, is picking up all of the split transaction and including both Tag 1 and Tag 2 items.)

This is doubling the expense in both reports, effectively screwing up the reports. I could just avoid doing split transactions and in a sense manually split the transactions by doing a separate transaction for each, which is more work. Basically the the Tag report for property 1 is properly picking up Tag 1 items, but is erroneously also picking up Tag 2 items in split transactions involving Tag 1 and Tag 2.
(Items not split involving Tag 2 are properly not picked up on the Tag1 property 1 report.)

Koffee- Shadow

I see multiple comments regarding issues with tags. I'm having the same issue with multiple tags appearing on reports. What I'm not seeing is a answer from Quicken on how to resolve this problem.
Is there a resolution on how to fix this?

gp999

@Koffee- Shadow Running a Validate & Repair worked for me

dpaulsims

@gp999 "Validate and Repair Your Quicken File" sometimes fixes the issue temporarily, but multiple tags often appear again in the register and reports. I rely on tags to differentiate between purchases made by family and friends. I use tags to create an expense report showing how much money individuals owe us for purchases we make on their behalf. Unfortunately, tag corruption prevents me from generating expense reports reliably. The last time I ran "Validate and Repair Your Quicken File" the report showed the message "Minor problems with Tags corrected" but Quicken didn't remove the second, corrupt tag. There's a bug lurking that the Quicken development team needs to fix.