Creating a File Template with a 245 MB Quicken File

Nelson Spitnale

I was recently working with support on an issue and was asked to create a template with a more current date to reduce my file size. I did this and a lot of investment data did not copy to the new file, and it seemed that the links to the Savings Goal accounts were broken. The balance of the money I had transferred to the Savings goal accounts was still there; however, those same funds were now also back in the source bank account. I ended up going back to my original 245 MB file. Is there a better way to reduce the file size, or do I just have to live with it.

thanks,

Nelson

CaliQkn

@Nelson Spitnale instead of just coping part of the file, copy the whole file. The "Copy File" process forces a rewrite of the code and in the process gets rid of some of the file corruption that accumulates in any data file over time. One you copy the whole file, you will see that it will be a lot smaller than the original file. I think you already know this but you will need to re-setup online connections for all your accounts in the new file.

CaliQkn

@Nelson Spitnale you didn't mention this but if you have a lot of attachments, that will also cause the datafile to become very large over time. One of the options in that "Copy File" process is not to copy attachments. That would significantly reduce your file size.

splasher

If you are storing attachments in your Quicken data file, don't. They take up a lot of space and are only accessible thru Quicken one at a time. You are better off setting up a naming and folder system outside of Quicken to keep your attachments.

Chris_QPW

A few notes about the archive functions. The year end copy doesn’t remove any investment transactions or non-reconciled transactions, including transactions that are transferred and one side isn’t reconciled. There is another option that allows you to only copy from a certain date, which sounds like the one they had you do. do. This will remove investment transactions, but it means that it’s just gonna clearcut the transactions before they cut off date. It’s gonna break any security lot that isn’t closed or isn’t completely within the time range that you set to keep. And that would go for any transfer, including savings goals that cross over that border. As such this is almost never the right option. This is the very reason why the year end copy doesn’t touch the investment transactions. Trimming them down taking an account all the security lots it’s just way beyond what they’re willing to support.

As the others have said attachments tend to be the ones that caused files to get bloated. I also would mention that I have noticed that security prices if they go on for lots of years for lots of securities can take up a lot of space too. In general, those can be cleaned up, but there’s not really an easy way to clean them up. In. Validate and repair there is a way to remove the security prices and rebuild them, but it remove of all and some of them which might be very old might not be able to be ever got back.

I will note also on the attachments there is an option to remove them while doing a copy.