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Understood. Not a problem for me at all, since I'm just converting from Quicken for Windows.
Stan, one thing to be aware of is that the modern database used for the current generation Quicken for Mac is designed to hold lots of data without it being a problem. I have 20+ years of data and don't find it much of a problem; to me, the pros of having all my past data searchable in an instant outweighs the handful of places where the amount of data slows anything down.
Then be sure to click VOTE at the top of the page.
Pat: And please take 60 seconds to go to the Quicken Feedback page to type in the "Something not listed? Tell us" box that you want this feature and *why* it's important to you.
I am a windows quicken use for 30 years and now I am on Mac and I would like to have this feature to I like to start my year fresh with only the new year transaction. The same when we do manual accounting we use new ledger and general ledge . I am sure that we are not the only one that would like this feature to be add to Mac
Chantal, I'm not sure whether you're aware of this, but you can set any reports or transaction registers in Quicken Mac to only show the current year's data, without the need to purge data from prior years. To me, this is the best of both worlds: when I want to see only the current year, I just set the register or report for the current year -- and when I want to search for some older transaction, I can easily do that as well because all my financial history is there. Perhaps I am not understanding the advantage you feel there is in removing all prior data.
1- Jacob I din't know that I can set per year is their a way this can be safe and every time I open my quicken It is set by default to the year I set?
Chantal: in Quicken Mac 2017, both registers and reports have filters you can set. In any register, just above the columns headings, you'll see the row of filters for dates, types and status. Click where it says "All Dates", and in the dropdown menu, select "This Year". That way, your register will only show transactions from the current year. This setting remains until you change or clear it, so you don't have to set it every time you launch Quicken. However, you do need to set it on *each* register -- but only one time for each.
@jacobs I am not sure what Tab you're talking about regarding "Banking". In Quicken for Mac 2016, no such tab exists. Are you using a Windows version of the software? Unfortunately, these instructions you've provided much like the ones in the knowledge base all seem to be geared towards Windows environments.
JAL, responding to your issues point by point...
While I get your point, I'd say that it takes less than 10 seconds per account to set the date to "This Year" -- and you only have to do it once, ever. So even if you have more than 10 accounts, it might take 2-3 minutes to set all your registers the way you want. to me, that's not a major problem that rises to the level of terming the software "deficient." (It takes a longer to set up the columns you want, in the order and width you want, for each account; I find that annoying, but again, it's a one-time-only set-up issue.)
I agree 100% that it's wise to make periodic backups for permanent retention. The question users are considering in this thread, though, is whether there's a need to purge out prior year data to have separate files for each year. I'm in the same camp as you, where it's a real positive to be able to look up any old data at any time in one place, without searching through multiple old data files (let alone needing to carefully keep all those old files updated to work with the current version of the program).
@jacobs I don't cite a deficiency without a cause (taken in aggregate and context with the earlier points, the software can be considered deficient), so before you start throwing quotes around a word, I'd recommend taking the time to explore the possibilities that you haven't personally experienced which would lead users(s) to form such an assessment.
@jacobs Point-by-point:
While it may or may not create a logistical issue for managing data, multiple files are advantageous for one particular reason--if one file corrupts, for instance calendar year 2006 of an archive of 20 years of data, only that file typically was corrupted (and in the case of backups, typically the same). In an apples comparison of sorts, this is particularly the reason why I save my career's Microsoft Outlook PST files full of data gleaned from Microsoft Exchange Server in four (4) PSTs annually, separated by quarter--partly due to file size/overhead, but mostly due to establishing non-destructive timelines. Now this argument may be attempted to be countered with tales of filesystem integrity checks, multiple backups, data recovery software, or hardware revisions such as HDD versus SSD, but the reality is that the majority of folks don't monitor that stuff. They just want something to work, and they want it to work in the way that accommodates often their own inability to flex or re-learn. I'd be willing to bet a large portion of the Quicken community does create a new file every year (or would prefer to).
Hi Jacops
Yes, Randall. I have an old archive file and i would like to add to it but when i try it appears that quicken will just replace it and not append it. I am afraid to try it for fear that i will lose my old archive file. What am i doing wrong?Randall, please share the method you use for "adding to an archive file"
Thanks for the comments. The function I mentioned was a suggestion for Quicken. I don't believe it is possible right now to have an archive file with the ability to add progressively add older items to that file.Randall, please share the method you use for "adding to an archive file"