Add Ability To Choose to Show/Hide Columns in Reports in Quicken for Mac (138 Legacy Votes)

smayer97 · October 2016

Provide option to choose which columns generated by a report format show in a report generated in Quicken, like QM2007, as appropriate to the report, as follows:

(If you find this feature helpful, please be sure to click "VOTE" above to increase the count of this post and therefore its visibility to other users and to the developers.)

If you do not click VOTE at the top of each one, your vote will NOT be counted!

Click "Follow" at the top if you want to receive notifications of any replies to this thread.

smayer97 · October 2016

You may also want to add your VOTE to MANY types of reports and report features, here: https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/list-of-requests-for-report-types-and-related-fe...

Click the link above to go take a look at the list and vote for the ones you want to see implemented in Quicken for Mac.

Be sure to scroll down the page, as some contain lists of related features. Click on the link to EACH IDEA separately. Then you click the VOTE button at the top of EACH page that opens up respectively to increase the count and therefore its visibility to the developers

If you do not click VOTE at the top of the page of each feature, your vote will NOT be counted for THAT feature!

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

smayer97 · October 2016

I also highly recommend that you browse through the IDEAS section of this forum and VOTE for the request of each of the missing features to be added back into Quicken for Mac....to help direct the priorities of the developers.

To do that, I suggest you read this FAQ on how to filter the IDEAS to just show the ones for the Mac version, then VOTE to your heart's content:
https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/quicken-getsat-faq-how-to-filter-conversations-d...

The following are some of the many feature requests you will find:

and many others.

Click on each link above, then be sure to scroll down each page, as some contain lists of related features. Then VOTE on EACH IDEA separately that you are interested in.

If you do not click VOTE at the top of the page of each feature, your vote will NOT be counted for THAT specific feature!

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

Snoopy FC · December 2016

This feature would really be helpful.

Jim · January 2017

Not only would I too like this feature to select which columns (fields) to include in a report, but I ALSO want all of the chosen fields to be exported if I choose to export the report to a CSV file. Right now that does not happen if you choose to show the Memo/Notes field in a report. That field does not get exported with the current version of Quicken for Mac 2017 (a bug IMO).

Ed · January 2017

Merging into like thread

Please reference the new conversation here: Being merged

Jim · January 2017

Although this feature may be irrelevant in some reports, it is important in ones such as the Category Summary report (which probably should be renamed as Category Details).

Jim · January 2017

A companion feature to go along with this is the ability to change the column widths, swap or move columns, and change font size so that we can make a report with additional columns fit better on a page or screen.

smayer97 · January 2017

You can add your VOTE to Report Formatting Options.

And specifically for the column width in the comment section here:

First, click on each underlined link above to go there, then click VOTE at the top of THAT page, so your will vote count for THIS feature and increase its visibility to the developers.

While you are at it, you may want to add your VOTE to related IDEAS found on the List of Requests for Report Related Features. Click on the underlined link, then follow the instructions to add your vote to more related ideas.

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

Clayton Parks · February 2017

I do not understand why so many of our options that were used in the Windows version were NOT carried over to the Mac 2017. IE: delete unused categories, Unable to change Columns in reports, etc., etc.

Jim · February 2017

I was never a Windows version user myself. I tried to switch several times since the early 90's but ran into problems with porting data or not liking the interface as good as the Mac version, so I always returned the Win product and waited for the next Mac upgrade. The first versions of Quicken on the Mac (QM) got my vote for best software of the century (I am a CS professor and was so impressed with how robust it was whenever something got corrupted--it could rebuild balances and get it right every time, unlike other personal financial software I purchased in the 80's). As the years passed, the Mac versions lagged slightly behind the Win version, but usually by a few months until QM 2007. The next upgrade after that was QM 2015 and now QM 2017. I've been told that it was a totally independent programming team and they took a start from scratch approach to create a new product. It looks like they did not pay much attention to how everything worked with QM2007. Since it was probably a young team of programmers they were probably not familiar with all of the features that old time users counted out (things we probably couldn't even articulate if you asked us--but miss desperately when gone). They were probably easily diverted to the latest whiz-bang thing to solve rather than making sure that the "boring basics" got implemented-- such as the ability to add/remove columns from a report, adjust their widths, and most importantly to export ALL of those selected report columns to a CSV file. So that is my theory. But you make a good point-- why didn't they at least get really familiar with the basic reporting/exporting features of the Windows version and implement those, if not those from QM2007?

Clayton Parks · February 2017

I agree with everything you said. I'm trying very hard to switch from PC to the Mac. But there are so many things that I cannot get on the 2017 for Mac. When I ask for help, 9 out of 10 times, the response will be, " You can't do that." I just finished printing out my 2016 report for the CPA. There are no column headings, unable to delete one of the columns, and am unable to set margins. Therefor, there is a split line of type - upper have of line is at the bottom of one page and the next page will have the bottom half of the line. "Unable to do that." was my help response. Utterly ridiculous! I may have to cancel Quicken and go back to a shoe box full of receipts!

jacobs · February 2017

Jim, the history of the Mac product is a long and winding road. The short answer to your question is that many features from the Windows version (as well as legacy Mac versions) have not yet been programmed into the Mac product, which was re-started from scratch a few years ago. The Windows version has about 3 decades of features in its code base. It's no simple task to develop those features again from scratch in the Mac program, which uses very different tools and building blocks. And the Mac development team is small, so development isn't as fast as anyone would like, although progress is being made.

Jim · February 2017

Thank you for your response!! You sound like someone on the inside :-) As an experienced user, I am fine with reasonable workarounds. We would have such a workaround with a slight change to the Export CSV (in Category Summary reports). Export ALL OF THE FIELDS (even the ones not displayed) as columns in the CSV. We can easily delete unwanted columns, move them around, change font/size/style or column widths, etc. If not that then fix the bug in which the Memo/Notes field is not exported to the CSV, even if displayed in the report via the "Show Memo/Notes" checkbox. I reported this bug once already. By fixing this we would have a simple workaround for many of our needs by using Excel on the CSV data-- much simpler than exporting to a QMTF and importing that into an empty QM2007 account in order to use QM 2007's more comprehensive reporting features. Hope you have an inside track.

smayer97 · February 2017

This thread is about voting for adding the "Ability To Choose to Show/Hide Columns That Appear in Reports ".

You may add your VOTE to Export to spreadsheet or CSV ASCII file.

First, click on the underlined link above to go there, then click VOTE at the top of THAT page, so your will vote count for THIS feature and increase its visibility to the developers.

While you are at it, you may want to add your VOTE to related IDEAS found on the List of Requests for Report Related Features Click on the underlined link, then follow the instructions to add your vote to more related ideas.

Also, please also try to contain your replies to the topic at hand.

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

Dawn · February 2017

I agree with Jim : allow export of ALL fields. The canned reports are effectively useless and the current exported fields are also. Has the new Quicken for Mac team given any kind of timeline for better functional reporting?

Snoopy FC · February 2017

There's no argument that the reporting could be better. It's not even equal with QM2007. However, it is what we have as of now, and I've not seen any timeline on when new reporting features will be added. I suspect they will keep working on these things after they get a bigger picture issue addressed, like loans and loan amortization.

jacobs · February 2017

The absence of the Memo/Notes field in the export file was clearly a bug. It's frustrating that this wasn't fixed in the next release, as it probably is a very simple omission that is easily fixed. Hopefully it will be in the next release...

As for the bigger issue of the quality of the reports, it's by far my Number One complaint about the current state of Quicken Mac (and the largest reason I'm still using Quicken 2007). And I agree with @Snoopy FC that I would feel more positive about this if the product manager had given any indication over the past several years that they plan to revamp the reports at some point; we're left to wonder whether they're going to keep adding to reports in a hodgepodge manner, as they did wit the additional reports in Quicken 2017, or whether at some point a long-term development project will result in reports with a better user interface, more configurability, and better-ooking output.

smayer97 · February 2017

My biggest problem too, though not my only big one. But the chatter unfortunately does not add much. The best is to provide feedback. So if you have not done so, go to the first link provided at the top of this thread to add your votes to the requests for reports and related features. Also use the feedback page.

As for future development of reports, I can say that I have been in communication behind the scenes and I can say that Quicken is working on design changes BUT it is still unclear as to whether they truly get what is being asked. Jury is still out on that one.

Meanwhile, let's still try to keep discussions on these VOTING threads on topic.

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

Jim Jones · May 2017

Just upgraded to 4.5.4 and I still have not seen the bug fix for exporting Memo/Notes field in Category Summary reports to a CSV. We still do not get any useful column controls in Category Summary reports like we have in the register window (e.g., show/hide other columns, reorder columns, resize columns).

Barbara Schwarz · September 2017

This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled Suggestion for Quicken Mac: Check numbers included in Cat. reports.

Checks numbers should be able to be included in category reports and in all reports

Note: This conversation was created from a reply on: List of Requests for Report Types in Quicken for Mac.

MacUser · January 2018

This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled Ability to Add check numbers to Quicken for the Mac reports.

For Quicken for the Mac, I do not understand why Quicken Developers cannot add the Check Numbers to all reports, or at least give users the option to display and print check numbers with any report.

Clayton Parks · January 2018

I think that you hit the nail on the head regarding young programmers for QM. I wish I had my old PC up and running. I think Mac should tell buyers that Quicken is not a good program to use on their computers!

Clayton Parks · January 2018

WHY are we feeling like hostages by Quicken? (Your customers don’t have to use you!) Are the programmers laughing up their sleeves at us? COME ON, QUICKEN- GET IT TOGETHER!!

JohnInWoodside · January 2018

As tax time rolls in, I just discovered these problems, as I try to review last year's categories:
a. I print a complete Transaction Detail to review that everything has the correct category. Entries are groups by account, which is helpful. But when I have a question, I cannot see the Note/Memo field, which would help me resolve any issues.
b. I then realized that the "category summary" report is more like a "category detail" report; that helps, but all the transactions in a category are in chronological order, and not grouped by account.

As far as I can tell, this is all a step BACKWARD from prior versions of Quicken for the Mac.
Sigh.
Quicken, you guys can do better.

John S. · March 2018

I see that Quicken now states that you can add columns in Quicken 2018. When I look at my Customize window, I see a tab named "Columns" that is grayed out and totally nonfunctional. Perfect.

jacobs · March 2018

John, which report are you trying to customize?

There are two types of reports in Quicken 2018, and the program makes this confusing and non-intuitive for users. The "original" or "old" reports are descended from the old Quicken Essentials product which was the code base the modern Quicken Mac was built on. There have been some enhancements to these reports, but it was too limited for all the reports features users were asking for, so the developers last year started work on a complete re-write of reports in Quicken 2017 (and now 2018). At the current time, there is a hybrid of "old reports" and "new reports". At some unknown point in the future, the old reports will be phased out, but for now, it's very confusing for users to figure out.

Any new functionality being added to reports will only appear in the new reports, not the old ones. I suspect you are using one of the old reports, like Category Summary? In that report, the Columns tab is visible but grayed out.

I suggest you try creating the same report using New Reports (from the Reports menu or the little arrow next to Reports in the blue navigation bar). Select New Report > Transaction Report > Subtotal by Category, for instance, and you will see when you go to Customize that the Columns tab is not grayed out and is functional.

jacobs · March 2018

JohnInWoodside, which version of Quicken Mac do you have? If it's Quicken 2017 or 2018, and you're using the old Category Summary report, you should try using the New Report > Transaction, because you can select to subtotal by Account. If you have Quicken 2018, you can then go to Customize and add the Memo/Notes column to the report. (Configuring which columns to show is a new feature in Quicken 2018, so it is not available in Quicken 2017.)

John S. · March 2018

Thank you Jacobs! I had no idea there were two generations of reports available. In the past, I've always called up a report and then Customized it for my needs. I'm wondering why Quicken doesn't have a video tutorial on creating reports, that addresses what you have told me. Crazy. Thank you so much for your articulate reply.

thundt · April 2018

It's sad, so sad *shaking head*. Quicken Windows had this a decade ago. And they want me to switch to a subscription pricing model? I'm looking for alternatives, not for throwing good money after bad.

Quicken Marcus · July 2018

I believe most of this has been implemented in 2018. I'm closing this post. Please open new ones regarding what's missing.

Add Ability To Choose to Show/Hide Columns in Reports in Quicken for Mac (138 Legacy Votes)

Implemented · Last Updated August 2019

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