It appears that reports in Quicken 2019 automatically ignore categories with no activity or zero Val

Best Answer

Answers

  • bweight5
    bweight5 Member
    It appears that reports in Quicken 2019 automatically ignore categories with no activity or zero Value when it generates a spending or income report.  I can’t find a way to have it show the the zero categories so that the reports across a time spectrum are compatible.  How do I force Quicken to use my complete category list, regardless of activity
  • Jim_Harman
    Jim_Harman SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    If you use the comparison reports such as Income and Expense by Category and set the Interval as desired, you will see all the Categories that are nonzero over the whole time period of the report, with a column for each interval.

    Is that what you are looking for?
    QWin Premier subscription
  • bweight5
    bweight5 Member
    Sorry I wasn't clear, Jim - I need all the categories both zero and non-zero in my Budgeting report.  It include the nonzero ones just fine, but ignores the categories which are zero during the term  of the report.
  • bweight5
    bweight5 Member
    I think you are right, and it is just the kind of thing that should be avoidable.  Is this forum monitored by any of the experts from quicken???
  • NotACPA
    NotACPA SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    "Is this forum monitored by any of the experts from quicken??? "
    That would be the SuperUsers ... and the Quicken employees whose ID here starts with the word "Quicken".  Such as "Quicken Sarah", "Quicken Harold", or the boss, "Quicken Kathryn".

    Q user since February, 1990. DOS Version 4
    Now running Quicken Windows Subscription, Business & Personal
    Retired "Certified Information Systems Auditor" & Bank Audit VP

  • smayer97
    smayer97 SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    "...experts from quicken???"

    Just to be clear, SUs are not "from" Quicken, just volunteers recognized to be very helpful.

    Have Questions? Help Guide for Quicken for Mac
    FAQs: Quicken MacQuicken WindowsQuicken Mobile
    Add your VOTE to Quicken for Mac Product Ideas

    Object to Quicken's business model, using up 25% of your screen? Add your vote here:
    Quicken should eliminate the LARGE Ad space when a subscription expires

    (Now Archived, even with over 350 votes!)

    (Canadian user since '92, STILL using QM2007)

  • bweight5
    bweight5 Member
    smayer97 said:
    "...experts from quicken???"

    Just to be clear, SUs are not "from" Quicken, just volunteers recognized to be very helpful.
    Would any of these SU's care to investigate my issue - Surely this is not the first time someone has questioned the apparent inability to generate reports with consistent categories
  • Jim_Harman
    Jim_Harman SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    I did investigate your issue and I agree that Quicken reports do not show categories that are zero for the entire period of the report.

    I have been following this forum for several years and I don't think anyone else has requested a change in this area.

    I gave you a work-around: Enter a transaction of less than one cent for the categories that are otherwise zero. I just verified that this indeed does force the category to display.

    I also suggested that you could export the report to Excel and manipulate the data there if you want.

    Here is a question for you: If your problem is that you want to be able to run reports at different times and have tham all show the same list of categories even if some of them are zero, how would you handle the situation where a user has added or removed categories over time?
    QWin Premier subscription
  • bweight5
    bweight5 Member
    Jim - Thanks for all of your input and help -  If I am the only (or one of the few) who find this a problem, I certainly agree that it doesn't have  a high priority.  Your suggested work around will do the trick for me.  I have also found that if transaction with zero value is in the account - that category will be reported and I can live with that.
    I am not a programmer and sometimes not too logical, but it seems to me that if a category is removed, previous transactions in that category (almost) have to to be recategorized.  If a new category is added, transactions in that category would be reported the first time that category is used.  Earlier lists of transactions, would be modified and show zero.  I'm sure there are issues with any scheme - Again, my thanks for your interest and help.
    Bob
  • Jim_Harman
    Jim_Harman SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    Even better that zero value transactions are sufficient to get a category included!
    QWin Premier subscription
This discussion has been closed.