Does anyone have experience with archiving old transactions?

rwyse01@
rwyse01@ Quicken Windows Subscription Member
in File Conversion and Backup (Windows)
I have transactions from as early as 1992. I'd like to archive older transactions to speed up Quicken. Can you do this in Quicken?

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  • skeleton567
    skeleton567 Quicken Windows Other Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2019
    GeoffG, I have to take issue with 'Quicken is designed to hold countless transactions as any database would'. First, the .QDF file does NOT seem to be a database by at least MY definition, having spent a 42-year career designing and working with at REAL databases mainly from three major individual database software vendors. Databases have mostly evolved over two main types, hierarchical and relational, of which I don't really suspect QDF is either. It would help if the Quicken folks would release the specs for what structure they use.

    I have also found that file size in my case does in fact affect performance of the application, even though I'm running it on a very substantial computer. I've ended up with 23 .QDF files that contain various years with dates going back to 1943 in two specific asset accounts. I have discussed the performance issue with Intuit over the yeas, and with others on various forums.

    So yes, I feel you do in fact need to archive. I have 23 archive files that contain my historic data and I do always go through the upgrade process for each files. Actually, I have never upgraded beyond QW2014 because I do not likeor need the things that have been done in later versions.

    The unfortunate side effect of archiving partial data but retaining other historic data, such as investment history for your long-term analysis is that when recombining files for such as importing to a database for analysis, you need to handle duplication from multiple files, a problem that is compounded by the fact that corrections in current files of retained history do not get made in archived files.

    This is exactly why in accounting it is never good to modify original data but instead make current adjusting entries.

    It would be wonderful if Quicken had the ability to archive correctly but then also recombine or access historical data both for adjustments and long-term analysis. We handle this nicely in most real database systems by allowing for inter-database and inter-system access of data conveniently as long as the multiple databases are connectable.

    Ó¿Õ¬

    Faithful Q user since 1986, with historical data beginning in 1943, programmer, database designer and developer for 42 years, general troublemaker on Community.Quicken.Com
  • skeleton567
    skeleton567 Quicken Windows Other Member ✭✭✭✭
    GeoffG and rwyse01@, here is another simple example of the lack of archived data connectivity issue. Something that should be a simple process such as recombining data from multiple files is the so-called inability to import investment data. Is it not strange that they can export but not import? (you can, in fact import investment data if you know the secrets!). It's the old 'You can't get there from here' argument. There is always a method if you want to bad enough.

    This is exactly why I don't upgrade any more. Why should I pay continually for a product that does not provide solutions to problems.

    Ó¿Õ¬

    Faithful Q user since 1986, with historical data beginning in 1943, programmer, database designer and developer for 42 years, general troublemaker on Community.Quicken.Com
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