Validation should specify what it changed [+14 Merged Votes]

Rocket J Squirrel
SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
In general, Validate doesn't tell the user what it changed. Its messages are vague to the point of uselessness. Today I got this one:
QDF:
Validating your data.
Repaired your data file by removing a damaged category. Please check your category list for missing categories by going to Tools>Category List.
Validating your data.
Repaired your data file by removing a damaged category. Please check your category list for missing categories by going to Tools>Category List.
Which category was removed? I have no idea. I searched for uncategorized transactions and found none.
Please, when Validate changes something, provide the information to the user.
Quicken user since version 2 for DOS, now using QWin Premier Subscription on Win10 Pro.
Tagged:
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Comments
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Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. The information about what was changed regarding investment accounts/transactions is usually sufficient for me but for everything else I can usually never find what was change/corrected. It's sometimes enough for me to forget about the validation and reluctantly restore a backup file.
(QW Premier Subscription: R42.21 on Windows 10)1 -
Rocket you are absolutely correct.
The detail provided is insufficient to verify or correct the errors encountered.
I remember a report I got several years ago that listed 10 or so error messages. Each message was identical with no way to know what record each referred to.Quicken user since 1995.
Current subscription user.0 -
Got same message today and not sure what category removed... UGH0
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I validate my file once a week. Last week it showed 977 transactions with unspecified accounts. I started opening backup files and searching for "unspecified accounts". Every backup file from 10/20/2020 back to 01/03/2020 had unspecified accounts even though validate did not "find" them in those files when it was run. I did this using the search box. I had to go back to my 01/01/2020 (it was the first backup that did not have any unspecified accounts in it) backup and then restore that. I then had to reenter every transaction (I printed the registers for all accounts from the old file totally 175 pages of transactions) for the year, a process which has taken over 25 hours to do. I have about 14 pages left to do.Quicken needs to write a true validate data file that is run before a backup is done and if there are errors explain what they are. I will now keep my backups for up to 2 years instead of the 1 year I used to do.I have no idea why suddenly validate finally found there were 927 transactions with unspecified accounts. I never "delete" and account, I always hide it instead. I had something similar happen 4 years ago but I only had to reenter 6 months of data instead of 11 months.0
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I can accept that crashes happen and that data files need to be recovered / filechecked. (I wish they didn't, they shouldn't, but they do). This post is JUST about improving the messaging coming from there.
A recent validation of my file showed scores of:
* Quicken repaired damaged transaction index. No action required.
and
* Quicken found an invalid transaction and removed it. "ACCT_dac55a85" 0/ 0/1900
Both of these send chills down my spine, as neither one gives me *any* insight as to *what* account or *date* of transaction or *amount* -- Any one of those items, or more ought to still be available, that can give me some Information to work with so that I can go back in and re-add the transaction that Quicken decided it could Remove or Repair.
When this happens, I am left to scour my quicken database (YEARS of data) trying to figure out what data it may have incorrectly "fixed" or removed.
QUICKEN TEAM: Please, please, please: can you give us any/all data that you have about the entries that you are correcting/removing so that we can fix them up manually later? Finding the errant/missing data is a scavenger hunt and if you could at least provide some clues, it would greatly help us keep our financial "picture" in Quicken as accurate as possible.
Thank you0 -
I just did a File Validation and report said that a Category had been deleted and I should check my Categories List for the missing one. No offense, but "Come on, man". With a Category list as long as it is (>100) this is not really a practical suggestion.
I would suggest that the report tell the user which Category(ies) were deleted by name. There might be times when the name is the corrupted field, but I'm guessing that would be the fewer of the number. Most times it would be possible?
Best, Jim0 -
Voted Yes. I would also like to know WHICH scheduled transactions have been corrected after running a file validation.
Quicken Windows Premier - Subscription **** Windows 10 Home *** Quicken user since 19962 -
I agree it's dumb that it doesn't list the deleted categories. I, too, have a ton of categories. My work-around is that when I see that message, I print the category list to a file from both the current file and a recovered file. Then I use a text compare utility (Beyond Compare) to see what's changed. It works, but it's a hassle.
An even better solution than simply telling us what category was deleted would be to assign all those deleted category transactions to a new category during the validate process -- ideally "[deleted category]_new". Then we'd know which transactions were affected.1 -
[Removed-Self-Referencing Link]Quicken user since version 2 for DOS, now using QWin Premier Subscription on Win10 Pro.0
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Agree with above comments. In fact, rather than deleting a category, please just tell me what error quicken thinks it found and let me decide how to fix the error. This is very frustrating to try to fix out what Quicken did to "fix" my file. If indeed a fix was required at all.1
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Same goes for "repaired" accounts. Just tell me what Quicken thinks needs repairing then let me repair it. I am a CPA and believe I am in a better position to decide how to "fix" or "repair" my accounting.0
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davezechnich said:Agree with above comments. In fact, rather than deleting a category, please just tell me what error quicken thinks it found and let me decide how to fix the error. This is very frustrating to try to fix out what Quicken did to "fix" my file. If indeed a fix was required at all.
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(I'm always using the latest Quicken Windows Premier subscription version)
This is my website: http://www.quicknperlwiz.com/-1 -
I agree. This and I have gotten a message that says: "Duplicate category name. Try another name." I have looked and can't find a duplicate so it would be helpful if quicken would tell me what it is seeing instead of this vague message.0
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Let's show some love for this suggestion! Today I got the oh-so-helpfulQDF:I defy even the most seasoned Quicken programmers to make sense of this. Much less Joe User.
Validating your data.
Quicken repaired damaged transaction index. No action required.
Quicken found an invalid transaction and removed it. "ACCT_133c3" 0/ 0/1900
Quicken repaired some transaction information. No action required.
"ACCT_133c3" 0/ 0/1900
Quicken user since version 2 for DOS, now using QWin Premier Subscription on Win10 Pro.0 -
Even if they don't fix the problem, maybe at least validation could change the clr status to C for cleared, from what was probably a R for reconciles transaction, then a search for cleared transaction can be done to find the transaction ...possibly!0
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Agree that details would be useful. My favorite is "deleted a category" gotten this one a few times and never could find which one it was.
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Hi all, We are looking into this and https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7850837/need-a-tool-to-really-truly-repair-data-corruption-13-merged-votes#latest
Those of you who use Validate and Repair often, can you please give me some information:- How often do you Validate and Repair your files?
- What prompts you to run a Validate and Repair? Is it a periodic schedule or do you run it when you see some issues? If so, what issues?
- What benefits do you see by running Validate and Repair?
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I ran Validate and Repair. Validation gives the message: "Repaired your data file by removing a damaged category. Please check your category list for missing categories by going to Tools>Category List."
That's a pain. Why can't it simply list the categories it removes?0 -
Moderator merged @ChicagoGuy 's thread into this one.
Quicken user since version 2 for DOS, now using QWin Premier Subscription on Win10 Pro.0 -
I whole heartedly agree, but I'm of the belief we have to be careful what we wish for. Look at the great ideas for Mobile and Web, then Schwab. Quicken may open a whole new can of worms....again!Quicken Windows Deluxe Subscription R42.21 Sync off, Web connect, no other qkn options used
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TTSguy said:I whole heartedly agree, but I'm of the belief we have to be careful what we wish for. Look at the great ideas for Mobile and Web, then Schwab. Quicken may open a whole new can of worms....again!
(QW Premier Subscription: R42.21 on Windows 10)0 -
Boatnmaniac said:TTSguy said:I whole heartedly agree, but I'm of the belief we have to be careful what we wish for. Look at the great ideas for Mobile and Web, then Schwab. Quicken may open a whole new can of worms....again!
So, I wouldn't put this all on Schwab. The bottom line is that the world is going to change whether we like the changes or not, or if they are actually better or not.
I know a lot of people believe in "If ain't broke don't fix it.", but this statement ignore two main facts. One is that you need to change things just to maintain them. And two, the world isn't going to allow you not to change.
As such I can certainly see @TTSguy's fear of changing anything because it seems like whatever the Quicken Windows developers touch, they break, that isn't going to stop them from making changes and you might as well lobby for the changes that you really want.
And as for the blaming of these problems on Schwab I would say that this was definitely a "group effort". No matter the pain to change the connections from FDS to QCS, and the change from Express Web Connect to Express Web Connect + for both Capital One and Schwab, I have heard nothing, but praise and optimism for these conversion from Quicken Inc. They aren't the "victim" they are active partners in this.
And here is something else to chew on. Scan this forum for Capital One and Schwab Quicken Mac problems. They are there, but they are far less frequently having problems even when you consider there are less Mac users than Windows users. And I have seen where the Quicken Mac users are shy to complain.Signature:
(I'm always using the latest Quicken Windows Premier subscription version)
This is my website: http://www.quicknperlwiz.com/0 -
@Chris_QPW The basic premise of this idea is to improve the messaging. If validation removes something, tell the user what was removed.
Isn't it possible, or plausible, the the programming might not 'know' what was removed? I'm thinking some internal table pointer points to a particular record expecting a category there, but looking at that record, it finds gibberish. So the validation removes that pointer and says it is removing a category. Well a category used to be there and it is not know there, ergo, that category is removed. But there is no way of telling if it was "Pet expenses" or "Suzy's Salary" or anything else. Just my layperson's thought.1 -
q_lurker said:Isn't it possible, or plausible, the the programming might not 'know' what was removed? I'm thinking some internal table pointer points to a particular record expecting a category there, but looking at that record, it finds gibberish.It's possible, but I doubt it. If the validator is about to remove a category (or anything else), it should know where in that record to find a string to identify it and display that in the log.And who's to say what's gibberish? I just might have a category named "#$%*!ing Taxes". I would rather the validator make the effort to display something rather than nothing.Quicken user since version 2 for DOS, now using QWin Premier Subscription on Win10 Pro.1
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q_lurker said:Isn't it possible, or plausible, the the programming might not 'know' what was removed? I'm thinking some internal table pointer points to a particular record expecting a category there, but looking at that record, it finds gibberish. So the validation removes that pointer and says it is removing a category. Well a category used to be there and it is not know there, ergo, that category is removed. But there is no way of telling if it was "Pet expenses" or "Suzy's Salary" or anything else. Just my layperson's thought.
However, if the content really is gibberish, then the error message needs to be more explicit. The current message is just too vague.Quicken user since 1995.
Current subscription user.1 -
I just ran a Validate on my Quicken file and got this error message:Repaired your data file by removing a damaged category. Please check your category list for missing categories by going to Tools>Category List.I would like to see Quicken specifically name that damaged category that got removed.Been using Quicken (and TurboTax) since DOS days in 1990s.0
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If you had searched, you might have found
https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7880500/validation-should-specify-what-it-changed-13-merged-votes/p1
Quicken user since version 2 for DOS, now using QWin Premier Subscription on Win10 Pro.0 -
Hello @Phil Burton,
Thank you for reaching out to the Community with your request.
I went ahead and merged your Idea to this active Idea thread regarding this topic.
Ideas are reviewed by our Development and Product teams to see what features people would like to have available in the future. Please, be sure to add your own vote as well by clicking the up arrow (see example below).
Thank you!
-Quicken Anja0 -
Great idea and somewhat overdue.
FrankxQuicken Home, Business & Rental Property - Windows 10-Home Version
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this might be fixed in R38.30 build 27.138.30
! ran a Validate this morning. Results had the 'standard' error found but then a new section listing two transactions (I xx out the account names and amounts). reviewing these accounts showed the Transaction's category was blank. I deleted and recreated them
[Sat Feb 26 08:57:05 2022]
QDF:
Validating your data.
Quicken found a damaged scheduled reminder and removed it. Please check your scheduled reminders by going to Tools>Manage Bills and Income Reminders.
[Sat Feb 26 08:57:29 2022]
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The following transaction(s) involving transfers appear to be damaged.
You should delete them and recreate as appropriate.
Account XXXXX: 3/5/2022 XXXX $$.$$
Account XXXXX: 3/16/2022 XXXXX $$.$$-1