Is the pretty much useless "past" Reconciliation report broken?

Chris_QPW
Chris_QPW Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
in Reports (Windows)
If you go to a register and select:
Reports -> Banking -> Reconciliation

I know that almost no one uses this report since it doesn't really "go back in time", but it doesn't seem to even be working for the limited use cases it was "designed for".

It will prompt you like this:


If I put in a date of 1/31/2021:
Here is the report:





And here is the register:


The report claims that the balance is 2216.84 on 1/31/2021, and clearly that is in fact the register balance for 2/26/2021.  What's more the "previous balance" is the balance on the day before that.  And the only transaction shown on the whole thing is the $18.05 (last transaction in the register) and there isn't anything different about it (reconciled status) than any other transaction.

Note I reconcile everyday, so even if I check the account overview for what it shows it doesn't make any sense, and it certainly isn't using the date I typed in (1/31/2021) other than printing it on the report with the wrong balance.

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Best Answers

  • Sherlock
    Sherlock Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2021 Answer ✓
    I don't think the Reconciliation report is broken.  The Previous Balance is the total of all the Reconciled transactions from the previous reconciliation and, as you do not have any Uncleared transactions, none appear before or after the date you provided.
  • Sherlock
    Sherlock Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓
    Chris_QPW said:
    I don't buy it.  Quicken developers can't have it both ways.  If they are going to do some "magic" and use my last reconcile date for deciding what to print then they shouldn't be asking me for a date.  They should use that date and they should print it on the report.  By asking me what date I want to do the report for they should then use that date and make it work properly.

    The report is useless.
    They're asking for the next date to use - not the previous reconcile date.  As I said, if you don't understand the results... And, you're entitled to your opinion.

Answers

  • Sherlock
    Sherlock Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2021 Answer ✓
    I don't think the Reconciliation report is broken.  The Previous Balance is the total of all the Reconciled transactions from the previous reconciliation and, as you do not have any Uncleared transactions, none appear before or after the date you provided.
  • Chris_QPW
    Chris_QPW Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    How about the 18.05 transaction, why does show up when no others do?

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  • Chris_QPW
    Chris_QPW Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    Also I would think "All Transactions" would show reconciled transactions.

    Oh well I guess that's why no one uses this report.

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  • Sherlock
    Sherlock Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    Chris_QPW said:
    How about the 18.05 transaction, why does show up when no others do?
    I suspect the Reconciled $18.05 was the only transaction in the last reconciliation.
  • Sherlock
    Sherlock Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2021
    Chris_QPW said:
    Also I would think "All Transactions" would show reconciled transactions.

    Oh well I guess that's why no one uses this report.
    How would you know who is or isn't using this report?

    Perhaps you should submit an idea that Quicken track which reports are actually being used.
  • Chris_QPW
    Chris_QPW Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    Sherlock said:
    Chris_QPW said:
    Also I would think "All Transactions" would show reconciled transactions.

    Oh well I guess that's why no one uses this report.
    How would you know who is or isn't using this report?

    I guess I don't, but no one recommends using this, because it won't give the results anyone is expecting.  And what the entering of a date does for you is beyond me.

    After all if I have to un-reconcile transactions back to that date to get any meaningful data out of it, what good can it possibly be used for?

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  • Sherlock
    Sherlock Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    Chris_QPW said:
    Sherlock said:
    Chris_QPW said:
    Also I would think "All Transactions" would show reconciled transactions.

    Oh well I guess that's why no one uses this report.
    How would you know who is or isn't using this report?

    I guess I don't, but no one recommends using this, because it won't give the results anyone is expecting.  And what the entering of a date does for you is beyond me.

    After all if I have to un-reconcile transactions back to that date to get any meaningful data out of it, what good can it possibly be used for?
    As with most reports, if you don't understand the results, you won't use the report appropriately.  Generally, the date should be the closing date of the statement you're reconciling.   I understand you reconcile to the online balance, so you don't see a any benefit to the Reconciliation report but there are still a few of us that reconcile to a statement.   Now, I don't use this report myself, but I can see how it may be used by others that may prefer reconciling using paper or keeping a reconciliation trail.  I learned long ago that Quicken is a complex tool that may be used many different ways for many different purposes.
  • Chris_QPW
    Chris_QPW Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    I don't buy it.  Quicken developers can't have it both ways.  If they are going to do some "magic" and use my last reconcile date for deciding what to print then they shouldn't be asking me for a date.  They should use that date and they should print it on the report.  By asking me what date I want to do the report for they should then use that date and make it work properly.

    The report is useless.

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  • Sherlock
    Sherlock Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓
    Chris_QPW said:
    I don't buy it.  Quicken developers can't have it both ways.  If they are going to do some "magic" and use my last reconcile date for deciding what to print then they shouldn't be asking me for a date.  They should use that date and they should print it on the report.  By asking me what date I want to do the report for they should then use that date and make it work properly.

    The report is useless.
    They're asking for the next date to use - not the previous reconcile date.  As I said, if you don't understand the results... And, you're entitled to your opinion.
  • Chris_QPW
    Chris_QPW Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    I see now, this report is for all the people that reconcile into future, before they do a "real reconcile".  Great.  Yep, fantastic report, why don't we recommend people use this everyday?  >:)

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