Re: [GNC] Suggestion to ease newbies import problems
In order to minimize errors during import I first exported the account (categories) tree and imported that into GC. We’re there still errors?, yes but it was manageable. I then exported the data by year into qif files for import into GC. It made my life easier and reduced the number of errors I had to fix. Ken Schneider > On Sep 26, 2019, at 9:59 AM, randix wrote: > > In all seriousness, I recall that when I tried to import my data from > Quicken, I ran into so many problems and inaccuracies of the transactions > going into the wrong GnuCash account, etc., that I concluded it was just > easier and I'd have more confidence in entering the transactions manually > from the accounts that were important to me for X period of time, then have > to spend hours and hours reviewing "imported" entries and trying to chase > down inaccuracies. It took me some time, obviously, but in retrospect, I > have no regrets over that approach, and the beer made it somewhat > enjoyable... > > > > -- > Sent from: http://gnucash.1415818.n4.nabble.com/GnuCash-User-f1415819.html > ___ > gnucash-user mailing list > gnucash-user@gnucash.org > To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user > If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see > https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. > - > Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. > You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. > ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Suggestion to ease newbies import problems
In all seriousness, I recall that when I tried to import my data from Quicken, I ran into so many problems and inaccuracies of the transactions going into the wrong GnuCash account, etc., that I concluded it was just easier and I'd have more confidence in entering the transactions manually from the accounts that were important to me for X period of time, then have to spend hours and hours reviewing "imported" entries and trying to chase down inaccuracies. It took me some time, obviously, but in retrospect, I have no regrets over that approach, and the beer made it somewhat enjoyable... -- Sent from: http://gnucash.1415818.n4.nabble.com/GnuCash-User-f1415819.html ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Suggestion to ease newbies import problems
Data? Wha? > On Sep 25, 2019 w39d268, at 7:35 PM, David Cousens > wrote: > > After the second six pack "What data errors?" > > > > - > David Cousens ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Suggestion to ease newbies import problems
After the second six pack "What data errors?" - David Cousens -- Sent from: http://gnucash.1415818.n4.nabble.com/GnuCash-User-f1415819.html ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Suggestion to ease newbies import problems
> On Sep 25, 2019, at 5:15 PM, David Cousens wrote: > > That seems like an admirable and at least enjoyable solution. I'd be worried about data entry errors, especially after the second 6-pack. Regards, John Ralls ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Suggestion to ease newbies import problems
That seems like an admirable and at least enjoyable solution. David - David Cousens -- Sent from: http://gnucash.1415818.n4.nabble.com/GnuCash-User-f1415819.html ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Suggestion to ease newbies import problems
Thanks for the feedback. I am currently rewriting part of the documentation in the Help manual on importing. The comments about Base, Destination and transfer accounts are quite timely and I have struggled with that terminology while doing the rewrite. The difficulty arises primarily because in accounting terms there is really no difference in the accounts associated with the various splits in a transaction. Which is the base/source account and which is the transfer or destination account is really determined by which register you are viewing the transaction from and/or into which account/register you are importing the transactions. There is an inherent ambiguity that can be difficult to describe in all circumstances. The "minimum to import data" is actually correct in that a csv file must at least contain those columns for data to be imported at all. GnuCash or the user can assign the destination account. It is not necessary, although certainly desirable to dhave the destination account specified in the input file. Unfortunately GnuCash is not the origin of most files to be imported and as these are from banks and other institutions in the main, the terminalogy used is optimal for their needs and not really for GnuCash specifically. Your point about adding and populating a destination account column before importing. This of course presumes one has a fully populated CoA setup before starting to import. One of the reasons for the recommended procedure of initially importing in small batches is to at least get the core of the CoA setup and to at least partially train the Bayesian matcher before importing the bulk of the data. The Bayesian matcher only derives its data from the import process and does not use any information about existing transaction account assignments already present in Gnucash. I have expanded the description of the import matcher considerably. The Help manual is oriented more towards a description of the interfaces. In some of Geert' more recent improvements the dialogs lead you through the process fairly effectively so a guide section almost becomes redundant. I am planning on adding sections to the guide illustrating the import process in more detail for a few example cases , particularly the CSV import(minimal import, multiline multisplit data, GnuCash exported data( simple layout and multiline), stock and currency) where the format is not constrained by any standard. Flexibility has its price unfortunately. One of the perennial problems is terminology. If you come from another program or even from a general accounting background the previous use of terms within another context can make it difficult to interpret the help and guide, at least initially. A glossary was fairly recently added to the Tutorial and Concepts Guide by @sunfish62. Unfortunately this simply puts the header information from the glossary up in the popup and not the definition part in the current DocBooks implementation. It is possible to open the glossary in another tab however. I hope to make the glossary common to both the guide and the help manual in the future and I hope this will go a long way to settling problems re slightly different usage of terminology in different places in the guide and help manuals. These changes probably won't be in the guide and help manual until V4 comes out. Some parts are currently being reviewed. David Cousens - David Cousens -- Sent from: http://gnucash.1415818.n4.nabble.com/GnuCash-User-f1415819.html ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
[GNC] Suggestion to ease newbies import problems
As a newbie I did (and do) have some trouble with GnuCash, but my largest concerns were with the import process. I have a few suggestions that might ease the path of the next newbies to come. The import process, per se, seemed to go smoothly - it was the assigning appropriate splits that took me a few weeks. May I suggest that the Tutorial and Concepts Guide, Chapter 3, be expanded very slightly with regard to comma separated value (csv) files? First, and most simply, the Guide refers to "Base Account" and "Destination Account," while the Import wizard itself has the word "Transfer" apparently in lieu of "Destination; I didn't understand this for some time. Second, the Guide in "Import Panel" refers to "minimum to import data," while "optimum" would have aided me significantly. Adding a column in a .csv file with the Destination (Transfer) would have saved me many double-clicks in the Matcher. Perhaps a sentence added would help: "Those planning to import large amounts of data by .csv will be aided by adding a Destination column in their import file." Finally, after adding the new column, the Importer led me to a page that confused me for a short time. It said something about needing to change or add Links. On my test (well after completing this the hard way) It wanted me to change From Expenses:Miscellaneous to Expenses:Miscellaneous. I'm certain this is nothing more than a last check to ensure that you will be importing them to where you really want them, but perhaps if the words match so exactly the question might be changed to something like, "Unless you change links your Exp:Misc will have a Destination of Exp:Misc," or something similar. There were other instances of mild confusion, but they applied to my attempting to convert credit cards as expenses to credit cards as liabilities and would not necessarily apply as broadly as the above. On the good side, the time I spent converting 10 years of old data made me quite comfortable with GnuCash, so it wasn't time wasted. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
