GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 515888
Qif import loses data
Last modified: 2018-06-29 22:01:06 UTC
Please describe the problem: Importing QIF file from Quicken 2004. Gnucash qif import does not import memos nor does it import Class tags Steps to reproduce: 1. Import a qif file 2. 3. Actual results: All data except memos and class tags is imported Expected results: All data to be properly imported Does this happen every time? Yes Other information: Tried importing qif both into a blank Gnucash file and letting the import process create all the accounts. I also setup a pre defined file with all the accounts established. Same result either way. Can post the qif file in question if I knew where to do so.
Created attachment 104993 [details] Qif file
To see the memos in the register, use the menu to turn on double-line viewing mode (View -> Double-line). Otherwise you won't see them (just like in Quicken). Classes are currently ignored by the importer, I'm afraid. Supporting them would be an enhancement. GnuCash doesn't have classes, so can you please describe how you would want GnuCash to import the transactions that use them?
I was aware of the double line viewing and did have this enabled. Gnucash in this case does not import the memo's or at best only about 10% of the existing memo's. This especially bothers me. I can understand ignoring the memo's but not getting a partial import. This is the same behavior I saw in version 2.2.0 on a different computer. If you look at the QIF file that I originally attached, virtually every transaction has a class describing what kind of transaction this is so I can file my expense reports properly. If the class information coluld be imported as the quicken catagories are, as accounts, then I can make this work in Gnucash. Although this file has seven years of data, I have another file with 10 years of data and would prefer not to lose this information. MS-Money and Moneydance do not have a problem importing the Quicken class information. Moneydance calls them tags. I have forgotten what Money calls them but they are imported perfectly. I would prefer to find a open source solution for this purpose and that is why I am looking at Gnucash.
GnuCash has no support for Classes or Tags. Therefore the importer (properly) ignores that information. It would be perfectly reasonable to create an enhancement request to add transaction tags and then you could make the importer migrate classes to those tags. But at this time that support doesn't exist so this is not a bug. As for the memos.. There's another bug all about the import of QIF memos versus Payees versus .... (bug #495219), but that's already been fixed in 2.2.3. So, I'm inclined to either close this bug out as a duplicate of #495219, or change it to an enhancement request purely for the Tags/Classes. Keep in mind, tho, that as an enhancement request without a patch it's unlikely to get implemented anytime soon, unless Charles decides to implement it. :)
Could you point out a particular memo that's missing? There are lots of transactions in this file, and though I've looked through about the first 50 or so, I can't find any missing memos. Regarding classes, GnuCash doesn't have this concept as far as I know. Without changing GnuCash, one way to adapt the class information might be to have the importer create GnuCash subaccounts for each Quicken class, for example: Quicken category/class: Auto Fuel/VALCO GnuCash account: Auto Fuel:VALCO Quicken category/class: Auto Fuel/VISA GnuCash account: Auto Fuel:VISA There is no automatic support for this at the moment, but you could search/replace in your QIF to replace "/VALCO" with ":VALCO" and so on. May I ask for what purpose you were using classes? It looks like you perhaps were doing reimbursable expense tracking by payment type or something.
(In reply to comment #4) > GnuCash has no support for Classes or Tags. Therefore the importer (properly) > ignores that information. It would be perfectly reasonable to create an > enhancement request to add transaction tags and then you could make the > importer migrate classes to those tags. But at this time that support doesn't > exist so this is not a bug. > > As for the memos.. There's another bug all about the import of QIF memos > versus Payees versus .... (bug #495219), but that's already been fixed in > 2.2.3. > > So, I'm inclined to either close this bug out as a duplicate of #495219, or > change it to an enhancement request purely for the Tags/Classes. Keep in mind, > tho, that as an enhancement request without a patch it's unlikely to get > implemented anytime soon, unless Charles decides to implement it. :) > I would recommend you change it to an enhancement request. My error was in thinking that the Transaction Journal view mode would display the memo. It was not until I read Mr. Day's comment #5 that I realized that the double line view mode was a different viewing mode. As it is, I re-imported the qif file and I see that the memo's are, in fact, present.
(In reply to comment #5) > Could you point out a particular memo that's missing? There are lots of > transactions in this file, and though I've looked through about the first 50 or > so, I can't find any missing memos. > > Regarding classes, GnuCash doesn't have this concept as far as I know. Without > changing GnuCash, one way to adapt the class information might be to have the > importer create GnuCash subaccounts for each Quicken class, for example: > > Quicken category/class: Auto Fuel/VALCO > GnuCash account: Auto Fuel:VALCO > Quicken category/class: Auto Fuel/VISA > GnuCash account: Auto Fuel:VISA > > There is no automatic support for this at the moment, but you could > search/replace in your QIF to replace "/VALCO" with ":VALCO" and so on. > > May I ask for what purpose you were using classes? It looks like you perhaps > were doing reimbursable expense tracking by payment type or something. > If I understand your procedure correctly, by replacing the designated qif file class information identified as /VALCO or /CASH or /VISA with :Valco or :Cash or :Visa (intentionally changing case here) that the import process will then create subaccounts with this information for each transaction. This sounds simple enough using Openoffice to accomplish. If this works, this would be exactly the type of modification that I did not know how to do to accomplish goal. You are correct this is for reimbursable expense tracking. Not so much for reimbursement by my company as for properly allocating the expenses to the proper accounts Visa, Cash, Valco so that when I go to the bank to cash my reimbursement check I know how much and where to allocate the funds to.
Give the search/replace a try and let us know how it goes. But for your goal, I think the "correct" way to accomplish your goal in GnuCash is probably to set up some asset accounts that track what you are owed (rather than using expense accounts). Because when you spend money and expect to be reimbursed for it, then it isn't really an expense to you, but a loan to whoever is going to reimburse you. So it's a transfer to an asset account representing what is owed. If you want to investigate that route, or maybe learn about some others, I'd suggest asking about your specific situation on the mailing list. There are lots of helpful people who will spell out how they've done it for their own books.
I completed the search/replace as suggested and it appears to have correctly imported all the missing class information that I wanted to preserve. My last issue is to find out why GnuCash is not printing properly through my Epson 8400 printer. I am using the windows (XP) version of Gnucash. I just have not yet had time to look further into this issue as I am a traveling sales representative and I have been out on the road all week. I will have to think further on your suggestion of setting up asset accounts. I have been doing this for 15 years this way and so far it has worked fine. If there appears to be an advantage to using asset accounts over expense accounts I will consider it further.
Glad to hear that you've got all the information into GnuCash now. I used Quicken to keep track of reimbursable expenses for a few years, using an asset account. I liked it that way because it would correctly report my net worth, whereas with your setup, your net worth goes down when you spend money on the company's behalf. I also like the way it would leave company expenditures out of the reports for spending by category, because I only wanted to see my own, personal expenses on those. But the various ways of setting up this kind of stuff is really a topic for the user mailing list. As for printing problems, a number of people have reported strange printing due to bug 462148. But others have no problems. I'd suggest asking about your printing problem on the user mailing list if you can't find it already listed in Bugzilla. Am I right to think that we can close this bug now? If you still think that separate "class" or "tag" feature is needed in GnuCash, please file an enhancement request specifically for that, but bear in mind that the main GnuCash application would have to support that functionality before I could make the necessary adjustments to the QIF importer. Right now there is no place to enter a "tag" in the account register, no support for that concept in reporting, etc.
I believe the bug can be closed at least as far as my original issue is concerned. I do have one question which does not appear to be covered by bug 462148. The imported memo's do not appear in the reports. It appears the memo's were imported into a line separate from the actual accounts. I am not sure how this should be corrected. I will have to give your suggestion on the asset vs expense account issue some further thought. I believe you are correct in your description and it's ramifications. For my purposes it would appear simple enough to create a new file with the sub accounts as asset accounts then re-import everything again. I will have to do this anyway as I have accumulated a few weeks further data in Quicken until I get all the "issues" with Gnucash corrected. My printing bug is as described in bug 462148. Turning off the advanced features did correct the issue Thank your for your assistance
On the memo printing, if you are looking at the Transaction Report then bug 454834 is the problem. I recently dipped my toe in the reporting waters and supplied a patch for that bug. The fix will be included with GnuCash 2.2.4, which is expected to be released on March 1st.
Closing as per comment #11.
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