Overloaded Moneydance
I don't know how to pose this question, but I'll try. I've used Moneydance since 2009 and it contains my entire financial history and all transactions. So it is a very big, fat, heavy file. I've checked the knowledge base and can't find an answer--I'm good with computers, mostly the front end stuff, but I'm not what you'd call savvy. I also didn't know until I just checked the knowledge base that there is a Moneydance+ option. I'll be on that as soon as I figure out how to solve my current problem. I've considered doing things like pdf'ing 2009 to 2023, for example; keeping that searchable file and starting fresh at 1-1-2024 or 1-1-2025. But that's probably a clunky solution and I know you must have something more sophisticated to suggest that you already know about. I know a lot more about the hierarchy now than I did in 2009, so I'll want to change the names of and combine some categories. Should I just shut the current one down, keep it archived, and start all over again? Do I need to get a new license to do that? Any suggestions you can offer would be wonderful. Thanks.
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1 Posted by dwg on 02 Dec, 2024 12:48 AM
You do not have a problem, however if you try to remove data then you probably will.
I have data going back to 1982, other users have just as much, size is just not an issue with Moneydance and with modern computer systems.
If you want to you can use the Toolbox extension to prune redundant data but that is as far as I would go in that area.
Changing names and combining categories can be done, even changing the category structure, just take a backup before you start, mistakes can be hard to fix.
I have put some notes together on Amalgamating categories:
Amalgamating Categories
Before you start, take a backup of your data, this is a significant restructure and a mistake almost always results in the need to restore from Backup, mistakes are something you can rarely recover from when doing this.
Decide which of the categories you are going to keep, even if you plan on renaming it, that is easy to do, in due course. I would generally keep the category that has the most transactions it in.
You now need to open a transaction register for one of the categories you want to amalgamate with the one you are keeping. To do this use the menu item Tools → Categories.
Select the category you want to move the transactions from, Right click and select "Open in New Window" The result is a transaction register, now be careful here this is a category transaction register not the Account transaction register you are used to dealing with, yes they look the same but there are implications in changing things in this sort of register (Note about making sure you have a backup).
Select all transaction in this register, generally you can do this by selecting a transaction then using the keyboard shortcut <Ctrl>-A (<Cmd>-A on Mac).
Now right click on the transactions and Select Batch Change. Select to Change the ACCOUNT (yes that is Account – this is one of the differences when using category registers) In the window that comes up scroll and select the category that you want these transactions to be part of i.e. the Category you are going to be keeping.
Repeat the above process for any other categories.
If you wish to rename the category, from the category window select the category and choose the Edit button, in the dialog that comes up you can change the category name, and also change where it sits in the category structure (parent) if desired.
You should now have some empty categories these can be deleted.
2 Posted by dtd on 02 Dec, 2024 01:49 AM
What is the size of your big fat heavy file?
What version of MD are you currently using?
Do NOT try to move stuff out of the file. As dwg said, you will go from no problems to insurmountable ones.
I also have 40+ years of data and it is not a problem at all.
What I occasionally do (with a fairly current version of MD) is to use the Toolbox extension to shrink the dataset by removing redundant data.
You open toolbox, clck update mode, then advanced options, then shrink dataset size.
It's fairly safe, but ALWAYS make a backup beforehand (Toolbox will help you not to forget)
3 Posted by Cheryll Greenwo... on 02 Dec, 2024 02:36 AM
I am using Moneydance version 2024.2 (5172) on an iMac 24” desktop running Sonoma version 14.6.1. I don’t know how big my fat file is (see “savvy," below.) The backups seem to go to Dropbox, which worries me, but I can’t figure out how big they are. (Do I have to make a backup file separate from that one?) If you all have been using Moneydance since 1982, then I think I shouldn’t worry about space limitations. I started worrying because when I close the file, it takes maybe four minutes or a little longer to shut down. (Another fun fact: I don’t know what Toolbox is or how to use it. Again, see “savvy.) I will still have categories and accounts that are no longer used. I guess Moneydance won’t choke on that clutter, so I’ll just have to get over worrying about it. (I prefer streamlined and tidy.) Do you agree I should just keep keeping on as is?
4 Posted by dtd on 02 Dec, 2024 02:49 AM
Yes , keep working as is, but you may save a bit of filesize by using Toolbox.
It's an extension, go to manage extensions, and install toolbox.
Start with "Analyze dataset objs. size and files
That will give you WAY too much information, but it should announce your file size. Writ that down, and if scared to shrink it yet, post that here and we'll say if you need to do so.
Then do the rest (and if it says make backup, just say yes), i.e. repeating:
What I occasionally do (with a fairly current version of MD) is to use the Toolbox extension to shrink the dataset by removing redundant data.
You open toolbox, clck update mode, then advanced options, then shrink dataset size.
It's fairly safe, but ALWAYS make a backup beforehand (Toolbox will help you not to forget)
Oh, haven't been USING Moneydance since 1982, Moneydance didn't exist then. Most of us with data that old transfered it over from another program...
5 Posted by dtd on 02 Dec, 2024 02:50 AM
Your file shouldn't take 4 minutes to close down, which is why I'm pursuing this further.
6 Posted by Cheryll Greenwo... on 02 Dec, 2024 02:53 AM
Thank you for that and for all your great help. I will do as you say and send what I find to you via this thread. You folks are just great.
7 Posted by dtd on 02 Dec, 2024 03:10 AM
dwg and I are just users, not staff, but we do our best to help out in this forum.
8 Posted by Cheryll Greenwo... on 02 Dec, 2024 03:13 AM
Staff or not, you both are great. And I’m grateful.
9 Posted by dwg on 02 Dec, 2024 03:26 AM
Any Category or Account that you no longer use can be market as Inactive, that makes various displays tidier by not showing no longer used items.
You can access the Categories and accounts by using the Moneydance Tools menu, there is an "Inactive" checkbox on the Information screen of each account/category.
4 minutes for a shutdown is a bit on the slow side, the Moneydance error log may give us some info, so Open Moneydance, then close it, if it takes that sort of time before starting Moneydance again retried the log and post it here.
As you are using a Mac, the error log should be located at one of these locations within your Home folder:
macOS Big Sur and later:
~/Library/Containers/Moneydance/Data/Library/Application Support/Moneydance/errlog.txt
macOS X Lion until macOS X Catalina:
~/Library/Containers/com.infinitekind.MoneydanceOSX/Data/Library/Application Support/Moneydance/errlog.txt
macOS X Snow Leopard and earlier:
~/Library/Application Support/Moneydance/errlog.txt
If you have any trouble finding your Home Library folder you can open Finder and hold down the option key while selecting the Go menu and the Library folder option should occur or you can open Finder and select Go -> Go to Folder and copy and paste in the following:
~/Library
This should pull up your local Library folder.
Some Moneydance files/folders on macOS are likely to be hidden, on macOS to show hidden files the key sequence CMD-SHIFT-DOT (that’s a period or ‘.’) will show them.
10 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 02 Dec, 2024 07:08 AM
As dwg says, after using toolbox shrink. Then restart. Then shut down. Then grab the errlog.txt file and upload that here (before launching MD again).