How can I make my data file smaller?
Anita Davies
Hi,
I have been using Moneydance since 2011 and imported all my Quicken data since 1996 at that time so now I have 20 years worth of data and my data directory takes up 107Mb disk space. Moneydance takes a long time to open a file of that size, and sync operations take too long to be practical to use the facility while entering and reconciling transactions in Moneydance. I assume that this is what led to sync errors (see last support request).
I would like to reduce the size of the data file, ideally with data from January 2014 onwards. I have tried exporting .qif files both per account and for all accounts, selecting the required start date. With both options I have ended up with thousands of Unconfirmed transactions, none of which have a category. The categories are imported, but not recorded against any of the transactions.
Please can you point me in the direction of a set of instructions I can follow to reduce the amount of data and therefore the data file size without having to try to remember which category each one is?
Kind regards,
Anita Davies
Comments are currently closed for this discussion. You can start a new one.
Keyboard shortcuts
Generic
| ? | Show this help |
|---|---|
| ESC | Blurs the current field |
Comment Form
| r | Focus the comment reply box |
|---|---|
| ^ + ↩ | Submit the comment |
You can use Command ⌘ instead of Control ^ on Mac
1 Posted by -Kevin N. on Nov 22, 2016 @ 06:26 PM
Hi Anita,
Are you still using MD 2011?
If not, what version of Moneydance are you using now?
Earlier versions of Moneydance had an 'Archive' option listed under Moneydance's 'File' menu. It was used to extract older data from the data file, leaving only current data. (in theory)
'Archive' was subsequently removed in later versions of Moneydance because they couldn't get it to work correctly in all instances.
If your version of Moneydance has an 'Archive' menu item, you could try using that.
BUT...
I would caution you to ONLY use Archive after making a copy of your data file for safe keeping. Archive, in some instances, has been reported to wreak havoc on data. NEVER use Archive without first making a copy of your data file.
HTH -Kevin N.
2 Posted by adavies on Nov 22, 2016 @ 07:41 PM
Hi Kevin,
I upgraded to Moneydance 2015, so the current version I am using is 2015.7.
I noticed after raising the ticket that Moneydance 2017 has been released.
Are there any options in there?
Kind regards,
Anita
Best regards,
Anita Davies
-------
Need a website? I can build one for you.
Need bespoke database or software? Ask me.
Need documents proofread? I can do that too.
Coding for Sail Limited
<https://inigoapp.com/m/public/profile/C91550D55BF02B0F1CF813E9D7E9519A?sh=1447411284>
3 Posted by -Kevin N. on Nov 22, 2016 @ 08:25 PM
Hi Anita,
No. Archive was removed from MD 2017 and as of yet there is no mechanism to shrink the file size.
-Kevin N.
4 Posted by adavies on Nov 23, 2016 @ 11:14 AM
Hi Kevin,
I think Archive must have been removed prior to Moneydance 2017. The only
reference to it in Moneydance 2015 that I can find is Show Archive Folder
on the Help menu. Please point me in the right direction if I am wrong!
Is Moneydance 2017 perfect at handling large files!? ;)
Best regards,
Anita
5 Posted by -Kevin N. on Nov 23, 2016 @ 01:51 PM
Hi Anita,
The 'Show Archive Folder' item in MD 2015 points to the folder that would hold a prior version of your Moneydance data file (in the event that you had upgraded it from a prior version of Moneydance).
For example: If you upgraded your MD 2011 data file to MD 2015, the 'Archive' folder would hold a copy of your old MD 2011 data file in the state that it was in prior to the upgrade.
If your machine is struggling with the data file produced with MD 2015, I can't really see how it would perform better under MD 2017. I suppose it's worth a try though. Make a copy or backup of your current data file before upgrading. (just in case)
There is talk of incorporating a mechanism so as to reduce the overall size of the MD 2017 data file however, it has not yet made it into the production version.
HTH -Kevin N.
System closed this discussion on Feb 22, 2017 @ 02:00 PM.