Suggestions for transaction matching
I have a number of suggestions I would like to propose for transaction matching.
Don't offer a "Repeat Payee" as a default option
I try to enter all of my transactions and match them to downloaded transactions, rather than accepting all transactions from the bank without question. (Call me paranoid.) It can get pretty easy to get in a rhythm and accidentally accept a "Repeat Payee". And once you do, there's apparently no way to back up, assuming you even recognize that you did it. There are a number of things that could be done here. Highlighting "Repeat Payees" differently than "Possible Match"es and having "New Transaction" come before "Repeat Payees" are the two that come immediately to mind. (It might also be nice to force the user to enter some data so you couldn't just blow through "New Transaction", too.) I seem to recall this changing a few versions ago, so someone clearly thought this way was better. I'm sure it is for him, but I would love to have a switch to change it back.
Align columns between the register, the downloaded transactions, and the current item dropdown
As of the current version, the register's and the downloaded transactions' columns are in the same order, even if the register has more columns. But the current item dropdown is in a totally different order. It would be nice if they lined up better so that your eyes didn't have to scan all over the place to find matching data.
Show the register entry next to the downloaded transaction
Right now, the register entry is repeated at the bottom of the register during matching, but it's still separated by the dropdown. If the dropdown were moved to the bottom of the window, it would be that much easier to compare the two pieces of data.
Allow register entry editing while in matching mode
My paycheck often varies by small amounts, which means that the automatic transaction I have in Moneydance seldom matches the downloaded transaction. (Similar problems crop up when I enter a register entry incorrectly.) As it is now, I have to click "Done", then find the entry, edit it (from memory, since now the downloaded transactions are hidden), then open the matching again, then match the transaction. Maybe there's a way to do this currently that I haven't thought of.
Remove "Repeat Payee" duplicates
Every time I look at a "Repeat Payee", there are five or so identical copies of the repeat payee: same name, same category, etc. Why? Get rid of the extra ones.
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1 Posted by Brian Adler on 21 May, 2009 12:55 AM
We are completely overhauling transaction matching in MD 2009, so the timing is great for us to explore changes. Thanks for writing this list.
Brian
2 Posted by John Selden on 21 May, 2009 04:36 AM
Moneydance team-- If you're re-building the downloaded transaction matching procedure from the ground up, I would suggest you take a look at Quicken and see how it is accomplished there. I know that Moneydance is not trying to be a Quicken clone (nor should it, because Moneydance is better!), but in this one area, Quicken works very well.
I haven't used Quicken Windows in a long time, but I recall it worked well. Even in Quicken Mac 2007, though, the transaction matching is very nice because it provides excellent visual cues. For example, once the download is completed, Quicken Mac places one of two brightly colored dots next to all the downloaded transactions: an orange dot means Quicken has matched the downloaded transaction to something in the register, and an orange donut means Quicken did not find a match at all. This at-a-glance overview is extremely helpful and speeds up the process of accepting transactions dramatically. I can attach a screenshot if it would help. I highly recommend the addition of similar visual cues to Moneydance.
In some ways, Moneydance's transaction matching procedure is more powerful than Quicken's, because you provide at least three options for the status of downloaded transactions (possible match, repeat payee, and no match) instead of just two (match, no match). For visual cues, maybe a "traffic light" system of icons, where a red dot means no match, a yellow dot means repeat payee, and a green dot means possible match?
I second wfaulk's suggestion about alignment of the fields in the transaction matching window.
3 Posted by Brian Adler on 21 May, 2009 03:40 PM
I have created a ticket for this suggestion in Trac (which makes it possible to vote on this issue!).
Please find it here:
http://moneydance.com/trac/ticket/1879
Brian Adler closed this discussion on 21 May, 2009 03:40 PM.
Angie Rauscher re-opened this discussion on 09 Aug, 2010 02:02 AM
System closed this discussion on 31 Mar, 2015 03:29 PM.