online balance info

Derek Atkins warlord@MIT.EDU
25 Jun 2001 16:59:26 -0400


Are you assuming clearing via online systems or incorporation via
online systems?  I want to be able to use download QIF/OFX in order
to load transactions into Gnucash, and then manually clear them at
the end of the month with the paper statement.

-derek

Nathan "A." Smith <nasa000@home.com> writes:

> Ok, I used nbmym terms -- categories are income/expense accounts.  The
> users would have to assign an income/expense account for the first time
> a payment/debit goes through, then use that for then on out (pretty much
> like it does now).  Nothing from the bank would be needed (or really
> wanted - unless we want to export the income/expense accounts back to
> the bank as categories).
> 
> As you noted, not all entries that look the same will have the same
> income/expense account - thus an "cleared" screen would be necessary to
> allow the user the opportunity to correct any improperly placed
> transactions.  We would need this anyways to make the user review what
> has been cleared - just in case something clears that he/she may dispute
> (has never happened to me).
> 
> Nasa
> 
> On 25 Jun 2001 15:46:15 -0400, Derek Atkins wrote:
> > What category?  There is not enough information to determine which
> > category to use.  And not all entries that look the same are
> > really meant to go to the same 'category'.
> > 
> > -derek
> > 
> > Nathan "A." Smith <nasa000@home.com> writes:
> > 
> > > Couldn't we just credit the category?  Since that is already saved -- a
> > > simple solution already exists.
> > > 
> > > Nasa
> > > 
> > > 
> > > On 25 Jun 2001 12:15:59 -0500, Linas Vepstas wrote:
> > > > On Thu, Jun 21, 2001 at 11:29:06PM -0400, John Klar was heard to remark:
> > > > > Linas wrote: (2nd point)
> > > > > > OFX also seems to loose inter-account transfer info, and has
> > > > > > mal-formed, badly capitalized and cryptic info in 'payee' and
> > > > > > 'memo' fields, at least based on samples I've looked at.
> > > > > 
> > > > > v1.02 doesn't seem to have a Payee :( and memo looks like whatever string
> > > > > the payee emitted to your FI
> > > > > 
> > > > > > Its a bit cleaner than QIF to parse (e.g. it should indicate the
> > > > > > currency of the transaction).  But its not a double-entry system;
> > > > > > all you know is that money came, or went, but you are never clear
> > > > > > on to whom, or how or why.
> > > > > 
> > > > > I'm not seeing this.  
> > > > > 
> > > > >  <FITID> should be "unique", but I'm detecting some rollover compared
> > > > >          to a statement pulled from last year.
> > > > >  <TRNTYPE> gives me "how" (CHECK,CREDIT,DEBIT,CASH,XFER)
> > > > >     C&D are electronic
> > > > >  <NAME> gives me "why" (SH DRAFT,DEPOSIT,PURCHASE,WITHDRAW,
> > > > >                     TRANSFER TO mumble)
> > > > >  <CHECKNUM> correlates the check
> > > > >  <MEMO> includes additional detail.  In the case of 102, this
> > > > >         is where the PAYEE info is.
> > > > 
> > > > Some banks are better than others.   The following from the 
> > > > gnucash samples driectory, a canadian bank:
> > > > 
> > > > <STMTTRN><TRNTYPE>DEBIT<DTPOSTED>20010102225126.000[-5:EST]<TRNAMT>80.00<FITID>2001010201648450<NAME>**PAYMENT THANK YOU - PAIEMENT</STMTTRN>
> > > > 
> > > > whazzat? where'd it come from?  why? what memo?
> > > > 
> > > > (having the unique id in fitid is indeed batter than what QIF supports
> > > > and makes it easy to detect multiple instances of teh same trasnaction).
> > > > 
> > > > the problem is that gnucash can indeed debit one account by 80,
> > > > but what account should be credited by a matching 80 ? We'll
> > > > need to develop some heuristics, or possibly take some ugly default
> > > > values.   The 'ideal' interface would have some wizard pop up and ask
> > > > 'hey next time we see one of these 'PAYMENT THANKYOU' things, what 
> > > > account should we put it in?', and remember the user's answer.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > --linas
> > > > 
> > > > -- 
> > > > Linas Vepstas -- linas@gnumatic.com -- http://www.gnumatic.com/
> > > 
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > gnucash-devel mailing list
> > > gnucash-devel@lists.gnumatic.com
> > > http://www.gnumatic.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-devel
> > 
> > -- 
> >        Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
> >        Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
> >        URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
> >        warlord@MIT.EDU                        PGP key available
> 

-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
       warlord@MIT.EDU                        PGP key available