Base And Gnucash

[Derek Atkins]

Colin Law <clanlaw at googlemail.com> writes:

> On 3 May 2013 17:21,  <blfs at comcast.net> wrote:
>> The most important need would be the ability to run custom SQL
>> queries on the underlying data.
>>
>>
>> I have taken another look at Gnucash as I have not tried to use this
>> program in some time. I cannot tell whether this is possible or not.
>
> Since one of the options with Gnucash is to use a MySQL database to
> store the data then it is obvious that it is possible to run custom
> queries.
>
> Exactly what the query must be to give particular results is not quite
> so obvious, but it is possible.

Moreover, I would ask you why you think you need to run "custom SQL
queries" on the data?  GnuCash has a fairly rich set of reports which
can give you enough data to make any accountant happy (I used to send
mine a Balance Sheet, P&L, and Transaction Report for them to do my
taxes, and that was always sufficient).

The fact that you're even jumping straight to a "custom SQL query"
implies you have not thought about the problem sufficiently to determine
what your real requirements are.  Instead you are jumping straight into
one solution (probably because you're comfortable with it) where there
might exist multiple alternative solutions that would also solve your
real problem.

> Colin
>
>>
>>
>> Last time I tried to use this program importing using CSV was not
>> possible I believe so that is a step in the right direction.

CSV import has been there for a couple years, so you must've been
looking a LONG time ago.  However I would generally recommend to anyone
to convert their CSV to QIF via Calc2QIF instead because QIF is richer
import langauge.

-derek

-- 
       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 at MIT.EDU                        PGP key available