Some questions (i.e. temporary entries)

[Paul Schwartz]

--- On Tue, 10/19/10, Geert Janssens <janssens-geert at telenet.be> wrote:

> From: Geert Janssens <janssens-geert at telenet.be>
> Subject: Re: Some questions (i.e. temporary entries)
> To: "Paul Schwartz" <pmjs1115 at yahoo.com>
> Cc: gnucash-user at gnucash.org, stepbystepfarm at mtdata.com
> Date: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 12:08 PM
> On Tuesday 19 October 2010, Paul
> Schwartz wrote:
> > --- On Tue, 10/19/10, Geert Janssens <janssens-geert at telenet.be>
> wrote:
> > > From: Geert Janssens <janssens-geert at telenet.be>
> > > Subject: Re: Some questions (i.e. temporary
> entries)
> > > To: gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> > > Cc: "Paul Schwartz" <pmjs1115 at yahoo.com>,
> stepbystepfarm at mtdata.com
> > > Date: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 2:31 AM
> > > On Tuesday 19 October 2010, Paul
> > >
> > > Schwartz wrote:
> > > > --- On Mon, 10/18/10, Mike or Penny Novack
> <stepbystepfarm at mtdata.com>
> > >
> > > wrote:
> > > > > From: Mike or Penny Novack <stepbystepfarm at mtdata.com>
> > > > > Subject: Re: Some questions (i.e.
> temporary
> > >
> > > entries)
> > >
> > > > > To: "Paul Schwartz" <pmjs1115 at yahoo.com>
> > > > > Cc: gnucash-user at gnucash.org,
> > >
> > > "Harry" <hvb.box at gmail.com>
> > >
> > > > > Date: Monday, October 18, 2010, 2:32
> PM
> > > > >
> > > > > > Gnucash is a great program for
> personal use.
> > >
> > > It is
> > >
> > > > > pretty easy to use, but it is not for
> people
> > >
> > > worried about
> > >
> > > > > controls and audits. It just doesn't
> have any
> > >
> > > control/audit
> > >
> > > > > features that traditional
> accounting/bookkeeping
> > >
> > > has.
> > >
> > > > > > HTH
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Paul
> > > > >
> > > > > Easy to fix runs counter to "good
> practice" in
> > >
> > > bookkeeping.
> > >
> > > > > So yes, you can edit entries, but
> "proper
> > >
> > > practice" is to
> > >
> > > > > offset them by a correction entry so
> that an
> > >
> > > audit trail
> > >
> > > > > remains.
> > > > >
> > > > > If using GnuCash for more formal
> purposes you can
> > >
> > > get some
> > >
> > > > > of the "can't change" effect by burning
> copies of
> > >
> > > the file
> > >
> > > > > (and a copy could be handed off out of
> your
> > >
> > > personal
> > >
> > > > > control). That's what I do for the
> organizations
> > >
> > > for which I
> > >
> > > > > am using GnuCash to keep their books.
> > > > >
> > > > > Michael
> > > >
> > > > I agree with you. It's just so easy to make
> changes
> > >
> > > without good practice,
> > >
> > > >  it eventually "sucks you in". Also, I
> think that
> > >
> > > the lack of "Journal
> > >
> > > >  Entry" report makes it very difficult
> to keep
> > >
> > > track of what has been done.
> > >
> > > > Paul
> > >
> > > There is indeed no enforced system that prevents
> you from
> > > changing past
> > > entries. You can however use the reconcile option
> to
> > > prevent you from
> > > accidentally changing past entries though. If you
> try to
> > > modify a reconciled
> > > transaction (split to be exact), GnuCash will
> warn you and
> > > asks your
> > > permission to continue.
> > > As said, this won't enforce good practice, but it
> can
> > > encourage it.
> > >
> > > About the "Journal Entry" report, I think you can
> almost
> > > get there by tweaking
> > > the options of a transaction report: select all
> accounts
> > > and sub accounts,
> > > choose the information you wish to display, and
> sort on
> > > register order. The
> > > only information missing would be the date the
> transactions
> > > were entered (as
> > > opposed to the date of the transaction). It
> should give a
> > > fairly good overview
> > > of what has been done though.
> > >
> > > Geert
> > 
> > Agreed, but I have found that the entry date is really
> important to
> >  figuring out what you have done.
> Yes, I concluded that from your earlier writing also.
> There's no solution for 
> that yet indeed. Did you already an enhancement request for
> in gnucash 
> bugzilla (http://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Bugzilla) ?
> That's your best shot to 
> get this implemented soon. Please provide an accurate
> description of what the 
> report should contain/look like if you create a bug
> report.
> 
> >  Also, I'm not sure how to get all of the
> >  entries together in one list, irrespective of
> what account they are in.
> > 
> Create a transaction report, click on the Options toolbar
> button, go to the 
> Account tab and select all the accounts you wish to see.
> Note that the "Select 
> All" button here doesn't select sub accounts, so you'll
> have to do this 
> manually. That will select all of the accounts and makes
> sure you get all the 
> entries in your report. To remove the grouping on account,
> go to the Sorting 
> tab in the same options window, set primary key to
> "Register order" and the 
> secondary key to "None".
> 
> Does this help ?
> 
> Geert
> 

it's interesting. not the most friendly format. still in register date order. guess gnucash doesn't keep track of entry order.

Thanks

Paul