integrity of entries

[Mike or Penny Novack]

Zeev Pekar wrote:

>Hi,
>
>does gnucash has a mechanism to ensure integrity of entries, i.e. if an invoice was issued there is no way to edit or delete it in "invisble" way (like commits in some version control systems), even by manipulating the source code?
>If not - can such functionality be implemented in a) "stand alone" manner or b) with some central institution providing some kind of digital keys?
>If I add this as feature request what are the chances that it will be implemented in some near future? (Otherwise authorities will not recognize my bookkeeping).
>
>Best regards,
>Zeev 
>  
>
Zeev, your authorities are fools?. Misinformed? It is more or less 
impossible to guarantee this and the (proposed) method of digital keys 
equally illusory (it might prevent the DIRECT removal of an entry -- it 
would not prevent software that read in the current file and some 
previous backup  file and then generated the transactions that would 
make the previous into the current; except for the transaction you 
delete or alter in this "transaction file")

Commercial products may have features that are there because the boss 
says "the customers want that even if no good" but this is a voluntary 
project.

When I did this stuff for a living a lot of what I did was "starting 
back form a previous version, bring in everything (except these that are 
errors)". For one of the world's largest "financials".

A computer system that is not "reproducible from last backup" is a 
disaster waiting to happen so that facility has to be present.

Michael