[GNC] File Format Documentation, v. 2

[David Carlson]

Somewhat terse, but I like it.

David C

On Thu, Aug 16, 2018 at 3:00 PM, David T. via gnucash-user <
gnucash-user at gnucash.org> wrote:

> I’ve attempted to incorporate the suggestions that others have made for
> the section on file storage formats, and I attach the resulting version 2
> for further consideration. Keep in mind that this is not meant to be an
> encyclopedic coverage of the topic; it’s meant to outline the choices. I
> expect further detail to reside on the wiki, or be placed in other places
> in the documentation.
>
> Cheers,
> David
>
> P.S. The table layout doesn’t come through, but will be in the final
> version…
>
>
> ————————————
>
> 2.5 Storing your financial data
> 2.5.1 Overview
> GnuCash offers several formats for storing your financial data. The
> default file storage format is XML, while SQL storage is available in
> SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL formats. Users can choose a file format from
> the File→Save and File→Save As dialogs.
> The XML storage format is a text file that is compressed with gzip, which
> is a preference that is set at Edit→Preferences→General→Use file
> compression. SQL storage is available via the DBI back end; use of MySQL
> and PostgreSQL requires installation of those DBMS packages as well as
> additional DBI drivers.
> Note: users can change the format at any time by using File→Save As. This
> will create a copy of the data file in the selected format.
>
> Storage Comparison
> Each storage format has benefits and shortcomings that the user should
> consider for their needs and abilities. See the Storage Comparison Table
> below for further details.
> The XML format is the most stable and established, and for this reason, it
> is recommended for most users. SQL storage was added for the 2.4 release
> and has become an increasingly popular choice for users, but can require
> experience with DBMS applications.
> Note: Use of a SQL back end for storage implies to many that GnuCash has
> fully implemented DBMS features, including multi-user and incremental data
> manipulation.  However, GnuCash does not currently implement these
> features, although it is a long term goal of the development team.
>
> Storage Comparison Table
>
>
> XML
> SQLite
> MySQL
> PostgreSQL
> Installation
> Default
> libdbi - 1
> libdbi
> libdbi
> File extension
> gnucash
> gnucash
> N/A - 2
> N/A - 2
> Additional software
> None
> None
> MySQL
> PostgreSQL
> Additional expertise
> None
> None
> DBMS
> DBMS
> Compression
> Y
> N
> N
> N
> Save on command
> Y
> N
> N
> N
> Save on commit
> N
> Y
> Y
> Y
> Uses log files
> Y
> N
> N
> N
> Multi-user
> N
> N
> N
> N
>
> 1 - SQLite relies on libdbi, but is available by default on Mac OS and
> Windows. Linux users may need to manually install libdbi drivers for SQLite.
> 2 - MySQL and PostgreSQL place data in their own storage.
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