[GNC] Help breaking up a file

[Mike or Penny Novack]

On 8/27/2018 4:59 AM, Colin Law wrote:
> Wow, that is a lot of personal data, mine goes back to 2001 and is
> only 2MB.  Is that the default file type (XML) and have you specified
> Compress files in Preferences > General?
>
> In my opinion it is best to keep all the data in one file, then you
> have immediate access to all the history.  So far for me the PC power
> has kept pace with the file size so I have not noticed much difference
> over the years.
   However, maybe good to discuss the original question.

TWO parts to this, splitting OLD data into separate years vs in the 
future having separate years. Or perhaps something in between, every 
several years when the file grows too large, starting over.

Yes, it is important to be able to access historical data. But important 
to consider how often one needs to do that. It doesn't hurt very much if 
rare operations are slow as long as frequent operations are fast.

Thus you could consider (for that third choice) at the end of the 
current year opening a new set off books for the next year. You would do 
this from the end of the year Balance Sheet << export the CoA and then 
plug in the standing account balances from the Balance Sheet >> You then 
open gnucash with this new set of books for continuing on BUT can always 
open the old file if and when you need to look at historical data. 
Personally (for added safety) I would have burned that file (the old 
books) on ROM medium and when wanting to look at historical data, slip 
that disk in and then tell gnucash to open* THAT file (rather than the 
current books). Safe from you accidentally changing something.

Michael D Novack