[GNC] QUESTION: transaction classes (tags) like QuickBooks?

[Adrien Monteleone]

Zi,

Welcome to GnuCash!

The answer is ‘yes, sort of’.

While it doesn’t have an explicit class facility, you can make up your own tagging and filtering system.

Specific to your example, each transaction can have multiple splits, that isn’t an issue at all.

Each split has a ‘memo’ line where you can describe the split.

Additionally, each transaction has a Description (payee if you like) *and* a Notes field right under the Description. You have to turn on View > Double Line to see it and use it.

My personal preference is to use Description for payee, Notes for a general transaction description or info, and the Memos as descriptions specific to each split.

You also have a NUM field, which may or may not be useful with text for you. The ‘official’ purpose for it is something like Check#, so consider that accordingly if you record check or bank transaction#s.

For each split, there is also an Action field that can be used. By default it is a physically small column, but can hold more than one word.

So you can have a single Utility transaction with splits for each property.

Read the earlier reply I sent in response to Adrian. I outline a basic method for tagging info and how to filter or search for it with reports. You could use Unit#s or street names, etc. as your tags.

Note, this won’t give you a P&L with breakouts as-is. It will allow you to run a P&L for each property separately.

If you want a combination or break-out style report, you’ll need to run the reports that get you the data, then export to a spreadsheet app and re-combine them from there. (or code the reports from scratch)

What you are looking for is possible, just not obvious. (even from the docs)

Regards,
Adrien


> On Jun 21, 2020 w26d173, at 2:18 PM, Zi via gnucash-user <gnucash-user at gnucash.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi
> 
> I've used QuickBooks for years and am seriously considering finding a (*non*web based) alternative. GnuCash looks very promising, but here's the million-dollar question (and yes, I browsed the whole site, the manual, the FAQ, etc. trying to find an answer to this question!)
> 
> In addition to the accounts and sub-accounts that inform reconciliation and P&L type reporting, is there a way to *class* transactions the way QuickBooks does? In other words, can one, while entering a transaction, enter something like the following:
> 
> (vendor) Local Electricity Provider
> (amount) $ total amount of bill
> (split line one account) "utilities" AND THEN
> (*class*) address of investment property and unit #
> (split $ amount for this property)
> (split line two account) "utilities"
> (*class*) address of *other* investment property and unit #
> (split $ amount for *that* property)
> etc.
> thus allowing a property manager to show expenditures around *each particular* property.
> 
> OR for instance one travels sometimes, and needs to record the expenses.
> Like, the appropriate transaction accounts for such would include "meals", "lodging", etc. and the CLASS for each could be "Las Vegas 2020", or "Phoenix 2019" thus giving one a way to show the expenditures for a *particular* trip.
> 
> If GnuCash provides this functionality, I will likely switch over to it! If, however, it does not, Intuit must, sadly, still win.