[GNC] Why doesn't GnuCash have an Export function?

[Robert Heller]

At Mon, 5 Dec 2022 09:08:39 -0500 Steve Thompson <stevet at wkyr.net> wrote:

> 
> Thank you, and others who posted.
> 
> So I went looking for the Gnu Cash installation files (that is 
> what was installed and actually being used) and after looking at 
> the 2.6 Migrating GnuCash Data for a second time, I now 
> understand the *files *I need to copy over (not as bad as the 
> Thunderbird migration -- since my system is beyond their 2GB 
> limit....). So I can make this file copy  happen within minutes 
> since all my systems are connected to a file server (something 
> newish that I've gotten working).
> 
> And I also had the opportunity to read the 2.5 Backing Up and 
> Recovering Data. I like this!!
> 
> But cutting to the chase, I thought that since GnuCash imports 
> QIF, that perhaps that should be one of the EXPORT options.
> 
> Why?  Because the CPAs that I have been involved with all ask for 
> data in that format so they can more easily do our tax returns. 
> (Not a fan of Quicken since they bought Parson's and destroyed 
> MoneyCounts -- they did this to get the customer list.... long 
> story ancient history now).
> 
> And I realize that Gnu Cash is "free" software, but I do 
> contribute to different groups whose software I use. So as soon 
> as I can get my company restarted, this is high on my list.

I expect that "exporting" the GnuCash file to QIF will result in "data loss", 
in the sense that the QIF file won't have all of the data that is in the Gnu 
Cash data file.  That is a Gnu Cash data file => QIF => Gnu Cash data file 
will result in a new Gnu Cash data file that will be missing some data that 
was in the original file.

As for your CPAs, you might do better to "export" to CSV or HTML (eg generate 
a "report").

> 
> Regards,
> Steve Thompson
> 
> 
> On 12/4/2022 9:50 PM, Michael or Penny Novack wrote:
> >
> >> But, to the question, now that we have covered the problem 
> >> that brought me to this question: Why doesn't GnuCash have an 
> >> export functions so that one can more easily migrate from one 
> >> computer system to another?
> >
> > Because the DATA is not dependent on the computer. This is NOT 
> > different from other data you are moving between computers, 
> > even ones under different operating systems. You do not have to 
> > export/import, you just have to move the FILE.
> >
> > You are picturing export from the gnucash data file to a file, 
> > move that file to another computer, import that file (into the 
> > gnucash data file on the new computer). You don;t have to do 
> > that. You just move (copy) the data file to the new 
> > computer.(where if the PROGRAM gnucash is installed, you can 
> > now open the file).
> >
> > Michael D Novack
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> And it may be needed to migrate from Gnucash's data format to 
> >> another system used by one's CPA. 
> >
> > THAT is another matter. If what you mean is "move to the 
> > accountant's computer" same as another of your own IF the 
> > accountant willing to install gnucash to ope it. But if you 
> > mean move data so that it can be opened/read by another 
> > accounting application, yes, now an export/import pair is 
> > needed along with a data converter since in general a different 
> > data format (I mean logical format, but physical data format 
> > difference might also be involved). The problem is, there is no 
> > agreed standard for an exported general ledger that all 
> > accounting applications have agreed to use for export/import. 
> > << what makes you think that this other application would be 
> > able to import the exported data without a data conversion 
> > step.  One specific to that pair of applications. THAT is the 
> > sort of thing they used to pay me to write -- "quick Mike, we 
> > need some data from X converted so that we can import it into 
> > our system >>
> >
> >
> > Michael D Novack
> >
> >
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