[GNC] new to Gnucash - help with general information

[Geoff]

Hi Donna, and welcome to GnuCash!

 > 1. How do I make sure to save everything to one folder?
File / Save As / Browse to your preferred folder (see also 4b below).

 > 2. Can I move everything I have (which is in 3 different folders) to a
 > folder named Gnucash without harm to the data I have entered.
Yes - use Windows Explorer to drag and drop your files.

 > 3. How long do you need to keep the different files?
Short answer - only as long as you need to refer to the data.
Long answer - see Q5 below.

 > 4. When you click the save button when entering transactions, how do
 > you know where it is being saved to?
It will save to the current location.  You can find where this is by two 
methods:-
(a) Click on the File menu, move your mouse down and hover over the file 
in the most recent files list.  The location of the file will be shown 
in the status bar at the very bottom of the GnuCash main window.

(b) Do File / Save As.  The Save As window that pops up is a bit 
confusing to a Windows user, but if you stretch it wider with your mouse 
you will be able to see the folder where the the current file resides. 
See attached screenshot.

 > 5. Back ups - I have read a lot about the back ups but still unsure
 > what to do.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Yes, backups can be a complex topic, here are my thoughts:-

GnuCash works very hard to minimise your chances of losing your data. 
If you look at my screenshot, you will see that there are lots of 
different files in my folder, and there are 4 different types:
(a) The main GnuCash data file with all your information - XXXXX.gnucash
(b) Automatic backup copies of this data file created every time you 
open GnuCash - XXXXX.date&time.gnucash
(c) Log files containing details of the changes you have made during 
each data entry session - XXXXX.date&time.log
(d) A "lock" file to prevent your data file from being changed in two 
different sessions (which can cause data loss) - XXXXX.gnucash.LCK.

With all this built in data protection, why do you need to backup at 
all?  To guard against the loss of your data on your computer through 
mechanical failure, software corruption, accidental or malicious 
deletion, fire, theft, etc etc.

So, at a minimum you should backup file (a) (your main GnuCash data 
file) at regular intervals.  What should this time interval be?  It 
depends upon your risk appetite, and the amount of effort you are 
prepared to put in to bring your data up to date from the latest backup 
file.

How many different backup copies should you take?  Remember that backup 
media is just as susceptible to loss as your primary computer, and will 
eventually fail with age, so you should have several copies, and keep at 
least some copies in a different physical location to your primary computer.

Consider using a free or paid "cloud" provider, which means storing some 
of your backups in someone else's premises instead of your own.

Think about the privacy of your data, and the need to secure it against 
prying eyes should you lose possession of it.  Do you need to encrypt 
your backup media?

Lastly, how do you know if your backups are actually usable?  Test them 
by restoring a backup copy to your computer and confirming that you can 
open it in GnuCash and verify the integrity of your data.


I hope this hasn't confused you any further!  At a minimum, I suggest you:-
(1) Buy 3 USB memory sticks (they are cheap: 
https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=usb+stick)
(2) Take a backup every month onto alternating sticks. (Month 1 = Stick 
#1, Month 2 = Stick #2, Month 3 = Stick #3, Month 4 = Stick #1, etc).
(3) At all times store at least one of these away from your home or 
office or wherever your primary computer is located.
(4) Investigate a free cloud service like Drop Box, Google Docs, or One 
Drive (which is integrated with Windows 10) for an additional backup 
location.
(5) Once a year test that you restore and open your data from one of 
your backups.

Other people on this very helpful mailing list may have some useful 
suggestions for you too.

Good luck!

Geoff
=====



On 11/09/2022 4:37 am, grambo at shaw.ca wrote:
> I am new to Gnucash and have a few questions regarding saving data.  I use
> Windows 10 and Gnucash Version: 4.11 Build ID: 4.11+(2022-06-25)
> 
> 1.	I would like to save everything in one folder named Gnucash.  I
> think I will use the xml format.  Currently it seems there are files in
> three different folders.
> 		How do I make sure to save everything to one folder?
> 
> 2.	Can I move everything I have (which is in 3 different folders) to a
> folder named Gnucash without harm to the data I have entered.  (I previously
> had entered data for 2021, then deleted a bunch of files and most of the
> data disappeared.  The file types were text and gnucash financial data)
> 
> 3.	How long do you need to keep the different files?
> Are there certain files needed to keep the data in the Gnucash system?  I
> have looked at the FAQ but still not clear.
> 
> 4.	When you click the save button when entering transactions, how do
> you know where it is being saved to?  I'd like it to be saved in Gnucash
> folder, as indicated above.
> 
> 5.	Back ups - I have read a lot about the back ups but still unsure
> what to do.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.
> 
> Thanks all
> Donna
> 
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