[GNC] Request for Automatic Reconciliation Function

[David T.]

I agree with Adrien here fully, as well as with other points made elsewhere in the thread. 

As an open source software package, it's certainly possible for *someone* to write code for an automatic reconciliation, but I certainly wouldn't want the feature myself. Call me old school, but I want to check that the bank and I agree on the accounting, and I consider me to be the best judge of my transaction history. 

⁣David T. ​

On Jan 6, 2023, 3:59 PM, at 3:59 PM, Adrien Monteleone <adrien.monteleone at lusfiber.net> wrote:
>I understand your explanation, but if you aren't checking and verifying
>
>every transaction, how do you ever discover when the automated process 
>makes a mistake?
>
>Reconciliation was invented long before computers, but I appreciate
>that 
>the process demands one to slow down, take your time, and methodically 
>verify the information.
>
>Think of it as proof-reading - the hard way. (I learned in school to 
>read stuff backwards when proofing!)
>
>That is a pretty good analogy too:
>
>If you've ever used auto-correct with auto-checking for spelling and 
>grammar, or auto-suggestion or auto-completion for entire words and
>have 
>seen the embarrassment and/or nightmare that can produce when the 
>computer 'gets it wrong', would you want something like that for your 
>financial records?
>
>Regards,
>Adrien
>
>On 1/5/23 7:50 PM, Bite Gao wrote:
>> GnuCash Developers and Maintainers:
>>    Hello! While you have mentioned the requirement of human intervene
>in 
>> the reconciliation process, I do not see it contradicts with the 
>> presence of automatically reconciliation system.
>>    In a reconcile process, the accountant check the record in the 
>> account book with the record in the bank statement (or statement from
>
>> other institution). He (or she) may found out that two record are 
>> identical, or he (or she) may found that some record are not
>identical. 
>> Only the latter requires human notice, since there its no point
>wasting 
>> time on reconciled accounting transactions. An automatic
>reconciliation 
>> system can load the digital statement from the institution, compares
>the 
>> statement with the transaction in the accounting book, and pinpoints
>the 
>> discrepancies out. Then human accountant could step in and perform 
>> manual operations, such as checking other vouchers, contact with
>banks, 
>> etc. In the situation of single user, the automatic reconcile system 
>> have no reason to block manu
>> al reconciliation.
>>    Besides, when I means "human err", I means that the accountant 
>> overlook an discrepancy and regards it as identical. People do not
>spend 
>> too much time on identical records, since major of the transaction
>would 
>> be in that state. However, it could cause severe consequences if
>there 
>> do have a discrepancy.
>
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