[GNC] budget reports 'YTD' vs 'use accumulated amounts'

[Adrien Monteleone]

On 7/18/23 1:07 PM, larry johnston wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I did not try to upgrade when I asked this question three years ago.
> However my computer is on its last legs so I am trying to decide what to do
> when I get the new computer.
> 
> We have been using GNUCash 2.6.15 and it has met our needs for our personal
> finances. A key feature for us is Phil's YTD report. Per the discussion in
> this string his report will not work in more recent versions. As a result I
> have a few questions.
> 
> Will 2.6.15 run on Windows 11? Can it still be downloaded?

First a direct answer:

I don't know, but I'm sure It doesn't hurt to try. Maybe someone with 
Win11 can try installing it to see and report back. (best I have is 
access to Win10)

*note, the advice below sounds like a lot of work and reading. It is. 
That's the tradeoff when you wait to upgrade. You don't put off the 
work, you just scrunch it into 'one shot' later.



-----
Second, about finding the older versions:

You can find it along with all other versions on SourceForge. (the 
official location of all GnuCash Downloads)

https://sourceforge.net/projects/gnucash/files/

Click the '(stable)' folder, then the folder for the version you want, 
then click the installer you need. ('.exe' in your case)

If you ever need to get back there again - simply go to GnuCash.org and 
click the 'More downloads' link in the Download section at the top of 
the page. That will take you to: https://gnucash.org/download.phtml 
(there is also a Downloads section in the site menu, you can download 
'program' or 'documentation' from there)

On that page, scroll to the bottom and choose the link for 'View all 
GnuCash downloads' which takes you to the above SourceForge page.

Use this to find any old version. (necessary for your upgrade path 
should you take it)

Despite the cutoff of old versions for old operating systems, there is 
no hard rule that a *newer* version of GnuCash won't run on say, XP or 
Win7, just that the devs don't support it and you are on your own 
trying. I've never heard of any issue with old versions of *GnuCash* 
running on *newer* operating system versions. (your case)



-----
Third, upgrade path:

Read this over first: 
https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/FAQ#Using_Different_Versions.2C_Up_And_Downgrade

With all that out of the way, and understanding it (ask back here on the 
list if you have questions) you can proceed.

MAKE BACKUPS! (or at least some sort of copy of your data file in 
between *each* upgrade) That way if you have any problems or notice any 
sort of data corruption, you can step back and try again.

See this FAQ on Backups: 
https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/FAQ#Questions_about_Backups

You may want to backup your 'environment' as well as your data - so 
don't skip that section!

(yes, you will need to get familiar with the various file locations to 
seamlessly pull this off)

now, to really proceed with the upgrade...

In your case, you would first want to upgrade to the last release of the 
2.6.x series, 2.6.21

Then you would step to the last of the 3.x series, then last of 4.x, 
then finally the current 5.x release which is 5.3.

Those releases in order would be:

2.6.15 -> 2.6.21 -> 3.11 -> 4.14 -> 5.3

Be sure (as noted in the above FAQ answer) to run Actions > Check & 
Repair > Check & Repair All after first opening your file when you do 
*each* upgrade. This is important. It should take only a few seconds, 
but some data files might take longer. Report back here if you have any 
issues.



-----
Fourth, other options:

In a worst case, if you need to upgrade the computer to a new physical 
machine running Win11, and 2.6.15 doesn't install or run, you could try 
running 2.6.15 in a Virtual Machine. (either running your previous 
version of Windows, or Linux) That is a tad bit technical, but not 
terribly so these days. It is essentially running the old OS inside an 
'app'. There are even ways to migrate your current computer 
installation, software, data and all, to a Virtual Machine. I have set 
up Virtual Machines (VMs) for several non-techy family members and they 
use it with no problems.

If you end up needing that sort of solution, there are several of us 
here who can help, even though that isn't specific to GnuCash. (and 
there is plenty of help on the web for that too)

Lastly, don't rule that old rustbucket out. It may be possible to 
'refresh' it simply by reinstalling Windows, possibly upgrading some 
internal hardware, or switching to an appropriate version of Linux. 
You'd be amazed how either of those approaches can revitalize aging 
hardware to like-new performance. (or better in some cases!)

> Does a later version have a report with the same functionality as Phil's
> YTD report?

I think Chris answered this, but specifically we'd need Phil's report 
(or at least a sample of its output) to know for sure.

To your more detailed question:

> Does the current Budget Report give YTD figures?

Yes, using the 'accumulated amounts' option.

> Does it show 'Current month vs. Budget'

That is ambiguous, but I'm guessing you want 'current month actual' vs. 
'current month budget'. The answer is Yes, *without* 'accumulated 
amounts' selected. (how the report normally works - each period is shown 
actual, budget, and variance (if selected to) *for that period*.

If you want to see YTD of your Actual vs. YTD of your Budget *as of a 
period* that is what the 'accumulated amounts' option is for.

> Does it show 'YTD vs. Budget
Yes, as noted above. (not sure how you see this differently)

> Does it show 'Current Income & Expense vs. Annual Budget'

Yes. Of course, you need to include those accounts in the report to see 
the data just as before.

The old Budget Report could do this with Options > Display > 'Show 
column with totals'.

This column is superfluous when using the 'accumulated amounts' if 
you're at the end of the budgeting window as the figures should match 
the last period, but otherwise, it is very useful to see 'how much room 
do I have left' if you are not yet done with that budget. ('year' for 
most folks) Here too the 'variance' column is useful.

> If we want to access our current files what stages of upgrading do we need
> to take?

See above about Upgrade Path

> Is it possible for someone who is not that computer savvy to run two
> versions of GNUCash on Windows 11?

Yes, see above about Virtual Machines, but be sure to read the FAQ about 
Up/Downgrading. There are limits once you go past some versions.


Regards,
Adrien