[GNC] Removing old transactions

[sunfish62 at yahoo.com]

John, 

If this is tiresome to you, just delete the messages. The discussion is valid. 

For the record, AI shouldn't be relied on for anything beyond general guidance. In this case, the list discussion has been about how to archive older records, which does entail deletion, but in the context of having made a backup prior. Moreover, since GnuCash is primarily for personal use, legal limitations meant to apply to large corporate firms are less pertinent. 

⁣David T.​

On Dec 20, 2025, 4:19 AM, at 4:19 AM, John Layman via gnucash-user <gnucash-user at gnucash.org> wrote:
>Sorry to disagree, but this topic is becoming tiresome.  I'd suggest
>posing
>the following search to Propensity to get a page full of explanations
>why a
>deletion tinkertoy is out of place in bookkeeping software: "Negative
>reasons against deleting accounting data from a program such as
>GnuCash,
>QuickBooks, or Quicken".  
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: gnucash-user
><gnucash-user-bounces+john.layman=ieee.org at gnucash.org>
>On Behalf Of Ken Pyzik
>Sent: Friday, December 19, 2025 9:26 AM
>To: adrien.monteleone at lusfiber.net; gnucash-user at lists.gnucash.org
>Subject: Re: [GNC] Removing old transactions
>
>Adrien -- sorry to disagree - but I do disagree.  Some people like a
>clean
>record of one year's worth of financial data.  Plain and simple.
>
>Think about this -- I know people who have their tax returns back to
>when
>they first started working.  For what?? To reminisce about the old
>days??
>What purpose does it serve to have eons of old data or paper records
>that
>you will NEVER reference.
>
>Now as for basis -- absolutely you need it!  I could not agree more.
>Anything that can tell me what an asset cost 10-20 years ago -it always
>helpful.  But to me - THAT is the one use-case for KEEPING old
>financial
>records.  All the expenses and income records -- NEEDLESS CLUTTER 
>(unless
>you are a business or have other regulatory requirements).
>
>Everyone has a different objective and a different perspective.  I know
>many
>people who are hoarders of records and I know many who are minimalists.
>I've seen hundreds of people not even take a receipt when they buy a
>cup of
>coffee, yet, have hundreds of file folders filled with useless
>information.
>I on the other hand keep EVERY receipt I ever get -- but clean files
>out
>almost monthly.   So not only do you have a difference of record
>keeping
>between people -- you have a difference of record keeping within a
>single
>person's style!  Neither is right or wrong.  They each have their
>preference, which is, what it is.
>
>Here's the bottom line.  I think it would be great addition to the
>software
>to have a record archive routine that would allow you to either purge
>or
>extract old records for whatever purpose you need.
>
>--- Speaking of which, many do no realize that GNU keeps several
>backups -
>SOOO........ inherit within that already existing routine IS a way to
>segregate records.  You just have to know how to manipulate the backups
>to
>do what you want -- and keep then in a separate folder so GNU does not
>erase
>them.  That procedure combined with the either the above routine I
>mentioned
>OR the delete transaction HOT key sequence I mentioned before, could be
>used
>to cull records as needed.  So, technically where there is a will --
>this is
>a way.  You just need to be a little more creative.
>
>Ken
>
>------ Original Message ------
>From "Adrien Monteleone" <adrien.monteleone at lusfiber.net> To
>gnucash-user at lists.gnucash.org Date 12/18/2025 8:12:25 PM Subject Re:
>[GNC]
>Removing old transactions
>
>>I don't understand the desire to filter 'old' transactions.
>>
>>Why is their very existence some sort of 'stain' that needs to be
>hidden?
>>
>>Are they hurting anything? Do they somehow get in the way of
>something?
>>
>>Do folks regularly scroll through ancient transactions and get miff'd
>that
>'old' stuff is there to scroll through?
>>
>>I guess I'm not seeing a use-case for getting rid of data.
>>
>>
>>Regards,
>>Adrien
>>
>>On 12/18/25 3:50 PM, Stan Brown (using GC 4.14) wrote:
>>>For what it's worth, I would love to see a global filtering option, 
>>>possibly in the preferences under Register Defaults. Then I could set
>
>>>the global filter to hide, say, everything older than 2024, and it 
>>>would be done. That leaves me with the option to remove the filter on
>
>>>an individual account when I need to look at something older, or of 
>>>course I could just run a transaction report.
>>>
>>>It's too tedious set the same filter on a couple of hundred
>individual 
>>>accounts.
>>
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