[GNC] Fw: Logs and Backups

[Wm Tarr]

You can even replay log files, see

2.5. Backing Up and Recovering Data 
<https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v5/C/gnucash-guide/basics-backup1.html>

for more.

Wm


On 2026-06-19 18:29, Ken Pyzik wrote:
> Not sure this made it the first time. Sorry if it's a duplicate.
>
> ________________________________
> From: Ken Pyzik<pyz01 at outlook.com>
> Sent: Friday, June 19, 2026 8:20 AM
> To: Paul Kroitor<paul at kroitor.ca>;gnucash-user at gnucash.org <gnucash-user at gnucash.org>
> Subject: Re: [GNC] Logs and Backups
>
> Excellent analysis - everyone.  So, out of curiosity, I took a look at one of the logs.  While a little difficult to fully decipher, they are indeed, just a log of transactions entered during that particular session.  I did not look at the backup gnucash files - my assumption is that they are just a snapshot of the gnucash file at the point in time immediately before or after those session transactions were posted.
>
> So - what this tells me - is that these log files are "backup snapshots" to provide an effective audit trail for someone to go back and re-create the situation as it was at a point in time.  In other words, today I discover that one of my accounts is out of whack.  Effectively (and theoretically), I could use the logs to trace back every transaction that happened and possibly (and probably if I am a good forensic IT/Audit person) could figure out what caused the account to get out of whack.
>
> So technically, as Paul pointed out - these really are NOT backups in the sense of a catastrophic situation.  They are merely snapshots to use for forensic investigations (i.e., can use them to trace back where you may have screwed something up).
>
> Therefore, if someone wants to - they could effectively change the value to 0 if they are doing backups and did not care to trace back old transactions.  On the reverse side, you could keep them forever, particularly if you are using them for company books and need to keep them for regulatory purposes (some business jurisdiction requirements).
>
> Thanks for the discussion.  Learned something today!
>
> Ken
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: gnucash-user<gnucash-user-bounces+pyz01=outlook.com at gnucash.org> on behalf of Paul Kroitor<paul at kroitor.ca>
> Sent: Friday, June 19, 2026 7:43 AM
> To:gnucash-user at gnucash.org <gnucash-user at gnucash.org>
> Subject: Re: [GNC] Logs and Backups
>
> As an IT person for more than 50 years, a copy of the data on the same
> device as the original (or even online in the same attached network) is
> NOT A BACKUP. It's a restore point, rollback snapshot, or something
> along those lines.
>
> If you take inventory of the possible risks to a live database, only
> three are mitigated by such copies:
> - erroneous / mistaken updates (eg. bad imports, trainee entry mistakes)
> - data corruption due to software / logic issues
> - data corruption due to (very) local hardware flaws (eg unrecoverable
> disk sectors)
>
> Half a dozen other risks aren't mitigated at all, including disk
> failure, loss of access due to credential issues (eg. full disk
> encryption lockout), equipment loss (eg. theft, fire, earthquakes),
> ransomware attacks, malfeasance, etc.
>
> A backup is what you use when you don't have your usual daily tools to
> do your tasks, be it your current data file, OS, login, computer, or
> even your building.
>
> Paul
>
>
> On 2026-06-19 10:05 a.m., Michael or Penny Novack via gnucash-user wrote:
>> I realize people are treating THESE backups as satisfying the need to
>> back up your data. But better to think of these as "session backups"
>> and not replacement For your general backup procedure.
>>
>> Michael D Novack
>>
>>
>> On 6/18/2026 9:48 PM, Ken Pyzik wrote:
>>> OK - I think I may have found the answer to my own question.  In the
>>> EDIT>>Preferences>>General, there is a setting to Retain Logs/Backup
>>> files with three options - Never, For X number of days or Forever.
>>> The default appears to be 30 days. Now this is interesting.
>>>
>>> If this is true - which I believe it is - this means that if you go
>>> into Gnucash every day, you can end up with up to 30 or 31 logs and
>>> backup files.  So, someone could assume that they could just change
>>> it to 3 days and that would be fine.  However, if you do NOT open
>>> Gnucash everyday - but instead open it up once a week, you would need
>>> keep the logs for 21 days in order to have 3 backups.  By the same
>>> token, if you are someone who only opens Gnucash once a month - or
>>> only once every couple of months, you would need to keep the files
>>> for up to 60 or 90 days in order to get 3 full backups.
>>>
>>> I am guessing that this is the behavior and that it has probably been
>>> this way forever.  I am also guessing that if you only want 3 backups
>>> definitively - you have to adjust the days accordingly to the way you
>>> use the system - i.e., how often you open and work with the files.
>>> And if you go into the system multiple times a day - you could end up
>>> with A LOT of backups and logs files.
>>>
>>> Is this behavior correct?  If yes, would changing it to be a
>>> definitive number be difficult?  I assuming it is, otherwise I would
>>> have thought it would have been changed by now.
>>>
>>> Ken
>>> ________________________________
>>> From: gnucash-user
>>> <gnucash-user-bounces+pyz01=outlook.com at gnucash.org> on behalf of Ken
>>> Pyzik<pyz01 at outlook.com>
>>> Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2026 6:05 PM
>>> To: Gnucash Users<gnucash-user at gnucash.org>
>>> Subject: [GNC] Logs and Backups
>>>
>>> This may have been mentioned in the past - and if so - sorry for the
>>> repeat.  However, I noticed today 10 ".log" and 10
>>> ".<<date>>.gnucash" files.  So, I am assuming that gnucash is keeping
>>> 10 transaction and log file backups.  Is this correct?  If so, is
>>> this the default and if it is the default, can this be changed to
>>> only 2 or 3? Thanks for the reply.
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