Transplant Qucken -> Moneydance -> Apple/Lion
jdkalpin
via web
I currently run Quicken 2000 on an 8 yr old PC/WinXP. In the near future I would like to switch from WinXP to a Mac Mini, now shipping with Lion OS. The only thing holding me back is Quicken, not supported (yet, if ever) for Lion.
But Moneydance is cross-platform.
So here's the plan: Download a trial copy of Monydance to my PC. Export/import my 20 years of Quicken transactions as recommended via QIFfiles to my old PC and satisfy myself that the conversion works.
Question 1: How do I move Moneydance and the files to a Mac Mini, when the time comes?
Question 2: I use Quicken at a primitive level. Each month Quicken moves 'scheduled transactions' into my 3-column register. I add in, manually, ABM cash withdrawals and any miscellaneous bank charges. Then I do half a dozen checks and print them out on Quicken (format) 3-check sheets. Then I take my bank statement and using the Quicken 'reconcile' screen I make sure that it all balances. I have no investmentt or credit-card tracking. HOWEVER, I live in Canada where date formats and other financial detail might be different from the USA. Will Moneydance work OK with that?
Jerry
2 Posted by -Kevin N. on 10 Jan, 2012 06:31 PM
Hi Jerry,
Question 1: Per the Moneydance License, you can load the program on both machines. Download it again, install it and enter your License Key into the new installlation.
You can copy your data file over to the new machine by either burning it to a CD / DVD, copying it to a flashdrive or by emailing it to yourself and downloading it onto your new machine.
Question 2: Moneydance uses Reminders to accomodate scheduled txns. Chapter 7 Moneydance User Guide (MDUG)
In 'Preferences' on the 'Check Printing' tab, you can set up Moneydance for printing 3-check checks. (Pg, 55 MDUG)
Reconciling (Chapter 6 MDUG)
There are 6 different date formats for the program in 'Preferences' on the 'General' tab.
Good luck with the import. For best results, be sure to follow the instructions in the Knowledge base:
http://help.infinitekind.com/kb/importing-from-quicken-or-ms-money/...
HTH -Kevin N.
3 Posted by jstackpo on 10 Jan, 2012 10:18 PM
May I second Kevin N's final recommendation: RTFM!
I didn't but just went ahead and imported the Quicken QIF file. The data went in to M-Dance more or less ok but I spent a fair bit of (unnecessary, if I had read the directions first) time patching up loose ends and what I suppose were translation errors of one sort or another.
All is well now.
Support Staff 4 Posted by Angie Rauscher on 11 Jan, 2012 05:54 AM
Jerry,
All of this advice is excellent, and the perfect place to start. If you have any other questions in the process please don't hesitate to ask.
Angie Rauscher
Moneydance Support
5 Posted by Jdkalpin on 11 Jan, 2012 01:17 PM
Thanks to everyone for your replies. Not only is MD well supported ...but there is also an active user community!
Jerry
6 Posted by Eileen on 24 Jan, 2012 12:49 PM
Lion will not read a QIF file, I am migrating from Quicken on Mac Snow Leopard to Lion, How do I convert the Quicken data in the QIF file to a format that can be read by Lion so I can move my transaction history over?
In Quicken there was only the option to have one currency. I have accounts in 2 currencies. How can I do the set up so that the new data shows the correct currency for the existing accounts.
7 Posted by james f on 24 Jan, 2012 06:27 PM
Ellen:
You will need to revert back to Snow Lion, run Quicken, and export your Quicken files in QIF format.
Or
Take your Quicken files to a friend that is still running Snow Lion, and run the exporting from that computer.
There is a whole series on how to export your Quicken QIF file and import it into Moneydance at: http://help.infinitekind.com/kb
There is a way of having one account use one type of currency and another account using another type of currency. However, I do not know how to set that up. But, any of the Support Staff ought to be able to answer how that is done.
jdkalpin:
I would suggest that, after you have migrated from Quicken to Moneydance, that you save your primary .md file onto a flash drive or external hard drive that is Mac compatible. I keep my falsh drive in my eMac all the time and access my main .md file from it. I have done this in the event that my onboard hard drive should ever go out on me. I won't lose any of my account information that way.
8 Posted by jdkalpin on 24 Jan, 2012 08:25 PM
James F,
Could you (or others) explain the Mac file formats I will find?
You are suggesting that I have the .md file on a flash drive. Is that the MD program file or is it the data file I get when I export/import the WinXP QIF file? Does that mean that MD will be split in half, the executable on the flash drive and the data file on the Mac Mini HD? Are there other files? WinXP places many files everywhere ...!!
I am new in the Macintosh platform. Years ago I had an original 1984 128k Mac, followed by a Mac SE, a Mac LE and finally a Mac Centris 610. But everything is different now.
Thanks for your help.
Jerry
9 Posted by Jim Weil on 24 Jan, 2012 08:28 PM
You can also run Virtual Box (free) and install Snow Leopard on it (yes you can and it is not very complicated or geeky, and run Quicken from it to export your QIF file. You could also install Snow Leopard onto a drive partition or another drive which could later be used for backup or Time Machine.
Finally you could just cross your fingers and wait another month or two for Intuit to hopefully release a Lion compatible version.
Frankly after monitoring both Mac and Windows comments about Quicken along with the direction that Quicken seems to be going from its advertisements and product priorities, I am under the personal belief that Intuit no longer has much interest in personal finance programs.. Instead their focus seems to be on loans, and tax preparation programs as they seem to think that is where the money is. Many of their product the consumer has never heard about as from my understanding, they are geared towards the professional tax preparation audience and cost big bucks.
I made my switch to MD after Quicken made their announcement to Mac users as it seemed to me to be a short term patch for an embarrassing issue and I have totally lost confidence in Intuit. So my thoughts were "why postpone what I seem as the inevitable" and instead make the time consuming move to a product where the vender actually seems interested in personal finance programs and it is one of their primary products instead of what seems to be an afterthought. If you wish to research this on your own, just check Intuit's web site for Mac experience as a job requirement. I did and I didn't find any.
In my opinion if Intuit was seriously interested in keeping and attracting Mac users they would have done the following:
- Made the announcement that the Spring Lion compatible update would be free to existing 2007 users.
- Announced their intention to update and rewrite Quicken to a more modern version and provided a pleminary estimated release date.
10 Posted by james f on 24 Jan, 2012 08:51 PM
jdkalpin,
The .md file is the data file. And my suggestion is that you store the data file on the flash drive.
As far as the Moneydance program itself is concerned, the Moneydance app itself that goes into your Applications folder.
The remainder of the core of Moneydance is in a hidden folder named .moneydance within your home directory.
11 Posted by james f on 24 Jan, 2012 11:18 PM
jdkalpin,
The only way to view the .moneydance folder is by using the function in the below screenshot. This may be a bit out dated since I am using an eMac ppc system with OS X 10.5.8.
So, there would be three places involved. Your .md data file, located on a flash drive. Your Moneydance App that you would place within the Applications folder. And, your .moneydance folder that holds all the essentials for running Moneydance located at /Users/yourname/.moneydance.
12 Posted by Eileen Taylor on 25 Jan, 2012 09:33 AM
Hi James I did that but money dance in snow leopard reads the qif file but in lion it is not reading the qif file. Is there some sort if conversion I need to do in snow leopard to create a different kind of file that can be read in lion? Lion does not recognise qif files at all.
Eileen
Sent from my iPhone
13 Posted by james f on 25 Jan, 2012 10:48 AM
Eileen Taylor,
have you read the link that -Kevin N. posted in post number 2.
The other thing that might be possible: Lion has a tendency to change file and folder permissions when you upgrade from Snow Leopard to Lion.
You might consider going to your Applications folder, then go into your Utilities folder, choose Disk Utility, select your Startup volume (the first volume listed), and run Repair Disk Permissions.