"Cal Learner-- MVP" <via_newsgroup[at]please.tnx> wrote in message
news:29i8o31s748bra440gj4g6usvevogguf54[at]4ax.com...
- quote -

Another advantage of the OFX occurs when you download again tomorrow. OFX
will only download a specific transaction once while QIF will repeat and you
will need to accept a transaction you already accepted.

In microsoft.public.money, David Walker wrote:

- quote -

No problem, except if you have two transactions that have the same
date, payee, and amount, Money will think they are duplicates.

Go to Tools-> Settings-> OnlineServiceSetting and if it is not already
selected, select ShowStandardizedPayeeNamesForWhichANameIsNotFound.
Then retry the OFX. I don't know if it will make a difference in
this situation. I doubt it, but it is worth a try.

I understand that OFX is generally better than QIF for downloading.

BUT, when I use my debit card at the local Albertson's grocery store, the
transaction shows up online at my Bank of America web site as follows:

Description: 43013145331492 12/24 #000568356 PURCHASE ALBERTSONS LAS
CRUCES NM

Posting Date: 12/26/2007

Amount: $138.67

Type: Check Card

Account Number: MyAccess Checking-xxxx (the last 4 digits of my account
number here)


When I download using "Statement Download for Money 2006 and above", I get
an OFX file that has this:

<STMTTRN<TRNTYPE> DEBIT
<DTPOSTED> 20071226120000
<TRNAMT> -138.67
<FITID> 00095061224-138.670071226312.66
<NAME> 43013145331492 12/24 #000568356
</STMTTRN
Obviously, Money imports this with the payee name being all numbers (plus
the date 12/24) and therefore all meaningless as far as Money detecting
that it's Albertson's. The word "ALBERTSONS" is so far into the
description that the OFX format can't include it. That Name field is what,
only 32 characters?

The "Quicken and Microsoft Money QIF file (4 digit)" format, however, has
this::

D12/26/2007
P43013145331492 12/24 #000568356 PURCHASE ALBERTSONS
T-138.67
C*
^

But I have heard so many people say not to use QIF that I don't want to try
to import a QIF file (after all these years of importing OFX files). I
have lived with fixing all of the Albertson's transactions, but it's a
pain. (I also don't want any duplicate transactions that might arise from
switching formats.)

The format "Web Connect for Quicken 2005 and above" gives a qfx file with
this:

<STMTTRN<TRNTYPE> DEBIT
<DTPOSTED> 20071226120000
<TRNAMT> -138.67
<FITID> 00095061224-138.670071226312.66
<NAME> 43013145331492 12/24 #000568356
</STMTTRN
which is almost exactly the same as the other ofx format (some of the file
headers at the top are different).

There's also a "Managing your Money - QIF file (2 digit)" format that looks
pretty much like the other QIF file.

Is the 4 digit QIF file not recommended? Any problems if I switch?


David Walker