Budget Friendly Bookkeeping
Level 5

Search Rules Desktop

I have taken on yet another new challenge for a client to get their books back in order.  I came to see there are hundreds of automated rules that may or may not be valid.

 

First of all, I submitted another question regarding accounts used in a previously created rule.  When I updated the COA, none of the rules changed accordingly.  In other words, the rule still kept the old account which I am sure if used, would simply add the transaction and create the unwanted account on the fly.  I have never seen QB Desktop not automatically update anything relating to the COA before.  This is ridiculous that the rules do not change accordingly.  If any business creates say 1,000 rules, and changes their COA, have fun changing all the rules to match the new COA.

 

Okay, so Second and the topic of this conversation:

This client has hundreds of rules created and as I said, I made changes to the COA by adding account numbers to descriptive accounts (yet another pet peeve of mine).  I have a choice to make:

1) Delete all the "automated rules" created

2) Search for and edit each of the rules that exist.

(Update: I did come to realize that the rules can be sorted by clicking on "WHEN", "DO THIS", etc..., located on the title bar.  Although this makes it "a bit" easier, it's not the best solution).

 

The problem if I go with #2 is, I have to manually scroll down the list to find a rule that I need to modify.  There is no search option.  If I'm not seeing something, please help and point out where I would find this.

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

Solved
SophiaAnnL
Moderator

Other questions

Thank you for posting in the QuickBooks Community forum, BasicBooks.

 

At this time, QuickBooks doesn't have an option to edit the rules by batch. You'd have to do it manually one by one. The two options you've considered can work in achieving the task.

 

I would highly recommend that you send a feature request for this. I know that other users would want to have this option as well as it helps save time.

 

To send feedback, just follow these steps:

  1. Click Help at the top.
  2. Select Send Feedback Online.
  3. Choose Product Suggestion.

Please let me know if you need anything else. I'll be around to help you further.

View solution in original post

Budget Friendly Bookkeeping
Level 5

Other questions

Thank you :).

 

Many times I answer my own question(s), but I need to ask to keep my thinking in check.  At least now I know that the topic of discussions I post, are valid.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Other questions

You're most welcome, BasicBooks.

 

Every question you're about to post here in the Community is valid, and we're here to help. 

 

Don't hesitate to post more. Have a good one! 

alanek
Level 1

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You did not answer the main question. How does one search in the Rules page in order to change a specific rule

JessT
Moderator

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Hi alanek!

 

I can see that it's very convenient to be able to search a rule. However, we're unable to do this. You'll want to scroll down and right-click on the one that you want to edit or delete. I suggest clicking the Rule Name header to sort them by name, so you can easily find the rule that you want to manage.

 

The Community team is here to answer your questions. Please don't hesitate to post more if you need help.

mantal
Level 2

Other questions

I too find myself looking for a way to filter out a rule so I can edit it without manually going through hundreds of auto-created rules to find the one I need to change.  Any updates on this?

JasroV
QuickBooks Team

Other questions

Hello there, @mantal.

 

As of now, we don't have a specific time frame on when this feature will be added to QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT). As a way around, you can consider the workaround provided by my colleague JessT.

 

In the meantime, I suggest checking our Product Updates page for QuickBooks. From there, you'll learn some news and updates on what's new in QuickBooks.

 

You can also check this article for reference to learn more about managing your bank rules in QBDT: Use renaming rules for Bank Feeds.

 

Then, in case you might encounter a beginning balance issue in your QBDT. I got you this great article that can help guide you handle the situation: Fix beginning balance issues in QuickBooks Desktop.

 

Don't hesitate to leave a comment below if you have something to ask or help needed. You can always count on us anytime. We're always around to help. 
 

mantal
Level 2

Other questions

What "workaround provided by my colleague JessT"?  how do I find this workaround?  

mantal
Level 2

Other questions

Nevermind, figured out the workaround

chasgl1
Level 1

Other questions

like going through _AutoGeneratorRule-xx makes it easy to find the rule that catigorizes McDonalds to Restaurant.  

markinsf
Level 1

Other questions

I too am in this exact situation.  I probably have thousands of rules.  Some are misclassified as income instead of expenses.  So, every month I have to go through during reconciliation and find these automatched transactions and change them.  What a head ache!

 

The for the money Intuit charges for this software it is very buggy and it seems there could be at least a few features added to make our lives easier.

 

This problem should not be marked as solved!

kevman0930
Level 1

Other questions

Agreed. The more I use it, the more I realize how crappy it is and Intuit doesn't ever update or fix anything. I hasn't gotten any significant improvements since I've been using it beginning 2009.