Going from GnuCash 2.2.9 to 2.4.5

Going from one version of an application to another is no big deal. It normally does not require one to give much thought to their existing data or configuration as it is a common expectation that the application upgrade process will take care of upgrading any required configuration or data changes that are being introduced by the new version of the application. Thus, the process is quite simple and painless.

That being said, it is always important not to take things for granted, lower your expectations, and never assume. So, be sure to make a backup of all important data and configuration before proceeding with any update or upgrade that may alter the features of the application or data the application reads and writes. I have known too many people that took this for granted and had something go wrong with an upgrade. Only to find themselves wishing they had their original data. Keep in mind that if the data is modified by the updated application, it normally will not work in the prior version of the application either. This can be true even if you didn't actually modify the data yourself. In some cases, an updated application will make changes to file formats, data structures, and data formats.

For GnuCash, backing up the application data and configuration is pretty simple when on a UNIX based platform. I can not say the same for Windows as I am not a Windows user but I have heard the process is similar.

To backup my data, all I need to do is locate my GnuCash file(s) that I want to save from a potential disaster. I am actually already doing this via automated system backups as everyone is probably already doing, but then again, there goes that assumption thing. The location of your GnuCash file will depend on where you saved it. You can identify the file name by simply looking at the window's title bar in GnuCash or using the options provided in the GnuCash File menu. Unfortunately, I do not have GnuCash 2.2.9 installed so I do not know for sure how this can be done. But, in most applications, I normally achieve this by using the File -> Save As... option -- which will normally open a dialog at the location of my existing file along with the existing file name in the File Name or Save As text field. All I should need to do is make a note of the directory and file name so that I can later retrieve it from the file system. In my case, I already know where my file is located and named so there is no need for me to dig around to find it. So first, I will create a folder to store my backup in.

1. Navigate to my Documents folder (or wherever you want to store the backup)
2. Create a new folder named GnuCash-2.2.9-Backup (or whatever you want to name it)

Now that I have a place to store the backup, I need to copy my GnuCash data file there.

1. Navigate to the folder that contains my GnuCash data file -- Documents/Finance/Household Accounts
2. Right-click on the file and select Copy -- In my case, the file is named Household.gnucash
   • Be sure to select Copy! You do not want to move it (Cut) or drag-n-drop it as this defeats the purpose of making a backup copy
3. Navigate to the backup folder GnuCash-2.2.9-Backup created previously
4. Right-click on an empty place in the folder and select Paste or select Edit -> Paste from the folder's menu

You should now have a copy of your GnuCash data file stored in your backup folder. We can now move on to configuration. The primary reason for backing up the configuration is so that if anything goes wrong with the update or we find that the upgraded version of GnuCash won't run for us, we can revert back to the older version without having to start all over. This part can become tricky as the process will vary from operating system to operating system. So, I apologize if this gives you difficulty.

1. Navigate to your home folder
2. Enable Show Hidden Files if not already
   • This is important because the GnuCash configuration directories are normally hidden
   • In Nautilus, this can be done by pressing CTRL+H or from the View -> Show Hidden Files menu
3. Right-click on the folder named .gnucash and select Copy
   • Pay special attention to the period (.) in front of gnucash
   • Be sure to select Copy! You do not want to move it (Cut) or drag-n-drop it as this defeats the purpose of making a backup copy
4. Navigate to the backup folder GnuCash-2.2.9-Backup created previously
5. Right-click on an empty place in the folder and select Paste or select Edit -> Paste from the folder's menu

We have now made a backup of our GnuCash data file (the file which contains all of the important account data) and our GnuCash configuration data which also includes any custom reports we created and information about books if using that feature of GnuCash. This is probably enough for most of us, however, depending on what features you use from GnuCash, there may be other folders that we should backup just in case. For example, if you are using or ever used the online banking feature of GnuCash, AqBanking would have been in use and contains its own configuration.

1. Navigate to your home folder
2. Enable Show Hidden Files if not already
   • This is important because the GnuCash configuration directories are normally hidden
   • In Nautilus, this can be done by pressing CTRL+H or from the View -> Show Hidden Files menu
3. Right-click on the folder named .aqbanking and select Copy
   • Pay special attention to the period (.) in front of aqbanking
   • Be sure to select Copy! You do not want to move it (Cut) or drag-n-drop it as this defeats the purpose of making a backup copy.
4. Navigate to the backup folder GnuCash-2.2.9-Backup created previously
5. Right-click on an empty place in the folder and select Paste or select Edit -> Paste from the folder's menu

There may be other configuration files or elements that I have not identified, so if you want to be really safe, backup/mirror your entire hard drive so that you can simply revert to the backup/mirror in the event that something goes wrong with the upgrade. Also, feel free to comment with other folder and file names that I have excluded so that others who should care about them can.

We are now ready to install the new version of GnuCash. Because I am using a Red Hat based Linux operating system, the upgrade is as simple as going to Add/Remove Software and telling it what I want to install and it does the rest.

1. Navigate to and select System -> Administration -> Add/Remove Software
2. In the Search field, select Search by name
3. In the Search field, enter gnucash
4. Select the Find button
5. Place a check next to the Finance management application - gnucash package -- in my case gnucash-2.4.5-1
6. Click the Apply button
7. If additional software dependencies are required, click the Continue button
8. Authenticate as the administrative user
   • If you are the only administrative user, enter your password
   • If there are more then one administrative users, select your user name in the drop-down list and enter your password
   • If there are no administrative users, you will need to enter the root user's password

Once all packages have been downloaded and installed, you are ready to fire up GnuCash.

Strangely enough, when I launched the new version of GnuCash, it told me that my saved reports have been upgraded to the new format. It then treated me as a new user of GnuCash, which I find a bit unsettling. Primarily because it knows that I have saved reports but doesn't seem to know that I have an existing data file that I have been using. No problem though, I simply opened my Household Accounts file by going to File -> Open... and navigating to the folder in which my file is stored and selecting it and clicking Open. Once my file had been opened I could see that all seems to be intact. However, I really won't know until I reconcile some accounts over the next few weeks. Because I am not 100% certain that all went as planned, I will keep my backup in a safe place for the next couple of months.