On Mon, Nov 22, 2010 at 10:54 AM, Derek Atkins <warl...@mit.edu> wrote: > Phil, > > Phil Longstaff <plongst...@rogers.com> writes: > >> I will put some info on the wiki. Give me a day or so. > > I would prefer you didn't. If you supply instructions then that implies > an implicit acceptance in the practice. I believe we should continue to > have a hardline stance that we do not support modification of the > database from under the GnuCash API. More below.. > >> From: Fred Verschueren <f...@fremar.be> >> >> Ls, >> >> I'm currently working with version 2.3.17 with mysql as database. >> >> I need to do a lot of changes in my accounts, moving a lot of entries from >> one >> account to another. >> >> Now I was wondering if this could be done with some queries (SQL) on the >> database. >> >> I'm wiling to investigate this and if I have a solution give this back to the >> community but to do this investigation I need to know the layout of the DB: >> what >> is the meaning of each table, the links between the tables aso. >> >> My questions: >> >> - is this investigation already done and what is the outcome? >> - where can I find the needed information about the DB. > > We do not support modifications to the database from outside the GnuCash > API. The reasoning is that we have a bunch of data constraints that are > not encoded in the database (and indeed cannot be encoded in the > database). For example, how do you encode that all transactions must be > balanced? Or that the parent of an account must have an appropriate > account type? > > While it *is* possible to modify the data directly (this is a computer, > afterall -- the data is there), we neither recommend nor support doing > so, because it's quite possible to make your data unreadable, or worse, > readable with subtle errors. > > I hope this answers your question, even if it isn't what you wanted to > hear. > > Now, you COULD write a scheme or python script (or a C program) to make > the changes for you.... This would allow you to use the GnuCash API and > not violate the constraints. > > Another thing: if you want to move *all* the entries from one account > to another then just delete the account and GnuCash will ask you where > you want to move them.
While your position regarding someone writing random SQL code to rearrange things in the database makes perfect sense to me, it would still be great to have the schema/data model documented for those of us who would like to do report generation and would thus be transacting with the database on a read-only basis. The documentation provided could state clearly the dangers you have discussed above that are inherent in writing to the database outside the Gnucash API. If someone chooses not to heed this sensible warning, then it's their problem. /Don > > Good Luck, > >> Kind regards, >> Fred Verschueren. > > -derek > > -- > Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory > Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board (SIPB) > URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/ PP-ASEL-IA N1NWH > warl...@mit.edu PGP key available > _______________________________________________ > gnucash-devel mailing list > gnucash-devel@gnucash.org > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-devel > _______________________________________________ gnucash-devel mailing list gnucash-devel@gnucash.org https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-devel
