Check and repair a document with Document Doctor

Document Doctor is Studio’s built-in check-up. It reads your document, lists anything inconsistent (a transaction pointing at a category that no longer exists, split lines that do not add up, a transfer with no destination) and repairs the safe cases with one tap, after taking a backup. It never changes anything without you asking.

Open Document Doctor

Every platform: open Settings, choose the Document tab, and tap Check document… (“Scan for and repair data-integrity issues (Document Doctor)”).
Desktop: choose Tools ▸ Check Document… from the menu.
From the badge: after an import, Studio runs the check by itself. If it finds anything, the Settings icon on the navigation rail shows a number, and tapping Settings lands on the Document tab.

The Check Document dialog runs a read-only audit as soon as it opens. Nothing is changed by opening it.

Read the results

A healthy document shows “No issues found — this document looks healthy.”
Otherwise the findings are grouped under Corrupt data, Needs your review and Hygiene. Each row has a plain sentence with a count, a short code you can quote to support, and a Repair button when a safe automatic fix exists.
At the bottom, Repair all safe appears when at least one finding can be repaired automatically, next to Close.

Roughly, the groups mean:

Corrupt data: references that point nowhere, such as a split line, tag or attachment belonging to a transaction that no longer exists, a transaction whose account, category or payee is gone, or a transfer to an account that was deleted. This group also holds a transfer with no destination or with the same account on both sides, a transaction with a status or type the app doesn’t recognize (probably from an old import), and a currency code that doesn’t look like a real one (also from an old import; Repair rebuilds it from the currency’s name). Most of these have a Repair.
Needs your review: things only you can decide: split lines that do not add up to the transaction amount, a transfer that spans two portfolios, a transaction with a zero amount, a scheduled transaction more than 90 days overdue; a change that is too large to sync with AceMoney Cloud (the row reads Too large to sync: and names the field to shorten; every other change still syncs); a note that the document still holds a copy of the Classic file it was imported from because Studio could not remove it (open the document again, then contact support to remove the backups made before that); a scheduled transaction imported from Classic without its formula (choose Use the formula on the row and Studio works the amount out for each due date); a scheduled transaction that an earlier version of Studio imported wrongly: its type, frequency, transfer account or number of payments is not what your Classic file has (the row says what the file has and how many transactions it posted since; see Scheduled transactions); an investment trade whose cash was booked without converting from the investment’s currency to the account’s (the row names the cash entry, the amount it was booked as and, when an exchange rate is stored, what it would be at the latest one; open the cash entry in the Register and enter the amount you were really debited or paid, and the row goes away).
Hygiene: nothing is wrong with your numbers, but something is worth knowing: a file in the attachments folder that no transaction refers to (left for you to decide), or a note that the document was last used by a newer version of Studio.

Repair what is safe

Tap Repair on one finding, or Repair all safe for all of them.
Studio first takes a backup of the document (it appears in Settings ▸ Document ▸ Backups labelled “pre-repair”).
The repairs are applied as one batch: either all of them succeed or none is written.
The list is checked again and refreshes, so you can see what remains.

If a repair reports an error, nothing was changed; tap Close, then reopen the dialog and try again. If it repeats, contact Support with the finding’s code.

Fix what needs your review

Findings without a Repair button are fixed where the data lives:

Split lines that do not add up, a transfer with no destination or with the same account on both sides, a zero amount, a status or type the app doesn’t recognize: open Register, find the transaction (the global search finds it by payee, amount or date) and edit it: set the split lines so Remaining is zero, pick a destination account or change the type, or enter the real amount. See Transfers and splits.
A transfer that spans two portfolios: decide which portfolio the money belongs to and edit the transfer in that account.
A scheduled transaction more than 90 days overdue: open Schedule and either Post now or edit its start date. See Scheduled transactions.
Too large to sync: open the item the row names and shorten the field it names, for example a long comment. The change then syncs like any other.
A copy of the Classic file is still in the document: close the document and open it again; Studio removes the copy when it opens the document. Then contact support to remove the backups made before that, because they still hold the copy.
Files in the attachments folder that nothing refers to: Studio leaves them alone; delete them by hand if you do not need them.
The document was last used by a newer version: update Studio; the note clears by itself once the app is newer than the version that last used the document. See Software updates.

When to run it

After an import: Studio does this for you and shows the badge.
When a balance looks wrong and you cannot see why in the register.
After Studio or the computer stopped unexpectedly while the document was open.
When a message says the document appears damaged.
Before moving a document to another computer, so you carry a clean copy.

Running it when nothing is wrong is harmless; it only reads.

Common questions

Does Document Doctor change anything by itself?

No. Opening it and running the check are read-only. Changes happen only when you tap Repair or Repair all safe, and a backup is taken first every time.

Can a repair damage my data?

A repair only removes or corrects references that already point at nothing, and it is applied as one batch that either fully succeeds or is fully rolled back. If you dislike the result, restore the “pre-repair” backup from Settings ▸ Document ▸ Restore…; see Backups and restore.

What is the small code next to each finding?

A short identifier for that kind of finding. Quote it when you write to support; you do not need it otherwise.

Does it run on my phone?

Yes, in AceMoney Studio Mobile (from AceMoney Studio Mobile 1.2, which is coming to iPhone and Android). It works the same on iPhone, iPad and Android, from Settings ▸ Document ▸ Check document…, and it runs after every import there too.

Why does the badge on Settings come back?

The badge shows the count from the last automatic check. Findings under Needs your review stay until you fix them in the register or the schedule, and the “newer version” note stays until you update Studio.

My document will not open at all. Can Document Doctor fix it?

Not if Studio cannot open the document, because the check runs inside the open document. Restore a recent backup instead; see Backups and restore. If the document was on a network share or cloud drive that was still syncing, wait for the sync to finish and try opening it again first.

Does it check my attachments?

It checks that every attachment record still points at a file and that every file in the attachments folder is still referenced. It does not open or change the files themselves.

Troubleshooting

The Settings icon shows a number. Document Doctor found something after an import. Tap Settings, then Check document… to see the list.
A finding has no Repair button. It needs your decision. Follow Fix what needs your review above.
A message says to use “Settings ▸ Backups”. The real place is Settings ▸ Document ▸ Backups. Tools ▸ Check Document… is on the desktop menu.
A finding mentions a scheduled transaction stuck since an old fix. It is a schedule more than 90 days overdue; open it in Schedule and post or reschedule it.
The repair reported an error. Nothing was changed. Close and reopen the dialog and try again; if it repeats, contact Support with the code shown on the row.
The list is empty but my balances still look wrong. The document is consistent; the difference is in the entries themselves. Check the account’s Opening balance in Accounts, look for transactions in the wrong account, and use Reconcile against a statement. See Reconcile.
“This document appears to be damaged and could not be opened safely.” If the document opens after the message, run Tools ▸ Check Document… right away; if it does not, restore a backup.