Troubleshooting ofx

Troubleshooting OFX

OFX Support Issues

This document covers several known communication and online issues specifically related to OFX. Many of these issues are noted in Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that may be helpful in troubleshooting OFX issues.

Connecting Through Proxies

Money was designed for consumers managing their finances on their home computer. It was not written to support corporate environments. Money relies on Internet Explorer to make online connections passing only the OFX USERID and PASSCODE tags. Money has no method of allowing a user to enter any additional credentials of passwords. Therefore Money does not have a method to allow you to enter a proxy password to allow access to the internet in a protected environment.

We have found that the following steps can sometimes help bypass environments that require a proxy password.

1. 
   Use any of the MSN links on the Home page to have Money launch its internal browser.
   
2. 
   Enter your proxy password.
   
3. 
   Click the Money icon to return focus to the client software
   
4. 
   Try you online connection now that your proxy server has accepted password from Money.
   

If this step does not work, speak to your network administrator can turn off the proxy password requirement during your Money testing.

Problem with the Data Received

When Money downloads statement information from a bank or imports an OFX Active Statement File, it expects that information to be in a pre-defined format. Occasionally, a file does not comply with the expected format. When you try to download statement information from your financial institution or brokerage house, you may receive a message similar to one for the following:

There is a problem with the data received from this online provider. If the problem persists, call the provider's customer service number for help.

The file you attempted to import appears to be invalid or contains corrupt data. Please download the file again. If this problem continues, contact your financial institution.

These error messages occurs if the *.ofx file you are downloading or the response file sent for your statement request is not properly formatted according to the Open Financial Exchange (OFX) standards that Microsoft Money expects.

Improper Format

There can be several causes for these error messages, listed below in the order of frequency:

• 
  Not a valid data file according to OFX standard: contains invalid or improper tags, is missing required components, or contains tags are in the wrong place. This causes a file to fail to parse.
  
• 
  Incorrect formatting of the data in the file: invalid length, content, or signs.
  
• 
  Invalid Header in the file.
  
• 
  Missing echo of a CLTCOOKIE request in the response file.
  
• 
  Missing response for a request sent.
  

To resolve this situation, make another connection attempt and force Money to save log files. Use the appropriate OFX Analyzer to analyze the logs to identify formatting errors.

Logging Calls

Money allows you to create logs of the OFX request and OFX response via a Windows Registry key. Each Money CD has a PSS subfolder which contains commonly needed files identified by Microsoft Product Support Services.

When working with a customer, have them look on their CD for this folder. The PSS folder contains two Windows Registry keys, ProvLogs & NoLogs. Run these to enable and disable automatic logging in Money .This saves two log files in the location of your Money data file.

NOTE: Theses REG files are also available on our Partner Tools and Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/money/fi/tools.mspx..

• 
  Bankname XXXXXXX RQ.txt -This is a log of the request you sent.
  
• 
  Bankname XXXXXXXX RS.txt -This is a log of the response you received.
  

If you download an Active Statement file from your financial institution's Web site and receive one of the error messages listed above, send a copy of the file, which should have an OFX file name extension, to your financial institution.

Tools to Test OFX Files

Microsoft has created an analyzer tool that can detect the causes for many, but not all, errors in an OFX response file or 1-way OFX download file.

This utility relies upon the OFX parser used in Money 2004. The analyzer can parse and analyze an OFX response for any version of Money.

Refer to our Partner Tools and Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/money/fi/tools.mspx to obtain these files.

Use each of the following methods to find the problem causing the errors described in the Symptoms section above.

Test for Correct OFX Tags and Content

Use the OFX Analyzer to parse the file for correct OFX tags and to verify that the contents of the response file are correctly formatted, that each response is the correct length, and that each response has the proper sign for tag values.

Tips for Troubleshooting Parsing Errors

• 
  The OFX Analyzer results are somewhat cryptic; the most important data it provides are the line number of the error and the cause of the parsing error.
  
• 
  The utility does not analyze the Header of the file. If it returns any error referencing a line number, you need to add ~ 10 to the value when analyzing OFX 1.02 files and add ~ 2 for OFX 2.0 files to account for the Header.
  
• 
  It is best to view the response file with one tag per line. If the format of the response file does not separate each tag with a linefeed character, use a word processor utility such as Microsoft Word to replace each (<) with a (linefeed<).
  
• 
  Look at the response file in a word processor such as Microsoft Word that displays line numbers. Look for the aggregate in the area of the reported line number + 10 or +2. This is the area with the error.
  

Special Characters

For the purposes of Open Financial Exchange, a few characters must be handled as special characters. To represent a special character, use the corresponding escape sequence, as stated in the OFX spec 1.02 section 2.3.2.1 specifies the SGML escape sequence to be used for “<”, “>”, and “&”.

Character	Escape sequence
< (less than)	<
> (greater than)	>
& (ampersand)	&

OFX 2.0 is XML and requires standard XML escape sequences, as specified in the 2.0 spec. section 2.3.1.1. In XML, the escape sequence for ampersands is the same as in SGML. However, Money does not accept XML escape sequences for quote and double-quote. These characters should not be escaped when sent to Money.

The improper formatting of tag values with ampersands is one of our most common customer service issues with OFX files. This is most often seen in or tags. For example, the string “AT&T” encodes “AT&T.” Money would reject an OFX response with a value of “AT&T” with an error similar to one of the following:

The file you attempted to import appears to be invalid or contains corrupt data. Please download the file again. If this problem continues, contact your financial institution.

- OR -

There was a problem with the data received from your financial institution. If this problem persists, call the Customer Support number for your financial institution, listed on the Contact Information tab in the Online Banking area.

Verify the Header

To verify that the Header of the OFX response file contains the required components, follow these steps:

Tip
Microsoft WordPad allows you to view the file in an easier format than Notepad. To open WordPad, click Start, point to Programs then Accessories, and click WordPad.

1. 
   Open the OFX file or response log in Microsoft WordPad to view the file.
   
2. 
   Verify that the file contains the required components and is followed by a blank line.
   
   1. 
      OFX 1.02
      

OFXHEADER:100

DATA:OFXSGML

VERSION:102

SECURITY:NONE

ENCODING:USASCII

CHARSET:1252

COMPRESSION:NONE

OLDFILEUID:6D83D567-8771-11D1-9C73-0060088FF1EB

NEWFILEUID:6D83D569-8771-11D1-9C73-0060088FF1EB

2. 
   OFX 2.0
   

NOTE: The OLDFILEUID and the NEWFILEUID tags will vary in content. Money may reject an OFX response which does not properly echo the NEWFILEUID and OLDFILEUID value in the OFX header.

Checking for Missing CLTCOOKIE

Every CLTCOOKIE in an OFX request file must have an answering Cookie in the response file. To see if a missing CLTCOOKIE is the cause of the error, follow these steps.

1. 
   Open both the OFX Request log and the OFX Response log in Microsoft WordPad.
   
2. 
   View them side by side.
   
3. 
   Verify that every CLTCOOKIE in the request log has a corresponding CLTCOOKIE in the response log.
   

HINT: The quickest way to test this is to use the Find feature and count the number of CLTCOOKIE tags in the OFX Request and Response logs.

NOTE: Unlike Money 2003 and 2004, Money 2005 does not send CLTCOOKIE tags

Checking for Corresponding Responses

Every Request sent by Money must receive a response, even if the response contains an error code. To check that every request has a response, follow these steps:

1. 
   Open both the OFX Request log and the OFX Response log in Microsoft WordPad.
   
2. 
   View them side by side.
   

Look through both files and confirm that every tag request in the OFX Request log is found in the OFX Response log.

Issues the OFX Analyzer Will Not Identify

Double Quotes Character in tag - Money 2006

If a double quote character is returned in the tag, Money 2006 will not display the transaction nor will the OFX Analyzer identify it.
This issue may be resolved by either not returning the double quote character in the tag in the OFX response or by selecting the following option in Money 2006:

Tools -> Settings -> Online service settings -> Show standardized payee names for which a name match is not found.

Once that option has been selected Money will strip out any double quote character from the name field before processing the transactions.

No Error When Special Characters Not Escaped in Name Field

Money will reject any transaction containing special characters which are not represented by their proper escape sequence as indicated above. The OFX analyzer tool does not identify un-escaped special characters.
Note: Money 2004 will accept special characters which are not escaped when they are followed by a space or is the last character in the NAME field. This, however, is not valid OFX.

No Warning For AVAIL Accounts

The OFX Analyzer will not warn the user if an account status is AVAIL. Any account subject to that status will be ignored by Money.

Crash Recovery

Money 2003 and above

Money 2003 and above rely on OFX synchronization to handle error recovery. If a call fails to complete when a customer is sending a transfer (INTRATRNRQ), a payment (PMTTRNRQ), or a recurring payment (RECPMTTRNRQ) request, Money prompts the user to synchronize their data to determine if the call was successful.

OFXxxx Error Codes

Money displays error codes when it cannot connect to an OFX server. These error codes begin with OFX and are followed by a number. These are standard HTTP error codes, and can be found by reviewing WININET source code. For your convenience, common error codes are listed below. Use third-party tools to “sniff” the connection to determine the cause if the WININET error title is insufficient.

OFX4XX Error Codes

HTTP_STATUS_BAD_REQUEST	400	invalid syntax
HTTP_STATUS_DENIED	401	access denied
HTTP_STATUS_PAYMENT_REQ	402	payment required
HTTP_STATUS_FORBIDDEN	403	request forbidden
HTTP_STATUS_NOT_FOUND	404	object not found
HTTP_STATUS_BAD_METHOD	405	method is not allowed
HTTP_STATUS_NONE_ACCEPTABLE	406	no response acceptable to client found
HTTP_STATUS_PROXY_AUTH_REQ	407	proxy authentication required
HTTP_STATUS_REQUEST_TIMEOUT	408	server timed out waiting for request
HTTP_STATUS_CONFLICT	409	user should resubmit with more info
HTTP_STATUS_GONE	410	the resource is no longer available
HTTP_STATUS_LENGTH_REQUIRED	411	the server refused to accept request w/o a length
HTTP_STATUS_PRECOND_FAILED	412	precondition given in request failed
HTTP_STATUS_REQUEST_TOO_LARGE	413	request entity was too large
HTTP_STATUS_URI_TOO_LONG	414	request URI too long
HTTP_STATUS_UNSUPPORTED_MEDIA	415	unsupported media type

OFX5XX Error Codes

HTTP_STATUS_SERVER_ERROR	500	internal server error
HTTP_STATUS_NOT_SUPPORTED	501	required not supported
HTTP_STATUS_BAD_GATEWAY	502	error response received from gateway
HTTP_STATUS_SERVICE_UNAVAIL	503	temporarily overloaded
HTTP_STATUS_GATEWAY_TIMEOUT	504	timed out waiting for gateway
HTTP_STATUS_VERSION_NOT_SUP	505	HTTP version not supported

OFX12XXX Error Codes

1	ERROR_INTERNET_OUT_OF_HANDLES	110	ERROR_FTP_TRANSFER_IN_PROGRESS
2	ERROR_INTERNET_TIMEOUT	111	ERROR_FTP_DROPPED
3	ERROR_INTERNET_EXTENDED_ERROR	112	ERROR_FTP_NO_PASSIVE_MODE
4	ERROR_INTERNET_INTERNAL_ERROR
5	ERROR_INTERNET_INVALID_URL	130	ERROR_GOPHER_PROTOCOL_ERROR
6	ERROR_INTERNET_UNRECOGNIZED_SCHEME	131	ERROR_GOPHER_NOT_FILE
7	ERROR_INTERNET_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED	132	ERROR_GOPHER_DATA_ERROR
8	ERROR_INTERNET_PROTOCOL_NOT_FOUND	133	ERROR_GOPHER_END_OF_DATA
9	ERROR_INTERNET_INVALID_OPTION	134	ERROR_GOPHER_INVALID_LOCATOR
10	ERROR_INTERNET_BAD_OPTION_LENGTH	135	ERROR_GOPHER_INCORRECT_LOCATOR_TYPE
11	ERROR_INTERNET_OPTION_NOT_SETTABLE	136	ERROR_GOPHER_NOT_GOPHER_PLUS
12	ERROR_INTERNET_SHUTDOWN	137	ERROR_GOPHER_ATTRIBUTE_NOT_FOUND
13	ERROR_INTERNET_INCORRECT_USER_NAME	138	ERROR_GOPHER_UNKNOWN_LOCATOR
14	ERROR_INTERNET_INCORRECT_PASSWORD
15	ERROR_INTERNET_LOGIN_FAILURE	150	ERROR_HTTP_HEADER_NOT_FOUND
16	ERROR_INTERNET_INVALID_OPERATION	151	ERROR_HTTP_DOWNLEVEL_SERVER
17	ERROR_INTERNET_OPERATION_CANCELLED	152	ERROR_HTTP_INVALID_SERVER_RESPONSE
18	ERROR_INTERNET_INCORRECT_HANDLE_TYPE	153	ERROR_HTTP_INVALID_HEADER
19	ERROR_INTERNET_INCORRECT_HANDLE_STATE	154	ERROR_HTTP_INVALID_QUERY_REQUEST
20	ERROR_INTERNET_NOT_PROXY_REQUEST	155	ERROR_HTTP_HEADER_ALREADY_EXISTS
21	ERROR_INTERNET_REGISTRY_VALUE_NOT_FOUND	156	ERROR_HTTP_REDIRECT_FAILED
22	ERROR_INTERNET_BAD_REGISTRY_PARAMETER	157	ERROR_INTERNET_SECURITY_CHANNEL_ERROR
23	ERROR_INTERNET_NO_DIRECT_ACCESS	158	ERROR_INTERNET_UNABLE_TO_CACHE_FILE
24	ERROR_INTERNET_NO_CONTEXT	159	ERROR_INTERNET_TCPIP_NOT_INSTALLED
25	ERROR_INTERNET_NO_CALLBACK
26	ERROR_INTERNET_REQUEST_PENDING	160	ERROR_HTTP_NOT_REDIRECTED
27	ERROR_INTERNET_INCORRECT_FORMAT	161	ERROR_HTTP_COOKIE_NEEDS_CONFIRMATION
28	ERROR_INTERNET_ITEM_NOT_FOUND	162	ERROR_HTTP_COOKIE_DECLINED
29	ERROR_INTERNET_CANNOT_CONNECT	168	ERROR_HTTP_REDIRECT_NEEDS_CONFIRMATION
30	ERROR_INTERNET_CONNECTION_ABORTED	163	ERROR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED
31	ERROR_INTERNET_CONNECTION_RESET	164	ERROR_INTERNET_SERVER_UNREACHABLE
32	ERROR_INTERNET_FORCE_RETRY	165	ERROR_INTERNET_PROXY_SERVER_UNREACHABLE
33	ERROR_INTERNET_INVALID_PROXY_REQUEST	166	ERROR_INTERNET_BAD_AUTO_PROXY_SCRIPT
34	ERROR_INTERNET_NEED_UI	167	ERROR_INTERNET_UNABLE_TO_DOWNLOAD_SCRIPT
36	ERROR_INTERNET_HANDLE_EXISTS	169	ERROR_INTERNET_SEC_INVALID_CERT
37	ERROR_INTERNET_SEC_CERT_DATE_INVALID	170	ERROR_INTERNET_SEC_CERT_REVOKED
38	ERROR_INTERNET_SEC_CERT_CN_INVALID
39	ERROR_INTERNET_HTTP_TO_HTTPS_ON_REDIR
40	ERROR_INTERNET_HTTPS_TO_HTTP_ON_REDIR
41	ERROR_INTERNET_MIXED_SECURITY
42	ERROR_INTERNET_CHG_POST_IS_NON_SECURE
43	ERROR_INTERNET_POST_IS_NON_SECURE
44	ERROR_INTERNET_CLIENT_AUTH_CERT_NEEDED
45	ERROR_INTERNET_INVALID_CA
46	ERROR_INTERNET_CLIENT_AUTH_NOT_SETUP
47	ERROR_INTERNET_ASYNC_THREAD_FAILED
48	ERROR_INTERNET_REDIRECT_SCHEME_CHANGE
49	ERROR_INTERNET_DIALOG_PENDING
50	ERROR_INTERNET_RETRY_DIALOG
52	ERROR_INTERNET_HTTPS_HTTP_SUBMIT_REDIR
53	ERROR_INTERNET_INSERT_CDROM