CSV import: Locations

You can import locations by uploading a CSV file.

You can now import information into this area of Sage Intacct with the new import service.

Learn more about the available imports.

Intacct can support up to 31,999 each of departments, entities, and locations. This limit applies to each dimension individually.

  • Deleting and recreating these items still counts toward their individual limits.

  • Exceeding this limit could cause unexpected issues.

About multi-entity companies and locations

In a multi-entity environment, locations are children of entities. If you do not associate a location with an entity, there's the danger that the location could become an orphan. When a location becomes orphaned and you associate transactions with the orphan, those transactions will not be correctly reported in an entity's GL.

Subscription Company
User type Business, Employee, Approval
Permissions View, Add, and Edit Locations

Naming conventions for locations in a multi-entity environment

When assigning locations to a transaction, both entities and locations appear in the dropdown menu. If you have not applied a naming convention to your entity and location names, users will not know where to post a transaction consistently. Sage Intacct recommends grouping your entities and locations, similar to the method you used for your chart of accounts.

For example, you can group your entities and locations in a logical grouping.

  1. Name your entities using the pattern: E<number>-<Location>, as seen in the graphic below.

  2. You then name your locations using a sequential number associated with the appropriate entity.

Infographic of a multientity naming convention as it would be seen in a drop down list.

When a user posts a transaction, the location dropdown is arranged alphanumerically, with the entities falling naturally to the bottom of the list.

Fields not included in the CSV template

Three fields from the Location Information page are not available in the template for importing:

  • The Manager field.
    Locations are typically imported before employees, so you can associate a location with an employee record. You can assign location managers in the Location Information page. To display the Location Information page, go to Company > Setup > Dimensions, and select Add (circle) next to Locations.
  • The Taxable field. It is selected by default.
  • The Tax Group field.

The following information is optional to add:

  • Contact information
  • Shipping contact information
    The shipping contact has an S_ prefix. When the prefix is applied, the COMPANY_NAME field is used for the shipping contact, and the field label will be S_COMPANY_NAME.

Prepare a CSV file for import

When you download a template, the correct headers are in the template already. All you have to do is fill in the columns with your data, save it as a CSV file, and upload the file.

The header titles in the template you download correlate to fields in Intacct. Incorrect header titles will cause an upload error.

For more information about the CSV upload process, including best practices, common errors, and how to upload your CSV file, see Prepare your file for CSV import.

Best practices

The following best practices will help you prepare your CSV file for upload.

Download a template from the Company setup checklist or an object list page.

  • Use the latest template, especially following a product release.
  • Use the correct template for the area in which you want to upload information. Different templates organize different types of information. Use a template specifically for the information that you need to upload.
  • Don’t change the titles in the header row. The header titles correlate to fields in Intacct. Incorrect header titles will cause an upload error. When you download a template from the Company setup checklist, the correct headers are in the template.
  • Read the header descriptions in the template. The header description is the cell under the header row that explains what type of information is accepted for each column. If you enter information in the wrong format, or with an incorrect accepted value, it will cause an error in your upload. The header descriptions in the template show you how the information should look. For example, the header in the GL Journal Entries template for JOURNAL shows that allows up to four characters, is required, and has no default values. The header in the Reporting Periods template shows that the STATUS only allows the values 1 or 2, which correlates to True and False, and is not a required field.
  • Enter required information. Some data is required, while other data is not. Read the description field to determine which information is required. Required information is necessary for your upload to succeed.

Save the file as a comma-separated value, or CSV, file. If saving from Excel, you could choose the comma-delimited file type.

The file will have the file extension .csv after you save it. Leave the file open until your import is successful. Excel can sometimes reformat the file if you close it before the import is successful.

Import a CSV file

Now that you've entered your data and looked through it for any of the common issues imports can have, you’re ready to import your file to Intacct.

To import your CSV file:

  1. Go to Company > Setup > Configuration > Import data.

  2. Find the information type that you want to import, and select the corresponding Import link.

  3. In the Import Company Information dialog, set the following and select Import:

    Import file option descriptions
    Option Description

    Browse

    Use the Browse button to locate and select the CSV file you want to import.

    Date format

    When you select a date format here, Sage Intacct attempts to import your file using the selected date format. If Intacct can’t import your file with the selected date format, it attempts to discover the date format used in your file and import the data using that date format.

    File encoding

    Leave this option set to "auto-detect" unless you're unable to import your file. Depending on your operating system, you may need to select a different type of file encoding.

    Process offline

    Some imports can take considerable time, depending on their size and how much processing the system must do on the uploaded data. If you're not sure how much time your upload will take, select Process offline. When the system completes the process, it sends an email to the address you provide in the Email results to this address field. The system also sends you any errors that may have occurred in the process. If you prefer to wait until the upload process is complete, don’t select the Process offline checkbox.

    Transactions and other records that are processed offline show a source of System in the audit trail, instead of CSV import.

    Email results to this address

    Email address to which import results and errors should be sent. You can enter multiple email addresses, separated by a semicolon (;) or comma (,).

    Sage Intacct highly recommends entering an email address.

After an import, Sage Intacct informs you if the import was successful and how many records were imported.

In a completely successful import, the confirmation page lets you verify all the records in your original file were, in fact, successfully imported without having to verify them manually.

Import offline

Some imports can take considerable time, depending on their size and how much processing Intacct must do to the data. When in doubt, select Process offline on the import utility page.

When the offline process is complete, Intacct sends an email to the address you entered in the Import Company Information dialog (where you imported your file).

Intacct recommends that you select Process offline when importing CSV files, and provide your email address. If your import fails, you’ll always be notified, and the failed records are sent to your email.

Field descriptions

The field definitions in your template explain what type of information is required for each field, and how to enter valid information. It's always a good idea to read the field definitions before making entries.

You can reorder the columns of your CSV file for ease of use. However, the column header must contain the field name exactly as it appears in the original template.

If you downloaded a template from the Company Setup Checklist or an object list page, your template contains the headers and dimensions that are specific to your company. The headers in a standard template might not contain field definitions specific to your company.

To import dimension values, enter information in the appropriate dimension column of the import spreadsheet. Otherwise, no information appears for that dimension.

If you relabeled any dimensions (see Terminology for more information), your dimension name does not appear in the CSV template, but the original Intacct dimension name does.

Field Name: DONOTIMPORT
# Any row that starts with # is ignored during import.
Field Name: LOCATION_ID
UI Field Name: Location ID
Type: Character
Length: 20
Default Value: None
Valid Values: Alphanumeric and underscore
Dependencies: None
Required: Yes
Editable: No
Field Name: LOCATION_NAME
UI Field Name: Location Name
Type: Character
Length: 40
Default Value: None
Valid Values: Any; should not be empty.
Dependencies: None
Required: Yes
Editable: Yes
Field Name: PARENT_ID
UI Field Name: Parent Location
Type: Character
Length: 20
Default Value: None
Valid Values: Alphanumeric and underscore
Dependencies: Refer to a valid location.
Required: No
Editable: Yes
Note:

Child records must be imported after the parent record. Child records that incorrectly reference a parent ID fail to import. An example might be, if the parent does not exist, or if the parent already references the child as a parent.
Field Name: START_DATE
UI Field Name: Start Date
Type: Date
Length: 10
Default Value: None
Valid Values: Any valid date format
Dependencies: None
Required: Yes
Editable: Yes
Field Name: END_DATE
UI Field Name: End Date
Type: Date
Length: 10
Default Value: None
Valid Values: Any valid date format
Dependencies: None
Required: No
Editable: Yes
Field Name: ACTIVE
UI Field Name: Status
Type: Character
Length: 1
Default Value: T
Valid Values:

T = true

F = false
Dependencies: None
Required: No
Editable: Yes
Note:

T = visible in lists

F = not visible in lists, but remains available for later use.