CSV import: Account beginning balances

You can import account beginning balances by uploading a CSV file.

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Company

Regional availability

All regions

User type

Business
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Company Setup Checklist: Run

Download a new blank template from the Company Setup Checklist whenever you import information into Sage Intacct. Using a downloaded template is important because:

  • Templates in the Company Setup Checklist are automatically customized based on your company configuration, including any dimensions and custom fields you created.
  • Intacct can update templates at any time, especially when a new version of Intacct is released. If Intacct updates a template, an older template might not work during import.
Some Intacct import pages include a link that lets you download a blank template directly (instead of getting the template from the Company Setup Checklist).

To download a template from the Company Setup Checklist:

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

    The Company Setup Checklist opens. You’ll find a list of areas that you can import information into Intacct.

  2. Decide on a type of information to upload, and select the Template link associated with that information.
If you do not see the template that you want on the Company Setup Checklist, go to Download a CSV import template. Some templates are not kept on the Company Setup Checklist.

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.

Avoid common import errors

Intacct recommends following these guidelines to avoid import errors.

In Microsoft Excel:

  1. Select all cells.
  2. Right-click the cells and select Format Cells.
  3. On the Number tab, select Text and then select OK.
  4. Save the file.

The short date format is formatted like this: 3/15/2021

In Microsoft Excel:

  1. Select a column of dates.
  2. Right-click the column and select Format Cells.
  3. On the Number tab, select Date and select the short date format.
  4. Save the file.

While spaces within memo fields are allowed, make sure that there are no leading or trailing spaces in any field (not just memos). Leading and trailing spaces might cause import errors. For all other fields, remove unnecessary spaces at the start or end of the data.

In Microsoft Excel:

  1. Select a range of cells.
  2. On the Home tab, in the Editing group, select Find & Select and select Replace.
  3. In the Find what box, enter one space. Leave the Replace with box blank.
  4. Select Replace All. A prompt opens telling you how many spaces have been removed.
  5. Save the file.

Commas are used to separate fields in CSV files.

To prevent data from shifting into the wrong columns, avoid using commas in numeric and text fields.

If you must include a comma in a text field, always surround the field with double quotes, for example "Smith, John".

Headers in your CSV file must match the template exactly, including spelling, capitalization, and spacing. Even small changes (such as adding a space or changing a letter’s case) will cause the import to fail. Always use the official template provided by Sage Intacct.

ID fields must contain exact references to customers or vendors.

ID fields must match exactly, including capitalization. For example, ven100 and VEN100 do not match.

Enter the ID exactly as it appears in Intacct or you run the risk of matching transactions to the wrong vendor or customer, or having the upload fail.

If you reference a vendor, customer, term, budget, etc., in a CSV file, whatever you’re referencing must already exist in Intacct.

For example, if you’re uploading transactions for a vendor, that vendor must already exist in Intacct before you start the upload. If the vendor does not exist, the upload will fail.

This does not apply when creating new customers or vendors using the import process.

For more information about to correctly number line items, see CSV import: Line number examples.

For fields with predefined valid entries (such as True/False), use initial capitalization. For example True, not TRUE or true. IDs require exact case matches, while predefined entries require initial capitalization.

If your import template contains a country field, for example for an address, make sure that this field has an entry.

If your company has enabled ISO country codes, you must specify the country code in the country field for each record. If you’re unsure whether ISO codes are enabled, check with your administrator or test a sample import to confirm the required format.

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.

Offline CSV imports

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.

Handle errors

If you experience import errors, review the importing tips and common errors.

Import errors occur when you try to import information that doesn’t match the requirements of the template. Each template has a set of required information you must enter to import the file successfully, and formats to follow for certain kinds of information. Read the descriptions in the template to determine the most accurate way to enter your data.

If individual transactions are in error, the rows in the transaction that are in error are saved in a CSV file for you along with an error code for each row. Check your email for information about specific errors. See Find and fix CSV import errors for more information.

For more information about the CSV upload process, read Prepare your file for CSV import.

About account beginning balances

Use this template to import beginning balances into one journal with one file. If you intend to import multiple journals with one file, use Import General Ledger Journal Entries.

Journals must be created before you can establish the beginning balances for the GL. Assuming you have created the required journals, choose the journal for which you want to establish a beginning balance from the pull-down list. This will typically be the General Journal.

Then, you enter a date for "Balance as of" or choose one with the Calendar button. Typically that date is the next day after you close your old accounting system and start a new set of books in Intacct. However, it could be another date as well. In the event that you do not enter a date, the default is today. Be careful when entering the beginning date, because the choice is important. If you choose to enter starting balances as of, say, two fiscal years ago because you want to be able to print comparative financial statements, you must then make General Journal entries for the ending GL balances for all the periods between your starting balance date and the date you actually begin using Intacct.

If you are uploading historical transactions, be sure that your starting balances CONTAIN these uploaded transactions, and set the Balance As Of date to that date.

Because GL Transactions contain fields for both department and location, you can enter as many unique GL transaction department/location combinations as you wish.

After importing

After importing account beginning balances, do the following:

  • Populate your Account Group ranges from the General Ledger > All > Financial report structures > Account Groups page.
  • Create a financial report to test your data from the General Ledger > All > Core > Financial reports page.
  • Create a Trial Balance from the General Ledger > All > Reports > Trial balance and select Trial balance to make certain that your starting balances have been set up correctly.
Be sure to properly format your Trial Balance so that it includes all relevant accounts. You can make sure that the relevant accounts are included on the Account Groups page. If the correct accounts are not included, this omission can throw off your Balance Sheet artificially.

Starting over

If your starting balances are not correct (for example, your Trial Balance in Intacct does not match your Balance Sheet from your old accounting system), or you have entered the wrong dates for your GL balances, you can Clear Company Data and start again at this step on the Company Setup Checklist. For more information, see Clear company data.

Clearing all data removes all your data and configuration options. Only select this if you want to start over. The majority of configuration errors can be corrected without clearing all data. Talk to your Intacct representative before clearing company data.

Field descriptions

The uploaded file must contain a number in either the DEBIT or CREDIT field. One or the other is required. For example, if you do not have a debit amount, you must have a credit. You can import negative numbers for either, in which case a negative debit amount is treated as a credit, and a negative credit is treated as a debit.

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: ACCT_NO

UI Field Name:

Account

Type:

Character

Length:

24

Default Value:

None

Valid Values:

Any; must conform to the primary/sub account specification in Company > Setup: Company Info

Dependencies:

None

Required:

Yes

Editable:

Yes
Field Name: LOCATION_ID

UI Field Name:

Location

Type:

Character

Length:

20

Default Value:

None

Valid Values:

Alphanumeric and underscore

Dependencies:

Must refer to a valid location.

Required:

No

Editable:

Yes

Notes:

Child records must be imported after the parent record. Child records that incorrectly reference a parent ID fail to import. For example, the parent does not exist.
Field Name: DEPT_ID

UI Field Name:

Department

Type:

Character

Length:

20

Default Value:

 None

Valid Values:

Alphanumeric and underscore

Dependencies:

Must refer to a valid department.

Required:

No

Editable:

Yes

Notes:

Child records must be imported after the parent record. Child records that incorrectly reference a parent ID fail to import. For example, the parent does not exist.
Field Name: DOCUMENT

UI Field Name:

Document

Type:

Character

Length:

30

Default Value:

None

Valid Values:

Any

Dependencies:

None

Required:

No

Editable:

Yes

Notes:

The Document field is used to enter a document number for reference.
Field Name: MEMO

UI Field Name:

Memo

Type:

Character

Length:

1000

Default Value:

None

Valid Values:

Any

Dependencies:

None

Required:

No

Editable:

Yes
Field Name: DEBIT

UI Field Name:

Debit

Type:

NUMBER

Length:

38,2

Default Value:

None

Valid Values:

Any number

Dependencies:

None

Required:

Yes if the CREDIT amount is not present

Editable:

Yes

Notes:

A negative number is treated as a credit.
Field Name: CREDIT

UI Field Name:

Credit

Type:

NUMBER

Length:

38,2

Default Value:

None

Valid Values:

Any number

Dependencies:

None

Required:

Yes, if the DEBIT amount is not present

Editable:

Yes

Notes:

A negative number is treated as a debit.