The application provides three methods for entering and updating transactions: manual creation, check scanning, and data import. All of these methods result in transactions that appear in the transaction list and must go through the approval process. (In contrast, bulk load files and loaded FEP/ACH files do not appear in the transaction list. They move to the approval process as individual files.) To import data, you must have a text file in either fixed-length (each field is a specific length and results in a uniform record length) or delimited (variable length fields separated by a common delimiter that results in variable length records) format, and you must indicate how the data in the file should be distributed in the transaction fields of the application. Indicating these relationships is referred to as mapping the data. If your imported file is always in the same format, you will want to save the mapping information so that you can re-use it. To update existing ARC, RCK, or POP transactions, each imported record must match on the Check Serial Number, R/T Number, and Account Number fields. To update transactions for all other SEC codes, the SEC Code and Individual/Corporate ID fields must match an existing transaction. If the application does not find a matching ID for an entry, it will create a new transaction. You can import data into only one category/subcategory at a time.
How would you use the data import feature? If you have an external accounting program determining the amounts of your transactions (e.g., recurring billing drafts), you may want to import those amounts automatically into the application without having to edit each transaction's amount field manually. The Import Data option allows you to load amounts from an external file into a category's or subcategory's transaction records. If you use this option frequently, you may want to set up a Quick Import Definition, or shortcut, that will appear on your Home page and allow quick access to the import process.
Here are some notes about importing data:
If the file contains any errors, no records will be added or updated. You will need to correct the file outside the application and go through the import process again.
For importing, addenda records are limited to one per transaction.
Only common fields between transactions and the import file will be added or updated.
If you are importing data into the Account Type field, the file may contain the following values for this field: D, DDA, or Checking for a demand deposit account; S, SAV, or Savings for a savings account; G, GLA, or General Ledger for a general ledger account; or L, LOA, or Loan for a loan account.
If you are importing data into the Debit/Credit field, the file may contain any of the following values: D, DR, DB, or Debit to designate a debit; or C, CR, or Credit to designate a credit.
If you are importing data into the Effective Date field, the date in the file should be in the following format: MM/DD/YYYY (with the slashes).
If you are importing data into the Amount field, the amount in the file should be in the following format: 00000000.00 (up to 8 digits for the dollar value and 2 digits for the cent value).
In addition to mapping data to transaction fields, you may place default information in certain fields (Effective Date, Account Type, Debit/Credit Type, and Amount). These fields vary according to your import map. The Effective Date field is calculated according to the default schedule set up for the category/subcategory, but you may override this value as necessary.
Any mapped fields will overwrite the existing transaction information.
New transactions created by importing data use the default expiration set for the category/subcategory.
If the imported field is enclosed in double quotation marks (" "), the application ignores any delimiters found within that field. For example, if you are importing a comma-delimited file with the field "ABC Company, Inc", the application will not consider the comma to be a delimiter. The field will appear as ABC Company, Inc. The double quotation marks do not appear in the application.
The application provides two fields for Individual Name (First Name and Last Name). When you use both of these fields, the import process puts them together in the format Last Name, First Name. If, however, the file you are importing already has the full name (in this format) in one field, you can map that field to the First Name OR Last Name field and leave the other field blank.
When mapping for the Send Prenote field, the application accepts Y or 1 as Yes, N or 0 as No. Importing a Yes value marks the Send Prenote field of the transaction.
In addition, importing split transactions requires the following special considerations:
The system cannot create a split transaction via import.
When updating a split transaction, only the total transaction amount can be imported, and multiple updates within the import file are not permitted.
When updating a split transaction, the only fields that can be updated via import are Amount, Effective Date, Individual Name, and Individual ID. The import function will ignore the other fields. R/T Number, Account Number, and Name Override can not be updated via import.