Import the trial balance from a CSV or Excel file (new method)

Note: The new workflow for importing a trial balance form CSV or Excel is only available if it has been enabled in your product. See Import the trial balance from a CSV or Excel file (old method) to learn how to assign accounts from the old version of the page.

If the accounting software package you have is not supported by any of our import utilities, you can export your client data to a CSV (comma-separated value) or Excel file and then perform the import using this file. The format of the file can be either .xlsx or .csv.

After you upload the file, you need to assign the data fields in the file to predefined target fields in the Trial balance dataset, to complete the import. For descriptions of the fields in the Trial balance dataset, see Trial balance described.

To import client data from an Excel or CSV file:

  1. From the Data page, select the Import tab.

  2. Select Accounting Software or Structured File.

  3. If you’ve previously imported data, select Add data.

  4. If your engagement is consolidated and has internal subsidiary entities, select which entity you want to import data for from the list.

  5. Select either the CSV File Import or Excel File Import option.

  6. In the Add new dataset dialog, browse or drag the CSV or Excel file to the file upload area.

  7. If you uploaded a CSV file, the Select Delimiter dialog displays. Select the Delimiter used in the file, and then select Continue.

  8. In the Configure new dataset dialog, select Trial balance as the Dataset type from the drop-down menu.

  9. If planning balances are enabled in your product, select whether you are importing the Final trial balance or a Planning trial balance.

  10. Review the automatically selected header row to ensure the correct header has been selected. If you want to manually select the header row, select Adjust header row and select the correct row.

    Note: Both the automatic header detection and manual header selection only take into account the first 30 rows of the imported file. Rows beyond the first 30 rows cannot be selected as a header.

  11. Select Upload.

  12. On the Assign Fields page, you can:

    1. Use the drop-downs to manually assign a field to each column in the imported file

    2. Use the Select Data Layout drop-down to apply a previously saved data layout and automatically assign the fields. To learn more, see Save a data layout.

  13. If there are any errors, an indicator displays for the columns that contain the errors. You can then select the indicator and the error to view more information about the error and the specific rows that have been flagged.

    The Assign Fields page with an error selected to display the rows with the error.

  14. Select Include zero-balance accounts if you want to include accounts with a balance of zero in the import.

  15. Select Import.

If you want to reassign the fields later, you can select Options () | Reassign fields on the Datasets page.

Reimport the trial balance

After you complete the import, you can reimport the trial balance data at any point in time by going to the Data page, and selecting Import, then one of the available options:

  • Reimport Trial Balance - Select this method to reimport the data with the original import method that you used. For example, if you previously used Xero to import the trial balance data, the Xero import method displays when you attempt a reimport.

  • Reimport from different source - Select this method to reimport the data with a different import method. For example, if you previously used Xero, but now want to import the trial balance data from a CSV file.

When you reimport data,

  • Account names and balances will be overwritten with the reimported data for accounts that already exist in the engagement

  • Any new accounts in the reimported data that do not already exist in the engagement will be added to the engagement.

  • Accounts that exist in the engagement that are not included in the reimported data will be deleted, unless:

    • The existing account has a balance for a period, balance type or other entity that is not included in the reimported data. For example, if the existing account has a prior year balance but the reimported data only includes data for current year balances, the existing account will not be deleted.

    • The existing account has a corresponding adjustment, issue or annotation.

  • Any adjustments, issues and annotations made prior to reimport will remain after the data is reimported.