Importing CSV Files

The CSV (comma-separated values) format is essentially a table of rows and columns, like a spreadsheet. It is very versatile and not specifically designed to contain financial information.

As such there is no standard way for a bank to store data in such a file. There is no standard order for the columns in a CSV file or names for those columns.

As a result of this, the import process for CSV files is much more involved than any other standard format.
 

For this reason, we recommend using either OFX, QFX or QIF files for importing your data whenever possible. The steps for importing these files are outlined in this article.

OFX and QFX files are the best formats to download, with QIF files being the second best and CSV files being a distant third.

Importing CSV Files -

If CSV is the only file format your bank provides, you can follow the steps below to import -
 

Open Moneydance and choose File > Import.

Then select the CSV file.
 

You should check and amend the import settings -

• Specify the account you'd like to import data into.

• "Field Delimiter" is the character that's used in your CSV file to separate the fields.
  Comma is quite common and so is tab. If you're unsure, select comma.

• You may need to change the date format so it matches the format used within the CSV file.
  This isn't always the format you expect i.e. It won't necessarily be the date format you use in Moneydance

• Then specify either a period . or comma , as the decimal used in the file and click Next.

If you're unsure of any of these settings, you can check.
To do this, open the CSV file with a text program like NotePad or TextEdit.
This will allow you to view the file contents and you can check the delimiter, date format and the decimal used.

The next window displays a list of fields.
Each of these fields represents a column in the CSV file.

E.g. The first field (at the top of the list) is the first, left most column in the CSV file.
The second field (just below this) is column 2, to the right of the first column in the file, and so on...

You need to select the Moneydance transaction field that corresponds with the column in the CSV file.

To do this we suggest opening your CSV file in a spreadsheet program (like Excel or Numbers).
This will allow you to see which column is which, and use that as a reference to match the different field values to the corresponding columns in the CSV file.
 

Use the "More Fields" and "Fewer Fields" buttons to adjust the number of fields to import, corresponding to the number of columns in your CSV file.

The number of fields you set should match the exact amount of columns within the CSV file.

Do not include extra fields and assign them as 'Ignore'.
Do not leave out any fields because you don't want to import the data from those columns.
 

Set the exact number of fields to match the number of columns in the CSV file.
Then (using the CSV file contents as a reference) specify what data is included in each column.

When you're happy with the import settings, click "Finish" to import the file.

Importing transactions with this method will import them as "Unconfirmed", as though they have been downloaded from your bank. You should go through the confirmation process to handle the downloaded data.

If you need to import CSV transactions from other personal finance software (rather than from a financial institution), you should use the "Text File Importer" extension instead. You should refer to the 'Extensions' section of the knowledge base here for more information about downloading and using this extension.

CSV Importing Problems -

If data has been imported, but the information displayed is incorrect (or some data is missing) then it's most likely that the wrong settings were selected during the import process.
 

You can create a new dummy/test account - this will allow you to test the import settings until you find the correct settings to use, without affecting your existing accounts.

To do this, choose Account > New Account.
Create a "Bank Account" and name it something like "Import Test".

Once you've determined which settings you need, you can delete the "Test" account without affecting your other accounts or balances.

You can then proceed to import your data into the correct account, using the correct settings.
 

If you're unsure which import settings to use, you can contact the support team by emailing support@infinitekind.com, or create a private discussion on the support forum.
It would be useful for you to send a copy or sample of the CSV file with your support request.