Importing Information

The key to bringing your data into AccountEdge is being comfortable working in spreadsheet software, like Excel, and understanding the fields available in AccountEdge.

Looking for a local expert to help you get started with AccountEdge? View our list of AccountEdge Experts.

Widgets Coffee Co.

A quick trick to get familiar with the AccountEdge data format is to export data from our sample Company File, Widgets Coffee Co., which is included when you install AccountEdge. This is the best way to match your existing data with the correct field names that AccountEdge will use when you import your information.

1. Open AccountEdge and select to open the Sample Company from the AccountEdge Welcome Window.
2. Click on File from the top menu bar and then from the drop-down select Export Data > Accounts > Account Information.
3. Keep the defaults on the first window, click Continue.
4. Select Match All to export all available data, click Export.
5. Save the exported text file (.txt) to your desktop so it is easy to locate.
6. Open the new text file in your spreadsheet software to view in an easily readable format.

Use this exported file as a tool to help you better understand the AccountEdge field names and types. They will also help you match and import your existing information correctly in AccountEdge.

Follow the same steps to also export Customer Cards, Lead Cards, Vendor Cards, Employee Cards, Items, and Activities.

You can import your account information (bank accounts, credit cards, expense accounts, etc.) into AccountEdge using a tab-delimited or comma-separated text file. You can create your own file or use a file that was exported from another system.

Gather Your Account Information

1. Export your accounts list or chart of accounts from your existing system.
2. Open your exported file in a spreadsheet program to review your data. You should delete any data you won’t need in AccountEdge going forward, like accounts you no longer use.
3. Modify your accounts list to match the format of the accounts list that was exported from the Widgets Coffee Co. sample Company File. By matching the same format and header records from the exported Widgets Coffee Co. sample Company File, importing into AccountEdge will be much easier.
4. Save your updated accounts list as a tab-delimited or comma-separated text file to your desktop so you can find it easily for the next step.

NOTE: The header record is the row at the top of your exported spreadsheet. The information found there will be the name of the fields in AccountEdge. Rename your header records to match the header records used in AccountEdge for an easier import.

Look at your Account Numbers and make sure that they follow the AccountEdge format for Account Numbers and Account Type. Account Numbers must have five-digits and follow the X-XXXX format.

• If your accounts are already five-digits, make sure that the first number corresponds to the correct account type.
• If your account numbers have four digits, you will need to turn them into five-digit account numbers. We recommend that you add zero at the end of your existing account numbers, make sure that the first number corresponds to the correct account type.

Take a look at how AccountEdge formats the Account Number by account type:

Import Account Data into AccountEdge

You can import your account information into AccountEdge from a tab-delimited or comma-separated text file. We suggest you import your Account Number, Account Name, and Opening Balance into AccountEdge.

1. In your AccountEdge Company File, click on File from the top menu bar and then from the drop-down select Import Data > Accounts > Account Information.
2. Select the following import options:
   • Import File Format: Select whether the data you are importing is saved as a tab-delimited or comma-separated file.
   • First Record is: Select whether the first record in the export file is a header record or a data record. If the first record in your export file contains the field names, select Header Record. If the first record in your export file contains data, select Data Record.
   • Duplicate Records: Depending on the data you are importing, you can choose to reject data that already exists in your Company File, update the existing records and transactions with the data you are importing, or add duplicate records.
3. Click Continue.
4. Select the tab-delimited or comma-separated text file you saved to import your account list. Click Open.
5. Match your header records with the correct fields in AccountEdge. Select the field on the left and then select the field you would like to match it to on the right. Continue this process until all desired fields have been matched appropriately. Click Import.

NOTE: You can use Automatch to automatically match import fields to the fields listed in the Fields column. Note that only fields with exactly the same name can be automatically matched. You can manually match any fields that are skipped.

After your import is complete, a pop-up window will appear letting you know how many records were imported without errors, skipped, or imported with warnings.

If it says all your records imported without errors, you have completed importing your accounts list into AccountEdge.

If the window shows some records were skipped, or that some records were imported with warnings, complete the steps in the AccountEdge Import Log section to correct the records.

You can import your contact information (customers, leads, vendors, and employees) into AccountEdge using a tab-delimited or comma-separated text file. You can create your own file or use a file exported from another system.

Gather Your Contact Information

NOTE: The instructions found in this section will focus on customers, but the same steps can also be used to import lead, vendor, and employee contacts.

1. Export your customer list from your existing system.
2. Open your exported file in a spreadsheet program to review your data. You should delete any data you won’t need in AccountEdge going forward, like accounts you no longer use.
3. Open your exported file in a spreadsheet program to review your data. You should delete any data you won’t need in AccountEdge going forward, like old customer information.
4. Modify your customer list to match the format of the customer list that was exported from the Widgets Coffee Co. sample Company File. By matching the same format and header records from the exported Widgets Coffee Co. sample Company File, importing into AccountEdge will be much easier.
5. Save your updated customer list as a tab-delimited or comma-separated text file to your desktop so you can find it easily for the next step.

NOTE: The header record is the row at the top of your exported spreadsheet. The information found there will be the name of the fields in AccountEdge. Rename your header records to match the header records used in AccountEdge for an easier import.

Import Customer Data into AccountEdge

You can import your customer information into AccountEdge from a tab-delimited or comma-separated text file. We suggest you import the following fields: Company or First Name, Last Name, Street 1, Street 2, City, State/Province, and Postal/Zip, Contact, Phone, and Email.

1. In your AccountEdge Company File, click on File from the top menu bar and then from the drop-down select Import Data > Cards > Customer Cards.
2. Select the following import options:
   • Import File Format: Select whether the data you are importing is saved as a tab-delimited or comma-separated file.
   • First Record is: Select whether the first record in the export file is a header record or a data record. If the first record in your export file contains the field names, select Header Record. If the first record in your export file contains data, select Data Record.
   • Duplicate Records: Depending on the data you are importing, you can choose to reject data that already exists in your Company File, update the existing records and transactions with the data you are importing, or add duplicate records.
   • Identify Records by: Select whether you want to import records using the Co./Last Name, Card ID or Record ID as the unique field.
3. Click Continue.
4. Select the tab-delimited or comma-separated text file you saved to import your customer list. Click Open.
5. Match your header records with the correct fields in AccountEdge. Select the field on the left and then select the field you would like to match it to on the right. Continue this process until all desired fields have been matched appropriately. Click Import.

NOTE: You can use Automatch to automatically match import fields to the fields listed in the Fields column. Note that only fields with exactly the same name can be automatically matched. You can manually match any fields that are skipped.

After your import is complete, a pop-up window will appear letting you know how many records were imported without errors, skipped, or imported with warnings.

If it says all your records imported without errors, you have completed importing your customer list into AccountEdge.

If the window shows some records were skipped, or that some records were imported with warnings, complete the steps in the AccountEdge Import Log section to correct the records.

You can import your items list into AccountEdge using a tab-delimited or comma-separated text file. You can create your own file or use a file exported from another system.

Gather Your Item Information

1. Export your items list from your existing system.
2. Open your exported file in a spreadsheet program to review your data. You should delete any data you won’t need in AccountEdge going forward, like old item information.
3. Format your items list for easy import into AccountEdge. You can use the exported item data from the Widgets Coffee Co. sample Company File and rename your existing header records to match the ones in AccountEdge.
4. Save your updated items list as a tab-delimited or comma-separated text file file to your desktop so you can find it easily for the next step.

NOTE: The header record is the row at the top of your exported spreadsheet. The information found there will be the name of the fields in AccountEdge. Rename your header records to match the header records used in AccountEdge for an easier import.

Import Item Data into AccountEdge

You can import your item information into AccountEdge from a tab-delimited or comma-separated text file. We suggest you import the following fields: Item Number, Item Name, Item Description, and Selling Price.

1. In your AccountEdge Company File, click on File from the top menu bar and then from the drop-down select Import Data > Items.
2. Select the following import options:
   • Import File Format: Select whether the data you are importing is saved in a tab-delimited or comma-separated file format.
   • First Record is: Select whether the first record in the export file is a header record or a data record. If the first record in your export file contains the field names, select Header Record. If the first record in your export file contains data, select Data Record.
   • Duplicate Records: Depending on the data you are importing, you can choose to reject data that already exists in your Company File, update the existing records and transactions with the data you are importing, or add duplicate records.
   • Identify Records by: Select whether you want to import records using the Item Number or Item Record ID as the unique field.
3. Click Continue.
4. Select the tab-delimited or comma-separated text file you saved to import your item list. Click Open.
5. Match your header records with the correct fields in AccountEdge. Select the field on the left and then select the field you would like to match it to on the right. Continue this process until all desired fields have been matched appropriately. Click Import.

NOTE: You can use Automatch to automatically match import fields to the fields listed in the Fields column. Note that only fields with exactly the same name can be automatically matched. You can manually match any fields that are skipped.

After your import is complete, a pop-up window will appear letting you know how many records were imported without errors, skipped, or imported with warnings.

If it says all your records imported without errors, you have completed importing your items list into AccountEdge.

If the window shows some records were skipped, or that some records were imported with warnings, complete the steps in the AccountEdge Import Log section to correct the records.

You can import your activities list into AccountEdge using a tab-delimited or comma-separated text file. You can create your own file or use a file exported from another system.

Gather Your Activity Information

1. Export your activity list or list of services offered from your existing system.
2. Open your exported file in a spreadsheet program to review your data. You should delete any data you won’t need in AccountEdge going forward, like old activity or service information.
3. Format your activities list for easy import into AccountEdge. You can use the exported activity data from the Widgets Coffee Co. sample Company File and rename your existing header records to match the ones in AccountEdge.
4. Save your updated activity list as a tab-delimited or comma-separated text file to your desktop so you can find it easily for the next step.

NOTE: The header record is the row at the top of your exported spreadsheet. The information found there will be the name of the fields in AccountEdge. Rename your header records to match the header records used in AccountEdge for an easier import.

Import Activity Data into AccountEdge

You can import your activity information into AccountEdge from a tab-delimited or comma-separated text file. We suggest you import the following fields: Activity ID, Activity Name, Description, and Rate.

1. In your AccountEdge Company File, click File from the top menu bar and then from the drop-down select Import Data > Activities.
2. Select the following import options:
   • Import File Format: Select whether the data you are importing is saved in a tab-delimited or comma-separated file format.
   • First Record is: Select whether the first record in the export file is a header record or a data record. If the first record in your export file contains the field names, select Header Record. If the first record in your export file contains data, select Data Record.
   • Duplicate Records: Depending on the data you are importing, you can choose to reject data that already exists in your Company File, update the existing records and transactions with the data you are importing, or add duplicate records.
3. Click Continue.
4. Select the tab-delimited or comma-separated text file you saved to import your activity list. Click Open.
5. Match your header records with the correct fields in AccountEdge. Select the field on the left and then select the field you would like to match it to on the right. Continue this process until all desired fields have been matched appropriately. Click Import.

NOTE: You can use Automatch to automatically match import fields to the fields listed in the Fields column. Note that only fields with exactly the same name can be automatically matched. You can manually match any fields that are skipped.

After your import is complete, a pop-up window will appear letting you know how many records were imported without errors, skipped, or imported with warnings.

If it says all your records imported without errors, you have completed importing your activity list into AccountEdge.

If the window shows some records were skipped, or that some records were imported with warnings, complete the steps in the AccountEdge Import Log section to correct the records.

The AccountEdge Import Log will list any errors that occurred during the import process. The errors and warnings that occurred during the import process are listed at the bottom of the log. Those error codes will correspond to the number in front of each record.

Open the AccountEdge Import Log (found in the same folder that contains your AccountEdge Company File). Open Import Log.txt with a spreadsheet program for easier viewing.

Open the tab-delimited or comma-separated text file you saved to import your data and make the corrections needed based on the error messages. Then, re-import the data.

NOTE: Make sure to select Duplicate Records > Update Existing Record when you re-import the file.

Continue that process until all records have been imported successfully.