Import Transactions and Historical Records

Many types of transactions can be imported into CommunitySuite in bulk. Imports are a quick and efficient way of entering large quantities of data, thus alleviating manual entry.

Who: Finance and data teams importing historical records or entering transaction data in bulk into CommunitySuite.

When to Import Transactions

Use bulk transaction imports to:

• Import historical donations, grants, scholarships, or vouchers from a former system without impacting the general ledger.
• Enter transaction data that was not captured in CommunitySuite at the time it occurred, such as event fees collected outside the system.
• Import current transactions in bulk, including invoices, journal entries, pledges, promises, and vouchers, to reduce manual data entry.

Import Types

The following transaction types can be imported into CommunitySuite. Current and historical imports are available for donations, grants, scholarships, and vouchers. Historical imports do not impact the general ledger. Invoices, journal entries, and pledges/promises do not have historical imports available, only current import options.

Donations and Grants: Current and historical donations can be imported. Historical will not impact the general ledger.

Invoices: Current invoices can be imported, but historical entries cannot. 

Journal entries: Current journal entries can be imported, but historical entries cannot.

Pledges/Promises: Current pledges/promises can be imported, but historical entries cannot. Imported pledges/promises will import into the Pledge/Promise New bucket. The payment schedule import, which is calculated from the first payment date, will be determined based on the first payment date entered. 

• Example:
  • If the first payment date is entered as 01/31/2024 using the last day of the month, then the rest of the payments will use the last day of the month (02/29/2024, 03/31/2024, 04/30/2024, etc.)
  • If the first payment date is entered as 01/30/2024 using the second to the last day of the month, then the rest of the payments will use the second to the last day of the month (02/28/2024, 03/30/2024, 04/29/2024, etc.)

Scholarships: Current and historical scholarships can be imported. Historical will not impact the general ledger.

Vouchers: Current and historical vouchers can be imported. Historical will not impact the general ledger. Current statement vouchers can be imported, but historical entries cannot. On current vouchers, rows with the same date and reference number but different fund IDs will create a multifund voucher. Importing historic multifund vouchers is not available. 
 

Current vs. Historical Options

To identify if historical imports are available for the template, there will be a historical column on the import template. If a Y is entered into the column, the transaction will be imported as historical and will not impact the general ledger. Instead, it will import in the transaction as a record for reporting and transaction history.

 

Import Transactions Videos

The following video resources demonstrate the import process for donations, grants, and scholarships in CommunitySuite.

Donation Import Videos

Grants Import Video

Scholarship Import Video

Import Transactions

The process for importing all types of transactions is the same though on-screen instructions and settings will vary. The example below uses a donations import and calls out different information in other import types. To import transactions into CommunitySuite:

1. Navigate to the Donations page.
   • If importing another transaction type, navigate to that page.
2. Click Import Donations in the left-side menu. 
   • For other transactions, look for the related Import option.
3. Read the on-screen File Format Notes for the record type being imported. 
   • These vary by transaction type and provide important information including which fields are required and how to format the data.
4. Review the example in the CSV File Format And Examples section. 
   • Notice drop-down menus in some fields. When this is present, it indicates that the value used in the template needs to match a value in the system.
     • Example: If a donation is imported to 1003, Glass Mountain Fund, then add 1003 in the funit_id on the template. 
5. Click Download Template in CSV File Format And Examples. 
6. Populate the template in accordance with the file format notes.
   • Some common questions and errors are addressed in the next section.
   • If there is custom field data to import with donations, grants, or scholarships, review the Import New Records with Custom Fields section in Import and Bulk Edit Custom Fields.
7. Save the file as a .csv.
8. Click Choose File in the Upload Donations section and select the saved .csv file.
   • The header of this section will vary by transaction type, but it will always be at the top of the page and will start with Upload.
      
9. Select the appropriate options in the Upload section, and then click Process.
   • Other import pages will have different options or no options.
      

A background job will be created. The page can be refreshed to see the status. If the import file is a large file, then other work in the system can be done while the job processes. If any errors occur, click the JobID to see the detail.

Import Statement Vouchers

Statement vouchers to record investment returns, bank fees, and interest can be imported when an organization has many investment accounts. This allows the organization to reuse the statement voucher import every month and change the dates and amounts as needed. Statement vouchers cannot be imported as historical records and will always impact the general ledger. Create and Edit Statement Vouchers provides more details on statement vouchers.

To import statement vouchers:

1. Navigate to the Vouchers page.
2. Click Import Vouchers in the left-side menu.
3. In the Upload Statement Vouchers section, click Download Template.
   
    
4. Open the template, enter the statement voucher import information, and then save the template as a .csv file to your computer.
   • statement_account_num is the asset account associated with the statement voucher, and account_num is the revenue account associated with dividends and interest earned.
   • File format notes for the template are available on the import page and in the Statement Voucher File Format Notes section below. There is an example format for each of the field types below the Download Template button.
   • Below is an example of how to format the file for upload. 
     
      
5. Click Choose File.
   
    
6. Select the .csv file from your computer.
7. Click Process.
   
    

The imported statement vouchers will be in the vouchers New bucket for posting as usual. Run Revenue Share if the fund on the statement voucher is the Z_Revenue Share fund.

Statement Voucher File Format Notes 

File format notes and guidelines for the template are available on the import page. The following format notes are listed below:

1. A row must have at least a profile_id, voucher_date, ref_num, funit_id, account_num, statement_account_num, description, and amount. All other fields are optional.
2. Rows containing the same profile_id, statement_account_num, voucher_date, and ref_num will create a single voucher with multiple line items.
3. Leading and trailing spaces in all entries will be removed. i.e. (" Chris " becomes "Chris")

Common Questions and Issues

To resolve common import issues in CommunitySuite, review the file formatting requirements and error checklist below before contacting Support.

Formatting the File

Some elements of the import template can be altered, but others cannot. The following cannot be done when formatting the import file:

• Add columns that are not on the import template, with the exception of custom fields. Custom fields can only be added to donation, grant, and scholarship imports.
• Rename headers, including changing capitalization, adding or removing spaces, or using a header from another template.
• Reorder columns, as this will cause some imports to fail.
• Delete unused columns, as this will cause some imports to fail.

Import Errors

The following addresses the most common causes of import errors in CommunitySuite:

Save as .CSV: The file needs to be saved as a .csv file. An Excel file cannot be imported.
 
ID Numbers: The ID's and values in the import file must match an ID or menu value in the system. For example, if importing donations with a funit ID of 1234, an error will occur if that fund number does not exist in your site.

Column Headers: Column headers must match the import template exactly.