How to import master records into Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting (906096)

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Before you import data into Small Business Accounting, you should know the following:

• When you import a .csv file or an Excel (.xls) worksheet, Row 1 must be a header row that describes the data in the column. We recommend that you use the field name from Small Business Accounting for the header row value. Although you are not required to use this field name, the system will try to automatically map to that name.
• When you import account information, the import file must contain the account name instead of the account number.
• Small Business Accounting does not import any Inventory Asset account if the account has a non-zero opening balance against it.
• If you first export data from other accounting applications, you may have to modify the data to make sure that the format is correct for importing. For example, if you export your data from Peachtree Accounting to Excel, you must reverse the sign (positive to negative or vice-versa) on all liabilities, income, and equity accounts that are in the Excel spreadsheet before you import the data into Small Business Accounting.
• You must import the destination account types in the following order:
  1. Chart of Accounts
  2. Vendors
  3. Customers
  4. Inventory Items
  5. Non-inventory Items
  6. Service Items
  7. Employees

The following table shows the required fields for each destination account type.

Account Type	Required Fields
Account	Account Name
	Account Type
	Cash Flow Category
Vendor	Vendor Name
Customer	Customer Name
Inventory Items	COGS Account
	Income Account
	Asset Account
	Item Name
Non-Inventory Items	Income Account
	Expense Account
	Item Name
Service Items	Income Account
	Expense Account
	Item Name
Employees	Employee Name

How to import an Excel worksheet

The Excel (.xls) workbook may contain multiple worksheets for each type of data that you want to import; however, each worksheet or type of data must be imported separately.

There is a standard template for importing an Excel worksheet. The template is named ImportData.xls. The template is typically installed in the following location:If you use the ImportData.xls template, you are prompted to save the file by using a different name. By default, the template file is configured as Read-Only, so you must create a new file. If you use this template, all the mapping is completed for you. If you use a different format, you must manually map the fields.

To import an Excel worksheet, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, point to Utilities, and then click Import.
2. In the Import Data window, click Microsoft Excel Worksheet (.xls), and then click OK.
3. In the Import Data Wizard window, click Browse, select the spreadsheet that you want to import, and then click Open.
4. In the Options section of the Import Data window, select either the option to import duplicate records or not to import duplicate records, and then click Next.
5. On this page of the Import Data Wizard, select the spreadsheet in Step 1, select the destination account type in Step 2, and then click Map Fields in Step 3.
6. In the Map Fields window, you must map the fields from the Excel worksheet to the Small Business Accounting destination account type that you have selected.
   
   Small Business Accounting will try to automatically map the fields that have the same name. If you use the ImportData.xls file, the mapping is completed for you. To manually map a field, select a field name that you want to change from the From pane, and then drag the name to the correct field name on the To pane. Asterisks (*) indicate required fields. When you map a field, a check mark appears under the Mapped column on the From pane. On the To pane, the mapped field name populates the Mapped from column.
7. When you have mapped the fields, click OK, and then click Next two times to import the data.
8. When the import process is completed, you receive a link to obtain the details of the import. Click Finish.
9. Repeat steps 1-8 for each destination account type.

How to import a .csv file

For .csv files, a separate file must be created for each destination account type. However, you can import only one file at a time. To import a .csv file, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, point to Utilities, and then click Import.
2. In the Import Data window, click Comma-Separated Values (.csv), and then click OK.
3. In the Import Data Wizard window, click Browse, select the .csv file that you want to import, and then click Open.
4. In the Options section of the Import Data Wizard window, select the appropriate option to import duplicate records or not to import duplicate records. Then click Next.
5. On this page of the Import Data Wizard, select the .csv file in Step 1, select the destination account type in Step 2, and then click Map Fields in Step 3.
6. In the Map Fields window, you must map your fields from the .csv file to Small Business Accounting accounts.
   
   To map fields, see step 6 in the "How to import an Excel worksheet" section.
7. When you have mapped the fields, click OK, and then click Next two times to import the data.
8. When the import process is completed, you receive a link to obtain the details of the import. Click Finish.
9. Repeat steps 1-8 for each destination account type.

How to import an Access (.mdb) file

To import an .mdb file, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, point to Utilities, and then click Import.
2. In the Import Data window, click Microsoft Access Database (.mdb), and then click OK.
3. In the Import Data Wizard window, click Browse, select the .mdb file that you want to import, and then click Open.
4. In the Options section of the Import Data Wizard window, select the appropriate option to import duplicate records or not to import duplicate records. Then click Next.
5. On this page of the Import Data Wizard, select the table from the .mdb source file in Step 1, select the destination account type in Step 2, and then click Map Fields in Step 3.
   
   For .mdb files, you can import only one destination account type at a time.
6. In the Map Fields window, you must map the fields from the .mdb file to Small Business Accounting accounts.
   
   To map fields, see step 6 in the "How to import an Excel worksheet" section.
7. When you have mapped the fields, click OK, and then click Next two times to import data.
8. When the import process is completed, you receive a link to obtain the details of the imported date. Click Finish.
9. Repeat steps 1-8 for each destination account type.

How to import an .xml file

You can import an .xml file to import master records that have been exported from another company in Small Business Accounting.

1. On the File menu, point to Utilities, and then click Import.
2. In the Import Data window, click Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting Data, and then click OK.
3. In the Import Data Wizard window, click Browse, select the .xml file that you want to import, and then click Open.
4. In the Options section of the Import Data Wizard window, click to select or to clear the three check boxes as appropriate, and then click Import.
5. When the import process is completed, you receive a path where you will find a detailed report of the imported data. Click OK.