[GNC] Example of multi-split feature of CSV importer?

Patrick plafratt at gmail.com
Sat Mar 23 20:07:45 EDT 2019


Thank you again for this helpful information.

I did have one other question about this. When I enter a split transaction
directly into GnuCash (by using the "Split" button), it allows me to give
each split of that transaction its own description. Since - if I understood
your explanation properly - the CSV importer uses the "Description" field
to group consecutive transactions in the same split, does this mean that
when I am importing transactions using "multi-split," that I can't give
each split of the same transaction its own description, as I can when I am
entering them manually?

Regards,
Patrick

On Mon, Mar 18, 2019 at 11:36 AM Patrick <plafratt at gmail.com> wrote:

> That makes sense. Thank you for the very helpful response and the example.
>
> Regards,
> Patrick
>
> On Mon, Mar 18, 2019 at 5:45 AM Geert Janssens <geert.gnucash at kobaltwit.be>
> wrote:
>
>> Op zondag 17 maart 2019 00:55:38 CET schreef Patrick:
>>
>> > I would like to import split transacations from a CSV file. Based on the
>>
>> > help balloon for it, the "multi-split" option seems to be the way to do
>>
>> > this, but I am not sure how to use this option. Is there an example
>>
>> > somewhere of how to use this option?
>>
>> >
>>
>> > To be specific, what I don't understand is that when the multi-split
>> option
>>
>> > is disabled, I can set one column in the CSV to be the "Account", and
>>
>> > another column to be the "Transfer Account". Setting these two columns
>>
>> > allows me to specify the "credit" and "debit" accounts involved in the
>>
>> > transaction. However, when I enable the multi-split option, the option
>> to
>>
>> > set a "Transfer Account" goes away. So, I am not sure how to specify the
>>
>> > second of the two accounts involved with the transaction when
>> multi-split
>>
>> > is enabled.
>>
>>
>>
>> First off, strictly speaking each transaction is "multi-split" as even
>> the simplest transaction (a transfer from one account to another) has two
>> splits: one in the source account and one in the target account. The split
>> itself doesn't know about the transfer. It only knows which account it
>> belongs to.
>>
>>
>>
>> As a real example is always more helpful, let's assume a transaction that
>> transfers $100 from Account A to Account B. This would be represented with
>> two splits:
>>
>>
>>
>> Transaction date 2019-03-18
>>
>> Transaction description "Transfer"
>>
>> Split 1: Account A $100 (Withdrawal)
>>
>> Split 2: Account B $100 (Deposit)
>>
>>
>>
>> Converting this in a multi-split csv file that can be imported would
>> yield something like this:
>>
>> Date,Description,Account,Deposit,Withdrawal
>>
>> 2019-03-18,Transfer,Account A,,100
>>
>> 2019-03-18,Transfer,Account B,100,
>>
>>
>>
>> As you can see there is no need for a "Transfer Account" column in this
>> case. Each split is associated with one account, you only have to define
>> that account. GnuCash will use the transaction related fields (in this case
>> only "Date" and "Description") to detect transaction boundaries. As both
>> fields are identical on each line, GnuCash will assume both splits to be
>> part of the same transaction.
>>
>>
>>
>> The single-line import format is a shorthand that can only be used in
>> case of transactions with at most two splits. For that situation each line
>> represents such a full transaction and hence may hold information to define
>> two splits. For that reason it also provides two Account assignments
>> options (Account and Transfer Account) as each split in that transaction
>> can have one. So the above translated into a single line csv file would
>> look like this:
>>
>>
>>
>> Date,Description,Account,Transfer Account,Deposit
>>
>> 2019-03-18,Transfer,Account B,Account A,100
>>
>>
>>
>> You could say the single line import format is a special case to simplify
>> most imports from bank accounts while the multi-split format is more
>> generic and the only format that will ever be able to import multi-split
>> (that is more than two splits) transactions (1).
>>
>>
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>>
>>
>> Geert
>>
>>
>>
>> (1) Note there are currently issues with the csv importer for
>> multi-currency imports or stock imports. These will eventually be resolved
>> allowing the multi-split format to import every kind of transaction gnucash
>> supports internally.
>>
>


More information about the gnucash-user mailing list