[GNC] CSV file import question

[Mark]

I wish I used institutions that used signed numbers.  I most often saw a 
column of tags -- deposit/withdrawal, charge/payment, etc. -- and a 
column of positive numbers.  I made a few simple spreadsheets that read 
the various .csv downloads and "translated" it into a format that was 
easily digestible to GC.  Then I streamlined the process with Intuit's 
free Mint service... one .csv for all accounts, one spreadsheet to 
translate for GC, easy-peasy.  :)


On 9/12/2020 11:35 AM, Stephen M. Butler wrote:
> Note that both columns could be tagged as "Deposit" as is the case with
> Citi CC.  The column containing charges to the card are Positive but the
> payments column is negative.  <<sigh>>.
>
> I presume that someone has a case where both should be tagged as
> "Withdrawl".
>
> --Steve
>
> On 9/12/20 7:21 AM, Geert Janssens wrote:
>> Greg,
>>
>> The terms "Deposit" and "Withdrawal" in the csv importer can be a bit confusing unfortunately.
>> The terms map well for bank statements using two columns to display amounts, where both
>> columns list positive numbers. It maps less well for credit card statements (interpretation would
>> be inversed) or two-column representations were the withdrawal column lists negative numbers.
>>
>> As a sidenote, a more general labeling could have been "Amount (unchanged)" and "Amount
>> (sign reversed)", because that's what the labeling actually makes gnucash do internally.
>> However that also requires user interpretation of the data and understanding of how gnucash
>> works internally.
>>
>> For your bank statements, if your amounts are all in one column the deposits are presumably
>> positive numbers and withdrawals presumably negative numbers. In that case label this single
>> column "Deposit".
>>
>> If you have separate columns for your deposits and withdrawals, the labels to use depend on
>> the signs of the numbers in your csv.
>>
>> If the deposit column has positive numbers, label the column as "Deposit". If the deposit column
>> has negative numbers, label the column as "Withdrawal".
>>
>> For the withdrawal column it's exactly the opposite.
>>
>> If the withdrawal column has positive numbers, label the column as "Withdrawal". If the
>> withdrawal column has negative numbers, label the column as "Deposit".
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Geert
>>
>> Op dinsdag 8 september 2020 05:08:05 CEST schreef David Carlson:
>>> Greg,
>>> Usually, when your bank or credit card company creates a CSV file for you,
>>> either deposits are positive and withdrawals are negative, or vice versa.
>>> Whichever you see, you then call the amounts deposits or withdrawals when
>>> performing the import, and GnuCash assigns the value to the Debit or credit
>>> column as appropriate.
>>> The key is to correctly tag the value column as deposit or withdrawal when
>>> importing the file.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, Sep 7, 2020 at 8:23 PM Greg Carroll <gregory.a.carroll at gmail.com>
>>>
>>> wrote:
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> I'm new to Gnucash. I have it set up as a checkbook. I imported a csv
>>>> file,
>>>> but it put all of the amounts of the deposits and withdrawals only in the
>>>> deposit column. I can't figure out how get it to recognize deposit amounts
>>>> separately from withdrawal amounts. I even made separate csv files
>>>> containing only deposits and one for only withdrawals and upon importing
>>>> it, gnucash still puts all of the amounts in the deposits column.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> Greg
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>