[GNC] Issues Importing a Large CSV with Multiple Accounts into GnuCash: Is Duplicated Transactions Normal?

[Adrien Monteleone]

This is one of the reasons why it is not recommended to import a large 
file, especially one containing transactions from more than a single 
account on one side of each transaction.

Read over the Help Manual & the Tutorial & Concepts Guide concerning 
imports.

The usual recommended procedure is to break the import into smaller 
chunks depending on how many transactions you have in a month/year, etc.

So for example, you might import January 2023 of your checking account. 
(from whatever other app, or from a bank download) Then reconcile, and 
repeat for February, then March, etc.

As you go, you are training the matcher, so the imports speed up, and 
duplicates are detected.

It is up to you, how big the import chunks are, but bigger is not 
necessarily faster, and maybe rarely is.

Regards,
Adrien

On 10/6/23 11:57 PM, Gio Bacareza wrote:
> I've been attempting to import a large, consolidated CSV file containing
> multiple accounts into GnuCash. Previously, I used to import transaction
> logs from various accounts individually, which I thought was a cumbersome
> process. To simplify this, I’ve created scripts to compile all transactions
> into one comprehensive CSV file for what I thought would be a more
> straightforward import process.
> 
> However, I've encountered an issue where GnuCash duplicates certain
> transactions during the import. Specifically, this happens when a
> transaction represents a withdrawal from one account and a deposit into
> another, which are naturally recorded as two separate entries in the CSV.
> For instance, when money is withdrawn from a bank account and deposited
> into a cash account, the consolidated CSV file includes one row showing the
> bank account debit and another showing the cash account credit.
> 
> I assumed that GnuCash’s import algorithm would recognize and eliminate
> these duplicate transactions during the import process as it typically does
> with other duplicates. Unfortunately, my tests indicate that it imports
> both transactions, resulting in duplicated entries.
> 
> Is this a mistake on my part, or is this behavior expected from GnuCash
> when importing a large CSV with multiple accounts? Any insights or
> solutions to prevent these duplicates would be greatly appreciated.
>