Importing Expenses

How to Load Expenses in Bulk

When importing expenses in bulk, the process begins with exporting your budget as an XLSX file, which serves as the template for the import. This exported file includes existing expenses as examples, providing a reference for the import process.

During the import, only rows with the word y in the first column are considered for importing. Other rows are disregarded and not reloaded. It's important to note that importing expenses adds new entries and does not update existing ones. Once you indicate y in the first column of a row, conditional formatting is activated to highlight any potential errors. Cells with a purple background indicate missing required values, while purple text within a cell indicates an invalid value.

In addition, the column headers in the template file are color-coded to indicate their mandatory (purple) or optional (blue) status. This visual distinction helps you easily identify the essential fields that need to be filled in during the import process. For expense import, these columns are mandatory:

• Expense Name: The name of the expense does not need to be unique, but using unique names is helpful for identification purposes.
• Expense Type: This field will match one of the valid expense types defined in your budget. The values you enter are validated against the hidden Expense Type tab.
  
  Note:

  If the Expense Type does not match any Expense Type available within the Planful for Marketing application, it will be assigned to the Other type.
• Timeframe: For a monthly budget, the timeframe should be a valid month name. For a quarterly budget, it should be a valid quarter.
• Currency: The currency for the expense should match one of the valid currencies specified in your budget. The values you enter are validated against the hidden Currencies tab.
• Status: The expense status can be Planned, Committed, or Closed. If you enter Planned, the cell will remain highlighted until you provide a non-zero value in the Planned column and leave the Actual column blank or with a value of 0.
• Planned: This column represents the planned amount for the expense. It can be zero (0) unless the status is set to Planned.
• Actual: The actual amount spent on the expense can also be zero (0).
• Budget Segment: This field must correspond to a valid budget segment and is validated against the list on the Budget Segment tab. If you have shared cost rules, this column is not required and is labeled Budget Segment (if no Shared Cost Rule) next to the Shared Cost Rule (if no Budget Segment) column.
  
  Note:

  If the Segment mentioned in the file does not match any segments available within the Planful for Marketing application, it will be assigned to the Default Segment. If no default segment exists, one will be created.
• Owner: The owner of the expense should be specified with their email address. The values you enter are validated against the hidden Owners tab.

For expense import, these columns are optional:

• Parent Campaign: (if no Expense Group): This column represents the campaign that serves as the parent of the expense. An expense can have only one parent campaign. The values you enter are validated against the tab.
• Parent Expense Group: (if no Campaign): If the expense does not have a parent campaign, this column indicates the expense group that serves as its parent. An expense can have only one parent expense group. The values you enter are validated against the tab.
• Vendor: If the vendor specified for the expense does not exist, it will be created during the import.
  
  Note:

  If the Vendor name does not match any Vendor available within the Planful for Marketing application, it will be added as a new entry. If no existing entry is found, one will be created. Validation is not required for Invoice Numbers; any provided value will be accepted.
• GL Code: The GL Code for the expense is validated against the hidden GL Code tab.
  
  Note:

  If the GL Code does not match any GL Code available within the Planful for Marketing application, it will be assigned to No GL Code.
• PO Number: The purchase order number associated with the expense.
  
  Note:

  There is no validation on PO Numbers; however, if the same PO Number exists within an Expense Group, it will become the parent, and the segment will be adjusted accordingly.
• Invoice Number: The invoice number associated with the expense.
• Notes: Any additional notes or comments related to the expense.
• Tags: Tags can be assigned to the expense during the import. If the tags specified do not already exist, they will be created. If there are multiple tags, each tag should be enclosed in double quotation marks, and commas should be used to separate them. For example: "Product X", "Demand gen".
• Expense ID: This column represents the unique identifier of the expense. If left blank, a unique ID will be generated during the import process. It is important to note that importing an expense with a duplicate expense ID will result in the import being rejected. Therefore, when copying another expense as an example, make sure to clear the expense ID.
  
  Note:

  For valid Campaign ID/Expense Group ID, the validations remain unchanged. The parent will be set to None if the value does not exist.
• Relation Group: This column contains a unique ID that groups related expenses together. If you specify an existing relation group ID during the import, the expense will be related to other already existing expenses. If you create a new relation group ID, you can upload multiple expenses and establish relationships among them.

Once you have prepared your XLSX file with one or more expense rows marked with y in the first column, you can proceed with the import process. 

1. Go to the Import / Export Data page and select from the dropdown list under the Import section.
   
2. Click Upload and then select XLSX file from your system.
   
3. Once you have selected the file, click Import.
   

Upon initiating the import, any errors will be listed for you to address in the XLSX file. Once errors are resolved, you can retry the import. If successful, you'll be notified, otherwise, the expenses will be loaded into the system.