Anterior

Configure CSV ports

  • 4 min.

"Every PSP and bank seemed to send files in their own dialect. Different separators, header rows, and date formats. I used to spend an afternoon just deciphering one new format before a single transaction would reconcile. With the CSV Port Setup wizard, I upload a sample file, it detects the columns, I map them once, and I'm done. What was a recurring headache is now a five-minute, one-time setup".

Ester, Accountant at Cronus

Continia Banking gives you two ways to configure a CSV port, so you can choose the approach that best fits your file setup.

  • Use the CSV Port Setup wizard (recommended), a guided, step-by-step experience that walks you through mapping each column in your statement file to the corresponding field in Continia Banking.
  • Configure the port manually on the CSV ports page, where you create a new port, enter a code and description, and define the mapping and formatting rules.

Take a tour of the solution

In this scenario, you're working with a Payment Service Provider (PSP) and have received your first payment transaction file from them.

To ensure a smooth one-time setup for importing files directly into Continia Banking, you'll take the following steps:

  • Open the CSV Port Setup widget to upload a sample file.
  • Define the file format based on the detected fields.
  • Fill in the dimension settings and complete the mapping.

To set up a CSV port using the Wizard:

  1. Navigate to CSV Port Setup, then click Next to start the wizard.

  2. Enter the CSV Port Code which is a unique identifier for the port and the system will suggest the next available value.

  3. Select the File Type and Text Encoding that match your file.

  4. Choose Import Target for what the file reconciles, such as PSP files.

  5. Upload your file so the wizard can analyze it.

  6. Tell the system which rows to ignore, then click Next. Use the File Preview to check the result.

    • Skip Lines From Start: how many top rows to ignore (for example, titles or headers).
    • Skip Lines From End: how many bottom rows to ignore (for example, summaries or totals).
    • First Line is Header: enable this if the first line contains column names.

  7. Next, you will want to define how the file is read by choosing the following options:

    • CSV Separator: select the character used between columns.
    • CSV Separator Character: enter your own character if you chose a custom separator.
    • Delimiter: specify the delimiter for text fields.
    • Column Count: review the detected number of columns.

  8. Optionally map the key columns, then click Next:

    • Posting Date Column: enter the column number or letter (for example, 1 or A).
    • Posting Description Column: enter the column for the main posting description.
    • Alternative Posting Description Column: enter a fallback column to use when the main description is blank.

Continue through the remaining steps, then review your settings on the final step and finish the wizard to save the port.

Consejo

On the upload step, you can download a sample CSV file to test the setup before uploading your own.

Create a new CSV port manually

To create a new CSV port without the wizard, search for and open the CSV Ports page, and then on the action bar, select New.

  • On the General FastTab, you specify the code and description for the new CSV port.

  • On the Setup FastTab, you configure the details that enables Continia Banking to parse the CSV file, which data to include or exclude in the import and how the imported data should be handled.

  • On the Positions FastTab, you map specific fields in Business Central to columns in the CSV file.

To indicate in which columns Continia Banking can locate the specific data in the CSV file, you can use column letters (for example, D,F,G), column numbers (for example, 4,5,6), or a combination of both (for example, D,4,5).

Some few noticeable fields are:

  • The Posting Description field is used to indicate the position of the reference used for reconciliation.

  • The Alternative Posting Description field is used to map a secondary description if the primary posting description is empty. For instance, if the primary description is missing, the system will use the alternative description as a reconciliation reference.

  • The two options Skip Lines From End and Skip Lines From Start allows you to define how many lines either from the top or bottom of the statement file that you want to exclude in the import. This is useful for excluding multiple header rows or any introductory text that does not require importing.

  • The Invert amount for Columns field is used to specify the columns in which the amount must be inverted upon import, such as when the line amount is displayed as a positive number and needs to be imported as a negative number.

Nota

It's worth noting that the bank account must have both a currency code and a bank code that match the currency in the CSV transactions, otherwise the import won't line up correctly. That's a common tripping point.

More resources

Setting up CSV ports (Continia Docs)