Setting up merge rules

Merge rules let you automatically combine multiple transaction lines into a single line during the import process. This is useful when bank data contains related entries that should be treated as one transaction, such as payments split across multiple lines or separate lines for amounts, fees, and details.

By defining merge rules, you control both how lines are identified for merging and how the resulting line is created. This helps reduce manual work, ensures consistency, and produces cleaner transaction data for further processing.

To set up a merge rule

To define a merge rule:

1. Search () for and select Banking Import Setup.
2. On the General FastTab, enable Merge rules.
3. On the action bar, select Manual Setup > Merge Rules. Alternatively, search () for Merge Rules.
4. Click New. Alternatively copy and adapt a rule by selecting Copy Merge Rule.
5. On the Merge Rule page, on the General FastTab, add a new merge rule. Alternatively copy and adapt a rule by selecting Copy Merge Rule. Enter a unique code to identify the new rule and provide a meaningful description that explains the purpose of the rule.
6. On the Merging FastTab, start by choosing how the system should determine which lines to merge. Merge by specifies the method used to identify matching lines. Currently, on the Table Field is available. With the option to merge by Table Field, you must also define:
   • Merge by Table to choose the source table.
   • Merge by Field to specify the field used for comparison. For example, select Description if you want to merge lines based on the description in the lines.
7. Optionally, enter information for:
   • Merge by Start Position to define where text extraction begins. When you merge lines based on a description but you only want it to look for part of the description. For example if you have lines with the same vendor but different document references, such as VENDOR INV-1001 and VENDOR INV-1002, you can set Merge by Start Position to 1 and Merge by Length to 6 to match only the vendor name (CONTOSO LTD) and ignore the varying reference numbers.
   • Merge by Length to define how many characters are used for matching
8. Next, define how the merged line should be created:
   • Merge Description Template controls how the description of the merged line is generated. You can combine multiple fields to build the final description. If you leave it blank, the merged lines will have standard description: Line Merged by
   • Merge Date - determines which date from the source lines is used as the transaction date on the merged bank reconciliation line. Select Transaction Date (the default) to use the original transaction dates, or Value Date to use the value dates instead.
   • Merge Details determines whether detail lines from all source lines are included in the merged line.
   • Merge Detail Template controls how the details of the merged lines are generated. Use this field to define how detail lines are formatted when transactions are merged automatically. You can specify a template that replaces or enhances the original detail text with values from selected fields, making it easier to identify what has been merged. For example, to include key information from each merged entry, you can add the Transaction Date and Statement Amount fields to the template. If you want each merged detail line to show the date and amount separated by a slash, use the pattern: <%1>/<%2>. This helps you quickly understand which transactions are included in the merged line. Leave the field blank to keep the original detail text unchanged.
   • Merge Charges determines whether charges from all source lines are combined and added to the merged line.
9. Use Test Text to verify how the merge rule extracts and compares text based on your configuration. This helps you confirm that the correct part of the text is selected for comparison. Enter a sample description that represents the bank lines you want to merge. The system uses this text together with the Merge by Start Position and Merge by Length settings to show which part of the text is used for matching.
10. You can now add the merge rule to a search rule or apply it manually.

Related information

Introducing merge rules
Applying merge rules automatically
Merging bank statement lines manually
Restoring merged lines