Setting up CSV ports

Once you have analyzed the file you want to import and identified separators, delimiters, and other formatting elements, you are ready to map each column in the CSV file to a corresponding field in Continia Banking.

The easiest way to set up a CSV port is by following the steps of the CSV Port Setup wizard. See Setting up CSV ports using the wizard. You can also open the wizard by clicking Setup CSV Port on the action bar.

To add a CSV port

To set up a CSV port:

1. Search () for and select CSV ports - Continia Banking.

2. On the action bar, select New to create a new port.

3. On the CSV port page, enter the general information:

   Field	Description
   Code	A unique identifier for this CSV Port. The system suggests the next available value, but you may enter your own. Alternatively, select an existing CSV port to modify its settings.
   Description	A description for this CSV Port.
   File Format	Select the file type.
   Text Encoding	Choose from different file encodings to import files.
   Import Target	Select what this file will be used to reconcile, such as PSP files or transactions.

4. On the Setup FastTab, enter the information used to map the fields:

   Field	Description
   CSV Separator	Enter the separator type used in your CSV (Comma-Separated Values) files. The role of a separator is to demarcate two distinct entities so that they can be distinguished. These characters separate fields of data within each line. The most common CSV separators are: Comma (,): Fields are separated by commas. Example: total_sale_amount,total_fee_amount,total_return_amount,total_reversal_amount,... Semicolon (;): Used in some regions instead of commas. Example: Account;Amount;Use;Date. This field is mandatory. If you select Custom, the CSV Separator field becomes available for entering a value yourself.
   Delimiter	Specifies the character used as a delimiter. Delimiters are used when files contain both commas as separators and descriptions with embedded commas.
   Date Format	Enter the date format used in your CSV file. This setting is used during file import to ensure the correct formatting of the posting date. The date format is based on the .NET DateTime format. For example, ddMMyyyy.
   Decimal Separator	Specify the character used as a decimal point. For example, period or comma.
   Thousands Separator	If used, specify the character used to separate thousands. For example, period or comma.
   Skip Lines From Start	Specifies the number of initial rows to skip during import. This is useful for excluding header rows or any introductory text that does not require importing. For instance, skip rows that solely contain header information or irrelevant introductory text.
   Skip Lines From End	Enter the number of lines at the end of the file to skip during import.
   First Line Is Header Line	Enable if the first line of the file contains column headers. You can also use the Skip Lines From Start field.
   Fee Alternative Descriptions	Specifies alternative descriptions that identify fees during import. If multiple fee descriptions are used, separate them with commas (for example, Fee,VAT).
   Fee Column Names	Specifies which columns contain fee amounts. This setting applies only when First Line Is Header Line is enabled. If multiple fee columns exist, separate the column names with commas (for example, Fee,VAT). Fee amounts are imported as charges and recorded separately from transaction amounts.
   Handle Existing Records	Specify how to handle existing records during the import process. The Handling Existing Records field determines the action to take if duplicate data is detected during import. When the Message ID field is specified, the system checks all imported data in the file to prevent duplicates. This applies to both header and line messages. You can choose between two options: Skip - if a record with the same Message ID is found, the system skips importing that record to avoid duplication. Replace - if a record with the same Message ID is found, the system will delete the existing record and import the new one. If you already posted some of the lines, replacing is not possible and you will receive an error message and the new lines will be skipped. If you prefer to always import all data, it may be best to not use the Message ID field.

5. On the Positions FastTab, enter the column positions:

   Field	Description
   Header Message ID	Enter the cell that contains the unique header-level ID (e.g., A3) to prevent duplicate imports.
   Fixed Positions	Define fixed header or footer positions for Posting Description, Posting Date, Currency, and Amount. Use semicolons to separate groups (e.g., B2,B3,B4,B5;C2,C3,EUR,C5).
   Line Message ID	This field maps the transaction identifier. Specify the exact position of the column with the unique transaction number that will never repeat. Use this field only when every line contains a value and the value is always unique. Duplicate records are skipped or replaced.
   Posting Description	This field maps the reference number of the invoice or any other reference data. The Posting Description field specifies the position of the reconciliation reference. For example, the order ID. You should select the specific column that contains the invoice number or relevant reference. You can enter the column index (for example, 3) or the column letter in uppercase. For example, C.
   Alternative Posting Description	Maps an alternative import field that is used when the posting description is empty. Specify the column that contains the alternative posting description. You can combine multiple field values into a single field by using connectors and enclosing the fields in parentheses. For example, a first name and last name can be merged into one value.
   Posting Date	This field maps the date of the payment. Specify the column in the file that contains posting dates.
   Currency	Specify the column in the file that contains currency information. The Currency field specifies the position of the currency information in the file you are importing. You can indicate the column number (for example, 2) or the column letter in uppercase (for example, B). If the currency is not present in the file, you can manually enter the currency code in this field. For example, EUR.
   Amounts	Specify the columns in the file that contains amounts. The Amounts field specifies the position of the amount columns in the file. If there are multiple columns with amounts in the same currency, list these columns separated by commas. 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).
   Currencies And Amounts	The Currencies and Amounts field comes in handy if there are two or more amounts and two or more currencies in one line. Specify the positions of currencies and amounts in your import file. Different currency and amount positions should be separated by a comma, and each set should be separated by a semicolon. For example, 2,5;C,F;EUR,7 2,5: Specifies currency at position 2 and amount at position 5. C,F: Specifies currency in column C and amount in column F. EUR,7: Specifies EUR currency and amount at position 7.
   Internal Texts	This field maps additional information from the CSV file. Other important columns that contain texts that you want to import and map. The Internal Text field specifies the position of internal texts in your import file. If there are multiple text fields, you can specify their columns separated by commas. For example: 8,9: Specifies internal texts in columns 8 and 9. M,N: Specifies internal texts in columns M and N.

To set amount format rules

On the Amount Format Rules page, you can select the column that contains the amount and configure how the value should be transformed. You can set the amount to absolute, invert the sign, choose a type of amount, or specify whether certain values should be inverted or skipped.

To configure amount format rules:

1. Search () for and select CSV Ports - Continia Banking.

2. Open a CSV port, and on the action bar, click Amount Format Rules.

3. The following table describes the available fields:

   Field	Description
   Amount Column No.	Specifies the column number that contains the amount.
   Amount Column Caption	Specifies the header caption for the amount column.
   Factor Operation	Specifies the factor used to divide the amount. For example, enter 1000 to convert amounts expressed in thousands to whole units.
   Absolute Value	Indicates the amount must be converted to its absolute (positive) value.
   Always Invert	Inverts the sign of the amount, turning positive values into negative ones and vice versa.
   Inversion Type Column No.	Specifies the column number that contains the type used for conditional inversion. Click the field to pick a column from the list.
   Skip Type Column No.	Specifies the column number whose value is matched against Type Values to Skip and Type Values to Always Import.
   Type Values to Invert	Specifies the type values that trigger sign inversion. Separate multiple values with |.
   Type Values to Always Import	Specifies which type values are imported. Lines with other values are skipped. Use this when you only want to include specific types without maintaining an exclusion list. Separate multiple values with |.
   Type Values to Skip	Specifies which type values are excluded from import. All other values are processed. Use this when it’s easier to define what to exclude. Separate multiple values with |.

To configure column mappings

Column mappings let you define how values from your CSV file are interpreted and assigned to fields such as document type, bank account, dimensions, and other data during import.

To configure column mappings:

1. Search () for and select CSV Ports - Continia Banking.
2. Open a CSV port and on the action bar, select Column Mappings.

On the Column Mappings page, configure the following:

To configure text format rules

Text format rules let you transform text values from your CSV file before importing them. You can use a rule to extract a fixed part of a value or remove unwanted characters.

To configure text format rules:

1. Search () for and select CSV Ports - Continia Banking.
2. Open a CSV port, and on the action bar, select Text Format Rules.

On the Text Format Rules page, configure the following:

To start the import process

After you map the fields of the CSV file on the CSV Port page, the file is ready to be handled and reconciled. You can do this in the Payment Reconciliation Journal.

To open the CSV file in the Payment Reconciliation Journal:

1. Search () for and select Payment Reconciliation Journals.
2. On the Payment Reconciliation Journal page, open the journal. The bank account needs to have both a currency code and a bank code specified, matching the currency in the imported transactions from the CSV file.
3. On the journal page, on the action bar, select Import CSV Payments.
4. On the CSV Import Settings page, you can now select the CSV port Code that you want to import. Depending on whether you have already imported the file or not, the system can prompt you to upload a file.
5. If the file contains transactions in more than one currency, the Bank Accounts and Currencies page displays. For each currency in the file, select the bank account to post the transactions to and the Payment Reconciliation Journal to import the lines into. The selection is saved and reused the next time you import a file for the same bank account and currency combination.
6. You can now reconcile lines in the journal. For more information about processing lines in the Payment Reconciliation Journal, refer to the dedicated article.

Related information

Introducing CSV Ports
Setting up CSV Ports using the wizard
Importing and exporting CSV ports