Import a Chart of Accounts from a CSV
Every row is matched against your existing accounts first. The preview says exactly what will be created, updated and left alone — and what it refuses.
Before you start
Nothing is written until you have seen what will happen. Pippin reads the file, matches each row against the accounts you already have, and shows you a plan.
Every row gets one of these verdicts:
| Verdict | What it means |
|---|---|
| New | No account matches. It will be created. |
| Update | An account matches, and something about it differs. |
| No change | An account matches and already agrees. Nothing happens. |
| Structural | The row would move an account under a different parent. Allowed, but look at it. |
| Type differs | The row says this code is an asset and your books say it is an expense. Refused. |
| Duplicate code | The same code appears twice in the file. Refused. |
| Two of this name | The name matches two of your accounts. Refused rather than guessed. |
| Missing parent | The row’s parent is neither in your books nor in the file. Refused. |
| No name · Unknown type · Unknown subtype | The row cannot be read. Refused. |
A refused row does not stop the others. Fix it in the file and run the import again.
Steps
- Open Accounting › Chart of Accounts and choose Import.
- Supply the CSV. Columns are read by header name — code, name, type, subtype and parent.
- Work down the plan. Anything marked Type differs or Missing parent has to be fixed in the file.
- Read the summary line. It names how many accounts will be created, how many updated, and how many skipped, and it is exactly what pressing Import does.
- Import.
Good to know
Import your Chart of Accounts before anything else. Opening balances, Bills and receivables all post to accounts, so they need somewhere to land.
Re-running the import is safe. Rows that already agree come back as No change.
An account’s type cannot be changed by an import. Retyping an account that already carries postings would silently restate every report it appears in, so Pippin refuses and tells you which row.