SavePointGetting Your Bank Data into SavePoint
Manually entering months of transactions is tedious. SavePoint's import system lets you upload CSV or Excel files from your bank and bring in hundreds of transactions at once. Here is how to make the process smooth.
Time Savings
A typical bank statement with 100 transactions might take 2 to 3 hours to enter manually. With the import wizard, the same data takes 15 to 20 minutes including categorization.
Getting Export Files from Your Bank
Most banks and credit card companies allow you to download transaction history as CSV or Excel files. Look for options labeled "Download," "Export," or "Statements" in your online banking.
Common locations: Account Activity page, Statements section, or a Download Transactions link. If you cannot find it, your bank's help section should have instructions.
When downloading, select a date range and choose CSV or Excel format. Start with one month to test the process before importing longer periods.
The 9-Step Import Wizard
SavePoint's import process guides you through nine steps:
Step 1: Select File. Upload your CSV or Excel file. SavePoint reads the file and prepares it for mapping.
Step 2: Column Mapping. Tell SavePoint which columns contain the date, description, amount, and other fields. The wizard attempts to match automatically but lets you adjust.
Step 3: Amount Direction. Banks format amounts differently. Specify whether expenses appear as negative or positive numbers in your file.
Step 4: Currency Mapping. Set currencies if your transactions include multiple currencies or non-USD amounts.
Step 5: Data Preview. Review how your data looks with mappings applied before proceeding.
Step 6: Category Mapping. Map categories from your bank file to SavePoint categories. If your bank does not provide categories, you will assign them later.
Step 7: Duplicate Check. SavePoint identifies transactions that might already exist and lets you skip them.
Step 8: Vendor Mapping. Optionally fine-tune categories for specific merchants.
Step 9: Final Preview. Review everything before importing. Click Import to add the transactions to your account.
Building Merchant Patterns
As you import more data, your merchant mapping rules improve. After a few imports, most common merchants are already mapped, and new imports require less manual work.
Tips for Clean Imports
Choose consistent date ranges that do not overlap with previous imports to avoid duplicates. The duplicate check helps, but avoiding overlap is cleaner.
If your bank provides categories, use the Category Mapping step to match them to your SavePoint categories. This saves time versus categorizing every transaction manually.
After import, use Edit Mode on the Transactions page to quickly review and adjust any miscategorized transactions.
Handling Different File Formats
Banks export data in various formats. Some put income and expenses in separate columns. Others use negative numbers for expenses. Some include currency symbols in the amount field.
The Amount Direction and Column Mapping steps handle these variations. If your file has unusual formatting, you may need to adjust it in a spreadsheet before importing.
Monthly Import Routine
Many users develop a monthly import routine: download the previous month's statements from all accounts, import each file through the wizard, spend 15 to 20 minutes reviewing and categorizing, and then run reports to see spending patterns.
This approach provides accurate transaction data with minimal ongoing effort.
Import Your Financial History
SavePoint's import wizard makes bringing in bank data straightforward. Get your financial history organized and start seeing the complete picture of where your money goes.
View the Full User Manual
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