CheckBook Help

Contents:

Getting Started
Managing Entries
 
The Entry Table
Create a New Entry
Change an Entry
Remove an Entry
Importing Entries
Exporting Entries
Types
Splits
Speaking Entries
Filtering & Searching
Interactive Balance
Reconciliation
Scheduled Entries
Managing Accounts
Account Options
Account Summary
Preferences
Printing
Maintenance

 

Managing Entries

 

Importing Entries

Getting data from online financial institutions or other accounting applications is as pain-free as possible with CheckBook's powerful Import feature.

Quicken Interchange Format (QIF)

A number of accounting applications and many online banks provide easy access to your financial information using a standard file format called Quicken Interchange Format, or QIF. CheckBook lets you import these QIF files with ease by providing several options for working with the many variations this format allows.

To Import Entries and Types From a QIF File:

1. Select the appropriate Account. Accounts can be selected from the Accounts Drawer or in the Accounts Menu's Show submenu.

2. Select the Import menu item, located in the File menu.

3. Navigate to and open the QIF file you would like to import. The Import Options Window will appear.

4. Adjust the Import Options as necessary for your QIF file.

• Use the Import Account popup menu to select the Account you would like to import. If your selected QIF does not separate transactions by Account, as many financial institutions do not, you will still have an option to import All Entries.

• Select the date format used in your QIF file with the QIF Date Format popup menu.

• If your QIF uses localized thousands and decimal separators enter these in the provided fields.

• Check the Import All Types/Categories checkbox if you would like to import all QIF Categories contained in your QIF file rather than only those Categories that are assigned to Entries.

• Decide whether to import zero-amount Entries as Deposits or Debits.

• The bottom half of the Import Options Window contains options for working with QIF files that have Categories, Payees or Memos in non-standard fields.

5. Press the OK Button when you are ready to continue. The Import Entries Window will appear.

6. Examine the date format of each Entry. If anything appears out of place, ie. dates are for the wrong month or year, or if they are for the year 1969, you should probably press the Go Back Button and tweak the Import Options.

7. Choose the Entries you would like to import. You can also modify each Entry to suit your preferences.

8. When you are sure each Entry is ready, press the OK Button. An alert sheet will confirm you are certain you would like to continue. The alert sheet is your final opportunity to verify each Entry appears as you would expect. If you press the Continue Button, the selected Entries will be added to the current Account.

Tips:

The format of a QIF file from one source may not match the format from another. Some software vendors and financial institutions have chosen to place information that you would consider a Category or Type in the file's Memo field, or to place Payees or To/From Items in the file's Category field. The date format used also varies. Your Import Options settings are very important tools for working with QIF from the majority of possible sources. Pay as much attention as possible to the way each imported Entry looks while still in the Import Entries Window, and use the Go Back Button as many times as necessary to return to the Import Options Window and tweak its settings to match your selected QIF file. One gotcha: going back to the Import Options Window will reset all changes made in the Import Entries Window.

Import Options are Account-specific.

Menu items for performing common actions, such as changing Entry Types or marking an Entry for Import, are available by Control-clicking anywhere inside the Import Entries Table.

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