How to prepare your files for Upload & Share
Most failed uploads come down to how the file was exported rather than anything wrong with the data itself. Your reports need to be in the format your accounting package produces natively, properly structured, complete, and free of the formatting quirks that stop the file being read.
Work through the checklist below first. If your upload still fails, the sections after it explain each problem in more detail.
Quick checklist
- The file is CSV, XLS, or XLSX. No other format is accepted.
- The file opens and saves as a new Excel workbook without errors.
- Password protection has been removed.
- The file is not corrupted. Look out for unexpected errors, stray shapes or symbols, and cells that should hold data but do not.
- All mandatory fields for that report are present and complete.
- There are no hidden sheets in the file.
- The Trial Balance contains only one worksheet.
- A report such as the General Ledger may be split across several visible sheets, but every sheet must share the same structure, with identical headings and columns.
This article covers:
- Report fields
- Column headers
- Amount and balance columns
- Protected reports
- Hidden sheets
- Multiple sheets
Report fields
Every report except the Trial Balance must be exported in its detailed form, not as a summary. A summary export will not contain the transaction level detail needed, and the upload will fail even though the totals look correct.
Each report must include at least the following fields.
| Report | Required fields |
|---|---|
| General Ledger | Account Name, Account Code, Transaction Date in dd/mm/yyyy format, and Transaction Amount. Include Transaction Number or Reference, and Transaction Description, if your package provides them. |
| Trial Balance | Account Name, Account Code, and Account Balance. |
| AR Open Items | Invoice Date in dd/mm/yyyy format, Customer Name, Transaction Amount or Balance, and Invoice Number or Reference. Include Customer Code or Number if your package provides it. |
| AP Open Items | Invoice Date in dd/mm/yyyy format, Supplier Name, Transaction Amount or Balance, and Invoice Number or Reference. Include Supplier Code or Number if your package provides it. |
Column headers
Every report needs column headers. Without them there is no way to tell which column holds which value, so the upload fails. This is one of the most common causes, because some packages export the data without a header row.
Each column needs a header naming what it contains.
Check the header row sits directly above the data, with nothing between them.
Amount and balance columns
Keep every balance in a single column. Some packages split debits and credits, or spread totals across several columns, and that stops the data being read accurately.
Check the balances themselves too. They must be plain values, with no extra characters such as a leading equals sign, which happens when a formula has been pasted rather than its result.
Balances must be values, not formulas or text with extra characters.
Protected reports
If the file opens in Protected View, select Enable Editing and save it before uploading. Until you do, the contents cannot be read.
The Protected View bar appears across the top of the workbook.
Remove any password protection at the same time. A file that asks for a password cannot be opened by the system.
Hidden sheets
Excel files sometimes contain sheets that are hidden rather than deleted, and these interfere with the upload. They will not show as tabs along the bottom of the workbook, so check for them like this:
- Press Alt + F11 to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications editor.
- In the Project Explorer window, look for any sheets listed under your workbook that you cannot see in Excel itself.
- Select the sheet, then in the Properties window change the Visible property to xlSheetVisible.
- Save and close the editor before uploading again.
The Visible property sits in the Properties window, with the sheet selected in Project Explorer.
Multiple sheets
A report such as the General Ledger can be split across several sheets, but only where each sheet is a continuation of the same report, with identical headings and columns on every sheet. If the sheets hold different things, such as adjustments or credit notes, they cannot be combined this way.
Any other sheet is treated as an extra sheet:
- An extra sheet with three columns or fewer is ignored. It can stay in the file.
- An extra sheet with four or more columns will cause the upload to fail. Delete it, or reduce it to three columns or fewer, before uploading.
The Trial Balance must contain only one worksheet.
If the upload still fails
Note the exact wording of any message you see, and which report was being uploaded when it appeared, then contact your Validis representative. Having the file and the message to hand means the cause can usually be identified straight away.
See also: