PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT
How do I import CSV bank statements?
Q I followed some advice you published earlier this year (Issue 624), to change to OnlyOffice (www.onlyoffice.com). I wonder if you could tell me how to import bank statements into OnlyOffice in usable form? They download as CSV files, but I’m not sure what to do with them.
Malcolm Robinson
A This is one of those tasks that’s easy enough once you understand the basics. However, those basics can be far from obvious and it’s a journey with hidden bumps that can trip you up.
The key to achieving what you want is in understanding the fundamental makeup of a CSV file. Those three letters stand for comma-separated values, a phrase that serves as a literal description of a CSV file’s make up. Well, with one or two exceptions.
The idea behind the CSV format is that each value is separated – or delimited – by a comma. In theory, this means that it doesn’t matter where a CSV file has come from, or where it might end up: every bit of data is delimited by a comma. You can see this by opening a CSV file in Windows Notepad to view the contents.
Now, we said there are exceptions. The delimiter character in a CSV file could be something other than a comma. Sometimes it’s a tab symbol, for example – but it could in theory be almost any character or symbol. However, these exceptions are rare, and a CSV file from a bank will almost certainly use commas. A CSV file might also contain carriage returns, to indicate the end of a distinct row of comma-separated values. There could also be quote marks to indicate values that themselves contain commas.
All this background is important in informing how one goes about importing any CSV file. Mostly, it’s simple, but just occasionally you might need to apply some of the above knowledge to iron out quirks.
In OnlyOffice begin by creating a new). Now use the Open Document box that appears to navigate to one of your CSV statements and then click to open it. The Text Import Wizard box will appear, showing a preview of the CSV file’s content. In all likelihood the previewed data will look fine, and simply clicking OK will import it into a blank OpenOffice spreadsheet.
