Skip to content
logo Knowledgebase

How to do a custom import

Created on  | Last modified on 

Summary

Steps to use the Custom Import helper to import new assets into a company for Sage Fixed Assets Depreciation

Resolution

Notes:

  • Make sure no other users are in the company
  • Custom Import only creates new assets. Include information for all books needed in the import. You can’t change or add Book Information later (such as Property Type, Acquisition Value, Depreciation Method, Estimated Life) using an import
  • The Sample Import.xls file is located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Sage Fixed Assets\Depreciation, Depreciation Network, or Premier Depreciation\User Files
  • For more resources, see Appendix C. Custom Import Helper section of the Depreciation user's guide
  • You can ignore warnings on the exception report

Access the Custom Import process by going to File, Company Utilities, Custom Import.


In Sage Fixed Assets Depreciation:
  1. Go to File, Company Utilities, select Custom Import to open the Welcome dialog, click Next.
  2. Click Browse and select the file to be imported and click Next.
  3. Select the Database and Company you want to import to.
  4. Select either create a new map or select an existing map and click Next.
  5. The mapping dialog:
    1. At the bottom, the file to be imported should be displayed. If that area is blank or shows incorrect data, there’s an issue in the file, which will need to be fixed before continuing. See note information below.
    2. The rest is a process of selecting the column to be mapped, selecting the correct field from the Available fields, and using the arrow button to move it under the Field Mapping selection on the right.
    3. Once all desired fields have been mapped, click next.
  6. Click Validate to validate the data for import.
  7. Review the validation report for errors and correct them in either the import file or the mapping and repeat until there are no invalid assets found on the validation. See the list of common errors below.
  8. When the validation completes with no invalid records, click Import to complete the Importing process.


  • Note: If the import file doesn’t display on the mapping dialog, ensure it’s local to the client installation and if it is, the most common fix would be to copy the whole spreadsheet and Paste/special as value into a new spreadsheet with a single workbook and use that as the import file


IMPORT FILE MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

  1. Save the file from Excel Office 2007 or 2010, using the default *.xlsx format or Comma-Separated Values (.CSV).
  2. Format all columns to General Text. For date columns, set to Custom and enter: MM/DD/YYYY.
  3. Import file must include 5 critical fields:
    1. Property Type
    2. Place in Service Date
    3. Acquisition Value - Format will be a number with a decimal point, no commas, and no dollar signs.
    4. Estimated Life - Format sample: 0506 for 5 years and 6 months and 1000 for 10 years.
    5. Depreciation Method
      Format sample:
      • MF200 needs to be in two separate columns. Map MF to Depreciation Method and 200 to Declining Balance Percentage
      • MA200 needs to be in three separate columns. Map MA to Depreciation Method. Map 200 to Declining Balance Percentage. Map the percentage (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, or 100) to the 168 Allow % field
      • SL and other methods that don't have percentage use only the Depreciation Method column

TO IMPORT ENDING ACCUMULATION:

  • Ending accumulation requires separate fields on the import file, Beginning Date, Beginning YTD, and Beginning Accum: Beginning YTD is optional. If there’s a Beginning Date, there must be a Beginning Accum amount.
    1. Beginning Date - Ending date for the accumulation.
      Example: If importing ending Accum for 12/2022, the column needs to have "12/31/2022".
    2. Beginning YTD - Current Year to date as of the Beginning date.
      Example: If importing ending Accum for 12/2022, the column needs to have a year to date calculation. This is the amount of depreciation calculated from 1/2022 - 12/2022.
    3. Beginning Accum - Ending depreciation accumulation as of 12/31/2022.

TO FIX OR AVOID COMMON ERRORS:

  • Unknown Depreciation Method - Separate depreciation method and depreciation percent into two columns.
  • Critical Fields Missing - Ensure the map contains all critical fields for each book you’re importing.
  • Invalid Life Format - Check the estimated life format and/or check the rules to verify if life is valid for its use.
  • Beginning Accumulation must not be zero - If there’s a Beginning Date, there must be an amount in the Beginning accumulation field. Clear out the beginning date or insert an accumulation amount into the Begin Accum field.
  • Beginning Accumulation must not exceed depreciable basis - Beginning accumulation must not exceed the depreciable basis of the asset. Section 168(k) Allowance and Section 179 amounts reduce the depreciable basis. If the asset has a Section 179 amount or is using a Section 168(k) Allowance Depreciation Method the Beginning Accumulation can’t include those amounts.
  • Unable to convert column X to a number - Acquisition value must contain only a number with a decimal point. Don’t include commas or dollar signs.
  • Unable to convert column X to a date - Format the Date columns as a Date format: MM/DD/YYYY
  • BEG through date must be the end of the periods - If using a monthly cycle, it must be the end of the month. If using a different cycle, go to File, Edit Company, check the calendar for the ending period.

Training templates can be found under:

  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Sage Fixed Assets\Depreciation, Depreciation Network, or Premier Depreciation\Training
    • Import 2 books.csv (Internal and Tax books)
    • Import 7 books.csv (All 7 default books)
  • The Sample Import.xls file is located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Sage Fixed Assets\Depreciation, Depreciation Network, or Premier Depreciation\User Files


Need more help?

Chat now





Related Solutions

How to import changes to existing assets
How to format the Estimated Life correctly during a Custom Import
How to import new assets as disposed assets
Error: "Unrecognizable file format" when selecting a file to import into Sage Fixed Assets
Custom import skips the import type step