Reconciliation Suite

Bank Import workspace guide

Walk through Budget Buddy's statement matcher from start to finish. This guide explains how to welcome users into the workspace, highlight every control, and surface the safeguards that keep imports tidy.

Hint

Pair this guide with sample CSV files and a short explainer video. Readers can follow along and see the matching engine resolve transactions in real time.

Warning

Redact live account numbers and personal identifiers in every screenshot. The workspace often displays bank balances, so keep the redaction layer handy when you update assets.

Quick reference flow

Budget Buddy's import journey follows a predictable rhythm. Use this outline as the at-a-glance summary at the top of your final article.

  1. Switch on the Bank Import feature and stage the latest CSV export from your bank.
  2. Open the Import Bank Statement workspace and confirm the cached context for your account.
  3. Load fresh data or reuse stored lines, then fine-tune the filters, time zone, and matching mode.
  4. Review matches, approve additions, and sweep away residual cache items for a clean finish.

1. What Bank Import does

Bank Import pulls statement downloads into Budget Buddy so you can compare bank activity with the records you already track. It currently recognises CSV exports from:

  • MBank Company
  • MonoBank
  • Revolut
  • Santander
  • Alpha Belarus

Treat this section as the capability pitch. Mention that the workspace merges the imported lines with cached history and lines everything up for reconciliation.

2. Prepare your app

The import tool is optional and launches disabled. Walk readers through the toggles and prerequisites before they ever visit the workspace.

  • Go to Settings → Features and switch on Bank Import.
  • After activation, two new menu items appear: Import Bank Statement and Banks Statement Cache.
  • Download a detailed statement from your bank in the spreadsheet format you plan to upload. The Select CSV File button expects that file type.
  • Confirm that every currency in the statement already exists under Settings → Manage Currencies.
Warning

Imports pause the moment an unknown currency appears. Capture a screenshot of the blocking banner and remind readers how to add the missing code before restarting the import.

3. Open the Bank Import workspace

Direct teams to Settings → Import Bank Statement. The workspace presents six numbered panels that guide the workflow from account selection through matching.

Note the clean-room behaviour: every visit clears old scroll positions and fetches the cached summary for the chosen account so reviewers always start fresh.

4. Follow the on-screen steps

Select account

Choose the account whose statement you are reconciling. The workspace wipes prior results, resets scrolling, and requests the stored summary for that account.

Optional currency filter

If an account spans multiple currencies, pick the one you want to view. Swapping currencies refreshes the cached summary instantly so you see only relevant lines.

Add your statement file

Use Select CSV File to browse for the export. The importer inspects the first rows to guess the correct bank badge; if the guess misses, tap the right badge manually.

Hint

Showcase the badge picker in motion. A quick animation or screenshot carousel helps readers recognise the icons for each supported bank.

Review cached data

After a bank is chosen, the Cached Data Summary panel appears. Document how it lists the number of stored lines plus the earliest and latest dates available. When no cache exists, point out the reminder that encourages a fresh upload.

Set the bank's time zone

Explain the Bank Statement Timezone Offset control. This adjustment feeds straight into the matching engine so timestamps align before comparison.

Limit the dates (optional)

Show how reviewers can focus on a range by picking start and end dates. The filter narrows both the imported lines and the app records.

Decide on time matching

The Enable Time Matching toggle compares timestamps down to the minute. Leave it off for amount + date matching only, or turn it on to flag subtle timing gaps.

Primary action

Import from File Match

Appears when a new CSV file is staged. Runs the import and matching passes together.

Primary action

Match from Cache

Activates when cached lines exist and no file is attached. Useful for quick re-reviews.

Primary action

Import Match Transactions

Fallback label when both file and cache are viable. Requires a chosen account and bank.

Document that the action button stays disabled until the account, bank, and source (file or cache) are ready. Also mention the Delete Cached for Selected Bank option, which clears stored lines for the chosen account and refreshes the summary automatically.

5. What happens during import

Outline the behind-the-scenes logic so readers appreciate the guardrails.

  • Cached lines load before new files so history compounds rather than restarting from zero.
  • Fresh rows are validated, filtered by the currency selection, and merged only when they are not duplicates of existing entries.
  • Duplicates—same date, description, amount, and currency—are skipped automatically, making repeated uploads safe.
  • Any line the parser cannot interpret appears in an Import Issues pop-up with sample descriptions.
  • When a new currency appears, the flow pauses with a message that points straight back to Settings → Manage Currencies.
Hint

Include a schematic that shows timestamps being adjusted by the offset before matching. It reassures readers that the system handles time-zone drift gracefully.

6. Reading the results

After matching finishes, a summary card reports how many groups matched automatically, how many bank lines remain unmatched, how many app entries still need review, and how many time differences were found when time matching is enabled.

Day-by-day views

Purple bank cards

Represent imported lines waiting for review. Tapping opens a prefilled transaction form—saving adds it to your ledger and refreshes the import lists.

Day-by-day views

Orange app cards

Show existing records without a match. Readers can edit single entries or long-press to select, delete, or merge them.

Optional mode

Grey time mismatch cards

Appear only when time matching is on. Fix Time copies the bank timestamp into the app record and clears the discrepancy.

Clarify that the day list only includes dates with outstanding work and that more days load automatically as users scroll.

Hint

Mention the automatic memory for how similar bank descriptions were handled. It pre-fills accounts and notes on future imports, cutting repetition for bookkeepers.

7. Stored statement care

Readers should know how caching speeds up repeated sessions and where to manage the stored lines outside the import screen.

Speeding up future runs

  • The Cached Data Summary callout displays the total stored lines and the date span they cover. It's the cue for whether a new download is necessary.
  • When data already exists, the main action swaps to Match from Cache so teams can reconcile without another upload.
  • Approved transactions remember their categories and notes, accelerating repeat descriptions.

Managing stored statements

  • Head to Settings → Banks Statement Cache to review, export, or delete cached lines grouped by bank, account, and currency.
  • Use the share icon to generate a new export (the app names the file with the current date and opens the system share sheet).
  • Tap the bin icon to clear a set after confirming the deletion dialog—the screen refreshes to show the updated list.

8. Troubleshooting

Close the guide with a focused checklist for common hiccups.

  • If no bank badge lights up after selecting a file, pick the correct badge manually to refresh the cached summary.
  • When no lines appear post-import, double-check the date range and currency filters—they gate both bank and app records.
  • Import Issues pop-ups list the first problematic rows. Reopen the CSV to confirm the columns and formatting.
  • Currency not configured means a code is missing—add it under Settings → Manage Currencies and restart the import.
Warning

Encourage readers to clear cached data only after exporting anything auditors might need. Cache deletions are permanent.

Wrap up by reminding teams that consistent use of the workspace keeps bank statements and ledger records in sync while building a historical archive they can trust.