Importing Categories, Transfers, and Splits

dmignola

I'd like to move to Simplifi but I need to be able to import categories for my thousands of transactions.

When does Quicken Simplifi intend to add this?

Also, can Quicken Simplifi import transfers? How?

Can Quicken Simplifi import splits? How?

I don't see an offer for a free trial so I don't know how to learn if Simplifi has the features that I need.

ajbopp

I haven't had the need for importing, even from Q-Classic. I found a clean break was best for me.

My understanding is that Q-Simplifi has a 30 day free trial, so you may want to investigate that.

https://origin.simplifimoney.com/

UrsulaA

Thanks for tagging me @ajbopp. I imported data from Mint, and that CSV format allows for category import.

I suggest the following:

Create your categories in Simplifi first: From Simplifi's support regarding Mint Imports (link https://help.simplifimoney.com/en/articles/8545901-how-to-import-transactions-from-mint#h_bde66f1ed0 )

Although Categories will be created in Quicken Simplifi when importing your transactions from Mint, we've seen better success at mapping Categories when they already exist in Quicken Simplifi. So, before importing transactions, you can navigate to Setting > Categories to set up all of your Categories first.

Option 1: Make your countabout CSV a Mint CSV formatted file (template enclosed) with columns

Date

Description

Original Description = statement text

The import tends to prioritize this field, so make it equal to description if you want the description field to be priority

Amount (use absolute, positive value)

Transaction Type

Credit for positive amounts

Debit for negative amounts

Category

Account Name

Create the accounts in Simplifi first prior to import and ensure this name matches what Simplifi has

Labels = tags in Simplifi

Notes

Option 2: Use the Simplifi standard template

Enter the categories starting with the letter Z and no special characters or spaces as tags (example ZDiningDrinks)

Use the bulk editing function to assign the categories in Simplifi

Delete the tags once you are done mapping the categories under Settings > Categories & tags. I added the letter Z at the beginning of each category tag as it may take time for me to review the data.

CSVTemplates.zip

ajbopp

What platform are you wanting to move from?

dmignola

Countabout. They have a decent set of options for downloading transactions to CSV and I've already almost finished an implementation with Buxfer. But, now that I have all my transactions in, Buxfer has horrific performance… unusable.

I haven't found any services that import transfers or splits very well. But I'd like to know that Simplifi handles those well at least in the app.

The main thing is the ability to import the categories of transactions and I read that Simplifi does not. That's a deal breaker and why I ruled it out initially. But there are slim pickin's and perhaps/hopefully it is on the near-term roadmap?

ajbopp

I don't have any experience importing from other services, but a lot of folks here have done that. I read that there are some challenges but some folks, I believe, have found ways to overcome them. @UrsulaA ?

dmignola

Thank you, @UrsulaA!

Simplifi's help file simply said that no, it could not import categories. But I wasn't confident in how current it was.

One other question. I haven't tried this with Simplifi as they have no free trial, but when I tried imports to Buxfer and Monarch, I lined up my data like Mint and tried to import, but they recognized it as NOT from Mint, some metadata tag.

What about transfers and splits? Does Simplifi have a way of importing those so the relationship between with detailed transactions is preserved?

I'd really like to move to Simplifi. I had been a Quicken user since 1990! …until I switched to Countabout several years ago when got too frustrated with clunky desktop files.

UrsulaA

"Simplifi's help file simply said that no, it could not import categories. But I wasn't confident in how current it was." - still current for the standard manual import template. Option 2 above is a work-around for this.

I re-formatted some files to be like Mint from Monarch, which I tried before coming here, and I did not have the metatag issue. Ensure the file is saved as a CSV before importing. Yes, I imported data to Monarch so this is my second import.

Transfers will be imported and even linked together if all the accounts are set up first in Simplifi prior to import and you add the transfers to each account. I imported transactions prior to 2022 to two accounts: Mint asset and Mint debt as I did not need to have a one to one mapping. Simplifi recognized most of the transfers to pay Mint debt (credit card consolidated account) and tagged them.

Splits - these are more problematic if the source program treats them as separate transactions. Simplifi treats splits as sub units of the same transaction. To work around this, I had a separate Excel file used to create the CSV with an additional column saying split. Then, I will know what to look for to de-duplicate.

Finally, I matched income, expenses, tags, and expenses by broad category groups (e.g. groceries) by year. I got a match from my import to the penny.

The above process will be time consuming. I spent about 10 hours spread out across Friday, Saturday, and Monday to do the import. Be prepared to spend time on this if you want it done right.

Caveat: My import was done before the updated Mint import process on January 11. That process may be faster. If you use option 2 (workaround), expect to spend time bulk editing to match the tags to the corresponding categories.

I initially started with the initial bank download that Simplifi provides that went back two years for my bank account. My credit cards went back 90 days and I imported data to them prior to 2022. This process was done in half the time as the process above.

I imported everything once Simplifi lifted the 5 year report restriction display on the web app, which I used the most.

Finally I had 30 accounts and 11,000 transactions from Mint with a start date of 9/1/2014.

UrsulaA

https://community.simplifimoney.com/discussion/comment/27172#Comment_27172

Also, to get the 30 day money back guarantee, sign up to Simplifi directly from the Quicken website. Using Apple or Google Play stores do not grant the same offer as the app is governed by app store policies.

dmignola

@UrsulaA So grateful for your time and detailed responses!! You are awesome.

I'm fine with doing a ton of editing Excel files to make it work for an import.

Countabout does a good job of allowing to export split transactions as detail or as the parent transaction. But they have a common transaction ID with Split IDs so that I should be able to merge per the requirements for Simplifi import. But those two templates don't show an example of how it knows the parent transaction and split detail.

Same with transfers. Is the Account Name is the Source account or the Destination account? How does it match it up with the matched transaction in the other account?

Will you send examples of downloads of Simplifi Split data and Transfers data and what the import will likely look for to import them properly?

When I tried to sign up for Q-Simplifi it found my old Quicken account and wouldn't let me select Simplifi. It just wants me to pay for Classic upgrade. Trying again and it is letting me.

UrsulaA

There are no transaction IDs for splits in Simplifi or Mint templates.

I recommend keeping the splits as separate transactions for history, Simplifi will take them as such. Then, split going forward. Keep your original file with splits denoted.

The templates I sent have example lines. For transfers, the lines look the same. Simplifi matches transfers by amount and by date. Check the matches after the import. Enter Transfer as the category in the Mint CSV version.

Regarding "When I tried to sign up for Q-Simplifi it found my old Quicken account and wouldn't let me select Simplifi. It just wants me to pay for Classic upgrade. Trying again and it is letting me."

Email support and they can help you. Or use a different email and a new Quicken account for Q-Simplifi.

UrsulaA

Also, to clarify the "import template.csv" file is to import one account at a time. You have to be in the transaction list for the specific account for the import to work.