CSV Export - Apply the details to all fields for split transactions (account, date, payee, etc.)

UrsulaA

From a post from @dsfreddy

dsfreddy Member ✭✭November 2023 edited November 2023

Have not found an explanation by Simplifi of the purpose of its split functionality. I am not sure a one to one correspondence between the list of transactions in Simplifi (called the register by some?) and what I'd see at my banks website is a fundamental requirement. My request is that split transactions, when exported, inherit traits from their parent record. Here is what these look like now:

account	state	postedOn	payee	usage	category	tags	notes	amount
Credit Card 1	CLEARED	9/28/2023	Our Dentist		SPLIT			$0.00
					Health:Dentist-Jack			-152.42
					Health:Dentist-Jill			-152.42
Checking 1	CLEARED	7/31/2023	Atm Wthdrwl On 07/31 @ 11:09 Us Debitcard, Pos, Withdrawal, Processed		SPLIT			$0.00
					Cash & ATM:ATM-Jack			-60
					Cash & ATM:ATM-Jill			-140

These child records should inherit account, state ("status" in transaction detail), postedOn ("date"), and payee from their parent record. It makes no sense to create a CSV file without that information. Displaying these child records in the transaction list is another matter. Not sure I care either way about that.

I would like to see this idea implemented without separating split transactions into individual/separate transactions.

Request is for child split records to inherit details from parent transaction records: account, state ("status" in transaction detail), postedOn ("date"), and payee

Original post below.

https://community.simplifimoney.com/discussion/comment/20872#Comment_20872

[edited title]

dsfreddy

Seconded!

bobodc1

Currently when you generate a CSV export, Split Transactions create a "non-contiguous" set of data. For example, the current method looks like this:

While it's helpful to see Splits, I'm more interested in seeing the details of the split transaction. It would be great if either the CSV export could be updated or users could be given an option to generate an export which shows the details of split transactions only such that the other details (e.g. account, state, postedon, payee, etc.) are present.

While the reporting in Simplifi is pretty good, there are several custom (read spreadsheet) reports I maintain to manage my finances. The current method of CSV export which does not give all details of split transactions forces me to manually tweak the transactions to fill the missing details. While this isn't a huge deal right now with only about 2 months of data, this will become a problem as I use Simplifi more and more.

[Merged Post]

DavidB

Could not agree more. I was very surprised to see how this comes through in the CSV file.

UrsulaA

This feature request is the same as the one I posted a few days ago. Please vote for it below.

Hopefully the moderators will merge this request with mine. The more votes, the more likely the request will be considered.

https://community.simplifimoney.com/discussion/7974/csv-export-apply-the-details-to-all-fields-for-split-transactions-account-date-payee-etc

[Merged Post]

DavidB

thirded!

bobodc1

@UrsulaA thanks, I appreciate you flagging. Looks like they've merged now. Hope they are able to fix this soon.

Silverthorne

The failure to include transaction details on split transactions is a major flaw for anyone who wants to use Simplifi data in external spreadsheets. The original poster, dsfreddy, requested to include "status", postedOn, and payee on each row for split transactions in the csv export. I would add the request to include the parent's "Description" in the export for each row for split transactions.

quick username

Fourth'd; but seeing how this only has 12 votes and other ideas with 30+ votes are being ignored (like hiding net worth)… I've already lost hope in this cause we're fighting for.

With products like Mint that just, vanish, the basis for wanting a functional Excel budget is highlighted, and likely behind this groups desire to have fully functioning data exports.

quick username

This is how I am using Excel Power Query to back-fill the missing data in split transactions; by "filling down" the data from the next non-blank cell above the blank data cells in the splits.

This is clunky to type up, and clunky to implement, but - where there is a will, there is a way. Hopefully simplify will obsolete the need for this workaround sooner than later and give the people what they need! And are paying for?

=============================

To fill in what simplifi thinks should be left blank… you can put Excel power queries to use. I'm not sure if home versions of Excel include power queries, if not, I'm sure macros can be used to do the same thing. Background: I have one table that gets updated with the simplifi CSV, and then a 2nd table that used power query to "process" the "raw csv" to do various data manipulations. Now, adding missing data is another one of the list of manipulations.

Here's the incomplete CSV format simplifi format of split transactions. Unfortunately, some fields are totally blank and some are null (ie. ""). I learned "fill down" only works on "null" so we have to convert blanks to null, then use fill down to copy original data into the empty split transactions fields.

Original → ,"Cap1 Card","CLEARED","2/10/2024","Wal-mart","","SPLIT","","gifts, cold meds","$0.00","","","","","",""
Split 1 → ,,,,,,"HEALTHCARE:Health","",,"-28.56",,,,,,
Split 2 → ,,,,,,"OTHER:Gifts","",,"-28.00",,,,,,

This means we have to do two things. 1. Since not all fields are null (ie. ""), we much make the blank fields null.

In power query, highlight the columns you want to back fill (for me: account, payee, state, postedOn) then do: right click on a highlighted column / replace values / look for (leave blank) / replace with: "null" (without quotes).

The "blank to null" conversion step above is required for the next step (fill down) to work.

Highlight the same columns you want to fill in missing data / right click one of them / click fill / click down.

PMc

In CSV downloaded transactions, the line items for the split transactions do not show the account name. There is a "master" line item with $0 that includes the account name, followed by line items for each split that do not include the account name. This prevents me from running account reports using the CSV, because the line items for split amounts are not associated with an account.

Screenshot attached. —Thanks!

UrsulaA

Any update?

twoOHsix Music

I hope adding comments to this thread helps Quicken see that it's a much needed feature. I came from Mint and upon CSV export, their splits not only could retain the parent data, each split could be assigned its own data. It seems like common sense that if a tool for tracking and categorizing financial transactions allows you to split those transactions, it would track and categorize those splits.

bobodc1

This request has been sitting her for almost a year now. Seems like a simple enough change to make to return the data in a certain format. This sounds like a no brainer to me. Give your customers a way to extract usable data so they can build their own ad-hoc reports or get ready receive loads of requests for custom reports that you have to develop and support.

allensipe

Giving my two cents as well - this is absolutely necessary. Can't believe it hasn't already been implemented.

juli7

At the very least put the Date and Payee. Otherwise the transaction doesn't sort and the spreadsheet is worthless.

UrsulaA

Method 1: A workaround to generate a CSV export containing split detail is

Export transactions from Reports>Net Income using date range and adding notes field as needed: Result - split transactions display properly. Exclude any investment accounts using the account filter.

Export transfer and other subgroups (balance adjustment for example) from transaction list, filter by date range using search box (example >01/01/2024 to include year to date transactions for 2024

Ensure all transactions needed are downloaded by downloading the entire transaction list for the needed date range.

Formula: All transactions in Transaction List = Net Income Transactions (ex Inv Accts) + Transfers/Other + Number of Split Transactions

Transaction list will show extra lines for SPLIT when exported with a $0 amount

Method 2: What I use

Export data using the transaction list export

Paste the date, payee, and account information under each split transaction for the split lines prior to sorting and then use the data in Excel for analysis.

The methods above are stop gaps until the feature request gets implemented. I rather use a single step download with all split information, hence this idea post.

UrsulaA

@dsfreddy - The CSV export change is a separate idea from treating split transactions as separate transactions. I saw your comments on the split transaction treated as separate transactions thread and they apply here as well.

Split transactions should be treated as separate transactions (2 Merged Votes) - Page 5 — Simplifi