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This article explains how to manually upload data into a client file in Silverfin. This applies to non-synchronised files or situations where manual adjustments are required. Follow the steps below to ensure a smooth and accurate upload.
Table of contents
- Ways to Upload Data
- How to perform manual upload in 5 steps?
- Cumulative Uploading (for Periodic Data)
Ways to Upload Data
You can upload data in two situations:
- New client file: Start with a manual upload to populate your file.
- New period: if your file already contains data, click ‘Add new period’ on the client overview page to add data for a new period.
How to perform manual upload in 5 steps?
Step 1: Upload file
Click on the button ‘Upload file’.
File structure requirements:
- Accepted file types are:
- .csv
- .txt
- .xaf
- .xls or .xlsx (without macros)
- The file must have column headers.
- Each row should represent either one booking line (if you want to import the full history) or a single total line (e.g. if you only want to import total figures). Do not mix both.
- Ensure there are no blank rows or subtotal lines.
- Use a dot (.) as the thousands separator and a comma (,) as the decimal separator.
- Dates must be in a valid Excel date format and represent Year-to-Date (YTD) figures.
Example:
| Date | Account number | Account name | Account type | Amount |
| 31/12/2017 | 1179 | AP Account | asset | -1500 |
| 31/12/2017 | 2204 | Accounts Payable (1) | liability | 35000 |
| 30/09/2017 | 2205 | Accounts Payable (VAT) | liability | 65000 |
| 31/12/2017 | 2000 | Accounts receivable | asset | 0 |
At the bottom of this article, you'll find:
- An Excel example template showing the minimum data recommended for uploading.
- An Excel example template with detailed data for uploading.
Step 2: Select Columns
Map your columns to the correct Silverfin fields.
Required fields include:
- Account number: the account code for that particular line item (e.g. 100000)
- Account name: the name associated with the account number (e.g. Issued Capital)
- Credit/Debit or Balance (value): you can either select the balance (value) or both the debit and credit columns.
- Dimensions: required for analytical files.
Recommended fields include:
- Booking date and/or Period: This allows the booking to be assigned to a specific period based on the reporting frequency. If only a booking date is selected, Silverfin will automatically assign it to the appropriate period based on that date.
- Account type: the account type associated with the account. This determines whether the opening balance should be carried forward or included in retained earnings for the next financial year. Use one of the following account types: asset, liability, income, expense, equity. Make sure to use these exact terms. Any variation (e.g. capital letters, plural forms) will result in an error: Account type is not included in the list.
- Description: the description you want to assign to the booking.
For non-essential or unused columns:
Choose ‘Ignore’ to skip them.
- Choose ‘Other value’ to upload them under a custom name.
After assigning all columns correctly, click Next.
Silverfin Assistants helps you assign column headers used in Excel file to the correct fields.
Step 3: Check Data
- Silverfin automatically validates your data.
- If any errors are detected (e.g. missing fields or formatting issues), you’ll be prompted to correct them before proceeding.
Step 4: Select Periods
Based on the reporting frequency set in Edit client > Periods tab, Silverfin will allocate the data either to a single period or distribute it across multiple periods - depending on the booking dates or periods in Step 2.
Step 5: Copy Data (Optional)
- If this is not your first upload, you’ll be asked whether to copy details from the previous period.
- This step is skipped during the first data upload.
Cumulative Uploading (for Periodic Data)
When uploading periodic data (e.g. quarterly), the data must be cumulative:
Example:
- Q1: File contains data from 01/01/YYYY to 31/03/YYYY
- Q2: File contains data from 01/01/YYYY to 30/06/YYYY
- Q3: File contains data from 01/01/YYYY to 30/09/YYYY
This ensures Silverfin assigns data correctly across periods.
- Alternatively, you can wait until the full year is available and upload everything at once.
- Silverfin will then automatically distribute the data based on the booking dates or periods and the reporting frequency.