How to clean a Sage export and check an upload in Google Sheets™
A step-by-step run through the add-on, from install to a fixed sheet. Scanning, every explanation, the ambiguity report, the space fix and Undo are free and unlimited. The other fixes, saved settings and the exportable report are paid, and each is marked Pro where it appears.
What the problem is
Does not connect to Sage and needs no Sage account: it works on the data in your sheet. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by The Sage Group plc.
A Sage export arrives as text: dates Sheets cannot sort, amounts that refuse to sum, nominal codes that lost their leading zeros, stray spaces. And a sheet built for upload fails in Sage's import — or is silently truncated or posted to the wrong account.
This add-on knows the file is a Sage file. It checks the sheet against Sage's import conventions and explains every finding in plain English — what is wrong, and why it matters to the import.
Profiles
- Sage 50 (desktop): audit trail import, audit trail report, nominal activity, customer and supplier list.
- Sage Accounting (cloud): contacts import, and bank statement import in its 3-column and 4-column forms.
Before you start
- Google Sheets™ in a desktop browser. The add-on does not run in the Google Sheets™ mobile apps.
- The add-on installed — see Step 1.
- A spreadsheet with at least one sheet of Sage data on it. Import tip: bring a
Sage CSV in with File › Import › Upload and untick
“Convert text to numbers, dates and formulas”. Left ticked, Sheets turns a
nominal code
0040into the number 40 and parses dates using the spreadsheet's locale — a US-locale sheet silently turns a UK06/03/2026into 3 June. - Sage 50 note: Sage 50 may need to be in single-user mode for an import to run. The add-on says so in its help text; it cannot check it for you.
- Nothing leaves Google. The rules run in the sidebar, in your browser, against the Sheets API. The add-on's only network traffic is to the licence server, and only ever a licence key, an anonymous install id and which host this is. The privacy notice says so in full.
Step 1 — Install
Install from Google Workspace Marketplace, or Extensions › Add-ons › Get add-ons and search for “Import Cleaner for Sage™”.
Step 2 — Open the sidebar
In the spreadsheet, open Extensions › Import Cleaner for Sage™ › Open. A sidebar opens on the right.
Step 3 — Pick a direction and scan
Press Clean a Sage export or Check before uploading. The same columns travel both ways, so the direction is asked rather than guessed. The sidebar also says which Sage file it thinks this is — change it there if it guessed wrong.
A sheet with nothing wrong says so, rather than showing an empty list.
Step 4 — Read a finding
Every finding names its rule code, what it found, and why it matters to a Sage import.
- Blocker — the data is wrong, or the import will fail.
- Degrader — works now, will bite later.
- Advisory — worth knowing.
Cleaning an export (SE)
SE-01 | Nominal codes that lost their leading zeros |
SE-02 | Dates stored as text, with the ambiguity report |
SE-03 | Stray spaces, including non-breaking ones |
SE-04 | Amounts stored as text, and bracketed negatives |
SE-05 | Debit and Credit columns to one signed amount |
SE-06 | Report titles, subtotals and blank rows around the data |
SE-07 | Numbers and words mixed in an amount column |
SE-08 | Duplicate customer or supplier account references |
Checking before an upload (SI)
SI-01 | Nominal codes that lost their leading zeros |
SI-02 | Dates not in DD/MM/YYYY |
SI-03 | Text longer than Sage's field limits |
SI-04 | Transaction types Sage will not import |
SI-05 | Tax codes outside T0-T99 |
SI-06 | Currency symbols, thousands separators and comma decimals in amounts |
SI-07 | More than 8 digits or 2 decimals in Net or Tax |
SI-08 | Zero-value lines |
SI-09 | Spaces in blank cells and around codes |
SI-10 | Double quotes and line breaks inside cells |
SI-11 | Account reference blank on a non-journal line |
SI-13 | Exchange rate left blank on journal and bank lines |
SI-14 | Department and report type out of range |
SI-15 | Project reference problems |
SI-16 | Sage Accounting contacts: blanks, lengths, headings, file size |
SI-17 | Sage Accounting bank statements: column order, signs, balance rows |
SI-19 | Required column missing, or required cell blank |
Two further notes are help text rather than findings: a nominal code that does not exist in your chart of accounts (the add-on cannot see your Sage data, so it cannot check that yet), and Sage 50's single-user mode.
Step 5 — Fix it Pro
Each fix shows a preview of the exact cell changes before anything is applied. The preview is built from the same plan the button executes, never from a second description of it.
- One-click fixes are safe unattended. The space fix (SE-03, SI-09) is free.
- Guided fixes — nominal codes, dates, combining Debit and Credit — ask you to confirm before the write, with the ambiguity report open above the button for dates.
The remaining findings are explained but not applied. A value the parser cannot read is never rewritten, and a guess never overwrites its source — a combined signed amount is written into a new column, leaving Debit and Credit alone.
Step 6 — Undo, or keep the changes
Every fix first saves a hidden copy of the sheet before it changes anything. Undo in the sidebar restores that copy — free in every tier, always. Keep changes deletes the hidden copies once you are happy with the result.
Step 7 — The exported report Pro
Export report writes the full finding list to its own tab in the spreadsheet, so it travels with the file and stays readable without the add-on open.
Step 8 — Entering a licence key
Expand Enter a licence key at the bottom of the sidebar, paste the key from the end of checkout, and press Activate. One key has 3 activations and takes effect immediately. Checkout is not open yet; see Prices.
Limits
- Desktop browser only. The add-on does not run in the Google Sheets™ mobile apps.
- Sheet size. Sheets up to 2,000,000 cells are supported. Larger sheets are declined with a message naming the size.
- Undo after a shape-changing fix restores row heights and hidden rows for the first 5,000 rows.
- Sage's rules change. The checks follow Sage's published import specifications as at the build date. Several behaviours could not yet be confirmed against a real Sage company, so those rules explain and warn but never rewrite your cells.
FAQ
Does my data leave Google? No. The rules run in the sidebar, in your browser, against the Sheets API. The only network call this add-on makes is to the licence server, for a licence key, an anonymous install id and which host this is.
How should I import a Sage CSV? File › Import › Upload, with “Convert text to numbers, dates and formulas” unticked.
Does it work on a .xlsx file opened in Office editing mode? No — convert the file to a Google Sheet™ first (File › Save as Google Sheets™). The add-on reads the Sheets API, which an Excel file kept in Office mode does not expose.
Is this affiliated with Sage? No. It is an independent add-on by AppGarden. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by The Sage Group plc. Sage is a trademark of The Sage Group plc.
Also for Excel™: Import Cleaner for Sage™ for Excel. The same licence key works in Google Sheets and Excel.
Support
Email support@appgarden.co.uk, and say which finding looked wrong. A spreadsheet that produced a wrong finding — or missed a real one — is the most useful thing you can send. Only send one you are content to share, and read the privacy notice first.
Further reading
- Sage 50 import errors: nominal codes, dates and tax codes
- Sage Accounting import errors: contacts and bank statements
Google, Google Sheets™ and Google Workspace™ are trademarks of Google LLC. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by The Sage Group plc. Sage is a trademark of The Sage Group plc. Import Cleaner for Sage™ is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.