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Import Cleaner for Sage™

Steps (8)
  1. 1Install
  2. 2Open the task pane
  3. 3Pick a direction and scan
  4. 4Read a finding
  5. 5Fix it Pro
  6. 6Undo
  7. 7Export the findings Pro
  8. 8Entering a licence key

How to clean a Sage™ export and check an upload in Excel

A step-by-step run through the add-in, 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 export of the findings 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 workbook. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by The Sage Group plc. Sage and Sage 50 are trademarks of The Sage Group plc.

A Sage export arrives as text: dates Excel 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-in 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

Before you start

Step 1 — Install

The Microsoft AppSource listing is coming soon. When it is live, install from Home › Add-ins › Get Add-ins (or Insert › Get Add-ins) and search for “Import Cleaner for Sage”. The button then appears on the Home tab.

Step 2 — Open the task pane

In the workbook, open Home › Sage import › Check sheet. A task pane 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 task pane 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. The range at the top right is a link — click it and Excel selects those cells.

Cleaning an export (SE)

SE-01Nominal codes that lost their leading zeros
SE-02Dates stored as text, with the ambiguity report
SE-03Stray spaces, including non-breaking ones
SE-04Amounts stored as text, and bracketed negatives
SE-05Debit and Credit columns to one signed amount
SE-06Report titles, subtotals and blank rows around the data
SE-07Numbers and words mixed in an amount column
SE-08Duplicate customer or supplier account references

Checking before an upload (SI)

SI-01Nominal codes that lost their leading zeros
SI-02Dates not in DD/MM/YYYY
SI-03Text longer than Sage's field limits
SI-04Transaction types Sage will not import
SI-05Tax codes outside T0-T99
SI-06Currency symbols, thousands separators and comma decimals in amounts
SI-07More than 8 digits or 2 decimals in Net or Tax
SI-08Zero-value lines
SI-09Spaces in blank cells and around codes
SI-10Double quotes and line breaks inside cells
SI-11Account reference blank on a non-journal line
SI-13Exchange rate left blank on journal and bank lines
SI-14Department and report type out of range
SI-15Project reference problems
SI-16Sage Accounting contacts: blanks, lengths, headings, file size
SI-17Sage Accounting bank statements: column order, signs, balance rows
SI-19Required 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-in 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.

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

Every fix first saves a restore point of the cells it will change. Undo the last fix in the task pane restores it — free in every tier, always. Use it rather than Ctrl+Z: what Excel's own undo does after an add-in writes is not defined by Office and varies by platform.

Step 7 — Export the findings Pro

Export CSV gives you a row per finding for a spreadsheet or a ticket, and Export summary gives you Markdown to paste into a message. Both export the check you are looking at, not a fresh one, so the file always agrees with the screen.

Step 8 — Entering a licence key

Expand Enter a licence key at the bottom of the task pane, paste the key from the end of checkout, and press Activate. One key has 3 activations and takes effect immediately. Checkout for the Excel add-in opens soon; see Prices. The same key works in Excel and in Google Sheets™.

Limits

FAQ

Does my data leave my machine? No. The rules run in the task pane, inside Excel. The only network call this add-in makes is to the licence server, for a licence key and an anonymous install id.

How should I import a Sage CSV? Data › From Text/CSV, then Transform Data and set the nominal-code and date columns to Text, or use the Text Import Wizard and choose Text for those columns.

Is this affiliated with Sage? No. It is an independent add-in by AppGarden. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by The Sage Group plc. Sage and Sage 50 are trademarks of The Sage Group plc.

Also for Google Sheets™: Import Cleaner for Sage™ for Google Sheets. The same licence key works in Excel™ and Google Sheets.

Support

Email support@appgarden.co.uk, and say which Excel platform you are on and which finding looked wrong. A workbook 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