Account rules import and export reference

You can keep your account rules in a spreadsheet: export the current list, edit it, and import it back. This page lists every column and the rules the import follows.

The spreadsheet actions are in the Import / Export menu at the top of Accounting → Settings → Product accounts:

• Export rules CSV downloads every rule, in order, as a CSV file.
• Download template downloads a CSV with one row per top-level category. Each row is named after its category, with the accounts left blank. Fill in the accounts you want and delete the rows you don't need.
• Import rules sheet uploads a CSV and shows you what it would do before anything is saved.

Before you begin

• Viewing, exporting and downloading the template need the List permission under Accounting in your role. Importing also needs Manage Settings under Accounting.
• The categories, brands, suppliers, tags and accounts your file names must already exist. The import never creates them, and an unknown name stops the import.

How an import works

1. Rows match existing rules by name. The match ignores upper and lower case. A row whose name matches an existing rule updates that rule. A row with a new name adds a rule. Rules that aren't in the file are left alone. The import never deletes a rule.
2. The whole file is checked first. Click Import rules and SKU.io reads every row before saving anything. You then see how many rules will be added and updated, how many products will change account, and a table of each rule with its conditions and Add or Update.
3. It's all or nothing. If any row has a problem, nothing is saved. The dialog lists each problem with its row number (the header is row 1), so you can fix the file and upload it again. The first 20 problems are shown.
4. Confirm to save. When the file is clean, confirm and the rules are saved together. Products move to their new accounts in the background, and you can follow that in the job tray.

The same name may appear only once in a file. A repeated name is reported against each row that uses it.

Columns

Column headers ignore upper and lower case. Only name is required in the file. Any other column you leave out, or leave blank, takes the default shown below.

The rule

Column	Required	Accepted values	Blank means	Notes
name	Yes	Any text	—	Identifies the rule. A row with a blank name is an error.
position	No	A whole number, 1 or more	New rules go above the first broader rule; updated rules keep their place	1 is the top of the list. Rules are checked from the top, and the first match wins for each account.
is_active	No	1 or 0 (also yes/no, true/false)	1 (active)	An inactive rule stays in the list but matches nothing.
channel_accounts_take_priority	No	1 or 0	0	When 1, a sales channel's own Sales, COGS or Discount account wins over this rule for orders from that channel.

When a product matches

A rule needs at least one condition. Different columns must all match. Several values in one cell are alternatives: separate them with a pipe, as in Apparel|Accessories, and the product needs to match only one of them.

Column	Accepted values	Blank means	Notes
category	Category names, separated by |	Any category	A name used by two categories is an error. Rename one of them first.
include_subcategories	1 or 0	1	When 1, a product in a subcategory of the named category also matches.
category_scope	primary or any	primary	primary checks only the product's primary category. any checks every category the product is in.
brand	Brand names, separated by |	Any brand
default_supplier	Supplier names, separated by |	Any supplier	Matches the product's default supplier only.
product_type	standard, bundle, kit, matrix, blemished or manufactured, separated by |	Any type	An unknown type is an error that lists the accepted ones.
tag	Tag names, separated by |	Any tag
sku_prefix	Up to 5 SKU beginnings, separated by |	Any SKU	Ignores upper and lower case: bb matches BB010.

Where matching products post

Leave an account blank to let it fall through to your channel accounts and then the company default.

Column	The account for	Expected kind of account
sales_account	Sales	Income
cogs_account	Cost of goods sold	Expense
inventory_account	Stock on hand	Asset
in_transit_account	Stock in transit	Asset
accrued_purchases_account	Goods received but not yet billed	Liability
discount_account	Discounts	Income

Write an account in any of these ways:

• the account number on its own: 4010
• the number and the name: 4010 Apparel Sales, 4010 - Apparel Sales or 4010: Apparel Sales
• the name on its own: Apparel Sales

The export writes the number and the name, so an exported file always imports back cleanly. A name shared by two accounts is an error; use the number instead. An archived account is an error that names it, so you can unarchive it or choose another.

If an account isn't the kind the column expects, such as an expense account in sales_account, the preview says so and asks you to confirm before it imports. This catches a mistyped number without blocking an account you chose on purpose.

Cells that start with a formula character

Spreadsheet programs treat a cell that starts with =, +, - or @ as a formula. The export protects such values by starting them with an apostrophe, and the import removes that apostrophe again, so names like -Clearance survive the round trip.

Next steps

• Map product accounts with rules: add, order and check rules on screen.
• Import products: set or clear a single product's own accounts from a product sheet.
• Chart of accounts reference: the default accounts and what posts to each.