File Sections and Required Fields

Greentree Desktop only requires a subset of the information in a bank interface file to update bank statements. The interface definition assigns only the fields. The rest of the information contained in the bank files is ignored during the import process.

Bank files are separated into three sections:

Header

This section contains summary information — for example, statement date, account number, and sometimes the opening balance of the statement closing balance of last statement. If bank files contain an opening balance, then Greentree Desktop displays an option to check opening and closing balances during the automatic bank reconciliation process, however you don't need to do this.

If you select this option, the reconciliation compares the balance in the file with the last statement balance in Greentree, which offers an extra audit check on running the import process. There is only one header line per bank account.

If some banks separate the header section into two lines, a Group Header is required in addition to a Header section.

Transactions

This section contains lines representing a debit or credit. Information contained in this section includes a transaction type (to identify whether it is a receipt or a payment), an amount, a reference, and a narration. The transaction lines will all be of the Header that defines them. They are linked to one bank account, defined by the header that precedes it.

Footer

This section contains summary information. The contents are usually not mandatory, unless there is a closing balance contained in the footer line, and the check opening and closing balances option is selected in Greentree Desktop. If there is a closing balance in the footer record, it is the opening balance from the header, plus or minus all debit and credit transactions detailed in the Transactions section of the file.

Bank file format specifications always identify header, transaction, and footer sections. Each one has an identifier called a Block Code in Greentree Desktop.

Mandatory Components

These are the mandatory components that Greentree Desktop needs for the automatic bank reconciliation process:

Block Code

The unique identifier which prefixes the lines in the bank file. It enables Greentree Desktop to determine whether lines are header, transaction, or footer lines.

Statement Date

Each file contains a date which will convert into Greentree Desktop as the new statement date. Usually this file is found in the header section of the file, although it may sometimes be repeated at a line level. This date only must be referenced once, normally in the header.

Bank Account Number

This is usually in the header section of the file, although it is sometimes repeated at a line level. It only must be referenced once, normally in the header. Files can contain multiple bank accounts. If they do, each one has a unique header line, so Greentree Desktop can determine which transactions relate to which account.

Bank Transaction Code

This is a pre-defined code which identifies whether the transaction is a debit or a credit. These codes are set up in Greentree Desktop when creating an interface, and are specified by the bank.

Amount

Each transaction line has a field which represents the amount of the transaction. You can format this field in different ways, depending on the bank file format specification. For example, some may include decimals, others will not, some may denote negatives with a - preceding the value, others may use brackets.

Transaction Date

Each transaction has a date for it. Sometimes this is at a transaction line level each line has a different date. At other times, it is the date specified in the header file. Greentree Desktop assumes the date applies to all transactions.

Reference

Each transaction line has a reference field which is a unique identifier for the particular transaction — for example, a cheque number, or a receipt reference.

Some bank files may contain additional information to what is outlined here. However, the fields outlined above are the only ones Greentree Desktop considers mandatory for the process to function. There is one exception to this if the option to check opening and closing balances is selected, then opening and closing balances are also mandatory (opening balance is in the header, and closing balance is in the footer).

Files can contain a Particulars field, which may be assigned to the interface format to update a narration to the statement when the reconciliation process runs.