Cost Control
You can describe your accounting file's shape once and reuse it every period.
Your accounting system exports the same file shape every month. A **mapping set** records that shape once so each period's import is a file-pick rather than a configuration exercise.
Create one with **New** in the import's first step, or edit an existing one with **Edit**.
Tell the import which spreadsheet column holds what, by letter. Blue ones are required.
| Field | What it is | | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | **Account** | the account number | | **Date** | the booking date | | **Text** | the booking text | | **Reference** | the booking reference | | **Paid** | the amount paid — **net**, if you reclaim VAT | | **Payment date** | when it was paid | | **Effects** | effect names | | **Tags** | tags |
Tick **First row in import file contains headers** if it does.
Effects and tags may hold several values in one cell, **separated by comma or semicolon**.
**Currency** is required, and applies to the whole file — all imported data must be in one currency.
**Company** is optional and assigns every imported line to one company. Useful when each partner exports their own bookings separately.
This is the part that decides whether importing is easy forever or annoying forever.
Map each accounting account number to its KOSMA budget account — or, far better, tick **Budget and import file use identical account numbers**, which the product recommends.
**Using the same numbers in accounting as in the budget is the workflow to aim for.** It removes the mapping table entirely, and it survives changes: matching runs on the mapped code, so renumbering a budget does not break an import.
If not all accounts are matched the dialog warns: *Not all accounts are matched, importing will not work.* Each accounting code can be used once — a duplicate is flagged.
Effects are optional. Add the effect codes your accounting uses to the matching KOSMA effects if you want effects imported. While an effect has no code, the section shows the notice *Effects not matched (not required)*. It is information, not a warning: the import works without it.
Name it after the source rather than the period — *DATEV monthly*, *Accountant export* — because it is reused, not replaced. Revisit it when the accounting chart changes or a new account appears; that is usually the reason a previously clean import suddenly cannot map lines.
Markdown