Sample Import Files & Templates

Sample Files Location

PrimeConnect ships with a set of ready-made sample import files that demonstrate the correct format for every supported entity type. These files are your best starting point when creating your own import spreadsheets.

The sample files are located in the SampleFiles folder inside the PrimeConnect application directory. On a standard installation, the path is:

%LocalAppData%\PrimeConnect\current\SampleFiles\

You can also access them from within PrimeConnect itself. During the import wizard, click the "View Sample File" link displayed next to the file upload area. This opens the sample file for the entity type you selected in Step 1, so you can see exactly what columns and format PrimeConnect expects.

Each sample file is named after its entity type — for example, Invoices.xlsx, Customers.xlsx, Bills.xlsx, and so on. The files contain a small number of example rows with realistic data so you can see the expected values for every column.

File Format Requirements

PrimeConnect supports three file formats for data import. The format you choose affects how reliably your data is read, so picking the right one matters.

PrimeConnect does not support IIF, QIF, QBO, or plain TXT files. If your data is in one of these formats, first open it in Excel and save as .xlsx before importing. Alternatively, use our free accounting tools to convert between file formats — for example, convert IIF to CSV or convert QBO to CSV before importing into PrimeConnect.

Column Naming Conventions

The first row of your file must contain column headers. PrimeConnect's import wizard uses these headers to auto-match your columns to QuickBooks fields. The closer your header names are to the standard QuickBooks field names, the more columns will be matched automatically — saving you manual mapping work.

Below are the most commonly used column names and their QuickBooks field equivalents:

Column name matching is case-insensitive — customer, Customer, and CUSTOMER all match the same QuickBooks field. The auto-matcher also handles common variations like plurals and abbreviations, but sticking to the names above gives the best results.

Date Formatting

Correct date formatting is critical for a successful import. QuickBooks requires valid dates for transaction dates, due dates, and other date fields. PrimeConnect recognizes several date formats, but using a consistent format throughout your file prevents parsing errors.

Recommended date formats:

• MM/DD/YYYY — e.g., 02/25/2026 (US standard, most reliable)
• YYYY-MM-DD — e.g., 2026-02-25 (ISO 8601, unambiguous)
• M/D/YYYY — e.g., 2/25/2026 (without leading zeros)

In Excel files: If a cell is formatted as a Date type in Excel, PrimeConnect reads the underlying date value directly, regardless of display format. This makes Excel the most forgiving format for dates. However, if a date cell is stored as plain text (a common issue when pasting from other systems), PrimeConnect falls back to string parsing — so make sure your date columns have the "Date" cell format applied in Excel.

In CSV files: All dates are read as text strings, so the format you type is the format PrimeConnect parses. Use the same format for every date in the file. Mixing formats (e.g., some rows as MM/DD/YYYY and others as DD/MM/YYYY) will cause validation errors or incorrect dates.

Number Formatting

Monetary amounts, quantities, and rates must follow specific number formatting rules to be imported correctly. These rules apply to all numeric fields in your import file.

• Decimal separator: Use a period (.) as the decimal separator. For example: 1250.75, not 1250,75.
• No currency symbols: Do not include $, €, £, or any other currency symbols. Write 500.00, not $500.00.
• Negative values: Use a minus sign (-) before the number. For example: -150.00. Do not use parentheses like (150.00).
• No thousands separators in CSV: In CSV files, do not use commas as thousands separators. Write 10000.00, not 10,000.00 — the comma would break the CSV column parsing.
• Excel thousands separators: In Excel files, you can use number formatting with thousands separators for display, as long as the underlying cell value is a proper number (not text).

PrimeConnect uses the decimal places setting (configurable in Settings) to determine rounding precision during import. The default is 2 decimal places. If you work with currencies that use 3 or more decimal places, adjust this setting before importing.

Text Encoding (UTF-8)

Text encoding determines how special characters (accented letters, non-Latin scripts, symbols) are stored in your file. Incorrect encoding is one of the most common causes of garbled text during import.

Excel files (.xlsx): Handle encoding automatically. You do not need to do anything special — Unicode characters are preserved natively in the Excel format.

CSV files: Must be saved with UTF-8 encoding with BOM (Byte Order Mark). The BOM is a special invisible marker at the beginning of the file that tells PrimeConnect (and other applications) that the file is UTF-8 encoded.

How to save a CSV with UTF-8 BOM from common applications:

• Microsoft Excel: File → Save As → choose "CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (*.csv)" from the file type dropdown.
• Google Sheets: File → Download → Comma Separated Values (.csv). Google Sheets exports UTF-8 by default.
• Notepad (Windows): File → Save As → Encoding dropdown → select "UTF-8 with BOM".
• LibreOffice Calc: File → Save As → choose CSV format → check "Edit filter settings" → Character set: Unicode (UTF-8) → check "Include BOM".

Preparing Excel Files

Excel is the recommended format because it preserves data types and handles encoding automatically. Follow this checklist to ensure your Excel file imports cleanly:

1. First row = column headers. PrimeConnect reads the first row as column names. Do not put data in row 1 — start your data from row 2.
2. One sheet per import. PrimeConnect reads only the first sheet. If your workbook has multiple sheets, make sure the data you want to import is on Sheet 1.
3. Remove empty rows and columns. Blank rows in the middle of your data can cause PrimeConnect to stop reading at that point. Blank columns can interfere with auto-matching. Delete any empty rows or columns within your data range.
4. Remove merged cells. Merged cells are not supported and will cause unpredictable results. Unmerge all cells before importing. In Excel: select the range → Home tab → Merge & Center dropdown → Unmerge Cells.
5. Ensure date columns are formatted as dates. Right-click the column → Format Cells → Date. If a date column is formatted as Text, PrimeConnect may not parse it correctly, even if the values look like dates on screen.
6. Ensure number columns are formatted as numbers. Amounts stored as text (often indicated by a small green triangle in the cell corner) will not be processed correctly. Convert them to numbers using Excel's "Convert to Number" option.
7. Remove filters, grouping, and hidden rows. Hidden or filtered-out rows are still read by PrimeConnect. Clear all filters and unhide all rows to avoid importing unexpected data.

Preparing CSV Files

CSV files are lightweight and widely supported, but they require extra care because all data is stored as plain text with no embedded type information. Follow these steps to prepare a CSV file for import:

1. Save as "CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited)". If exporting from Excel, choose this specific option from the Save As file type dropdown. This ensures proper encoding and comma delimiters.
2. Verify no extra blank lines at the end. Open the file in a text editor (like Notepad) and scroll to the bottom. Delete any blank lines after the last data row. Extra blank lines can be read as empty records.
3. Check that fields with commas are double-quoted. If a field value contains a comma — for example, a company name like "Smith, Jones & Co." — it must be wrapped in double quotes so the comma is not mistaken for a column delimiter. Most spreadsheet applications handle this automatically when saving as CSV.
4. Check that fields with double quotes are escaped. If a field value itself contains double quotes, they must be escaped by doubling them. For example: "12"" Monitor" represents the text 12" Monitor.
5. Use consistent date formatting. Pick one date format (preferably MM/DD/YYYY) and use it for every date value in the file. Mixed formats will cause validation errors.
6. Avoid thousands separators in numeric fields. Commas in numbers (like 1,000.00) will break CSV column parsing. Use 1000.00 instead.

After saving your CSV, you can verify it by opening it in a text editor. You should see one line per record, with values separated by commas and the first line containing your column headers. If the file looks correct in the text editor, it will import correctly in PrimeConnect.