Common import errors

How to troubleshoot importing errors when using Sage Accounts.

To save you time setting up your service, you can import your contact, product, and service records. You can also import your customer and supplier opening balances.

To help you with this, we’ve created templates you can use. This is to ensure the information you’re importing is in the correct format.

However, there may be times when the import fails. If it fails, you’ll receive an error which tells you which cell in the CSV file you need to correct. Here are some of the most common errors.

 TIP: If you’ve checked all the common errors listed and you’re still receiving errors, your import file could be corrupt. To correct this, copy and paste the contents of your import file into a new CSV template file. You can download this from the relevant import page. 

• Reference must be unique >

  If you receive this message, the reference in the cell indicated isn’t unique. This could be because you have duplicate references in the CSV file. Also, you may have a record with this reference already.

  Enter a unique reference and try the import again.

• VAT number format must match selected country VAT number format >

  The VAT number for that customer isn’t a valid number.

  Enter a valid VAT number. When you enter the number, make sure you don’t enter the country code. For example, if you entered the VAT number as GB123456789, enter 123456789 omitting the GB at the start of the code.

  You must also ensure that if the VAT number starts with 0, the CSV file doesn’t remove the leading zero. If it does remove the leading zero, right-click the relevant cell then click Format Cells. From the Category list select Text then click OK. You can now enter 0.

• The value supplied is not valid for Main Address Country >

  This value is the country’s two-digit country code, for example, GB for Great Britain and IE for Ireland.

  Enter the correct two-digit country code. If you leave this column blank, the contact imports as an IE contact.

• Foreign currency not enabled in financial settings >

  To import foreign currencies, you must, first of all, enable foreign currency transactions. You can then create the currencies in your service. Once you've done this, you can then import your contacts.

• The value supplied is not valid for Currency >

  If you've enabled foreign currency transactions, you can import contacts' currencies. The currency must be the correct currency code, for example, for American dollars this is USD. If the currency column is empty, it imports as your default currency.

• The value supplied is not valid for Ledger Account >

  If you’ve specified a default nominal ledger in the CSV file, this account must already exist in your service.

  To resolve this, either create the nominal ledger account or change the account in the CSV file to one that exists. For example, you may want to change this to the default sales nominal ledger account 4000.

  If you choose to create a new nominal ledger account, make sure in Chart of Accounts the visibility check box for Purchases - Invoice / Credit, Product / Supplier defaults is also selected for the import to be successful.

• The value supplied is not valid for customer or supplier reference >

  If you're importing customer or supplier opening balances, you must ensure the customer reference in the CSV file matches the references in Accounting.

  To resolve this, do one of the following:

  • If the contact already exists, enter the correct reference in the CSV file
  • If you haven't yet created the contact, you must do so before you can import their opening balances
• The value supplied is not valid for Date >

  The date must be in the format dd/mm/yyyy before you can import it.

  Amend the date so it’s in the correct format. If Excel changes the date, right-click the relevant cell then click Format Cells. From the Category list select Text then click OK and enter the correct date.

• Everything returned as an error >

  Check the file you’re trying to import is the correct file for the relevant option. For example, if you’re importing products, make sure you choose the product CSV file.

  Also, check the file is a CSV file and not an XLS file.

• Contact (supplier or customer) import CSV file is too large >

  The size of your contact CSV file cannot exceed 0.5MB. Check the file size before attempting to import your contacts. If it is over the limit, you can split the contacts into two files and then import them separately. The contacts you import in the first file will not be overwritten from any subsequent imports.

  If you get an error trying to import a contact CSV file, be sure that the data in the Reference column is unique (or blank) for each contact.

  If you are reimporting a file, you'll need to change (or delete) the data in the Reference column. Do this for each contact to reimport the file.

  If all the above is complete and you still get this error message, attempt to refresh your web page, and retry the import.