A tidy spreadsheet does not guarantee accurate data. Before using a statement converted to Excel, compare its transactions with the original PDF.
Gather every page
Check the account and statement period. Keep the original PDF and replace blurry or incomplete scans.
When periods overlap, identify shared pages before combining the transactions. Exporting cannot reconstruct a missing page.
Check the dates
Distinguish transaction dates from value dates. Check the day/month order and descriptions that span multiple lines.
Check transactions from across the entire period, particularly around a change of month. A shortened description can hide a useful reference.
Verify the amounts
Check debits, credits and decimal separators. Compare available balances; do not invent an entry to hide a difference.
If the statement provides opening and closing balances, reconcile the change between them with the transactions. Keep the sign convention consistent.
Examine possible duplicates
Compare dates, amounts, descriptions and references. Two identical payments may be genuine. Keep currencies separate.
Also check that repeated headers, subtotals and page balances have not become transactions. Never delete a line based solely on its amount.
Test the export
Open the file and check the first and last lines. Preserve leading zeros and consult the destination software’s import instructions.
For a CSV file, check the delimiter and encoding. An available export format is not automatically accepted by every version of a software product.
Review with Manualess
Manualess supports extraction, comparison with the source document, corrections and export. Resolve uncertain lines; do not fill missing values by guesswork.
Keep the source document available during review. Validate the file against a statement you can check before applying the process to other documents.