Importing Outstanding Invoices
Outstanding Invoices is a Tier 2 (First Week) data type. Importing your open invoices allows you to carry forward any unpaid customer balances from a previous system so that your accounts receivable is accurate from day one in AccuArk.
Before You Begin
- Prepare a CSV file with your outstanding invoice data
- Make sure all customers referenced in your file already exist in AccuArk — import your customer list first if needed
- Items referenced in line items are looked up by SKU first, then by name. If no match is found, the item name is stored as free text on the line item. You do not need to create every item in advance.
- This import always creates new invoices. It does not update or overwrite existing invoices.
Understanding the Multi-Row Format
Unlike most data types where each CSV row creates one record, the outstanding invoices import uses a multi-row format. Each row in the CSV represents a single line item, and multiple rows with the same Invoice Number are grouped together into a single invoice.
For example, suppose you have an invoice with three items. Your CSV would contain three rows, all sharing the same invoice number:
invoice_number,customer_name,invoice_date,due_date,item_name,quantity,unit_price,tax_amount,notes
INV-1001,Acme Corp,2026-01-15,2026-02-14,Widget Pro,2,29.99,4.80,
INV-1001,Acme Corp,2026-01-15,2026-02-14,Bolt Standard,10,4.99,7.98,
INV-1001,Acme Corp,2026-01-15,2026-02-14,Installation Service,1,150.00,0,On-site install
INV-1002,Jane Doe,2026-02-01,2026-03-03,Premium Service,1,99.00,7.92,In this example, AccuArk creates two invoices: INV-1001 with three line items and INV-1002 with one line item. The customer name, invoice date, and due date are taken from the first row of each group.
Step-by-Step Import
- Open the Data Exchange Center from the Business menu
- Click Import on the Outstanding Invoices card
- Select the Location that these invoices belong to
- Click Browse and select your CSV file
- Click Next to proceed to column mapping
- Ensure the following required fields are mapped:
- Invoice Number — the grouping key that ties line items together
- Customer Name — must match an existing customer in AccuArk
- Item Name — the product or service on the line item
- Quantity — the number of units
- Unit Price — the price per unit
- Map optional fields as available (Invoice Date, Due Date, Tax Amount, Notes)
- Click Next to validate
- Review the validation results — check for customer lookup failures and invalid numbers
- Click Import to create the invoices
Available Fields
| Field | Required | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invoice Number | Yes | Text | Groups rows into invoices. All rows with the same value become line items on one invoice. |
| Customer Name | Yes | Lookup | Must match an existing customer record in AccuArk. |
| Invoice Date | No | Date | The date the invoice was issued. Defaults to today if not provided. |
| Due Date | No | Date | The payment due date. |
| Item Name | Yes | Text / Lookup | The product or service name. AccuArk looks up the item by SKU first, then by name. If no match is found, the name is stored as text. |
| Quantity | Yes | Number | The number of units for this line item. Must be greater than zero. |
| Unit Price | Yes | Number | The price per unit for this line item. |
| Tax Amount | No | Number | The tax amount for this line item. Defaults to 0 if not provided. |
| Notes | No | Text | Notes for this line item. |
How Invoices Are Created
AccuArk processes the CSV file and groups all rows that share the same Invoice Number. For each group:
- A new invoice is created with the invoice number, customer, and dates from the first row in the group
- Each row in the group becomes a line item on that invoice
- The invoice total is calculated automatically by summing the line item amounts (quantity multiplied by unit price) plus any tax amounts
- The invoice is created with an Open status
- The invoice is assigned to the location you selected in Step 3
Because this import always creates new invoices, running it a second time with the same file will create duplicate invoices. Only import each invoice once.
Item Lookup Behavior
When processing each line item, AccuArk attempts to match the Item Name value against your inventory:
- First, it checks if the value matches an item SKU in your inventory
- If no SKU match is found, it checks by item name
- If no inventory match is found at all, the item name is stored as free text on the line item
This means you can import invoices that reference items not yet in your inventory. The line item will display the name you provided.
Location Assignment
The location selector in Step 3 determines which location the imported invoices belong to. If you have outstanding invoices across multiple locations, run separate imports for each location, selecting the appropriate location each time.
Common Issues
"Customer not found" Error
The customer name in your CSV does not match any customer in AccuArk. Check for typos, extra spaces, or formatting differences. Import your customer list first before importing invoices.
Missing Invoice Number
Every row must have an invoice number. Rows without an invoice number cannot be grouped and will fail validation.
Duplicate Invoices
This import does not check for existing invoices with the same number. If you import the same file twice, you will get duplicate invoices. Verify your import was successful before running it again.
Tips
- Import customers first — Every invoice must reference an existing customer. Import your customer list before importing invoices.
- Use consistent invoice numbers — The invoice number is the grouping key. Make sure all line items for the same invoice use exactly the same invoice number value.
- One location at a time — If you have invoices for multiple locations, split your CSV by location and run separate imports.
- Verify totals after import — After importing, open a few invoices in AccuArk to confirm the line items and totals match your records.