Can SQL Account import purchase invoices from Excel?

Yes. SQL Account supports importing documents from Excel and CSV: you select the file, load the data, map your columns onto SQL’s fields, verify, then post. Exact screens vary by version and edition — SQL’s own documentation and your dealer can confirm what your installation has.

Why does my SQL import keep failing?

Four causes cover most of it: the creditor does not exist yet, columns are mismapped or dates are formatted inconsistently, document numbers collide with what is already posted, and document dates fall outside the period the book will accept. Run Verify before posting — it catches most of these while they are still cheap to fix.

What about SQL’s built-in scan feature — is this the same thing?

Different layer. A scan feature reads one document at a time and fills in fields; an Excel import moves data you already have. Neither removes the underlying job of turning a month of client documents into rows in the first place.

We run a hundred client books. Does this get easier?

Not on the import route — each book is its own ledger with its own creditors and chart of accounts, so the mapping work repeats. That is the honest limit of the spreadsheet approach at firm scale.

Is there a way to skip the import file entirely?

Yes. With BalanceNow, approved entries post straight into the SQL company book with one click — no export, no import, no re-keying. The import-file route stays available whenever you want full manual control, and on that path BalanceNow makes no direct change to your SQL data.

Guide

How to Import Purchase Invoices into SQL Account from Excel.

Get file, map the columns, verify, post. It works — when the file is clean and the four traps below are avoided. Written by a team that integrates with SQL Account every day.

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The Process

The import, in five steps

Prepare the file: first row = column names, one invoice line per row — creditor code, document number, date, description, amount and account.
In SQL Account, open the import screen for purchase invoices and use Get File to select your Excel or CSV, then Get Data to load it.
Map the columns: drag each Source Field onto the matching Target Field so SQL knows which column is the creditor, the date, the amount and so on.
Run Verify first. This is the step firms skip and regret — it surfaces bad rows before anything reaches the ledger.
When Verify is clean, Post to A/C, then spot-check a few documents in the purchase listing: creditor, document number, date, amount and account.

Screens and options differ between SQL Account versions and editions — check SQL’s own documentation or your dealer for the specifics of your installation.

Field Experience

Why SQL imports fail

The four causes behind most rejected files and silent data damage — the same rules our own integration has to respect.

The creditor does not exist yet

SQL will not attach an invoice to a supplier it has never met. Every row pointing at a missing creditor code fails — so new suppliers have to be created before the import, not during it.

Column mapping and date formats

Mismapped source fields and inconsistent date formats (dd/mm vs mm/dd, text cells that look like dates) are the quiet killers: the import succeeds and the data is wrong.

Document numbers that collide

Re-running a file after a partial failure duplicates whatever already went in. If you need SQL to generate running numbers for a batch, use its new-document prefix convention rather than inventing numbers in the spreadsheet.

Dates outside the open period

Documents dated into a period the book is not ready to accept get rejected. Check the client’s open period before importing a backlog month.

The Honest Part

The spreadsheet is not the hard part

An import only saves time if the Excel already exists. For a firm, the real cost sits upstream: someone keys a month of PDFs, photos and handwritten bills into that spreadsheet, client by client, book by book. That step is what BalanceNow’s SQL Accounting integration removes — AI reads the documents, your accountant approves, and approved entries post straight into the company book with one click. The creditor-exists and date-period rules above are handled before you ever meet them.

FAQ

SQL import questions, answered straight

Can SQL Account import purchase invoices from Excel?: Yes. SQL Account supports importing documents from Excel and CSV: you select the file, load the data, map your columns onto SQL’s fields, verify, then post. Exact screens vary by version and edition — SQL’s own documentation and your dealer can confirm what your installation has.
Why does my SQL import keep failing?: Four causes cover most of it: the creditor does not exist yet, columns are mismapped or dates are formatted inconsistently, document numbers collide with what is already posted, and document dates fall outside the period the book will accept. Run Verify before posting — it catches most of these while they are still cheap to fix.
What about SQL’s built-in scan feature — is this the same thing?: Different layer. A scan feature reads one document at a time and fills in fields; an Excel import moves data you already have. Neither removes the underlying job of turning a month of client documents into rows in the first place.
We run a hundred client books. Does this get easier?: Not on the import route — each book is its own ledger with its own creditors and chart of accounts, so the mapping work repeats. That is the honest limit of the spreadsheet approach at firm scale.
Is there a way to skip the import file entirely?: Yes. With BalanceNow, approved entries post straight into the SQL company book with one click — no export, no import, no re-keying. The import-file route stays available whenever you want full manual control, and on that path BalanceNow makes no direct change to your SQL data.

Compliance context: LHDN raised the e-Invoice exemption threshold to RM3 million on 1 September 2026 — it changes who issues e-Invoices, not how purchase documents reach the ledger.

Get Started

Bring the Pile, Skip the Spreadsheet.

20 minutes on your real documents — watch them become SQL-ready entries without anyone touching Excel.

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Last reviewed 10 August 2026 · BalanceNow team · Questions? hello@balancenow.com.my