INTEGRATIONS: Importing from Sage Business Cloud

The Integrations Add-on module makes it easy to extract data from a Sage Business Cloud file and use that data to build and maintain a Castaway forecast. You can:

• Build a new Castaway forecast from your Sage chart of accounts (including mapping)
• Map the Sage chart of accounts to an existing Castaway forecast
• Import Opening Balances
• Import Actuals data (for one month or multiple months)

This article guides you through the following steps:

1. Access the Integrations module
2. Create or Open a Mapping File
3. Select the number of months
4. Select the Sage file
5. Review the Sage mapping screen
6. Map the Sage accounts to Castaway
7. Import Values (Opening Balances)
8. Import Values (Actuals data)

1. Access the Integrations module

Access the Integrations module by going to Forecast > External Sources, then click on the Sage Business Cloud logo

   

2. Create or Open a Mapping File

A Mapping File (*.pxim file extension) records how the Sage chart of accounts maps across to the Castaway chart of accounts. Mapping Files can be used and updated every time you want to import data into Castaway from Sage.

We recommend saving the Mapping File in the same folder location as the Castaway file.

3. Select the number of months

Once the Mapping File has been identified, You need to select the number of months you want to import from Sage.

Please note the current month will be included in the called periods as well.

4. Select the Sage file

Click Connect to start the Sage login process:

• Enter logon details to the Screencast application
• Click Login on the Sage access screen
• Copy the Sage authentication code 
• Enter/paste the Sage authentication code into the Sage Authentication screen
• Select the Sage organisation file you want to work with
• Click Load File Data

 

 

 

 5. Review the Sage mapping screen

The Sage mapping screen appears, showing the list of Sage nominal accounts across 5 tabs: 

 Each tab shows the number of Sage accounts in 3 different categories:

• (M)apped: accounts successfully mapped to Castaway ()
• (A)rchived: inactive or redundant accounts intentionally not mapped to Castaway ()
• (U)nmapped: accounts not yet archived or mapped to Castaway ()

6. Map the Sage accounts to Castaway

It is easy to map the Sage chart of accounts across to Castaway. The mappings are stored in the Mapping File, which is designed to be updated and re-used whenever you need to import data into the Castaway forecast.

  Mapping is done using drag & drop. With this technique, you can map:

• one Sage account to an existing Castaway account
• multiple Sage accounts to an existing Castaway account
• one Sage account to a new Castaway account 
• multiple Sage accounts to a new Castaway account
• multiple Sage accounts to multiple new Castaway accounts

 Select the Sage account(s) as follows:

• select one account: single-click on the Sage account
• select multiple accounts (adjacent): single-click on the first Sage account, then press SHIFT and single-click on the last Sage account
• select multiple accounts (non-adjacent):single-click on the first Sage account, then press CTRL and single-click on the other Sage accounts

Drag & drop the account(s) to the Castaway chart of accounts as follows:

• map to an existing Castaway account: drag & drop the Sage account(s) over the name of an existing Castaway account (eg Main Bank Account in the picture above)
• map to a single new Castaway account: drag & drop the Sage account(s) over the appropriate Element type shield. If you are mapping multiple Sage accounts, select 'Map to one element' from the popup
• map to multiple new Castaway accounts: drag & drop the Sage accounts over the Element type shield. Select 'Map to multiple elements' from the popup 

You can also 'archive' Sage accounts to show they have been considered but do not need to be mapped to Castaway. To do this, click the button in the Link column until it shows a dark line ().

7. Import Values (Opening Balances)

Once the Sage accounts have been mapped as required, you can import the opening balance sheet and prior P&L data from the Sage file. To do this:

1. click the Import Values button to launch the Select Import Value Months screen
2. select the Opening Balance month from the drop-down list and set the number of months data required in the Prior P&L (from 0-12)

3. click OK to save the mapping file, save any changes to the Castaway chart of accounts and import the selected opening data

8. Import Values (Actuals data)

Once you have enabled Actuals in your Castaway file, you can import actuals data from Sage for one month or multiple months. To do this:

1. click the Import Values button to launch the Select Import Value Months screen
2. click the Actual Value radio button, then select the required month(s):
   
   
3. click OK to save the mapping file, save any changes to the Castaway chart of accounts and import the selected actuals data