I'm importing from a CSV file.When importing the 'Description' field Quickbooks removes my text and replaces it with something else. How can I stop this?

Hi steve58

What transactions are you attempting to import on the CSV, does the CSVimport relate to banking transactions?

Hello John,

I'm importing banking transactions from a CSV exported from Starling Bank.  I then mess around with the CSV to add additional info to the 'Description' field (info that's useful to me later).  I then import that CSV, mapping the date, amount and description fields.  My hope was that the 'Description' field would map onto 'Memo' but it doesn't.  Any ideas?

Just to confirm...

If I try and import this CSV line:

25/09/2019,-10,Gourmet Burger Kitchen

Then QBO converts it to this

...which really isn't useful at all!

And I can't edit the 'Burger King' text??  I'm baffled as to where the 'Description' text ends up.  If I accept the import and 'Add' it I get a blank entry in my 'Account History'.  The amount is there but there's nothing else visible...

Hello Steve,

I know what's occuring here. The "Description" line gets added to the "Description" part of the line on the transaction. If you were to run a report on your Entertaining Expense account within your Chart of Accounts - you'll see the descriptive there. It's posting it to the "Other side" of the transaction.

You need to look for the small cogwheel on the right hand side of the banking table, just below "Go to account history" and select the option for "Copy bank description to Memo" - and that will allow it to turn up in your Account History descriptive/memo field.

When you consider we use Double Entry - adding it to the lines description adds that description to the account you are posting too, not the account you're posting from - so one side of the double entry. When you add it to the Memo (Using the copy bank description to memo) it will post to both sides of the double entry.

In relation to why the description is changing - I'm not 100% sure without seeing the .csv itself that you are importing. The system isn't designed to change the data you are trying to import.

I have to ask the silly questions in this case; such as does the banks export have more than one description column perhaps?

You are able to call us, and we can take a look at the .csv , or you can post a screenshot of the excel sheet itself.

Ah!  Double entry bookkeeping... always a mystery to me (and I am really truly a rocket scientist:) )

That 'copy to memo' got me what I needed.  Thanks.

But why the 'Gourmet Burger Kitchen' to 'Burger King' change?  I haven't got any Rules set up or anything like that.  And it's not the only import for which the Description is just plain wrong....

I'm glad to know that worked Steve58, For the description change - that's more perplexing. Can you post a screenshot of the .csv (removing any columns with bank acc numbers or sort codes)?

Our system is simply not designed to rewrite the content of the description - and if we can see that the description is different from your .csv, it's definitely worthwhile investigating further.

Here's the entire test CSV file (in Excel) that I was using...

(and I've tried stripping out all punctuation from the description... Makes no difference)

Hey Steve58,

Please leave this with us, i'm going to speak to my engineers, and look to get back to you within 24 hours. This is something we want to take a further look into, if only to get a proper explanation. 

@steve58 - Can you please add a screenshot of the banking page when you click on the transaction itself, to "open it up" - it will give you optios to modify/edit the payee, account and such - we want to see if it's giving you a "Bank Detail" header on that, above the "Create rule from this transaction" option.

Dear JamesC,

It is clear that you haven't fixed the bug yet, I found this message on April 18 2020. I see your product has still A LOT room for improvement (too many erratic behavior in many parts.

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM! I think your system has a bug and replaces the entry with some sort of AI (artificial Ignorance) and truncates the entry. Or the problem is that in the transactions for review screen shows something else from somewhere in your system (maybe even from other of your subscribers) When I see the transaction on the Expenses, the transaction is correct, though. 

Hi pedromuniz,

Thank you for visiting the Community.

I've seen your screenshot and I could see that you're looking at the Description column. You can add the Bank Details column instead if you'd like to see the details of the transaction. Just click the small Gear icon just above the ACTION column name, then select Show bank details. Please know that QuickBooks has no control over the data of these columns. It only shows what is downloaded from your bank.

Always remember that we're here if you need help with QuickBooks. Stay safe!

I am having the same issue importing this csv file:

After importing, all the transaction descriptions just say "Etsy". The decription from the csv file has ended up in the Memo field, but all the clever remembering which accounts I linked everything to last time only seems to work on the description field. Somehow the import process has seen that I have a customer set up called "Etsy" and has decided to link everything to that instead of just leaving everything alone how I wanted it.

Please change this so that the Description is left alone. I quite like that it puts the description into the Memo field as well so please don't change that.