SETTING ACCOUNT BEHAVIOR
Setting account behavior means setting the essential details for an account. This includes details such as how the account is named on all screens, and what institution it belongs to. It also determines how transactions will be imported.
1. You can enter any name you like to represent that account. E.g ‘My Savings’
FOR BANKING, CREDIT CARDS & LOANS you will need to enter the details of the institution. This will help you decide how statements are imported.
2. Select your institution from the list.
Some institutions are more fully supported than others. If your institution is not listed, select ‘Other Institution’ and enter the name of that institution.
Once you Select your Institution you will be advised whether your account is “maintained“. Your account with the institution may or may not have a maintained configuration. You will be notified of this here. (Please note that accounts are maintained, based on their type, e.g. savings with each bank.)
A sample Account Behavior screen is shown.
The presence of the Unlock button means that transactions have been imported. If you try to change a warning will appear.
In most cases, you should not need to change, unless the institution was bought-out or changed name.
Inactive account means you cannot enter any more data. However, all previous transactions are still in your database.
What a maintained or automatic configuration means:
If a maintained configuration is available means that a template for the relevant institution will automatically be downloaded and automatically updated if required. You only need to follow the prompts from the Import File window. You should not need to create your own configuration or import a template.
A template takes the format of the download file, which will be institution specific, and puts it into a standard format that Budgets GetReal understands.
A second option is available to manually override the maintained template and create your own. You can swap back to the maintained version at any time.
If a maintained configuration is unavailable:
In the USA, Canada , UK and other countries supporting the OFX (Open Financial Exchange) standard, no template customisation is required, because OFX is a standard format. Institutions in these countries are “non-maintained”, but you can simply select OFX option at Import Wizard.
For Australia, “non-maintained” does NOT mean a template is not available. It simply means that the templates are user submitted and not verified.
You will have to manually import the template, by clicking on a link in the Import Wizard.
Configurations ensure that your transactions are imported correctly. You can specify a configuration by following the instructions from the Import File window, or by directly accessing the Configurations Wizard.
What will happen on import?
If the institution is maintained, you simply click on Import File and it will simply ask you to select your file. The Template will be automatically downloaded.
If the institution is non-maintained, at the Import File link, you will be directed to the Import Wizard. This will only occur the first time, until you have imported or created a template.
The Instructions are different for each region. Examples are:
- In the case of the USA, you will be recommended to use OFX and told how to do it.
- In the case of Australia, you will be recommended to use CSV, and given a link to a page showing all the available templates, so you can select the appropriate one to use.
