Custom import: automatic import of staff and account data

🔄 How it works

Step	What happens	Who
1	You create an export file from your payroll or HR system	You
2	You create an SFTP account and upload the file	You
3	We set up the import and map the columns	Expense Support
4	Every night the file is fetched and Expense is updated	Expense

👉 Applies to: administrators and IT staff who want to keep staff and internal accounts in Expense up to date automatically.

💡 Before you start: Expense support activates Automated Export for your company. Contact support if it is not activated.

📋 What can be imported?

Import type	Example
Employees	Employee number, name, email
Employees' internal accounts	Which cost center or project a person belongs to
Internal accounts	Cost centers, projects, objects
Administrators of internal accounts	Who is responsible for a cost center
Linked internal accounts	Which accounts belong together

📄 File formats

📊 CSV (comma-separated)
📊 Tab-separated
📊 Semicolon-separated

✅ How to prepare the file

Create one file per import type, for example one for employees and one for internal accounts.
Use the same column order every time.
Preferably put column headings on the first row.
Give the files a fixed name with a prefix, for example EMPLOYEE_DATA_2026-10-16.csv.
Create an SFTP account, see Create an SFTP account with an SSH key.
Send a sample file and a description of the columns to Expense Support.

✅ When the import is set up and tested, it runs automatically every night.

💡 Tips for the best result

🧪 Test with a sample file before you go live
📐 Do not change the column order or file names without telling us
📝 Document which columns the file contains
🔑 Use a unique key for each person and account, for example the employee number

❓ Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

How often does the import run?
Every night.

Can we use our own file format?
Yes, as long as it is CSV, tab-separated or semicolon-separated. We map the columns to match your file.

What happens if we change the file?
Contact Expense Support first, so the mapping can be updated. Otherwise the import may fail.

What is the difference from XML import?
With Custom import, you use your own file format and we set up how it is read. With XML import, you follow the Expense specification.

✅ Summary

🔄 Expense fetches your file through SFTP every night
📋 Employees and internal accounts are kept up to date automatically
📄 CSV, tab-separated or semicolon-separated
🤝 Expense Support sets up the import for you