How to Automate Bank Transaction Uploads to Finolog Using Zapier and Google Sheets

Introduction

Manually uploading bank transactions into accounting systems can be tedious, error-prone, and time-consuming. If you use Finolog for financial management, you might be familiar with the hassle of preparing and importing transaction data from personal bank cards. Fortunately, with modern no-code tools like Zapier and Google Sheets, you can automate this process, saving hours of manual work and reducing the risk of mistakes or duplicate entries.

In this article, we’ll walk you through setting up an automated workflow that processes your bank transaction exports and uploads them to Finolog with minimal manual intervention. Whether you’re a developer, a tech-savvy accountant, or a business owner looking to streamline your finances, this guide is for you.

Why Automate Bank Transaction Uploads?

Finolog is a powerful accounting platform that helps businesses manage their financial data. However, importing transactions from personal bank cards often requires manual data cleaning and formatting before uploading to the system. This manual step is not only inefficient but also increases the risk of errors and duplicate records.

By automating this workflow, you can:

  • Eliminate repetitive manual tasks
  • Minimize data entry errors and duplicates
  • Standardize transaction formats
  • Free up valuable time for more important work

Overview of the Automation Workflow

The automation consists of two main stages:

  1. Data Preparation: Analyze and standardize the exported bank transaction data using Google Sheets and Zapier.
  2. Data Upload: Automatically send the cleaned data to Finolog, with built-in checks for duplicates and errors.

No advanced programming skills are required—just some familiarity with Zapier and Google Sheets.

Stage 1: Preparing Transaction Data with Zapier and Google Sheets

Here’s how the data preparation process works:

1. Trigger on New or Updated Spreadsheet Row

  • Tool: Google Sheets (Zapier trigger)
  • How: Set up a trigger based on the «transaction date» column. This is typically the first column in exported reports (e.g., from Tinkoff Bank).

2. Filter for New or Changed Data

  • Tool: Zapier Filter
  • How: Configure Zapier to react to both new and updated rows, ensuring changes are processed without duplicating or deleting data.

3. Transform Date Format

  • Tool: Zapier Formatter
  • How: Convert the date format from the bank’s export to the format required by Finolog.

4. Clean Up Amount Values

  • Tool: Zapier Formatter (Split Text)
  • How: Remove unnecessary digits (like trailing zeros or cents) that could cause calculation errors.

5. Categorize Transactions (Income/Expense)

  • Tool: Google Sheets Formula or Zapier Formatter
  • How: Assign a value of 1 for income and 0 for expenses, allowing for automatic categorization.

6. Map Transaction Type

  • Tool: Zapier Lookup Table
  • How: Convert the numeric category (1/0) to readable labels: «In» (income) or «Out» (expense).

7. Match Card Numbers to Finolog Accounts

  • Tool: Zapier Lookup Table
  • How: Use the last digits of the card number to match transactions to the correct Finolog account (e.g., if you have multiple cards).

8. Standardize Number Formats

  • Tool: Zapier Formatter (Replace)
  • How: Ensure decimal separators and number formats match Finolog’s requirements.

9. Output to Main Google Sheet

  • Tool: Google Sheets (Zapier action)
  • How: Write the cleaned and standardized data to a «Main» sheet, ready for upload.

Stage 2: Uploading Data to Finolog with Error Checking

The second stage focuses on safely transferring your data to Finolog and handling potential issues:

1. Check Transaction Type

  • How: Set parameters to distinguish between income and expense for later validation in Finolog.

2. Format Dates for Finolog

  • How: Remove time components (hours, minutes, seconds) since Finolog only tracks dates. Note: If two transactions with the same amount occur on the same day, Finolog may treat them as duplicates. If this happens, simply adjust the transaction date slightly.

3. Use Storage Variables for ID Lookup

  • How: Use Zapier’s built-in storage to look up the finolog_id for each transaction, ensuring correct mapping.

4. Check for Existing Transactions in Finolog

  • How: Before creating a new transaction, send a GET request to Finolog’s API to see if the transaction already exists. This prevents duplicates.

5. Create or Skip Transaction

  • How:
    • If the transaction exists, log a message and skip creation.
    • If not, proceed to create the new transaction in Finolog.

6. Log Errors

  • How: If an error or duplicate is detected, automatically record an error message in the trigger row of your Google Sheet for easy review.

Results and Benefits

After implementing this automation, our accountant went from spending hours manually cleaning and uploading transactions to completing the process in just a few minutes. The workflow is universal and can be adapted to other accounting platforms, making transaction processing faster, simpler, and more accurate. The investment in automation pays off within a couple of months, and the peace of mind from error-free financial records is invaluable.

Conclusion & Tips

Automating your bank transaction uploads to Finolog with Zapier and Google Sheets is a smart move for any business looking to save time and reduce errors. Here are some final tips:

  • Test thoroughly: Run several test transactions to ensure your workflow handles all edge cases.
  • Document your process: Keep notes on your Zapier setup for future reference or troubleshooting.
  • Stay flexible: This workflow can be adapted for other accounting systems or data sources with minor tweaks.

Ready to streamline your financial data management? Start building your automation today, and enjoy the benefits of a faster, more reliable workflow!