Uploading a budget

What is this page about: How to prepare a budget CSV, upload it as a budget scenario, and check it landed the way you expect. It also lists the errors that make an upload fail and the exact column headers Light recognises.

# On this page

• Preparing your CSV
• Uploading the file
• Checking it landed correctly
• Common upload errors
• FAQ and troubleshooting
• Related articles

For what a budget scenario is and why you might keep more than one, see Budget Scenarios.

# Preparing your CSV

1. Go to Planning & Reports > Budget.
2. Click Upload Budget.
3. In the Upload budget dialog, click Download template so you start from the right structure.
4. Fill in your dimension columns first (for example Account Code and Company Entity Name), then one column per month, with no gaps and in ascending order. Write months as 2024-01, Jan 2024 or January 2024.
5. Save the file as CSV. The dialog only accepts CSV files.

Dimension columns come first. Use up to three dimension columns, each a type Light recognises: an account, company entity, business partner or tax header, or an existing custom property group. Light reads every cell in a row by its position, and the month headers only tell it which months the file covers and in what order. Keep all dimension columns to the left of the months, or the values land under the wrong columns.

# Uploading the file

1. Drop your completed CSV file into the Upload budget dialog and click Upload.
2. A Scenario is being processed banner appears on the Settings tab. The banner clears after a few seconds on a fixed timer, whether or not processing has finished.
3. Watch the scenario's own status on the Settings tab to know when it's done, then open the scenario and check the configuration panel on the left to confirm the dimensions and currency came in as expected.

# Checking it landed correctly

On the Settings tab, the scenario's status shows how the upload went:

# Common upload errors

These make an upload fail instead of process.

File and structure

• An empty file. The upload fails with "File is empty". A file with a header row and no data rows still uploads, as an empty scenario.
• No month columns found. Light couldn't identify any column as a month. Light always treats the first row as the header row.
• No dimension columns found. Light couldn't identify any column as a recognised dimension.
• Dimension columns after month columns. Values are read by position, so they land under the wrong columns. This usually shows up as a non-numeric value error.

Month columns

• A skipped month. Months must be contiguous: Jan, Feb, Mar, not Jan, Feb, Apr.
• Months out of order. Months must be ascending. Jan, Mar, Feb fails even with no month missing.
• A duplicate month. Each month can appear only once. Out-of-order and duplicate months also trigger the skipped-month error, so you may see two errors for one problem.
• A non-numeric value. Every cell under a month column must be a number. A name, a note or a formula error fails the upload. The error lists up to the first 20 cells it couldn't read.

Dimension columns

• More than three dimension columns. Keep only the ones you need.
• An unrecognised dimension header. Each dimension header must match a type Light knows or an existing custom property group. See "What dimension headers can I use?" below.
• A duplicate dimension. Each dimension can appear only once.
• Two custom property groups with the same label. Light can't tell them apart. Rename one before uploading.

Any other problem shows a general error message. Hover over Failed for the details.

To fix a failed upload, correct the file and upload it again. A failed scenario can't be edited in place, so delete it: click the scenario's row on the Settings tab, click Delete (the trash icon) in the panel's top bar, and confirm.

# FAQ and troubleshooting

My upload shows as Failed. How do I find out why?

Hover over the Failed status in the scenario list for a short description. "Common upload errors" above covers the usual causes.

Can I re-upload a corrected file into the same scenario?

Upload the corrected file as a new scenario, then delete the failed one from the Settings tab: click its row, then Delete in the panel's top bar.

How long does processing take?

It depends on the file size. Go by the scenario's status on the Settings tab: Synching... while it works, then Complete or Failed. The Scenario is being processed banner clears after a few seconds regardless.

What dimension headers can I use?

Use these header names. Upper and lower case don't matter for the standard names:

• Account, Account Code, Account Id, Account Label or Account Type
• Company Entity Id or Company Entity Name
• Business Partner Id or Business Partner Name
• Tax Code, Tax Id or Tax Type
• The label of any custom property group already set up in your organisation. This must match the group's label exactly, including upper and lower case.

# Related articles

• Budget Scenarios
• Data Import Errors