Importing Your Data

You can move your existing records into TallyDue from a spreadsheet instead of typing them in one at a time. Every import type uses the same three-step wizard, and each one has a template you can download before you start.

1. Download the template for your data

Each file below matches the template behind Download sample CSV in the app: same header row, same column order. The row under the header is obviously fake sample data — replace it with your own rows and keep the header exactly as it is so the columns auto-map.

Water billing

• Customers & Meters template — customers with their meters and opening balances, one row per customer. Pricing group, meter rent size, region, account number, and address are optional.
• Meter Readings template — current readings for meters that already exist.
• Regions & Routes template — service areas and reading routes, by name.
• Meter Rent template — monthly meter rent per meter size.

Property management (rent)

Import in this order: properties and units first, then tenants, then the balances that depend on an active lease.

• Properties & Units template (Master Flat) — property, unit, tenant, and lease details in one row. Leave the tenant columns empty for a vacant unit.
• Tenants template — tenants added to units that already exist.
• Water Meters template — links existing rent units to water meter numbers and opening readings.
• Water Readings template — readings for meters already linked to a unit.
• Deposits template — deposit balances for active leases.
• Opening Invoices template — historical invoice balances, one row per unit and billing period.

Short-stay

• Portfolio & Bookings template — rooms, guests, and reservations, including opening balances. For a room on its own, leave the guest and booking columns empty.
• Operations template — a mixed file where each row carries a Row Type of INVENTORY, CHANNEL, TASK, or FOLIO.

2. Run the import in the app

1. Open the workspace you are importing into and go to Import Data. It sits under Home for water billing, Real Estate for property management, and Short Stay for short-stay operators.
2. On the Add Data tab, select the import type you want. The card describes what the file needs. Every card also has a download button that saves that type’s blank sample CSV without starting an import — useful when you only want to hand the file to someone else.
3. Select Upload file and choose Download sample CSV if you do not already have the template.
4. Upload your filled-in file. Both .csv and .xlsx are accepted. For a workbook, choose the Worksheet and the Header row.
5. Check the column mapping. TallyDue matches your columns to the import fields automatically by name. Use the Maps to dropdown to correct a column, set anything you do not need to Ignore column, then select Apply Mapping. The counter shows how many columns are mapped.
6. Select Preview (N rows). This is a dry run — nothing is saved yet. Use the All, warnings, and errors filters to check the rows.
7. Select Download error rows to get a CSV with the row number and message for every problem row. Fix those rows in your own file and upload it again.
8. Select Import N rows when the preview looks right. Invalid rows are skipped and listed after the import, and the History tab keeps a record of each upload.

If you prefer to start small, Type it in lets you enter a handful of rows by hand using the same columns.

Importing customers and meters, or properties and units, is also checked against the limits on your plan. If you have reached a limit, the app says so and points you at your plan options instead of importing.

3. What you cannot import yet

• Payments and M-Pesa transactions are not importable. Record or reconcile them in the app.
• Expenses and staff are not importable.
• Leases cannot be imported on their own. Lease details come in with the Master Flat or Tenants file.
• Assets, work orders, and complaints are not importable.
• Meter readings, water meters, deposits, and opening invoices need their parent records to exist first. Import the customers, properties, units, and tenants before the balances that sit on them.
• Existing meter sizes and duplicate meter/date rows are blocked to prevent double entries.