Mapping Accounts During Import

Every import wizard in Wired Church — whether you are importing IIF files from QuickBooks, CSV transaction data, payroll reports, or bank feeds — includes an account mapping step. This is where you connect the account names in your external data to the accounts in your Wired Church chart of accounts. Correct mapping is essential: it determines which ledger accounts receive debits and credits, which directly affects your financial reports.

This article covers the mapping interface in detail, including how auto-matching works, creating accounts on the fly, saving templates, and handling edge cases.

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Why Mapping Is Necessary

External systems use their own account names, numbers, and structures. Your QuickBooks file might have an account called "Checking-Operating" while your Wired Church chart of accounts calls it "Operating Checking — Regions Bank." A payroll provider might label an expense as "ER FICA" while your books use "Employer Payroll Taxes."

The mapping step bridges this gap. It tells Wired Church: "When the imported file says Account X, record the transaction against Account Y in my ledger."

Without accurate mapping, transactions would post to the wrong accounts, producing incorrect financial statements. The mapping wizard ensures every imported record lands in the right place.

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The Mapping Interface

Layout

The mapping wizard uses a clean two-column layout:

Reading the Interface

Each row represents one source account that needs mapping. The rows are grouped by account type when possible:

1. Assets — Checking accounts, savings accounts, equipment, property.
2. Liabilities — Credit cards, loans, payroll tax payable, deferred revenue.
3. Equity — Retained earnings, opening balance equity, net assets.
4. Income — Tithes, offerings, facility rental, event fees.
5. Expenses — Salaries, utilities, supplies, missions, outreach.

This grouping makes it easier to work through mappings systematically rather than jumping between account types.

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Auto-Match Suggestions

When the mapping wizard loads, Wired Church automatically attempts to match source accounts to existing chart of accounts entries. The matching algorithm considers:

• Exact name match — If the source account name is identical to a Wired Church account name, it is matched with high confidence.
• Fuzzy name match — If the names are similar (e.g., "Office Supplies" and "Office Supplies Expense"), the system suggests the match with medium confidence.
• Account number match — If both the source and target have the same account number, the match is suggested regardless of name differences.
• Account type match — Suggestions are filtered to the same account type. An expense account in the source will only match against expense accounts in your chart of accounts.

Confidence Indicators

Each auto-matched row displays a confidence indicator:

• Green checkmark — High confidence. The names match exactly or the account numbers match. These are usually correct but should still be verified.
• Amber circle — Medium confidence. The names are similar but not identical. Review these carefully.
• No indicator — No match found. You must manually select or create the target account.

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Manually Selecting a Target Account

For unmatched rows or to override a suggestion:

1. Click the dropdown in the right column for the row you want to map.
2. The dropdown lists all accounts in your Wired Church chart of accounts, organized by type.
3. Use the search field at the top of the dropdown to filter by name or number.
4. Select the correct account.
5. The row updates to show the selected account with its type and balance.

Filtering Options

The dropdown supports several filtering shortcuts:

• Type by name — Start typing the account name and results filter in real time.
• Type by number — Enter a number to filter by account number.
• Filter by type — Click the type tabs (Asset, Liability, Income, Expense, Equity) above the dropdown list to narrow results to a single type.

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Creating New Accounts On the Fly

If the correct target account does not exist in your Wired Church chart of accounts, you can create it without leaving the mapping wizard:

1. Click the + Create Account button next to the dropdown (or at the bottom of the dropdown when no search results match).
2. A quick-create panel slides open with the following fields:

3. Fill in the fields and click Create & Map.
4. The new account is immediately created in your chart of accounts and selected as the mapping target for this row.

When to Create vs. Map to Existing

• Create a new account when the imported item represents something genuinely new that your chart of accounts does not cover yet (e.g., a new expense category like "Streaming Service Subscription").
• Map to existing when the imported item is the same thing under a different name (e.g., "Tithes & Offerings" in QuickBooks maps to your existing "General Fund Revenue" in Wired Church).

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Reviewing Unmapped Items

Before you can proceed past the mapping step, every source account must be mapped. The wizard enforces this with:

1. A counter at the top of the page: "42 of 47 accounts mapped — 5 remaining."
2. A filter toggle: Click Show Unmapped Only to hide already-mapped rows and focus on what still needs attention.
3. Validation on proceed: Clicking Next or Preview when unmapped items exist shows an error: "All accounts must be mapped before continuing. 5 accounts are unmapped."

Bulk Actions for Unmapped Items

If you have many unmapped items of the same type:

1. Select multiple rows using the checkboxes on the left.
2. Click Map Selected to apply the same target account to all selected rows.
3. This is useful when multiple source accounts should consolidate into a single target. For example, if QuickBooks has five separate utility sub-accounts but you track all utilities under one account in Wired Church, select all five and map them to your single Utilities Expense account.

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Saving Mapping Templates

Once you have completed a mapping, you can save it as a template for reuse. This is particularly valuable for recurring imports (e.g., monthly payroll or quarterly QuickBooks data pulls).

Saving a Template

1. After all mappings are complete, click Save as Template at the bottom of the mapping wizard.
2. Enter a template name. Choose something descriptive:
   • "QuickBooks Desktop — Full Chart of Accounts"
   • "SurePayroll — Biweekly Payroll"
   • "Bank of America — OFX Transactions"
3. Optionally, add a description for context.
4. Click Save.

Using a Saved Template

When you start a new import and reach the mapping step:

1. If Wired Church detects that a saved template matches the structure of the imported file, a banner appears: "A saved template matches this file. Apply template?"
2. Click Apply to pre-fill all mappings from the template.
3. Review the pre-filled mappings — new accounts in the source file that were not in the original template will still appear as unmapped.
4. You can also manually select a template from the Saved Templates dropdown at the top of the mapping wizard.

Editing Saved Templates

To update a saved template:

1. Navigate to Finance > Imports > Mapping Templates (accessible from the Imports settings gear icon).
2. Select the template you want to edit.
3. The template editor shows all source-to-target mappings in a list.
4. Change target accounts, remove obsolete mappings, or add notes.
5. Click Save Changes.

Deleting Templates

If a template is no longer needed (e.g., you have completed the migration from QuickBooks and will not import from it again):

1. Open Finance > Imports > Mapping Templates.
2. Click the Delete button (trash icon) next to the template.
3. Confirm the deletion. This does not affect any previously completed imports — only the saved mapping configuration is removed.

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Handling Special Mapping Scenarios

One-to-Many Mapping

The standard interface maps one source to one target. For splits, map to the primary account, then use the journal entry editor after import to reallocate specific transactions.

Many-to-One Mapping

Multiple source accounts can map to the same target. Select the same Wired Church account for each source account that should consolidate. The original source name is preserved in the transaction memo.

Accounts with No Activity

Inactive source accounts can still be mapped (to create them in your chart of accounts for completeness) or mapped to Skip — No Transactions to exclude them entirely.

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Best Practices

1. Map account types correctly. An expense should map to an expense. The wizard warns on type mismatches.
2. Use consistent numbering. Keep account numbers aligned between source and target for easier reconciliation.
3. Save templates early. Even for one-time imports — you may need to re-import corrected data later.
4. Review before proceeding. Catching a mapping error in preview is far easier than fixing it in the ledger.
5. Document your decisions. Use template descriptions to note why accounts were mapped a certain way.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change a mapping after the import is complete? You cannot retroactively change the mapping for an already-executed import. However, you can edit the individual journal entries or transactions that were created, or roll back the import and re-import with corrected mappings.

What happens if I skip a source account in the mapping? Transactions from skipped accounts are excluded from the import. They do not appear in your ledger. If you realize later that you should have included them, re-import the same file and map the previously skipped accounts.

Do mapping templates work across different import types? No. A template saved during an IIF import is specific to IIF imports. A template saved during a CSV import is specific to CSV imports. This is because the source data structures differ between formats.

Can multiple users access the same templates? Yes. Mapping templates are organization-wide. Any admin user with write permission on the finance module can view, apply, edit, and delete templates.

How many templates can I save? There is no limit on the number of saved mapping templates.

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Related Articles

• QuickBooks Desktop Import — IIF Files
• QuickBooks Desktop Import — CSV Files
• SurePayroll Import
• Understanding Your Chart of Accounts
• Setting Up Funds