Export and import budgets
Business Central provides the option for you to create budgets by using export and import functions.
Export Budgets to Excel
You can export budgets to Excel by using the Export Budget to Excel batch job. When budgets are exported, you can perform the following tasks:
Use Excel to modify and add to the budget or replace the budget.
Create new budgets based on the exported budget figures.
To access the Export Budget to Excel batch job, follow these steps:
Select the Search for Page icon in the top-right corner of the page, enter G/L budgets, and then select the related link.
Select a budget name to open the Budget page.
Select Home, and then select the Export to Excel action.
In the Filter: G/L Budget Entry area, you can use different filters to determine which budget entries need to be included in the exported amounts.
In the Options area, you can determine the following things:
Time periods to be included in the file, using the Start Date, No. of Periods, and Period Length fields.
The dimension information to be included, using the Column Dimensions field.
Select the Selected check box for each dimension to be included.
Only including specific dimension values is possible by filtering the budget entries.
Click OK to export the Excel file.
Import budgets from Excel
You can import budgets from Excel by using the Import Budget from Excel batch job. When you import budgets from Excel, you have the following possibilities:
Import previous exported budgets from Business Central in an existing or new budget.
Create new budget entries by replacing existing entries.
Add budget entries to an existing budget.
Before you import a budget in Excel, we recommend that you export a budget from Business Central to obtain the correct format.
To access the Import Budget from Excel batch job, follow these steps:
Select the Search for Page icon in the top-right corner of the page, enter G/L budgets, and then select the related link.
Select a budget name to open the Budget page.
Select Home, and then select the Import from to Excel action.
You can select the following options:
Budget Name – select the budget where the Excel budget needs to be imported. This is automatically filled in with the budget from where the action was performed.
Option – you can either choose to delete the existing budget entries and replace them with the entries from the Excel file (Replace Entries) or to add the entries to the existing budget (Add Entries).
Description – this description is given to all created budget entries when importing the excel file.
The chart of accounts, which G/L budgets are based on, has lines of account type Heading that contain the total of the lines below it. When you export a G/L budget, data on all lines is exported regardless of the account type.
However, data of the account type Heading can't be imported back in. When you select the Add entries option on the Import Budget from Excel batch job, any values on Heading lines will be ignored. By selecting the Replace entries option, any values that already existed on Heading lines will also be deleted.