Purpose of Preparing Statement Files for Import

This page explains when and how a royalty statement file must be prepared before import into Reprtoir.

In most cases, statement files provided by Statement Providers are already ready to be imported in their original format.

Opening, editing, or re saving a file unnecessarily is one of the most common causes of corrupted data and failed imports.

This page should only be used when an import error occurs or when the system explicitly indicates that the file structure is not compliant.

The objective is to prevent accidental data corruption while providing clear guidance for legitimate preparation cases.

Core Principle: Do Not Modify Files Unless Required

As a rule:

Do not open a statement file just to inspect it
Do not re save a file without a specific reason
Do not change formats preemptively

Many spreadsheet tools automatically alter:

date formats
numeric precision
decimal separators
thousand separators
empty values
column typing

These changes are often invisible to the user but critical for automated processing.

If an import works without modification, that is always the preferred outcome.

File Types and Safe Handling Rules

Spreadsheet Files (CSV, XLSX)

Spreadsheet based statements are the most common and the most fragile.

Risks introduced by opening and re saving include:

dates converted to localized formats
amounts converted to text or rounded values
mixed formats inside a single column
automatic trimming or padding of values

If a modification is required:

apply the smallest possible change
never reformat entire columns
never use automatic data cleaning features
always double check the final file structure

Binary or Structured Files

Some providers deliver binary or structured formats that are not meant to be edited.

Rules:

never open binary files
never attempt to convert them manually
never re save them under another format

If such a file cannot be imported, the issue must be resolved at the provider level.

Header Row Requirements

The header row plays a critical role in mapping and must follow strict rules.

The header must:

be located on row 1 of the file
contain one column name per column
contain unique column names
reflect the actual data below

The header must not:

be preceded by informational rows
contain merged cells
contain duplicated column names
contain calculated values

Empty columns are ignored automatically by the system.

If a file contains descriptive text above the actual header, those rows must be removed so that the header becomes the first row.

Numeric Formats and Consistency

All numeric values within a given column must share the same format across all rows.

Key points to verify:

a single decimal separator is used consistently
no thousand separators are present
numbers are not mixed with text values
empty values are handled consistently

A common error occurs when:

commas are interpreted as decimals
dots are interpreted as thousand separators
spreadsheet software auto converts values on save

Always visually inspect several rows across the file after any modification.

Date Formats and Column Uniformity

Date columns must:

use a single format across all rows
represent valid calendar dates
not mix text and date types

Spreadsheet tools often convert dates silently based on locale settings.

If dates appear inconsistent:

stop processing
restore the original file if possible
re export from the provider instead of fixing manually

Manual date fixes should be avoided whenever possible.

Common Preparation Scenarios

The following cases are legitimate reasons to prepare a file:

removing informational rows before the header
removing summary or total rows at the end of the file
exporting a single relevant tab from a multi tab XLSX
converting a selected tab into a CSV for clean import

When exporting a single tab from XLSX:

always export as CSV
avoid copy paste between files
verify encoding and delimiters

File Sanity Check Before Import

Before importing a prepared file, always verify:

the header is on row 1
column names are unique
numeric columns contain only numbers
date columns are consistent
no unexpected extra rows exist
the file encoding is unchanged

If anything looks suspicious, do not proceed with import.