If you already have a list of cost centers in your accounting system, a spreadsheet or a PDF, you don't have to type them in one by one. Upload the file and Travel Code creates them for you.
Where to find it
Click your avatar → Settings → Users & Groups → Cost centers (/app/cost-centers) → Import from file.
Which files work
- Excel or CSV, with your own column names. Columns such as "Name", "Cost center", "Code", "ERP code", "GL code", "Owner" or "Department" are recognised automatically, in English or in Russian.
- PDF, a photo or a scan (PNG, JPG, WEBP), for example a page from your chart of accounts. Robert, our AI assistant, reads these files and finds the cost centers in them. Scans and long PDFs can take up to a minute.
Starting from scratch? Click Download template. The template has one row per cost center with these columns: name, code, description, owner_email, departments, employee_emails. To list several departments or emails in one cell, separate them with semicolons.
How to import
- On the Cost centers page, click Import from file.
- Drop the file into the window, or click to choose it.
- Check the preview. Nothing is saved yet. For each row you see:
- Create: a new cost center, or Update: an existing one with the same name or code;
- Will change: what will change on an existing cost center, for example a new code. Check these rows carefully, because a new code changes what your accountant receives;
- which departments and people were matched, and which were not found (No such department);
- Robert's notes: anything Robert was unsure about when reading a PDF or scan.
- Fix or remove rows if needed (Remove row). Turn on Create missing departments if the departments in the file don't exist in Travel Code yet.
- Click Import.
If some rows are not accepted, they are marked in red. Fix them and try again. The import is saved all at once, so a failed import changes nothing.
FAQ
We already have our cost centers in Excel or in our ERP. Do we have to type them in? No. Click Import from file and upload the Excel, CSV or PDF file, or a photo of the page. You check a preview before anything is saved.
Our file has its own column names. Will the import work? Yes. Common column names in English and Russian are recognised automatically. If they are not, Robert reads the file and maps the columns for you. You check the result in the preview.
Can I import from a PDF or a scan? Yes. Robert, our AI assistant, reads PDFs, photos and scans. It can take up to a minute. Always check the preview, especially the rows Robert marked in Robert's notes.
What happens if a cost center in the file already exists? It is updated instead of duplicated. The preview marks it as Update and shows exactly what will change under Will change, for example a new code.
The departments in my file don't exist in Travel Code yet. Turn on Create missing departments before you click Import.
Related articles
- Cost centers: charge every trip and expense to the right budget line
- How to set up cost centers
- Choosing a cost center when you book
- Changing the cost center of an order
- Cost center on an expense
Still have questions? Message us in the support chat or at support@travel-code.com.