Reading an import preview: new, duplicate, ambiguous

When you import a statement, Pennyweight checks every row against what is already in the account before anything is saved. The preview tells you which rows are new, which look like copies of transactions you already have, and which need a second look. If previews are new to you, start with why your AI shows a preview before saving.

How to see it

1. Ask your AI to import a file into a specific account and show you the preview first. See import a CSV for the full steps.
2. Read the counts: new, likely duplicates, and rows that need a look.
3. Ask your AI to list the flagged rows and why each was flagged.
4. Tell your AI what to do with any flagged row, then say yes to save.

What the labels mean

Pennyweight compares each row with the transactions already in the target account, between the earliest and latest date in the file.

• New. Nothing in the account has the same date, amount and currency. New rows are imported.
• Duplicate. A transaction in the account has the same date, amount to the cent, currency and merchant. Duplicates are skipped unless you say otherwise.
• Ambiguous. A transaction in the account has the same date, amount and currency, but a different merchant. Ambiguous rows are imported unless you say otherwise, because two different merchants on the same day and amount are usually two real transactions.

Merchant names count as the same when they differ only in capitalization, punctuation or spacing between words: "OAKVIEW APARTMENTS" matches "Oakview Apartments", but "Oakview Apts" shows as ambiguous. Dates must match exactly: a row dated one day later doesn't match.

On a file uploaded straight to Pennyweight, a row also counts as a duplicate when the existing transaction's merchant matches another column of the line, such as a details column. This catches rows imported earlier under a different merchant column.

Repeats inside the same file

Pennyweight also compares rows within the file. An exact repeat of an earlier row (same date, amount, currency and merchant) can be a double entry or a second real purchase, such as two equal fares on one day. It is skipped only when the file proves it is a repeat:

• Same running balance. In an uploaded file, a repeat of a nonzero amount with the same running balance as the earlier row is the same line listed twice. It is marked as a duplicate and skipped by default.
• Something differs. If the balance differs, or, with no balance, any other column differs, such as a reference, the rows are separate transactions.
• Nothing tells them apart. Otherwise the repeat is marked ambiguous and imported by default. Tell your AI to skip it if it is a double entry.

When your AI sends the rows itself, there's no balance or original line to compare, so an exact repeat is ambiguous. A balance that's the same on every row doesn't count.

What you'll see

Your AI summarizes the counts. For a flagged row, it can show the date, amount, merchant and reason, such as "same date + amount + merchant in USD" or "same date + amount in USD; different merchant". It then asks whether to go ahead.

If some rows match transactions already in the account and an earlier import covers some of the same dates, Pennyweight first warns your AI that this looks like a re-import and that the matching rows will be skipped. Repeats inside the file don't trigger this warning. When your AI sends the rows itself, it can then show you the full preview before you decide.

After you confirm, your AI reports how many rows were imported and lists every skipped row with its reason. Nothing is skipped silently.

Good to know

• You decide on flagged rows. Tell your AI to import a duplicate, or to skip an ambiguous row, when you confirm. The save result lists every flagged row you chose to import. Adding these choices doesn't need a new preview.
• Nothing is merged. Asking your AI to merge a flagged row has the same effect as skipping it: the existing transaction stays as it is and the file's row isn't added.
• Only the target account is checked. A copy of the same purchase in another account, such as a card charge you also entered in checking, is not flagged here. See find and fix duplicates.
• The balance figure counts every row. The balance change in the preview adds up every row in the file, including rows that will be skipped. Check the account balance after the import. See balance looks wrong after an import.
• Rule suggestions come after saving. Your active rules categorize matching rows when the import is saved. If rows are still uncategorized (three or more from one merchant, or ten or more in all), Pennyweight names the most frequent merchants, and your AI may suggest rules. A new rule doesn't change saved rows unless your AI applies it to them. See rules or a one-time cleanup?.
• Changed your mind? You can undo an import. If the confirmation fails, see import errors.