Import, restore & export
TL;DR
CentBase keeps your data portable. You can bring history in, make a full backup, and get it back out again.
- Import Data on More → Data & Support reads a CSV from another budgeting app and walks you through choosing a budget, picking a file, mapping columns, classifying accounts, and reviewing before you import. At the end you choose Replace all data or Add to existing and you can turn on Start budgeting this month so this month starts at 0.
- Restore Data in the same place restores a .centbase full backup you made in CentBase. You see the backup details, then choose This budget (replaces its data) or A new budget.
- Export Data on More → Data & Support saves this budget out of the app. CSV gives you a spreadsheet of transactions. CentBase Backup gives you a full .centbase file you can restore later. After building the file CentBase asks you to Save to Files or Share.
- Reset budgets this month lives separately in More → Preferences → Budgeting. It adds a balancing adjustment to last month so this month starts at 0 without deleting anything. It uses the same idea as the Start budgeting this month switch in the import review.
Where to find it: More → Data & Support → Import Data / Restore Data / Export Data
Import wizard
The import is a step by step wizard. A header at the top shows the step name and a progress bar that fills as you move forward. The back arrow goes back one step, or exits the wizard on the first step.
Where to find it: More → Import Data → top header with step title + progress bar
1. What to import
You see three options:
- Transactions - your accounts, envelopes and transactions from a budgeting app export. This is the option you can use today.
- Accounts - marked Coming soon.
- Envelopes - marked Coming soon.
Pick Transactions to continue.
Where to find it: Import → What to import
2. Choose budget
CentBase asks Which budget should this import go into?
You see every budget as a card with its name and currency. Tap one to select it. If you opened Import from a budget row on the Budgets screen, that budget is already selected.
Where to find it: Import → Choose budget
3. Choose file
CentBase asks you to Pick a CSV or text export from your budgeting app. Supported formats are detected automatically.
Tap Choose file and pick the file from your device. If something is wrong you will see a plain message here, like that no currency is set yet, that the file format was not recognized, or that the file has no usable content.
Where to find it: Import → Choose a file → Choose file
4. Map columns
CentBase tells you what each column means and shows which format it detected, for example Beyond Budget. You can change any mapping if it guessed wrong.
Under CSV columns you see one dropdown per header, labelled like Column Date. Each dropdown lets you pick what that column is: Ignore, Date, Amount, Type, Account, Destination, Payee, Notes, Tags, Cleared, Color, or Frequency.
Adjust anything that looks off, then tap Continue.
Where to find it: Import → Map columns
5. Classify accounts
CentBase asks you to Classify each account so balances and liabilities are correct.
You see one dropdown per account name found in the file. For each, pick Asset, Credit card, or Loan.
Tap Continue when everything is classified.
Where to find it: Import → Classify accounts
6. Review and import
This is the last check before any data is written.
Where to find it: Import → Review & import
At the top you see a summary card:
- Into the budget you picked
- How many transactions will be imported
- How many rows were skipped, if any
- How many accounts, envelopes, tags, and months are in the file
Start budgeting this month
Below the counts you see a switch labelled Start budgeting this month with the hint This month's envelopes start at 0, leftover from the past won't carry over.
Turn it on if you imported months or years of history but want this month to be a clean start. The first time you turn it on CentBase asks Start budgeting this month? and explains that it keeps all your history and adds a balancing adjustment to last month so this month can start at 0. Tap Start budgeting to confirm or Cancel to leave it off.
Replace or Add
At the bottom you choose one of two actions:
- Replace all data - replaces the selected budget's data with this file. Other budgets are not touched.
- Add to existing - merges the imported rows into the selected budget.
Either choice shows a confirmation first. Replace warns that it permanently deletes that budget's accounts, envelopes, transactions and months. Add confirms that rows will be merged in. Tap the confirm button to start the import. If something goes wrong, an error message appears at the top of this screen.
7. Importing
While the import runs you see Importing with a spinner. There is nothing to tap, just wait for it to finish.
8. Done
When it finishes you see Import complete with a success check.
- If you chose Replace, it says The selected budget was replaced.
- If you chose Add, it says Imported into the selected budget.
Below that you see how many transactions, accounts, envelopes, tags and months were imported, and how many scheduled items were created if any.
Tap Done to close the wizard.
Where to find it: Import → Import complete → Done
Restore backup
A CentBase backup is a full snapshot of one budget with the extension .centbase. You create it with Export and bring it back with Restore Data under More → Data & Support.
Where to find it: More → Restore Data
Pick a backup
The screen is titled Restore backup and shows:
- Pick a .centbase backup file you exported with CentBase.
- A Choose backup button that opens your file picker.
Backup details
After you pick a valid file, CentBase shows two sections.
Backup details lists what is inside the file:
- Budget name
- Created date
- Transactions, Accounts, Envelopes, and Tags counts
Restore into lets you choose where to put it:
- This budget (replaces its data) - overwrites the current budget.
- A new budget - creates a fresh budget. When you pick this, a field for New budget name appears.
You can also tap Choose another file to pick a different backup without leaving the screen.
Where to find it: Restore Data → Backup details + Restore into
Restoring, success, and errors
- While restoring you see a spinner and Restoring…
- On success you see Backup restored and a message like My Budget was restored with 342 transactions. Tap Done to return.
- If the file is not valid you see This isn't a valid CentBase backup. Pick a different file.
- If the backup needs a newer version of CentBase you see This backup was made with an incompatible version of CentBase. Update the app and try again.
- For other problems you see Restore failed. Please try again. You can tap Choose backup to try again.
Export
Export is at More → Data & Support → Export Data. It never changes your data, it just writes a file you can save or share.
Where to find it: More → Export Data → Export data
Export details
The screen is titled Export data.
Inside the Export details card you see:
- Budget - the name of the budget you are exporting.
- Format - a dropdown where you pick the file type:
- CSV - always available.
- CentBase Backup - shown when available in your build. It creates a full .centbase file you can restore later.
What each format does
Below the card CentBase explains the format you picked:
- CSV: Exports this budget's transactions to a CSV file you can open in any spreadsheet app.
- CentBase Backup: Creates a full CentBase backup (.centbase) of this budget, every account, envelope, transaction, scheduled item and setting, that you can restore later in the app.
Export and choose where it goes
Tap Export to build the file. While it builds the button shows Exporting… If it fails you see Export failed. Please try again.
When the file is ready CentBase shows a small sheet with two options:
- Save to Files - saves the file through your system file picker. If you cancel the system dialog, nothing happens.
- Share - hands the file to any app that can share it.
After that you see a short confirmation: Export saved to Files. or Export complete. If sharing is not available on your device you see No app is available to share the file.
Preferences: Reset budgets this month
If this month's envelopes are carrying leftovers you do not want, you can start this month fresh without deleting history.
Go to More → Preferences and find the Budgeting section.
- Tap the row Reset budgets this month, described as Clears leftover from previous months so this month's envelopes start at 0.
- CentBase asks Reset budgets this month? and explains This adds a balancing allocation to last month so this month's envelopes start at 0 and leftover from previous months doesn't carry over. Your history stays intact.
- Tap Reset budgets to confirm or cancel to leave things as they are.
On success you see This month now starts fresh. If it fails you see Couldn't reset this month's budgets.
After the reset, last month's totals will look larger than usual. That is expected: the balancing adjustment was added there so this month could start at 0. In the allocation history that adjustment shows as Balancing allocation, start this month fresh.
Where to find it: More → Preferences → Budgeting → Reset budgets this month
Start budgeting this month vs Reset budgets this month
Both do the same thing in different places, so you only need one of them.
| What you tap | Where | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Start budgeting this month | Import wizard, Review & import | Keeps all imported history and adds a balancing adjustment to last month so the current month starts at 0 |
| Reset budgets this month | Preferences → Budgeting | Same balancing adjustment, applied to a budget you already have |
Neither deletes transactions or months. Both keep your history intact.
How import, restore, and export relate
- Import and Restore work on one budget at a time. Choosing Replace all data or This budget (replaces its data) affects only that budget. Your other budgets are untouched. Add to existing merges instead of replacing.
- Export is read only. It reads this budget and writes a file. It never changes the database.
- The budgeting reset and the import switch are not deletes. They add a small balancing entry so the carry into this month becomes 0.
Summary
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| More → Data & Support → Import Data | Opens the import wizard |
| What to import | Pick Transactions. Accounts and Envelopes are Coming soon |
| Choose budget | Pick which budget receives the import. Pre-selected if you came from a budget row |
| Choose a file → Choose file | Pick a CSV export. CentBase detects the format automatically |
| Map columns | Change what each CSV header means, like Date, Amount, or Payee |
| Classify accounts | Mark each account as Asset, Credit card, or Loan |
| Review & import | Check the counts, optionally turn on Start budgeting this month, then choose Replace all data or Add to existing |
| Start budgeting this month | Adds a balancing adjustment to last month so this month starts at 0 |
| Importing → Import complete | Wait for the spinner, then see a summary and tap Done |
| More → Data & Support → Restore Data → Restore backup | Pick a .centbase file, review Backup details, choose This budget (replaces its data) or A new budget, then restore |
| More → Data & Support → Export Data → Export data | Pick a Format of CSV or CentBase Backup, read the description, tap Export, then Save to Files or Share |
| More → Preferences → Budgeting → Reset budgets this month | Same clean start idea as the import switch, for a budget you already have |
Sample use cases
You tracked two years in another app and want this month to be a clean start. Go to More → Import Data. Pick Transactions. Choose the budget that should receive the history. Pick the CSV file. Check the column mappings and fix any that look wrong, then classify each account as Asset, Credit card, or Loan. On Review, turn on Start budgeting this month and confirm it, then tap Add to existing or Replace all data. CentBase keeps every past transaction and adds a balancing adjustment to last month so this month starts at 0.
You have a .centbase backup you want to restore. Go to More → Restore Data and tap Choose backup. Pick the .centbase file and check the backup details to make sure it is the right one. Choose This budget (replaces its data) to overwrite the current budget, or A new budget and type a name. Tap Restore. On success tap Done to return.
You need a spreadsheet copy of this budget. Go to More → Export Data → Export data. Leave Format on CSV. Tap Export, then choose Save to Files to save it with your file manager or Share to send it to another app. The CSV contains this budget's transactions and opens in any spreadsheet app.
You want a full backup you can restore later. On the same Export screen set Format to CentBase Backup, then tap Export and choose Save to Files or Share. The .centbase file holds every account, envelope, transaction, scheduled item and setting for that budget, so you can bring it back with Restore Data later.
This month is carrying messy leftovers from last month. Go to More → Preferences → Budgeting and tap Reset budgets this month. Confirm when CentBase explains that it will add a balancing adjustment to last month. This month now starts at 0, and last month looks larger than normal. That is expected, and your history is untouched.