Data Onboarding - What Data Files should I send to ClearGov?

To provide a smooth onboarding process the Data team needs a few files from you. We’ll talk about the needed details below.

What Data Files should I send to ClearGov? 

We ask that you export the following files from your accounting system or ERP:

File #1: Revenue & Expense Account Detail

This file type contains account revenue and expense data. Depending on which accounting system you use, all years may be exported in one file or you may need to create a file for each year.

• Your Excel file should include the full account number, account description, fund, year, and total revenue or expense dollars.
• Depending upon which accounting system you’re using, this report is often referred to as the Account Inquiry Report, Trial Balance Report, or Budget-to-Actual Report.
  • NOTE: If your accounting system does not have this type of report, just let us know. We’ll have a quick chat and should be able to get what we need from the Excel spreadsheets you may be using.

Example: Account Inquiry Report (from MUNIS)

Example: Trial Balance Report (from SoftRight)

File #2: Account Number Structure

In addition to account details, we need an explanation of your account number structure. Most accounting systems enable you to run a report to generate this information. It’s often called a Chart of Accounts or  Segment Report.

• Note: If your system does not offer this kind of report, please just let us know. The ClearGov data team has successfully uploaded data for hundreds of clients from just about every accounting system you can imagine. We will work with you to determine the best course of action.

An account number looks something like this: 100 - 60 - 5110

The account number is made up of segments - the sections before, in between and after the dashes. In the simple example above, there are three segments. Your account numbers will most likely have more.

For each segment we need to know the following:

1. Purpose of the segment
2. Code List & Description

Segment Purpose

Each segment identifies the purpose of the account. In most cases, the first segment represents the fund as can be seen in our example. The other segments refer to additional groupings of your financial data such as departments and objects.

Segment Example Code Purpose

Segment Code List & Description

For each segment, we need a list of code numbers and what they describe. As mentioned, the first segment in the example above identifies the fund. When there are multiple funds, the list helps us match up the code number with the correct fund. The same is true for all other segments. 

The tables below are illustrative and are meant to convey the type of information needed. The file(s) you send do not need to be laid out the same way.

• Note: The last segment usually identifies the specific budget line item or object depending upon what terminology you use. A code list at this lowest level can be very helpful in accurately categorizing your data, but please let us know if you cannot produce this information.

Example: Segment Report for Segment 1 - Fund (from MUNIS)

File #3: Check Level Data (Optional for ClearGov Transparency Profile)

Provide the following check level detail for at least the current year:

• Year
• Check Amount
• Vendor
• Check Date

Optional fields to include for additional detail:  

• Check Number 
• Description 
• Account Number 
• Fund 
• Department 

Example: Check Detail Report

File #4: Accounts Data (Optional for ClearGov Digital Financial Report)

Provide the following account types with your full general ledger account string included on a report:

• Asset Accounts
• Liability Accounts
• Cash or Equity Accounts (if applicable to your financial data)
• Expense Accounts
• Revenue Accounts

This information can typically be found in either a Balance Sheet Report, Trial Balance Report, or Ledger Summary.

Note: We will need the data for the fiscal years you wish to use to build your financial statements as well as the actual figures in your financial reports to onboard your data properly. If your reports also contain a budgeted version in addition to your actuals, this is not an issue!

Please ensure that the fiscal year and financial versions are included in your headers, noted in your report, or identified clearly in your e-mail communication back to us. To learn more view ClearDocs - Digital Financial Reporting Data Requirements.