---
title: Adding Historical Data Not Available in Your Integration
description: Learn how to add historical periods your accounting integration can't provide, using the method that fits your data's format.
---

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# Adding Historical Data Not Available in Your Integration

## Choose the right way to add missing historical periods

Sometimes you need historical data in Reach that your accounting integration can't provide. For example, you may have connected QuickBooks Online, but the QuickBooks file doesn't include the two or three months before the company started using it. This article explains how to choose a method based on the format of your historical data, and how to report on it alongside your connected data.

**In this article:**

- [Overview](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/adding-historical-data-not-available-in-your-integration#overview)
- [Trial Balance: Enter It in Your Accounting Software](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/adding-historical-data-not-available-in-your-integration#Trial_Balance)
- [P&L or Balance Sheet: Import It as an Excel Budget](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/adding-historical-data-not-available-in-your-integration#PL_BS)
- [High-Level or Fragmented Totals: Use a Data Sheet](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/adding-historical-data-not-available-in-your-integration#high_level)
- [Best Practices](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/adding-historical-data-not-available-in-your-integration#best_practices)

### Overview

There are several ways to bring external data into Reach. The best one depends on the format the historical data is in.

| Your historical data looks like… | Method |
| --- | --- |
| A trial balance | [Enter it in your accounting software](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/import-accounting-data-via-csv-trial-balance?hsLang=en) so it syncs into Reach as actuals |
| A P&L and/or Balance Sheet by account | [Import it as an Excel budget](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/sheets?hsLang=en) |
| High-level or fragmented totals | [Use a Data Sheet](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/adding-historical-data-not-available-in-your-integration#high-level-or-fragmented-totals-use-a-data-sheet) |

### Trial Balance: Enter It in Your Accounting Software

If you have a trial balance for the missing periods, one option is to add the historical data directly to your accounting software. Once you [sync the company](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/syncing-your-company-?hsLang=en), those periods come into Reach as actual data. They then work in every statement, metric, template, and live text field like the rest of your connected data, with no extra setup.

> **Note:** A [CSV Trial Balance upload](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/import-accounting-data-via-csv-trial-balance?hsLang=en) isn't a good fit for this situation. A CSV upload creates a separate company in Reach, and CSV companies can't be consolidated with QuickBooks companies. This means a CSV upload can't add historical periods to a company that is already connected.

### P&L or Balance Sheet: Import It as an Excel Budget

If you have a P&L, Balance Sheet, or both, broken out by account, import the historical values through Reach's [Excel Budget](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/how-to-create-an-excel-budget-in-reach-reporting?hsLang=en) template. The template already contains the company's Chart of Accounts, so you only need to enter the missing periods. Your statements stay locked, and you can compare the historical periods to your current actuals.

Reach stores these values as budget data, not actual accounting data. You report on them using Budget/Forecast columns, which you can rename so the historical periods read naturally alongside your actuals.

### Import the Data

**Step 1: Open the Budget Section**

In the company you want to add history to, select **Budgets** from the bottom left sidebar. Click **Add New Budget**, then select the **Excel** option.

**Step 2: Configure and Download the Template**

Choose the statements you need historical data for, such as the Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, or both. Select the option to start with a blank template, since there are no actuals in Reach to pre-fill for these periods. Then download the Excel file.

The template will automatically include the company's Chart of Accounts as it exists at the time of export. For full details on these settings, see [How to Create an Excel Budget in Reach Reporting](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/how-to-create-an-excel-budget-in-reach-reporting?hsLang=en#step3-set-up-budget-parameters).

**Step 3: Update the Dates in Row 1**

Open the downloaded file. In Row 1, change the column dates to match the historical periods you want to import. Keep the same date format the template uses.

**Step 4: Enter the Historical Values**

Enter the historical values for each account in the matching period column. Use the P&L, Balance Sheet, or other financial statements you have for those periods as your source.

> **Tip:** If the historical statements include accounts that aren't in the current Chart of Accounts, you have two options. You can enter those amounts under the closest matching current account. Or you can add the account in your accounting software, [sync the company](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/syncing-your-company-?hsLang=en), and download a new template. The template only reflects the Chart of Accounts at the time you exported it.

**Step 5: Save the File**

Save the completed file to your computer.

**Step 6: Upload the File to Reach**

Return to the budget creation screen and upload the file using the upload button to the right of the template creator. Give the budget a clear name, such as "Historical Actuals – Jan to Mar 2023," then click **Create**.

> **Important:** Do not set this budget as your default budget in the company settings. Templates and statements that use the Default Budget option would start pulling your historical values in place of your real budget.

### Report on the Historical Data

Once the budget is uploaded, you can add the historical periods to any statement or metric in a report or dashboard.

**Step 1: Add a Budget/Forecast Column**

Edit the statement or metric and add a new column. Select **Budget/Forecast** as the column type, then choose your historical budget from the budget selector.

**Step 2: Set the Date Range**

Select the date range that covers the historical periods you imported.

**Step 3: Rename the Column**

Using the gear icon above the column, update the column title so it doesn't carry a budget label. For example, you might title it "Actual" or by the period, such as "Mar 2023." You can also add a suffix under the column's advanced settings.

**Step 4: Combine With Your Connected Actuals**

Place the historical columns next to your standard Actual columns. If you need a total that spans both, such as a full year that is partly historical and partly connected data, add a custom column with a formula that adds the two together.

Because the historical values are part of the company's existing statement structure, your statements can stay locked while you do this. You can also build variance columns that compare the imported history to current actual data.

> **Note:** Actual columns only pull data from your direct integration. This includes prior-year comparison columns and live text comparisons. Anywhere you want the historical periods to appear, use a Budget/Forecast column pointed at your historical budget.

### High-Level or Fragmented Totals: Use a Data Sheet

If your historical data is only summary figures, such as Total Income, Total Expenses, and Net Income by month, a [Data Sheet](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/sheets?hsLang=en) is also a fit.

**Step 1: Create a Data Sheet**

Create a new Data Sheet in the company. For full setup steps, see [Data Sheets](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/the-power-of-reach-reporting-data-sheets?hsLang=en).

**Step 2: Enter the Historical Totals**

Add a row for each total you have and a column for each historical period. Then enter the values for each period.

**Step 3: Pull the Rows Into a Metric**

Edit or create a metric, then add your rows through **Add Data / Rows \> Data Sheets**. You can place them alongside Actual rows from your connected data. For more detail, see [Using Sheets Data in Dashboards and Reports](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/using-sheets-data-in-dashboards-and-reports?hsLang=en).

> **Note:** You can also add Data Sheet rows to a statement, but doing so unlocks the statement. Unlocked statements don't update automatically when accounts are added or removed in your bookkeeping, so metrics are usually the simpler choice for high-level totals.

### Best Practices

- **Name the budget clearly.** Include "Historical" and the periods covered so it isn't mistaken for a real budget in the budget selector.
- **Keep your source file.** Save the completed Excel file. If you need to correct an amount later, you can edit it and upload it again using the **Update** option on the budget.
- **Tie out your totals.** After uploading, compare key totals such as Total Income, Net Income, and Total Assets against the original statements before sharing reports.

 Related Articles

- [Syncing Your Company](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/syncing-your-company-?hsLang=en)
- [How to Create an Excel Budget in Reach Reporting](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/how-to-create-an-excel-budget-in-reach-reporting?hsLang=en)
- [Data Sheets](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/sheets?hsLang=en)
- [Using Sheets Data in Dashboards and Reports](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/using-sheets-data-in-dashboards-and-reports?hsLang=en)
- [Import Accounting Data Via CSV Trial Balance](https://knowledge.reachreporting.com/import-accounting-data-via-csv-trial-balance?hsLang=en)

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