CSV vs Excel, JSON and OFX for Bank Statements

Choose CSV for a simple table

CSV is usually the most portable option for flat transaction rows. It works well for import tools and spreadsheets that do not need workbook formatting.

CSV does not carry workbook features such as multiple sheets, formulas, or cell styling. Confirm the delimiter and date expectations of the system receiving it.

Choose XLSX for a workbook

XLSX fits review and handoff when people need filters, formatting, formulas, or a familiar spreadsheet file. It is the practical choice when the output will continue through an Excel-compatible workflow.

CSV versus an Excel workbook

CSV is a text exchange format; Excel is an application and XLSX is its workbook format. Opening a CSV in Excel does not make the underlying file a workbook.

• Sheets: CSV exports one worksheet’s table at a time; XLSX can keep Transactions, Statement and Original Fields together.
• Formulas: a CSV carries exported results, not a working calculation model. XLSX can retain formulas and their cell references.
• Formatting and types: CSV does not preserve cell styles or explicit text/date cell types; XLSX can retain them. Re-importing CSV can therefore change leading zeros or date interpretation.
• Review records: keep comments, supporting sheets and reconciliation formulas in the workbook, then make a separate mapped CSV only when the receiving system requires it.

Export one Excel worksheet as CSV without losing the working file

First save the complete working workbook as XLSX. Select the intended transaction sheet, choose File, Save As, and select CSV UTF-8 when the destination accepts it, or the documented CSV type it requires. Give the CSV a different filename. Acknowledge the warning about the active worksheet and unsupported workbook features only after confirming the selected sheet is correct. Repeat separately for another sheet if needed.

Illustrative workbook: Transactions contains -84.50 and 24.50 and a total formula =SUM(A2:A3), giving -60.00; Notes holds a review comment. A CSV of Transactions can contain the displayed values including the total, but it has no Notes sheet or usable SUM formula. Remove summary rows from a separate transaction-only import copy if the destination expects only transactions. Preserve the workbook, then inspect the CSV text, delimiter, dates, references and totals.

Use the real sample PDF, CSV and XLSX downloads to compare the same approved rows. Fulla’s input is a bank-statement PDF; these Excel Save As steps happen in your spreadsheet application, not through an arbitrary-XLSX reverse-conversion feature in Fulla.

Choose OFX for QuickBooks Online or Xero

OFX is the bank statement format accounting software imports directly. QuickBooks Online accepts .ofx files through Upload from file, and Xero imports OFX statements, so dates, signed amounts and balances arrive without mapping spreadsheet columns.

Each OFX file covers one account. Every row carries a stable transaction ID, which lets importers that de-duplicate by that ID skip rows you already loaded. Fulla does not produce QFX or QBO Web Connect files for Quicken or QuickBooks Desktop.

Choose JSON for an application

JSON keeps the output structured for software that will validate, transform, or store transaction records. Fulla also exposes an API contract for workspace-bound programmatic workflows.

Whichever format you choose, it is generated from the approved revision rather than an unsaved browser state.

Compare the same approved rows in every format

The sample pack contains the same fictional approved rows as CSV, XLSX, OFX and JSON. Use CSV for a mapped table import, XLSX for a workbook handoff, OFX for a compatible statement importer, and JSON for software that validates a structured record.

Choose based on the receiving workflow, then inspect its requirements. A richer Fulla CSV may need a separate mapped copy; OFX is one account per file; a workbook is not a live sync. Keep the unchanged approved output alongside any transformed import file.