Data into Chaser

This article explains how to get started with connecting to Chaser using Chase Import, the data requirements and how to complete key actions via Chase Import.

Last updated: August 28, 2024

ChaseImport allows you to upload your data in CSV files to an SFTP server that Chaser can securely access. The setup consists of exporting data out of your current system, adapting the format to meet Chaser formatting requirements, and then uploading the data to your SFTP server.

Get started with your Chase Import trial today:

Go to the Chaser website and select Free trial
Set up your SFTP server. Recommended: Quatrix
Create your Organisation file and upload this to your SFTP folder
Go to your Chaser account, select the CSV connector, and connect with CSV
Enter your SFTP details, and click Connect. If you are using Quatrix, most of these details can be found by clicking Manage Profile (top right corner, using the drop-down next to your initial) and then selecting the SFTP tab.
1. Host
  1. The can be found in the Config section of the SFTP tab in Quatrix
2. Port
  1. The can be found in the Config section of the SFTP tab in Quatrix
3. Directory (to be added if you are using a folder within your SFTP server)
4. User name
  1. This is the Unique log in from the SFTP tab in Quatrix
5. Password
  1. If you are using Quatrix this is the password that you use to log into your Quatrix account
Export your invoices, customer, credit note (optional) and payment (optional) from Microsoft
Translate the data into Chaser's required format
Upload your files to your SFTP folder
Go to your Chaser account and select Sync

What information does Chaser need?

To use the ChaseImport, there are three important pieces of data that you need to be able to export from your system (or obtain elsewhere):

Information about your organization (e.g. Name, Currency, Location and Timezone).
Invoices (e.g. Invoice number, Due date, Amount due, Amount paid etc.)
Customers (e.g. Customer name, email address, First name, Last name, Currency, Mobile Number etc.).

Credit notes, payments, additional contacts and invoice PDFs can also be uploaded.

This information will be split into 6 different CSV files:

organisation_DDMMYYYY.csv Required
invoices _DDMMYYYY.csv Required
customers_DDMMYYYY.csv Required
creditNotes_DDMMYYYY.csv Optional
payments_DDMMYYYY.csv Optional
contactpersons_DDMMYYYY.csv Optional (additional email addresses for each contact)

Export data from your system

Export the required data from your system, we recommend starting with Customers and Invoices (which are the mandatory data points). Credit notes, payments and additional contacts can be uploaded later if you wish to use these.

A complete description of both the required and optional data that you can upload and the format that we need it in can be found here: ChaseImport - Data Requirements. This document also covers the required and optional fields for each of the CSV files.

If you wish to see historical data in Chaser, this can be uploaded as part of your first upload. Chaser does archive paid invoices after 90 days.

Formatting the data

For Chaser to process your data, it must be stored in the data formats provided here: ChaseImport - Data Requirements. If data is uploaded in the incorrect format, Chaser will email the details to all users who have the notification When CSV upload fails enabled in their user settings.

If you are having trouble getting the data in the right format, please contact your Account Executive directly or our support team at support@chaserhq.com and they will be happy to help.

Set up your SFTP server

Chaser will connect to your SFTP server to get your data securely. Once you have set up your SFTP server, upload your organisation_DDMMYYYY.csv file into your chosen directly (most customers will create a directory specifically for Chaser, however, it is possible to use the home folder if the SFTP server will be used solely for Chaser).

Import data to Chaser

Pre-requisites: Your SFTP server must be set up, and the organisation file (with key organization information such as business, legal name, currency etc) must be uploaded and correctly named (organisation_DDMMYYY.csv, should display as organisation_27032024.csv, the file name should not contain your business name (these details will be available within the file).

Take out a free trial by filling out the following short form: https://www.chaserhq.com/signup
Connect your SFTP server to Chaser

Enter your SFTP host URL or IP address into the ‘Host’ field.
Enter port 22 into the Port field.
If you have placed your CSV files in a directory inside the SFTP server, then enter the directory name in the ‘Directory’ field. If not, then leave this field blank.
Enter the username and password for the user that has access to the SFTP server.
Click Connect.

After connecting Xero to Chaser, you can choose your Chaser account settings to tailor your accounts receivable process to best suit your business needs. This includes the business name, country, timezone and currency.

Send updates to Chaser

We recommend sending updated data to Chaser as frequently as you can to support your process. However, at a minimum, we would recommend updating your data (by uploading new CSV files with changes and updates) at least a couple of hours before your Chase time to ensure that the data is up to date and Chasing is accurate.

Below are some examples of how your data will be processed in Chaser:

Invoices

For example, if on 10th January you upload a list of invoices which includes invoice INV-001 which has invoice identifier 01234356. When you upload the invoice, the AmountDue value is £1000.00 and the AmountPaid value is £0.00.

Then on 11th January, if you then upload an updated list of invoices, including invoice INV-001 (with identifier 01234356), but this time the AmountDue value is £600.00 and the AmountPaid value is £400.00. In this scenario, Chaser will recognise that INV-001 is already in the system and will identify that the amount due and amount paid has changed and this will be reflected in the software.

Alternatively, if on 11th January, you upload an updated list of invoices but this list does not include invoice INV-001 (with identifier 01234356). Then Chaser will not update INV–001 and all the data for that particular invoice will remain the same.

Customers

For example, if on 10th January you upload a list of customers which includes the contact; Cricket Coaching Camps Limited which has contact identifier C_1. When you upload the contact, the email address value is support@email.com and you have uploaded no Tags.

Then on 11th January, if you then upload an updated list of customers, including the contact; Cricket Coaching Camps Limited (with identifier C_1), but this time the email address is team@email.com and you upload two tags; Good Payer and Direct Debit. In this scenario, Chaser will recognise that Cricket Coaching Camps Limited is already in the system and will identify that the email address has changed and two tags have been added and this will be reflected in the software.

Alternatively, if on 11th January, you upload an updated list of customers but this list does not include invoice Cricket Coaching Camps Limited (with identifier C_1). Then Chaser will not update Cricket Coaching Camps Limited and all the data for that particular contact will remain the same.

Upload invoice PDFs

Export your invoice copies as PDFs, the file name should match the InvoiceID (column 1 in the invoice.csv spreadsheet).
Upload your invoice copies to the SFTP folder that you have connected to Chaser.
Optional: If you want to see your PDFs instantly, go to Chaser and select sync (note: a sync will automatically occur before your next chase so there is no need for the manual step in your process ahead of your next chase)
You should now be able to download your invoice PDF when navigating to the invoice page.
To include invoice copies in your chasing emails, go to Manage > Template and select attach copy invoice in the options underneath each of your templates (image below).

FAQs

Can I provide data in a different format?

At the moment, we only support CSV files. However, if you would like to upload data in a different format, please contact support@chaserhq.com.

How often should we upload data into Chaser?

This is up to you and depends on your needs as a business. However, the minimum requirement would be to upload just before your Chase time(s) (i.e. if your Chase time is at 11 am on Tuesday, we would recommend uploading at 9 am on Tuesday so that the information is fully up to date and all payments are reconciled). As a minimum, we would recommend uploading at least once a week.

If you would like to use Chaser as a CRM and having the data up to date is important to you, we would recommend doing an upload once a day after you reconcile payments.

Why can’t I connect to my SFTP server?

If you aren’t able to connect your SFTP server to Chaser, it should display an error message explaining why. If you still need help, please contact your account manager or support@chaserhq.com and we will be happy to help.

The most common reasons for not being able to connect are the following:

Incorrect port number provided - please make sure you are entering port 22 rather than port 21 (FTP server).
Incorrect username and/or password
You haven’t uploaded any CSV files into the SFTP server

Need additional support?

For any more questions on ChaseImport, please get in touch on support@chaserhq.com or message us on live chat, we would be happy to help.