Each month I download my credit card transactions into a single table and would like to add the ability to categorize them in the most efficient way.

For the time being, I have added a Category field to my import table and manually enter the categories through a value list based on entries to the Category field. This is not efficient, and I would appreciate suggestions on how to do it better.

I have thought that a separate table for default categories for each Payee might be better, and I suppose I could relate them by the PayeeName field.

But the same category wouldn't always apply to a particular name. Purchases at Office Depot might either be personal or business, depending on the item purchased. But I could make the business default and asjust it if necessary.

Another problem involves variations in payee names. We buy most of our food at Kroger, and that store usually shows up in the download as KROGER #625.

The other Kroger in town is KROGER #529. I can match on the first word, perhaps, but purchases of gasoline at Kroger appear as KROGER FUEL CTR #5652. And that would have a different category.

Thanks for any help and ideas on the best way to approach this! I'm using FM8A.

James McAlister

www.BulletinInserts.org

www.james-mc.com

Sounds like a separate table with Company Name, Item and Category might be your best bet. Don't forget that you can relate this table to your main table with the Company Name AND the Item, which may help you narrow down which value from Category is auto-entered. I guess it all depends on the data you have to work with on your credit card statement download.