How to Import Your Church's History from a Spreadsheet

You don't have to start from zero. If your attendance and giving have been living in a spreadsheet, or in a tool like Planning Center or Church Metrics, you can bring that history into Sunday Tally so your trends start full instead of empty. It's the Import your historical data step, and the best part is built in: nothing is saved until you review and confirm it.

How it works: propose, review, confirm

The import happens in two stages, and you're in control between them:

1. Tally AI proposes a mapping. It reads your spreadsheet, figures out which columns are dates, services, attendance, giving, and volunteers, and lays out what it found.
2. You review it. A live preview shows your data with the proposed mapping, and Tally AI asks a few clarifying questions. You answer, and the preview updates as you go.
3. You confirm, and it's written. Only after you click through does a deterministic step save everything, no surprises, no guesswork at the final step.

Bring your history in

1. Export your data as CSV from wherever it lives (Planning Center, Church Metrics, or your own spreadsheet). Columns like Date, Service, Attendance, Giving, and Volunteers are all it needs.
2. Upload the CSV files (or paste a Google Sheet link).
3. Describe your services in the optional box — "Sunday 9 AM and 11 AM at Main, Kids Church runs parallel, Switch is our Wednesday youth night." This one sentence makes the mapping far more accurate.
4. Click "Propose mapping." Tally AI reads your data, usually in under a minute.
5. Review the preview and answer the questions. Confirm which column is attendance, name any services it wasn't sure about, and watch the preview update.
6. Click "Confirm & review," give any auto-named services a real name, and import.
7. Done. Your dashboard and history now start with your real numbers behind them.

A few things that make the mapping great

• Describe your services in that optional box, it's the single biggest accuracy boost.
• Share Google Sheets as "Anyone with the link can view" so Tally AI can read them.
• Give real names to any service it flags for you, instead of leaving a generic placeholder.
• Start with a tab or two if you have years of data across many sheets; you can always add the rest once you're set up.

Why importing is worth it

• Your trends start full. Year-over-year comparisons work from day one instead of after twelve months of entry.
• You review before anything saves. The preview grid lets you catch a mapping mistake before it's written, not after.
• It's fast. Years of history come in during setup, in minutes, not by re-typing.
• It meets you where your data already is, whatever tool or spreadsheet you've been using.

Frequently asked questions

What file types can I import?

CSV files exported from your current tool or spreadsheet, or a Google Sheet shared as "Anyone with the link can view." Most church tools, including Planning Center and Church Metrics, can export the CSV you need.

Will importing overwrite or break my current setup?

No. Tally AI only proposes a mapping, and nothing is written until you review the preview and confirm. You see exactly what will be created before it happens.

How accurate is the mapping?

Very, especially when you describe your services in the optional box. Tally AI reads the shape of your data and proposes the mapping; you confirm or adjust it in the preview, so the final result is one you've checked yourself.