The Spreadsheet Should Not Try to Look Like the PDF

What this note is about

I keep removing things from the export. Page headings, summaries and footer text are useful in the statement, but not in the spreadsheet.

A neat copy of the page is still the wrong file

The more statements I test, the more I think the export should be plain. The spreadsheet should not try to preserve the bank's page design.

A statement has addresses, headings, summaries, page numbers and sometimes little notes around the table. Those things help a person read the PDF, but they get in the way once the job is sorting or checking transactions.

The useful file is smaller

Most of the time the useful export is just date, description, amount and sometimes balance. That sounds obvious, but PDF tools often pull in everything around the table too.

When the export feels boring, it is usually closer to right.