JOIN SHEET
Append sheets

How to combine transaction files and sort them by date

Append transaction sheets, then sort the combined result by date and transaction number. Preserve all records and check the total before saving.

JOIN SHEETPublished
Two account transaction sheets contain four records with overlapping dates.
Illustration with fictional data, not a screenshot of the app.

Append the transaction sheets first, then sort the combined result. Even if each source file is already chronological, placing one file below another does not produce a single chronological list. Add Date and Transaction number to the same Sort step in JOIN SHEET.

File order is not transaction order

The fictional records below include two transactions on September 1. Date will be the primary sort field; Transaction number will break the tie.

Source sheet Date Transaction number Amount
Account A 2026-09-03 T03 30000
Account A 2026-09-01 T01 10000
Account B 2026-09-02 T02 20000
Account B 2026-09-01 T04 40000

Source sheet is included here to explain where the rows come from. If you need that information in the result, add an Account column to each source before importing. File names do not automatically become a source column.

Append, then set two sort fields

  1. Load both sheets with the same column names and count. Ensure Date is interpreted as Date.
  2. Connect Account A's bottom + point to Account B's top + point and choose Keep all rows (including duplicates).
  3. Select the top sheet, open Refine results and add Sort. Select Date with Ascending order.
  4. In that same step, select Add sort field, choose Transaction number and Ascending, then Apply.

Diagram of appending transactions and sorting by Date followed by Transaction number.

Using one sort step defines the priorities explicitly: compare dates first, then transaction numbers when the dates match.

Verify the order and total

The transaction numbers should appear as T01 → T04 → T02 → T03. There are four rows, and their amounts still total 100000. Sorting should not change either measure.

Diagram of the four transactions in date order, with T01 before T04 on the same date.

If you add a summary afterward, the rows change and the previous order may no longer hold. Put sorting last when final report order matters. The refinement applies to the full result and subsequent Excel saves, not just the visible preview.

Does this calculate a combined bank balance?

No. It combines transaction records, not balances or running totals. Transfers may appear in both accounts and need separate treatment before expense aggregation. This is also not an automatically monitored folder: import updated files when you run the task again.

Try it with your own data

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Example last verified:

Sources

Discussion about combining transaction ledgers and sorting them by date — Reddit r/excel

The amounts and workflow are independent examples; no original account details are used.

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