Test a bank-statement converter with a representative PDF, a trusted comparison record, and written pass conditions before relying on it in routine bookkeeping. The goal is not to prove that a product works for every possible statement; it is to learn which cases it handles, which need review, and whether the remaining controls fit your process.
1. Choose a safe, representative sample
Use a statement your organization is authorized to process. Include normal transaction rows and at least one known challenge from your workflow, such as wrapped narrations, multiple pages, both debits and credits, or an opening and closing balance. Do not send client data to a provider until its use is approved.
2. Define the comparison before conversion
- Count the transactions in the source and the output.
- Check dates, descriptions, debit/credit direction, and decimal places.
- Compare opening, running, and closing balances where available.
- Look for duplicate or missing rows, especially near page breaks.
- Record unclear entries and confirm they are flagged for a person.
Use a documented source ledger or a careful manual review as the reference. Decide how discrepancies will be recorded and who can approve a correction.
3. Test the file in a controlled Tally environment
Confirm the output type and import path for the Tally release and company setup you use. Import into a backup or test company first, then check voucher types, dates, amounts, ledgers, duplicates, and the resulting reconciliation. A file that opens as XML is not necessarily a correct or accepted import.
4. Document exceptions and decide
Keep a short test record: source layout, rows expected, rows found, corrections, import result, reviewer, and date. Set the acceptance criteria to match your own risk and controls; this guide does not prescribe a universal accuracy percentage. If a failure is unexplained, do not expand the pilot until it is resolved or an explicit manual control covers it.
Use this alongside the software selection checklist or the CA-firm pilot plan when evaluating a larger workflow.