Automating Monthly Expense Report Processing with Zapier

Objective

To automate the process of consolidating monthly expense reports from a shared Google Drive folder into a target Google Sheet for streamlined data processing and visualization. 

Solution Overview

I built a Zapier automation to handle CSV expense reports saved by multiple users, ensuring the data is archived, standardized, parsed, and appended to a consolidated sheet efficiently.

Key Steps in the Workflow

1. Detect New CSV Reports in Google Drive

• Configured Zapier to monitor a shared Google Drive folder for new monthly CSV expense reports uploaded by different team members.

2. Archive and Standardize File Naming

• • Automated the archiving of each new CSV file into a ‘Legacy Files’ folder.

  • Standardized file names to maintain consistency and clarity:
    Format: Old_Raw_Data_([Username])_[CreateDate]

3. Parse Data from Raw CSV Files

• Set up Zapier to parse the data within each raw CSV file to prepare it for structured processing.

4. Loop and Map Data Columns

• • Utilized Loop by Zapier to iterate through each row of parsed data.

  • Mapped the relevant columns from the raw CSV to match the required output structure.

5. Append Data to Consolidated Google Sheet

• • Appended the processed data to a target Google Sheet for consolidation.

  • Enabled subsequent data processing and visualization directly from the consolidated sheet.

Key Outcomes:

• 1. Efficiency: Reduced manual effort in processing and consolidating monthly expense reports.

  2. Standardization: Consistent file naming and archiving for easy retrieval.

  3. Collaboration: Seamless handling of reports from multiple users.