May 2026
When you need a run of scheduled budget periods set up in advance, for example a separate daily budget for every day of a sale or campaign period, creating them one at a time can take some time. This article shows you how to build all of those future periods in one go using the budget export/import process and a spreadsheet.
If you only have one or two periods to set up, it's quicker to do them directly in the app. For anything more than a handful, the export/import method below is the way to go. It works for daily periods, weekly periods, or any other custom time period, with or without rollovers.
You can watch the video walkthrough or follow the step-by-step guide below.
The example
We'll use the example below. The same process works for any set of custom periods.
We want a single budget that holds five separate daily budgets:
18 May: $10
19 May: $20
20 May: $30
21 May: $40
22 May: $50
Rollovers are switched on in this example. You'd build it exactly the same way with rollovers off.
Step 1 - Create your first budget in Adpulse
Start by creating the budget that all of these scheduled periods will sit under. In our example that's a child budget, set against all campaigns in the account.
Inside that budget, create the first scheduled period as a custom time period:
Set the period to a single day. In our example, 18 May to 18 May.
Enter the budget target for that day ($10 in our example).
Set the rollover behaviour you want. Whatever you choose here is inherited by every period you copy from it later, so set it correctly now.
Save the budget and give it a name.
You now have a budget with one scheduled period. That single period is the template you'll duplicate to create all the others.
Step 2 - Export the budget data
Go to the Budgets dashboard.
Use the filters to show only the budget you just created. This isn't essential, but it keeps the export clean and avoids editing other budgets by mistake.
Click the download icon.
In the modal, choose Current Budgets and All Budget Data. Leave the date field blank so it exports the data as of right now.
Open the downloaded CSV in your spreadsheet tool.
Step 3 - Build your additional budgets in the spreadsheet
Each row in the export is one scheduled period. To create more periods, you copy your template row and edit a few columns on each copy.
First, tidy the sheet. Delete any rows for budgets you don't want to touch, such as the parent budget. You should be left with a single row: the budget you created in Step 1.
Now copy that row down once for every extra period you want. In our example we want four more, so we copy it four times, which leaves five rows in total.
Leave the original row exactly as it is. On import it simply re-syncs unchanged.
For each of the new copied rows, update the following columns:
Column | Column name | Update to |
G | Entry ID | Clear the field. This is what tells Adpulse the row is a new period to create, not an existing one to update. |
H | Start Date | The start date for this period |
I | End Date | The end date for this period |
L | Budget Target | The spend target for this period |
M | Rollover | Delete |
N | Spent | Delete |
O | % Spent | Delete |
P | Pacing | Delete |
Q | Ideal Daily Spend | Delete |
R | Yesterdays Spend | Delete |
S | Forecast Spend | Delete |
Columns M through S are calculated figures that belong to a budget that's already running. The periods you're creating don't exist yet, so they have no stats. Clear them on every new row.
Leave the Rollover Strategy column exactly as it came out of the export. Don't blank it, and don't type your own value into it. It expects a specific value, and the import will fail if it finds something it doesn't recognise. If you want rollovers on or off, that decision was made back in Step 1, and the exported value already reflects it.
Leave the identifying columns alone as well. Account ID, Account Tags, Budget ID (column F), and Budget Name should stay the same on every row. The matching Budget ID is what attaches your new periods to the correct budget. Every other column, including the KPI columns, stays as exported.
When you're done, save the file as a CSV.
Step 4 - Import the file
Back on the Budgets dashboard, click the upload icon.
Set the Budget upload type to Budgets.
Choose your saved CSV file.
Select the date format that matches the dates in your sheet. The export default is YYYY-MM-DD, but Excel and other tools often change this based on your region. In Australia it's usually day then month, so check the format before you import.
Run the import.
You'll get a modal confirming success on each row. Open the budget on the dashboard and you'll see all of your scheduled periods sitting in the schedule, each with its own dates and target.
Tips and common errors
A few things that catch people out:
Only clear the Entry ID, not the Budget ID. The Entry ID identifies a specific scheduled period. The Budget ID identifies the budget itself. Clear the Entry ID so each new row is treated as a new period; keep the Budget ID so those periods land in the right budget.
The stat columns must be empty on new rows. If Rollover, Spent, % Spent, Pacing, Ideal Daily Spend, Yesterdays Spend, or Forecast Spend still hold values on a row you're creating, clear them.
Don't edit the Rollover Strategy column. Leave it exactly as exported. A blank or unrecognised value here is the most common cause of a failed import.
Match the date format on import. If your dates don't import the way you expect, the format you selected in the import modal didn't match the format in your sheet.
Mind the dates between periods. Each period needs its own date range. For continuous day-after-day coverage, start each period the day after the previous one ends.
If an import still fails, send us the file and we'll review it and tell you exactly what to fix.
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