Musings on a CSV import feature

[Luke <..hidden..>]

I know the discussion of CRM and such fizzled a bit, but this goes back 
to accounting directly, I believe.

I'm not so much wondering how to implement this sort of thing; but am 
wondering what changes would have to happen in the base application, 
before doing this with relative ease would be possible.

I often run into situations where I have CSV financial statements provided 
to me by various organizations.  Examples are:

* PayPal provides monthly statements in CSV.
* A company for which we are a reseller of many services, provides start 
  of month billing transactions and such through CSV files.
* Our bank may be able to provide CSV statements.

It would be highly nice, to be able to have LSMB read in those CSV files, 
and take programmed actions based upon their contents.  Now, of course, 
this would require a per-generator configuration, but once one had, for 
example, a PayPal configuration (macro set, what ever), it could be a snap 
every month to read in and reconcile a PayPal statement.
(Another reason why an API separate from the UI might be desirable)

I don't know how commercial apps handle such things (or if they do, 
although I suspect they do since most people making available CSV files, 
state "for easy import into your accounting software"), but if so: what do 
they do with them?  Take QuickBooks for example...

Regardless, this would be a highly useful feature or set of features.

Luke