Generate Demo Data

Before we dive into creating your real budget, let's set up some demo data. This will let you practice all the features without any pressure or risk to your actual finances.

Why Use Demo Data?

Demo data is perfect for:
- Learning the app - Explore features without consequences
- Practicing techniques - Try different approaches to categorization
- Following along - Complete course exercises with consistent data
- Building confidence - Get comfortable before using real money

What's Included in Demo Data

When you generate demo data, you'll get:

Sample Accounts

• Checking Account - Primary account with income and expenses
• Savings Account - Emergency fund with transfers
• Credit Card - Typical spending patterns
• Auto Loan - Debt account with payments

Realistic Transactions

• 3 months of history - Enough to see patterns
• Variety of merchants - Groceries, utilities, subscriptions, dining
• Recurring items - Salary, rent, insurance
• Realistic amounts - Based on typical household spending

Pre-configured Elements

• Tags and categories - 60+ spending categories organized into groups
• TagMatcher rules - Common merchants pre-categorized
• Sample budgets - One for each month of data

How to Generate Demo Data

Follow these steps to set up your demo data:

Step 1: Sign Up or Sign In

If you don't have an account yet:
1. Sign up for a free account to get started
2. Complete email verification
3. You'll be taken to the onboarding flow automatically

If you already have an account:
1. Sign in to your account
2. Navigate to the onboarding page to access demo data generation

Step 2: Generate Demo Data

1. Go to the onboarding page
2. Look for the "Generate Demo Data" button
3. Click it to create all the sample data for you
4. Wait a few seconds while the data is generated

What gets created:
- 4 sample accounts (checking, savings, credit card, auto loan)
- 3 months of realistic transactions
- Budgets for each month
- 60+ spending categories (tags)
- Pre-configured TagMatcher rules

Step 3: Verify the Data

After generation, verify everything was created:

1. View your accounts - You should see 4 accounts
2. Browse transactions - You should see 3 months of transactions
3. Check budgets - You should see budgets for each month
4. View tags - You should see 60+ spending categories
5. Check TagMatcher rules - You should see pre-configured rules

Step 4: Explore!

Take a few minutes to explore the app with your demo data:

• View accounts and balances - See sample account balances
• Browse transactions - Review sample transactions
• Check out a budget - See how budgets look with demo data
• Explore insights dashboard - View analytics with sample data

What Happens to Demo Data Later?

When you're ready to track your real finances, you have options:
- Clear demo data - Start fresh with your own accounts
- Keep and add - Add your real accounts alongside the demo data
- Manual cleanup - Delete specific demo items as needed

The choice is yours! Many users find it helpful to keep the demo data as a reference while they set up their real accounts.

Ready to Practice

With your demo data set up, you're ready to continue through the course. In the following modules, we'll use this data to:
- Import and categorize transactions
- Create your first zero-based budget
- Set up automatic categorization rules
- Track and review your spending

Try It Now

Ready to generate demo data? If you're signed in, you can generate it right now:

1. Go to Onboarding - Access the demo data generation
2. Click "Generate Demo Data" button
3. Explore the app with your sample data

Don't have an account yet? Sign up for free to get started and generate demo data.

Key Takeaway: Demo data lets you learn without risk. Generate it now so you can follow along with all the exercises in this course. All the lessons ahead include links to try features in the app with your demo data.

Next Steps

Continue to Module 3 where we'll learn how to import and clean your data!