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# Why Monetary Values Need a Currency Field, Not Text
- URL: https://blog.jestor.com/currency-fields-vs-text/
- Published: 2026-09-17T22:29:10.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-17T22:29:10.000Z
- Author: Bruno Bannach

Using a **currency field** rather than a text field is not a formatting preference. Formulas and automations cannot sum text, so a value stored as text is a value you cannot calculate with.

## The mistake that breaks reporting later

Typing an amount with its symbol into a text field looks fine on screen and fails everywhere else.

- Totals that cannot be calculated across records
- Automations unable to compare an amount to a threshold
- Approval routing by value impossible to configure
- Inconsistent symbols and separators across records

## Currency, number, or text

| Field type   | Calculable | Notes                                                   |
| ------------ | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Text**     | No         | Cannot be summed or compared numerically                |
| **Number**   | Yes        | Calculable, but the currency symbol is not standardized |
| **Currency** | Yes        | Calculable, with a standard symbol across every record  |

## How to configure it in Jestor

1. Add a column in **Jestor** and search for the currency field type.
2. Name the field — value, for example, on an accounts payable table.
3. Select the currency symbol that will apply to every record on that field.
4. Add a date field for the due date; plain date is usually better than date-and-time for payments.
5. Let **OCR** read the attached invoice and fill the value field automatically.

## Why choose Jestor for financial data?

**Jestor** standardizes the symbol at field level, so every record in the table displays consistently without anyone typing it — and every value stays available to formulas and automations.

That consistency is what makes value-based approval thresholds work: a rule comparing an amount to a limit needs a real number behind it.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Why not use a number field?

It calculates, but the currency symbol is not standardized across records.

### Should due dates include a time?

Usually not — a plain date is enough for a payment. See [jestor.com](https://jestor.com/?ref=blog.jestor.com).

### Can OCR fill the value field?

Yes, reading it from the attached invoice.

## Video Tutorial: Step by Step

Check out other practical tutorials on the Jestor YouTube channel.

## Get to know Jestor

With **Jestor**, you can automate workflows, connect teams, and build internal systems your way — all without code and powered by **AI**. Discover Jestor at [jestor.com](https://jestor.com/?ref=blog.jestor.com) and see how to take your company's operations to a new level of efficiency and control.