diff --git a/superx_budget/__init__.py b/superx_budget/__init__.py
index 76d8d7c..b7def04 100644
--- a/superx_budget/__init__.py
+++ b/superx_budget/__init__.py
@@ -4,3 +4,88 @@ Creating a budget overview from a SuperX export
 """
 
 __version__ = "0.0.1"
+
+from datetime import datetime
+from collections import namedtuple
+
+EXPECTED_HEADLINE = "Verwendungsnachweis und Kassenstand SAP"
+EXPECTED_METADATA_KEYS = {"Haushaltsjahr", "Stand", "Gruppierung"}
+EXPECTED_EXPORT_GROUPING = "automatisch"
+EXPECTED_DATA_TABLE_HEADER = "Kostenstelle"
+
+
+SuperXResult = namedtuple(
+    "SuperXResult", ["account_year", "export_date", "data"]
+)
+SuperXData = namedtuple(
+    "SuperXData",
+    [
+        "cost_center",
+        "fonds",
+        "project",
+        "kind",
+        "budget_year",
+        "obligo",
+        "expenses",
+        "revenue_actual",
+        "revenue_target",
+        "acutal_value",
+    ],
+)
+
+
+class SuperXError(ValueError):
+    pass
+
+
+def _check_export_headline(row):
+    """ checks the first line of the excel data if it's what we'd expect """
+    headline = row[0].value
+    if headline != EXPECTED_HEADLINE:
+        raise SuperXError(f"unexpected headline: '{headline}'")
+
+
+def _get_export_metadata(row):
+    """ extracts the metadata from the second row of the excel sheet """
+    data = row[0].value
+    entries = data.split(";")
+    parts = [entry.split(":", 1) for entry in entries]
+    metadata = {key.strip(): value.strip() for key, value in parts}
+    if EXPECTED_METADATA_KEYS - set(metadata.keys()):
+        raise SuperXError(f"unexpected metadata: '{data}'")
+    if metadata["Gruppierung"] != EXPECTED_EXPORT_GROUPING:
+        raise SuperXError(f"unexpected grouping: {metadata['Gruppierung']}")
+    return SuperXResult(
+        metadata["Haushaltsjahr"],
+        datetime.strptime(metadata["Stand"], "%d.%m.%Y"),
+        None,
+    )
+
+
+def _skip_export_data_until_table_header(rows):
+    """ skip rows until data table headers """
+    for line in rows:
+        first_cell = line[0]
+        if first_cell.value == EXPECTED_DATA_TABLE_HEADER:
+            break
+    else:
+        raise SuperXError("could not find table header")
+
+
+def _parse_data_table(rows):
+    """ parses non-empty lines of the data table """
+    for line in rows:
+        if not line[0].value:
+            continue
+        data = [cell.value for cell in line[:10]]
+        yield SuperXData(*data)
+
+
+def parse_export_data(xls_sheet):
+    """ parses the exported superx data """
+    rows = xls_sheet.rows
+    _check_export_headline(next(rows))
+    metadata = _get_export_metadata(next(rows))
+    _skip_export_data_until_table_header(rows)
+    data = list(_parse_data_table(rows))
+    return SuperXResult(metadata.account_year, metadata.export_date, data)
diff --git a/test data/Verwendungsnachweis_und_Kassenstand_SAP_Zahlen.xlsx b/test data/Verwendungsnachweis_und_Kassenstand_SAP_Zahlen.xlsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..52a877f
Binary files /dev/null and b/test data/Verwendungsnachweis_und_Kassenstand_SAP_Zahlen.xlsx differ
diff --git a/tests/test_superx_budget.py b/tests/test_superx_budget.py
index 0acc5a4..02f5146 100644
--- a/tests/test_superx_budget.py
+++ b/tests/test_superx_budget.py
@@ -1,5 +1,154 @@
 """ Stub file for testing the project """
 
+from pathlib import Path
+from collections import namedtuple
 
-def test_dummy():
-    assert True
+import pytest
+
+DummyValue = namedtuple("DummyValue", "value")
+
+
+class DummySheet:
+    def __init__(self, data):
+        self._data = data
+
+    @property
+    def rows(self):
+        for line in self._data:
+            yield [DummyValue(value) for value in line]
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def example_file(request):
+    root_dir = Path(request.config.rootdir)
+    data_dir = root_dir / "test data"
+    return data_dir / "Verwendungsnachweis_und_Kassenstand_SAP_Zahlen.xlsx"
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def example_workbook(example_file):
+    import openpyxl
+
+    return openpyxl.open(example_file)
+
+
+def test_check_export_headline():
+    from superx_budget import _check_export_headline, SuperXError
+
+    row = [DummyValue("nomatching header")]
+
+    with pytest.raises(SuperXError):
+        _check_export_headline(row)
+
+
+def test_get_export_metadata_ok():
+    from superx_budget import _get_export_metadata
+    from datetime import datetime
+
+    value = "Haushaltsjahr: XXX;Stand:31.12.2020;Gruppierung:automatisch"
+    row = [DummyValue(value)]
+    metadata = _get_export_metadata(row)
+
+    assert metadata.account_year == "XXX"
+    assert metadata.export_date == datetime(2020, 12, 31)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "faulty_data",
+    [
+        "Haushaltsjahr:XXX;Kein Stand:31.12.2020;Gruppierung:automatisch",
+        "Kein Haushaltsjahr:XXX;Stand:31.12.2020;Gruppierung:automatisch",
+        "Kein Haushaltsjahr:XXX;Kein Stand:31.12.2020;Gruppierung:automatisch",
+        "Haushaltsjahr:XXX;Stand:kein Datum;Gruppierung:automatisch",
+        "Haushaltsjahr:XXX;Stand:31.12.2020;keine Gruppierung:automatisch",
+        "Haushaltsjahr:XXX;Stand:31.12.2020;Gruppierung:nicht automatisch",
+    ],
+)
+def test_get_export_metadata_raises_error(faulty_data):
+    from superx_budget import _get_export_metadata
+
+    row = [DummyValue(faulty_data)]
+
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):  # SuperXError is a subclass of ValueError
+        _get_export_metadata(row)
+
+
+def test_skip_export_data_until_table_header_ok():
+    from superx_budget import _skip_export_data_until_table_header
+
+    rows = [
+        [DummyValue("")],
+        [DummyValue("")],
+        [DummyValue("Kostenstelle")],
+        [DummyValue("Daten")],
+    ]
+    iterator = iter(rows)
+    _skip_export_data_until_table_header(iterator)
+    data_line = next(iterator)
+
+    assert data_line[0].value == "Daten"
+
+
+def test_skip_export_data_until_table_header_raises_error():
+    from superx_budget import _skip_export_data_until_table_header, SuperXError
+
+    rows = [
+        [DummyValue("")],
+        [DummyValue("")],
+        [DummyValue("Keine Kostenstelle")],
+        [DummyValue("Daten")],
+    ]
+    iterator = iter(rows)
+    with pytest.raises(SuperXError):
+        _skip_export_data_until_table_header(iterator)
+
+
+def test_parse_data_table():
+    from superx_budget import _parse_data_table
+
+    rows = [
+        [DummyValue(v) for v in "ABCDEFGHIJ"],
+        [DummyValue("") for i in range(10)],
+        [DummyValue(v) for v in "qrstuvwxyzX"],  # one column more
+    ]
+    result = _parse_data_table(rows)
+    first_value, second_value = list(result)
+
+    assert first_value.cost_center == "A"
+    assert first_value.fonds == "B"
+    assert first_value.acutal_value == "J"
+    assert second_value.cost_center == "q"
+    assert second_value.acutal_value == "z"
+
+
+def test_parse_export_data(example_workbook):
+    from superx_budget import parse_export_data
+    from datetime import datetime
+
+    result = parse_export_data(example_workbook.active)
+
+    assert result.account_year == "2020"
+    assert result.export_date == datetime(2020, 3, 18)
+    assert len(result.data) == 212
+
+    first, last = result.data[0], result.data[-1]
+    assert first.cost_center == "1110200121"
+    assert first.fonds == "3310"
+    assert first.project == "1100000102"
+    assert first.kind == "1 - Personal"
+    assert first.budget_year is None
+    assert first.obligo == 0.01
+    assert first.expenses == 1000
+    assert first.revenue_actual == 2000
+    assert first.revenue_target == 3000
+    assert first.acutal_value == 4000
+    assert last.cost_center == "1110200121"
+    assert last.fonds == "1123"
+    assert last.project == "8200062807"
+    assert last.kind == "KASSENSTAND zum Ende des Betrachungszeitraums"
+    assert last.budget_year is None
+    assert last.obligo == 236
+    assert last.expenses == 1236
+    assert last.revenue_actual == 2236
+    assert last.revenue_target == 3236
+    assert last.acutal_value == 4236