This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to add, update, and export employee data in bulk. Using a single spreadsheet, you can add new starters, update existing employee details, and keep a backup of your data. It’s the fastest way to handle large-scale changes without having to edit profiles one by one.
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Looking for other data? This tool is for user profile fields only. For other sections, please refer to these articles:
What Can This Tool Do For You?
Add Multiple New Starters at Once: Instead of creating individual profiles, you can add all your new employees in a single upload, saving you significant time during onboarding.
Update Existing Records in Bulk: Quickly update details like department changes, new managers, or location moves for multiple employees simultaneously.
Export and Back-Up Your Data: Easily download a complete list of your active (and inactive) employees to create backups or for analysis and reporting.
How to Export Employee Data in Bulk
Need a spreadsheet of all your employee data? The export function sends a complete user list directly to your email. This is perfect for creating a backup before making major changes.
1. Navigate to Administration → General → Users.
2. Click the Export to CSV button.
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When exporting, make sure to click the main Export to CSV button, not the dropdown arrow options next to it.
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For Onboarding Users: Navigate to Administration → Onboarding → Onboarding Users and click Export to CSV.
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For security, the download link sent to your email will expire after 24 hours.
How to Add (Import) Employee Data in Bulk
When you have multiple new starters, you can add them all at once using the import template.
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Imports cannot be reversed or reverted. Please review your data carefully before confirming and always export a backup before making any imports.
Navigate to Administration → General → Users and clicking Import Users.
Click Download Import Template.
Open the spreadsheet and fill in the details for your new employees. Make sure to complete all the required columns and refer to the User Import Legend on the import page to ensure you are entering the correct values.
Save your completed file.
Return to the Import Users screen, click Choose file, and select your spreadsheet to upload it.
The system will show you a preview of your data. If everything looks correct, click Confirm.
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If you are a position-led organisation, please refer to the 'Additional Fields for Position-Led Organisations' section below for more details on available fields.
How to Update Employee Data in Bulk
This is the fastest way to make changes across your organisation, like updating a whole department's line manager. You can update records using two methods:
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Imports cannot be reversed or reverted. Please review your data carefully before confirming and always export a backup before making any imports.
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If you are a position-led organisation, please refer to the 'Additional Fields for Position-Led Organisations' section below for more details on available fields.
Method 1: Use the Blank Template
Download a fresh import template and fill in only the details of the employees you want to update. You must include the unique user identifier (like Username or Email) and all other required columns, plus the columns for the data you are changing. Refer to the User Import Legend on the import page, as it will highlight which fields are 'Required'. If you're unsure which field is your user identifier, please reach out to our support team.
Method 2 (Recommended): Use an Exported File
This is the safest way to avoid errors.
First, Export to CSV to get a current list of your users.
Open the exported file and make your changes directly in the spreadsheet. For example, find the "Manager" column and update the relevant employees.
Save the file and import it back into the system. The data you changed will overwrite the old information.
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Be Careful with Blank Cells! If you upload a file and leave a cell blank, the system will erase the existing data in that field for that employee. To avoid this, the best practice is to delete any columns from your spreadsheet that you are not updating. However, all required columns must always be included in your upload file; if you are not making changes to a required column, just keep the existing data untouched.
Accessing Logs and Addressing Errors
From the user import page, you can click the Show Logs button to view a full history of past imports.
If an import log shows invalid rows (e.g., "one invalid row that was not imported"), you can investigate it further:
Click on the ID number of the specific import you want to review.
The Imports Log will appear. From here, you have two options:
Download Source File: Click this to view the original file that was uploaded.
Download Invalid Rows File: Click this to download only the rows that failed to import. This file includes an error description.
Correcting Errors
Open the downloaded Invalid Rows File.
Identify the errors listed in the last column. For example, the error might state that the row is missing required values, such as First Name and Last Name.
Enter the correct values under the respective column headers in the CSV file.
After making all required adjustments, save the updated CSV file.
Go back into the system and upload this corrected file using the standard import process.
Additional Fields for Position-Led Organisations+
For position-led clients, additional fields are available in the user import template to help you manage your organisational structure and budgeting more effectively. The specific fields available may depend on whether you have features like concurrent positions or budgeting enabled.
Primary Position: Enter the user’s Position ID (e.g., HRA001) exactly as it appears in your Positions library.
Position Start Date: Enter the date the employee started in the position.
This is for new user creation only. It will not be updated for existing users. To update position start dates for existing users, please follow this article.
The date must be in DD/MM/YYYY format and cannot be in the future.
If left blank, it defaults to the user's Start Date. If that is also blank, it defaults to the import date.
Assigned FTE: This is a REQUIRED field. Enter the Full-Time Equivalent value for the user.
If you leave the cell empty, the system will default the value to '0'.
Important: If you remove the 'Assigned FTE' column entirely when importing new users, their FTE will automatically be set to '0'.
Assigned Base Salary: Enter the base salary amount for the user.
Indirect Manager: This is typically inherited from the position. To override it, enter the username of the indirect manager. Note that this is case-sensitive and the manager must already exist in the system.
Common Mistakes to Avoid+
Using Names Instead of Identifiers: The system uses unique identifiers for fields like manager, positions, and locations, not just their names. For example, if you use a Position Title instead of the Position ID, the import will fail. You can check your system's library to confirm the exact identifier to use (e.g., for a Position ID, navigate to Administration → General → Positions → Edit).
Numbers with Leading Zeros: Any number that starts with a zero, like an employee number or mobile number, must be entered with quotation marks around it in the spreadsheet. For example, enter "0491570156" not 0491570156.
Case-Sensitivity: Identifiers like usernames are case-sensitive. The system sees `Ariana.citizen` and `ariana.citizen` as two different users. Ensure the data in your file exactly matches the data in the system.
Incorrect "Active" Status: To mark a user as active, use the number 1, not "Yes".
Leaving the Date of Birth Column in an Update: When updating existing users, remove the Date of Birth column from your file, as it can cause errors.
Glossary+
CSV (Comma-Separated Values): A simple spreadsheet file format that you can open with programs like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
Identifier: A unique code the system uses to recognise a specific item, like a user, a position, or a location. This ensures you are always updating the correct entry.