Use the file import process to update employee details in bulk
Core HR > Account Data > Import Data
Preparing to update employee details
Before running any kind of update import affecting the data of multiple employees, we strongly advise you record or make a copy of the data before altering it.
Read the section on Custom employee exports in the article Custom export templates to learn how to extract the data before altering.
Update import
To start a new update file import, go to Core HR > Account data > Import data and click Create new.
Open the Type dropdown list and select ‘employee ’. This name may change depending on your chosen terminology for staff.
The purple bar under the file selection will then update to include a ‘Click here’ link for downloading a CSV template that includes all the fields you can update via import update.
More general information on preparing import files can be found in Importing data overview.
employee type import requirements
The employee import requires minimum inclusion of employee ID and employee first name, any other data is optional. This means that if there is nothing entered in a field, it won’t be updated at all. If the Primary role field is blank, the role will not be changed in any way.
If updating or adding data in date format, like birthdate or termination dates, they must be in the YYYY-MM-DD format.
Once the import is complete, all updated fields will now display the new data in employee profiles.
NOTE: All data is updated on the employee profile immediately, but payroll item changes will always be effective from the following pay cycle forwards.
Payroll data updates
Updating payroll data via file import update will always be effective from the start of the next pay cycle.
Remember to first export a record of the current payroll data before you make updates – the Custom employee exports section in the Custom export templates shows how to extract the data before altering.
Payroll data labels on the employee .csv import template and the custom export template field selection pages may differ slightly. This should help you identify the fields to include:
- Base rate – employee base rate
- Award – Award ID
- Pay schedule – employee Paycycle ID
- Weekly ordinary hours – employee weekly ordinary hours
- Work schedule – employee work schedule ID
Need a change to be effected for the current pay cycle?
Manually editing payroll data for an existing employee record via Core HR > People > employee gives the option of making payroll change effective from the current pay cycle onwards, or from the start of the following pay cycle.
Creating a new employee record (if using Create & Update Mode) will use the payroll data in the file effective from the employee commencement date.
Mode for import
Create – if this mode is selected, any record in the import file not already found in Ento by employee ID will be created.
Update – An Update only import will use the data in the template file to overwrite any employee field where there is data included. Leave blank any columns or cells that you do not want updated. To run an ‘update only’ import, ensure only the Update checkbox is enabled.
Using Create + Update – Both the Create and Update checkboxes enabled will do both, create new Staff records, and update data for existing employee records. Ensure employee IDs are correct to ensure you do not create duplicate records (take extra care if your employee IDs or any data use leading zeroes – always format as Text, immediately save, and do not open again before importing, or your spreadsheeting tool may drop them.
There is also a Delete mode – When the Delete mode is used, any records in Ento but not in the import file, will be deleted. Use with caution!
More tips in the article Importing data overview.