Staff Import Format Requirements

Before you can import any staff data you will need to ensure that not only is the file in the correct format but that the data is also. Read on for an in depth look at the file format requirements and how to make sure the data you have is valid.

If you're after the easiest way to ensure your file is correctly formatted have a look at our step-by-step guide on formatting your file.

File Format

To make sure your import .csv file is in the correct format, firstly, you need to ensure you are importing a .csv file. The Staff Import functionality will only accept the .csv file type. Next, you must check that the Column Headers for your data match those that are accepted by Hectre. Failure to do this will result in a failed import, as displayed below.

Below is a list of the expected header names. Every column header is required, however, data for each column is not required. For instance, if you are importing a list of staff members with standard staff access permissions, only the first and last name is required.

First Name: Mandatory.
Last Name: Mandatory.
Employee ID: Optional
Date of Birth: Optional
Account Type: Optional
Wage Rate: Optional
Contractors: Optional
Email Address: Required if Account Type other than Staff.
Phone Number: Optional
Dashboard Access: Optional
Sectors: Optional
Deactivate: Optional

Data Validation

Now your file is formatted correctly, it's time to make sure the data in the import .csv file is sound. Any invalid data entries, for instance, an incorrect date format for a staff member's birthday, will result in that staff member not being imported into the Hectre system.

While it's good to be proactive on this, we understand that sometimes things slip through. Hence, the Hectre Staff Import Preview, as explained in Importing staff in bulk, offers a simple way to view any invalid data entries.

To help ensure your data is as good as can be before importing, below is a list of all available columns and the rules Hectre has in place to make sure it knows exactly what the data represents.

First Name: The First and Last names are mandatory entries.
Last Name: The First and Last names are mandatory entries.
Employee ID:
Date of Birth: If included, the format will need to be yyyy-MM-dd for example 1988-12-23. For more details on how to convert your date to the required format in excel please read this article on how to do custom date formats in excel. To learn how to use a custom format in google sheets check out how to do custom date formats in google sheets.
Account Type: Not required. If included, the entry will need to match one of Hectre's Account Types. Staff, Full-Time Staff, Supervisor, Manager, Owner. Please note, the user importing the .csv file will only be able to import staff members set to a lower or the same level of account type.
Wage Rate: If included, it will need to be formatted as 12.50 - or if there is no need for cents, then just 12 is fine.
Contractors: If included, it will need to match one of the Contractors stored in the Hectre system.
Email Address: Must have an entry if Account Type is provided and it is something other than Staff. Needs to be of correct email format.
Phone Number: Allows for 15 digits with single spaces. To clear out any non-digit characters, select all the entries in the Phone Number column (not including the header) and do a find and replace. For instance, if there are +'s in your numbers, find "+" and replace with "". To learn more about finding and replacing, check out this article on finding and replacing in google sheets and this one to find and replace in excel.
Dashboard Access: Not required. If it is a new staff member being imported and Dashboard Access has not been provided, the default will be set to None for security reasons. Entries must match one of Hectre's Dashboard Access options: None, Regular, Power, or Full.
Sectors: If included, the Sector names must match those listed in Hectre. If there are to be multiple sectors for a staff member, then the Sectors need to be separated by the character '' | ". For example, "Cherries|Pears".
Deactivate: If included, setting to true will deactivate that staff member; setting to false will activate that staff member.