As an Admin, you can import a .CSV spreadsheet of employee info by navigating to the Sync & Import page (Settings > Data Sync & Import) and selecting Import Employee Data. The import process has 3 sections:
1: Upload
On the initial import page, drag and drop a CSV file from your computer into the CSV import box, or click Choose a File to open your computer's file browser.
Wait for your file to load, then click Continue.
2: Set Up
Choose what changes you'd like to make in your Pingboard account using the CSV file.
Update existing employees in Pingboard - Checking this box means Pingboard will update existing employee profiles if it finds new or updated data for them in your CSV file. Pingboard matches employees in your CSV file to their existing Pingboard profiles based on your chosen unique identifier (You'll choose a unique identifier in the next step). This is on by default.
Add new employees to Pingboard - Checking this box means Pingboard will create profiles for employees it finds in the CSV file who are not yet in your account. This is on by default.
Remove employees from Pingboard that aren't in this import - Checking this box means Pingboard will delete employee profiles from Pingboard if it cannot find them in your CSV spreadsheet. Pingboard matches existing employees in your account to the unique identifier you select from your CSV file, like email address. If an employee exists in Pingboard but Pingboard does not find them in your CSV file, they will be removed. You should only select this option if the spreadsheet you've uploaded is the current source of truth for your employee data.
Tell Pingboard which column of your CSV it should use to match employees in your spreadsheet to their existing Pingboard profiles.
Email - Matches existing profiles by their Email field in Pingboard (recommended).
Name - Matches existing profiles by their First and Last Name in Pingboard. Names in your CSV must match names in Pingboard exactly to be recognized, including how those names are formatted (most names in Pingboard are formatted [firstName lastName]). This is not the best option for you if two or more employees have the same first and last name.
Pingboard User ID - Matches users by their unique Pingboard User ID, downloadable from the Reports page in Pingboard.
Custom Field - Matches users by one of your custom fields. You can use text, number or email custom fields.
Match Fields: Tell Pingboard where to place employee data from your spreadsheet by using the drop-down menus to match each CSV Column on the left to its target Pingboard Field on the right.
Use the middle columns to choose how you want to update each field
Update if Blank - CSV data will only be imported into blank fields. This means that if an employee already has data in a field in Pingboard (like Job Title), your import will not update or change that data.
Overwrite - Existing data in Pingboard is overwritten and replaced by data from your CSV. Keep in mind that if there are blank rows in your CSV file, they will erase existing data in that Pingboard field when you choose "Overwrite."
Once you're finished matching fields, select Continue.
Tip: Scroll over the name of any column on the left side of the Match Fields section to see data from the first few rows of that column.
Tip: To accurately match employees to their managers in your import, map a column containing either managers' Email addresses (ideal), Full Names in "firstName lastName" format, or Pingboard User IDs to the "Reports To" field in Pingboard.
3: Preview
Note: Making big changes to your data in Pingboard? Consider downloading an Everything Report before completing your import. That way you've got a backup to revert to in case of any mapping accidents in your latest upload.
On the Preview page, make sure the "Here are the changes" summary matches the numbers of existing and new employees, locations, groups, and deleted employees that you're expecting from your import.
If those numbers don't match your expectations, check your CSV for errors, and specifically check to make sure the unique identifier data you've chosen from your CSV matches what's in Pingboard. For example, if you're using Email as your unique ID, check to make sure everyone's email in your CSV matches their existing Email in Pingboard. If there are errors in email addresses, Pingboard can't accurately match employee data in the CSV file with employee data that exists already in your account, meaning employees may be added or deleted when that isn't your intent.
If there are errors listed, select View Errors to see a summary of what needs to be corrected and what will happen if you ignore those errors and proceed with your import (Click Export to download a CSV file of the errors we found. This is especially helpful when you want to fix errors before completing your import).
Check the Matched Fields section to make sure that your mapping and import settings for each field are correct; fields matched with a blue arrow are updated if blank, those with an orange arrow will be overwritten with the data from your CSV.
When you're satisfied with your preview, select Import.
Tip: If you're trying to find discrepancies between Emails or Names in your CSV and what's in Pingboard, export a Report from our Reports section to compare with your file.
Results
Your import may take a few minutes to complete, so feel free to navigate away from the page while Pingboard updates your account. We'll send you an email as soon as the import is finished.
The Results page provides a summary of how many employee records were updated, created, or deleted and how many new Groups, Locations, and Departments were added.
If any errors occurred during the import process, you'll see a notice about them – click View Errors to view a summary of rows in your spreadsheet that had errors. Select Start Export to download that summary, make corrections, and re-import them to Pingboard.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact our Support Team. We're ready to help!