Skip to main content

People import: the do's & don'ts

Add your people into Breathe with ease

Dana Smith avatar
Written by Dana Smith
Updated over a week ago

The data import function within Breathe is used to upload your people's information into Breathe to get your account up and running.

It's designed to help save time uploading information as well as updating existing information.

What's included in this guide:

Where to start?

With the data import tool, there's no need to add all your people individually and waste time.

Instead, we provide a handy spreadsheet which you can fill out with as little or as much information as you like.

There are two places you can access this template:

  • Head to People > Data > Imports > Add new people

  • Or when you're adding a single person, there's the option to add multiple people instead: Head to your People Menu option and select Our People and press the blue + icon

What can be imported in bulk?

There are multiple items you can import in bulk, such as:

  • People

  • Jobs

  • Salary

  • Benefits

  • Additional payments

  • Update existing people

This will save you time not only setting up, but updating any information in the future.

Filling out the spreadsheet

There are two templates you can choose from when uploading your people from the Add new people menu option - 'basic employee template' or 'full employee template'.

Both will have mandatory fields highlighted in red:

  • Email address

  • First name

  • Last name

  • Join date

  • Person type (Employee, Contractor, Volunteer)

Please note: The date format must be DD/MM/YYYY, DD-MM-YYYY or DD.MM.YYYY

These need to be filled out correctly for a successful upload.

The 'basic employee template' is a great way to get your people into Breathe (and they can fill out the rest of their profile themselves, reducing your HR admin).

The 'Full employee template' spreadsheet has optional fields to fill out such as home address, bank information, contact details plus lots more. This template is great if you want to upload most of their information now.

When completing the spreadsheet, missing mandatory information will be flagged by a red cell.

Receiving 'Upload failed' message?

If you're struggling to upload your people, here are some tips to look out for:

  • Adding yourself in When you start your trial, your account is already created so you won't be able to add yourself in again.

  • Email in use It may be that an email you're trying to upload is already in use. This is because Breathe can only have an email used once. Follow the grey arrow to the right hand side (which will tell you which email this could be).

  • Adding too many people for your plan size Trying to add more people will cause an error. You can easily upgrade your trial by heading to Configure > Plan and billing > Change plan.

  • Changing the formatting The formatting of the spreadsheet cannot be changed and will result in a failed upload. If this happens, you can easily download a new template. Please note, if you are copying old data to new template, you must copy without the formatting.

  • Text format

Dates must be recorded as either DD/MM/YYYY, DD-MM-YYYY or DD.MM.YYYY

  • Drop-down options

There are a few drop-down options such as Employee type, Location and Gender. Please don't free-type in these boxes - select an option instead. Breathe will add these options based on what you have input in Bre- Template Pulled Before Configuration If the template was pulled before configuring "Picklists" in the system, it can cause errors. These templates are preloaded with specific options, and a mismatch with missing or unconfigured system Picklists will result in upload failures. Always configure “Picklists” prior to downloading templates.

  • Dropdown Selection Errors Ensure dropdown options in the spreadsheet match the configured entries in the system's Picklists. Remove or adjust any information not aligned with pre-defined options and update templates, if necessary, before re-uploading.athe.

Breathe will direct you to what may need changing. Click on the grey arrow on the right-hand side under the actions header which will tell you what needs amending:## Steps to Troubleshoot and Correct Spreadsheet Errors

  1. Verify Picklist Configuration: Ensure all dropdown entries align with your system's configured Picklists.

  2. Correct Invalid Data Entries:

    • Check and fix improperly formatted dates.

    • Replace free-text dropdown entries with predefined options.

    • Remove duplicate emails and ensure unique entries.

  3. Reconfigure Templates: Update the template to reflect resolved discrepancies before re-uploading.

  4. Reupload Corrected Files: Test the corrected spreadsheet by re-uploading to ensure error-free completion.

Additional Tips for Avoiding Upload Errors

  • Always download the spreadsheet template after configuring your Picklists to reflect the latest system changes.

  • Avoid adding extra data or manually editing dropdown values outside of the provided options.

  • Pre-test with a small batch of data to identify potential issues before uploading the full spreadsheet.

We're here to help

Any further questions? Simply drop us a message using the messaging feature at the bottom right of your screen 💬

Did this answer your question?