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 > Manage data imports
Or when you're adding a single person, there's the option to add multiple people instead:
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 - 'Import people' or 'Import people basic'.
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 'Import people basic' 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 'Import people' 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.
Top tip: Make sure your import type is selected in step 1 before you add your completed spreadsheet. For example, if you're uploading a "Jobs" import make sure "Jobs" is selected from the drop-down menu.
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 Breathe.
Breathe will direct you to what may need changing. Click on the grey arrow on the right-hand side which will tell you what needs amending:
We're here to help
Any further questions? Simply drop us a message using the messaging feature at the bottom right of your screen 💬