Introduction: Getting started with KEY ESG
When logging on to the platform for the first time, please ensure you do the following:
Find out who your Admin and Account Owners are: there will be one account owner, but there could be multiple Admins.
PLEASE NOTE: Only admin users can complete the below set up
Complete the platform setup: before you can start collecting data, make sure the following steps have been completed:
a. Review and add any missing users: Ensure everyone has been added and has the correct user level. See how to here
b. Create your entities: Click entities under the setup section. Here you can create your entities (offices, sites, machinery etc), see more info here
c. Connecting Service accounts: Service accounts are automated identities that applications and systems use to access your ESG data securely. They enable seamless integration with external tools, automated reporting workflows, and API access without requiring individual user credentials.
d. Set up your connectors: Connect Microsoft Excel, Power BI or the KEY ESG MCP to your account for seamless data flows and AI integration. Read more about our connectors below:
Excel and Power BI
KEY ESG MCP
e. Creating custom metrics: If your company would like to track custom metrics beyond your standard requirements, use KEY ESG's custom metric maker to build and roll these out. See more info here
f. Set up data validation rules for yourself: Instead of manually reviewing data for unusual changes or inconsistencies, these rules run continuously in the background and proactively flag potential issues. This helps ensure data accuracy, improve oversight, and create a clear audit trail of validation checks within the platform. More info here Once all the platform set-up has been completed, you can set up your data request- ready for data collection.
How to set up your data request
Step 1
Under the 'SETUP' tab, select 'data request'
You will then be taken to this screen:
Step 2
Confirm that all entities have been set up correctly
Step 3
Select what frameworks and metrics you would like to collect data on.
Step 4
Set up your data point requirements. Click on 'edit' and select which data points should be reported by which entities. If you are reporting on an 'organisational level' select 'assign entities' and then 'org level'.
In this step is also where you can 'bulk opt-out'. If you know that there are some metrics which you don't have data for, you can 'opt-out' of these in bulk.
Once you have completed this, click 'save changes'
Step 5
If you would like to set up review and sign-off, please see steps here
Step 6
Set a deadline for for the data collection if needed.
Step 7
Launch your data request by clicking the 'launch (YEAR) data request' button
Once these steps have been completed, you can start collecting data.
3. Explore Data Collection: After clicking on your data request, you will be taken to the Data section's Data Collection screen, where you will see a list of all the metrics that require your input. These metrics are grouped into Environment, Social, Governance & General. The different colours next to the metrics show the status of collection (Grey = Not started, Yellow = Draft, Green = Complete)
4. Assign metrics to data gatherers: Account owner and Admin can assign data gatherers specific metrics and entities (if applicable) to complete your ESG questionnaire. All users should check that the year in which you are submitting your data is the same as your ESG data request. You can do this by:
Navigating to Setup, then selecting Users
Select 'New invite'
Select 'Data gatherer'
Assign metrics and entities
Select 'Send invite'
5. Data gatherers to check their access: Data gatherers should ensure that they can access all metrics and entities (if applicable) that have been assigned to them by the Admin or Account owner.
6. Check Data Validation before you submit: As you collect data, keep an eye on the Data Validation tab within the Data section. It runs automated checks in the background and flags anomalies, such as unexpected year-on-year swings, or metrics falling outside an expected range, before you submit. Each rule shows as Passing, Failing, Incomplete Data, Not Run, Mixed, or Suppressed, and for failing GHG Scope 1, 2 or 3 year-on-year rules you can click Find Root Cause for an AI-generated explanation of the variance (requires AI Capabilities to be enabled). Catching issues here saves time and rework later. See Data Validation rules for full details.
7. Opt out of certain metrics, entities, or cadences: if you feel that a particular metric is not applicable to your organisation, or that one of your entities does not have any data to report on, you can opt out of metrics as shown below. You can also opt out at the month or quarter level (when not reporting on a yearly cadence) if there is no data available for that specific period. Please note, if you have already populated some data in that metric, you will need to remove it before opting out.
8. Reach 100% completion rate: Account owner to collaborate with team members to ensure that you answer all metrics assigned to you. Your status will show as 100% complete in the portal. You can view your progress in a few different ways: The whole year, for the whole company, all data requests combined: The whole year, for the whole company, by data request: For the whole year, by entity:
9. Sign off submission: When you are happy with your submission, it needs to be signed off before it can be treated as final. Some organisations have a simple sign-off: an Admin navigates to the homepage and selects "Finalise (Year)," which locks the submission for editing. Others use the full Data Review and Sign-Off workflow, where specific reviewers are assigned to entities or data points and must Approve, Reject, or Comment on each submission via the Submission Viewer before the year can be locked. Check with your Admin which process applies to your organisation, or see Data Review and Sign-Off for the full workflow.
Need a quick answer instead of digging through articles? Try Ask KEY, our in-platform AI assistant. Ask it how a metric has changed year-on-year, which targets are at risk, or for a breakdown of your data by entity, and it will answer instantly using your live platform data (available to organisations with AI Capabilities enabled).
If you experience any issues inviting new users or assigning roles, reach out to our team using the chat function within the app or on support@keyesg.com