Importing Employees from a .CSV File
When you first implement Deltek Resource Planning and any other time when you need to add multiple employees, you can often accomplish that more quickly and efficiently if you export the information from the application in which you maintain employee information into a .CSV (comma-separated values) file and import it from that file into Deltek Resource Planning.
For example, if you maintain employee information in a human resources application, it is likely that you can export that employee data into a .CSV file. If so, you can then import it into the Deltek Resource Planning database, rather than adding each of the employees individually in the Employees & Users area of the Configuration workspace in Deltek Resource Planning.
Alternatives
You can also add employees individually in the grid in the Employees and Users area of the Configuration workspace. However, entering employees individually should not be your normal method. Using the option to import from a .CSV file or to import using the API enables you to bring much more planning-related information for your employees into Deltek Resource Planning. You can also use the import process or the APIs to bring in updated information for employees that already exist in Deltek Resource Planning.
Dependencies
If Deltek Resource Planning is configured to use organizations, make sure all organizations exist in Deltek Resource Planning before you run the employee import process. Assignment to an organization is required for each employee if you use organizations. If necessary, use the organization import process to add the organizations, or add them individually in the General area of the Configuration workspace.
In addition, locations, labor categories, supervisors, and security roles referenced in the .CSV file must already exist. If they do not, create those records before importing employees.
What the Employees Import Does
When you import employee information, the import process adds a new employee record in Deltek Resource Planning for each employee in the .CSV file who does not already exist in Deltek Resource Planning.
Preparing the .CSV File
After you export your employee information to a .CSV file, open that file in Microsoft Excel® or other compatible application, and verify that the first row of data in the file contains field names. The import process assumes that the first row contains field names, not actual data. It uses those field names during the field mapping step of the import process. You should also review the records in the file and delete any that you do not want to import into Deltek Resource Planning. Finally, carefully review the data in the .CSV file to make sure it is correct, particularly employee numbers and names and the employees'organizations.
Because you explicitly map the .CSV fields to Deltek Resource Planning fields during the import process, the field names in the file do not have to match the field names in Deltek Resource Planning, and the order of the fields in the .CSV file does not matter. It also does not matter if the .CSV file contains fields that have no equivalent field in Deltek Resource Planning or fields that you do not want to import for some other reason. The import process ignores fields in the file that you do not map to a Deltek Resource Planning field.
Starting the Import Process
Only users with access to the Configuration workspace can run the import process. In addition, tablets and other devices that use the iOS operating system cannot upload files through the browser. As a result, you must run the import process using a different device, such as a laptop or an Android tablet. If you are using an iOS device, the import option is hidden in the Employees & Users area and disabled on the Import tab in the Integrations & Imports area.
To start the employee import process, either click Import from CSV in the Employees & Users area of the Configuration workspace or click Employees on the Imports tab in the Integrations & Imports area of the Configuration workspace.
Mapping .CSV Fields to Deltek Resource Planning Fields
The import process first asks you to select the .CSV file from which you want to import data and then displays the Import Employees From CSV dialog box so you can map .CSV fields to Deltek Resource Planning fields. The first time you display this dialog box, Deltek Resource Planning attempts to provide default field mappings based on the field names in your .CSV file and the field names in Deltek Resource Planning. Review those default mappings and change any that are incorrect. Thereafter, your previous field mappings display by default.
For each .CSV field in the SOURCE FILE FIELD column that you want to import into Deltek Resource Planning, select the corresponding Deltek Resource Planning field in the DELTEK FIELD column. If the .CSV file contains fields that you do not want to import, select Do not import for those fields.
Updating Existing Records
- Select Do not import duplicate records if you do not want to import any information for an employee who already exists.
- Select Update duplicate records if you want the import process to update fields in Deltek Resource Planning for an employee who already exists. If a field in the existing record is blank or contains information that is different from information in the mapped field in the .CSV file, the field in the existing record is updated with the information from the .CSV file. If you maintain employee information in another application, this option enables you to use the import process to keep the corresponding information in Deltek Resource Planning up to date.
The import process checks for an existing employee with the same employee number. If employee number matches, the employee in the CSV file is considered a duplicate.
Import Errors and Warnings
If the import process is unable to import one or more employees (because of required data that is missing from the .CSV file, for example), a message displays at the top of the Deltek Resource Planning page: Could not import all...records. Download the CSV file with all records that failed and the reason.
Click the Download the CSV file link in the message to review the records that were not imported and the reasons why the imports failed. A Download the CSV file link is also available near Employees on the Imports tab itself.
In some cases, the import process may successfully import a record but display a warning message. This can occur, for example, when a record contains invalid data that is not required. Often in that case, the import process creates the new record in Deltek Resource Planning but omits the invalid data and warns you of that action. As with errors, you can click Download the CSV file either in the warning message or on the Imports tab to review the affected records and explanations of the warnings.
The errors and warnings for your latest employees import process remain available in the .CSV file until the next time you run that import process. At that point, they are replaced by any errors and warnings from the more recent process.
Licensing
Licensing for the Resource Planning module is based on the total number of active and inactive employees set up in Deltek Resource Planning. If you think you are approaching the limit set by your license, verify that new employees in the import file will not cause you to exceed that limit. The import process will import employees until it hits the limit. Any remaining employees in the import file are not imported, and an error is included in the .CSV file with any other errors and warnings.
If in addition to adding new employees, you are running the import process to change the status of some employees to Terminated, consider importing the status changes first to free up additional room under your license limit for the new employees.