Importing Employee Skills from a .CSV File

When you first implement Deltek CRM and any other time when you need to add or update skills for your employees in Deltek CRM, you can 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 CRM.

For example, if you maintain employees' skills information in a human resources application, it is likely that you can export that data into a .CSV file. If so, you can then import it into the Deltek CRM database.

During the planning process, you can search for resources based on their skills, skill levels, and skill usage. You can also click on a resource in the planning grids to view his or her specific skills on the employee card.

The option to import employee skills is only available if you activated the Resource Planning module.

Alternatives

An alternative to importing data from a .CSV file is to use the Deltek API to integrate the source application for employee skills with Deltek CRM so the skills information in the two applications stays in sync.

Dependencies

If you are importing skills for new employees, run the employees import process before you import skills. To add skills for an employee, a record for that employee must already exist in Deltek CRM.

In addition, the skills, skill levels, and skill usage referenced in the .CSV file must already exist. If necessary, use the lists import process to create those records.

What the Employee Skills Import Does

When you import employee skills, the import process adds a new employee skill record in Deltek CRM for each employee skill in the .CSV file that does not already exist in Deltek CRM. Before you start the actual import process, you map the fields in your .CSV file to fields in Deltek CRM.

Preparing the .CSV File

After you export your employee skills 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 CRM. Finally, carefully review the data in the .CSV file to make sure it is correct. In particular, make sure that the employee numbers and skill-related codes already exist in Deltek CRM.

Because you explicitly map the .CSV fields to Deltek CRM fields during the import process, the field names in the file do not have to match the field names in Deltek CRM, 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 CRM 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 CRM 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 disabled on the Imports tab in the Integrations & Imports area.

To start the employee skills import process, click Employee Skills on the Imports tab in the Integrations & Imports area of the Configuration workspace.

Mapping .CSV Fields to Deltek CRM Fields

The import process first asks you to select the .CSV file from which you want to import data and then displays the Import Employee Skills From CSV dialog box so you can map .CSV fields to Deltek CRM fields. The first time you display this dialog box, Deltek CRM attempts to provide default field mappings based on the field names in your .CSV file and the field names in Deltek CRM. 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 CRM, select the corresponding Deltek CRM 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

Also on the Import Employee Skills from CSV dialog box, you indicate what you want the import process to do if it tries to import a skill that already exists in Deltek CRM for the employee:

• Select Do not import duplicate records if you do not want to import any information for an employee skill that already exists.
• Select Update duplicate records if you want the import process to update fields in Deltek CRM for an employee skill that 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 skills information in another application, this option enables you to use the import process to keep the corresponding information in Deltek CRM up to date.

The import process checks for an existing employee skills record with the same employee number and skill code. If one is found, the employee skill in the .CSV file is considered a duplicate.

Deleting and Replacing All Records

if you want the import process to delete all employee skills records for all employees in Deltek CRM and then import the contents of the .CSV file, select Delete existing records and import. This option is useful in the following cases:

• If the .CSV file you generate from the source application always contains all skills for all employees.
• If you have deleted some skills for some employees in the source application and want to remove those skills from Deltek CRM also.

Import Errors and Warnings

If the import process is unable to import one or more employee skills (because of required data that is missing from the .CSV file, for example), a message displays at the top of the Deltek CRM 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 Employee Skills 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 CRM 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 employee skills 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.