Importing Employees from a .CSV File
When you first implement Deltek CRM 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 CRM.
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 CRM database, rather than adding each of the employees individually in the Employees & Users area of the Configuration workspace in Deltek CRM.
Alternatives
You can also add employees individually in the grid in the Employees and Users area of the Configuration workspace. However, if your employee information is available in an application from which you can download data to a .CSV file, you can add your employees more efficiently by importing them from a .CSV file rather than entering them one by one in the Employees & Users area.
If you activate the Resource Planning module, 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 CRM. You can also use the import process or the APIs to bring in updated information for employees that already exist in Deltek CRM.
Dependencies
If Deltek CRM is configured to use organizations, make sure all organizations exist in Deltek CRM 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, if you activated the Resource Planning module, 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 CRM for each employee in the .CSV file who does not already exist in Deltek CRM.
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 CRM. 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 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 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 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 Employees 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
- 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 CRM 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 CRM up to date.
If you have not activated the Resource Planning module, the import process checks for an existing employee with the same first name and last name or preferred name and last name, or with the same email address. If one of the names matches or the email address matches, the employee in the .CSV file is considered a duplicate. If you activated Resource Planning, the import process instead checks for an existing employee with the same employee number.
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 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 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 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 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
If you activated the Resource Planning module, licensing for that module is based on the total number of active and inactive employees set up in Deltek CRM. 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.