Fixing Common Import Issues

Resolve errors when importing data.

Jeanne Merchant avatar
Written by Jeanne Merchant
Updated over a week ago

This article will help you diagnose and fix issues when importing your people or positions list manually or after setting up automated data imports.

Manual Import Errors

Importing data via a CSV file can be a simple and painless process as long as the data file is valid. However, if you experience a problem, we recommend you start by following the troubleshooting advice below.

To identify and fix common file issues:

  • Double-check that your file has a .csv file extension in the name. Example: myfile.csv

  • Make sure your file uses commas as the delimiter. Some programs save CSV files with tabs or other characters as the delimiter. Our system requires commas, though. To check this, open the file in a text editor (Notepad, TextEdit, etc.) and verify that the data has comma separators like this: name, title, work_email.

  • Make sure your file has a header row. That means the first line of text should include headings indicating what each column of data represents. The header row helps our system correctly map your data to our fields. Without an appropriate header row, our system doesn't know if John is a first name, last name, or some other value.

  • Ensure the file does not contain values with commas that aren't in quotes. For example, if someone's title is Director of Sales, Support, that will cause problems unless there are quotes around the value like this: "Director of Sales, Support." The quotation marks tell our system that the comma is part of the title, not a separator. If your file is missing quotation marks, you must solve this through whatever system created your file.

  • Confirm you’ve included a Reports To column. Suppose an error tells you you're missing this column. In that case, it means you’re trying to create new positions without indicating the reporting relationship to properly place the position on the org chart.

    Note: When moving people into existing positions, you must include a Reports To, Position ID, or External ID column.

  • Ensure your file doesn't have additional empty rows. Sometimes when you use a program like Excel to edit or generate your CSV file, blank rows get exported into the CSV file. You can easily see the blank rows by opening the CSV file in a text editor and looking for rows that contain only commas, like this: ,,,,,,,. If you find any of those rows, delete them.

Automated Data Import Errors

For the most part, when syncing with an HRIS, your data should import automatically without any issues. Occasionally, though, you may experience an error.

Learn what errors mean and how to resolve them:

  • Employee ID must be unique: In Built, the Employee ID is treated as a unique identifier. That means each person must have their own unique employee ID. If the data you’re importing includes multiple people with the same employee ID, you'll see this error. To resolve this, go to your data source and make sure each individual has a unique employee ID, and then import your data again.

  • Work email must be unique: In Built, the work email address is treated as a unique identifier. That means each person has to have their own unique work email address. If the data you are importing includes multiple people with the same work email address, you'll see this error. To resolve this, go to your data source and make sure each individual has a unique work email address, and then import your data again.

  • You have reached the maximum number of employees allowed: This error means your Built trial/billing plan is too small for the number of records you are trying to import. To resolve this, you’ll need to adjust your subscription to accommodate the current number of employee records you’re importing.

Reviewing your data for the appropriate import criteria can help you prevent future errors, ensuring your CSV file uploads successfully.

Note: When utilizing the ADP Workforce Now® Bidirectional API, imports will be disabled when there are unsent changes, outstanding errors, or while changes are being sent to ADP.

Please contact our customer success team for additional assistance.

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