Who can use this feature?
Available on:
All Culture Amp subscriptions.
To unlock insights into your organization’s culture and performance, you need to upload employee data to Culture Amp. This includes names, email addresses, manager information, and demographic details. You will likely update this data over time as your company grows, so it’s important to become familiar with the import process.
Choose your import method
There are four ways to import employee data into Culture Amp:
Native HRIS integration – Automatic data syncing from your HRIS system.
SFTP - Securely transfer employee data via SFTP for automated imports.
Merge API - Import data automatically from your HRIS system via an API.
Manual upload – Upload a file (CSV or XLSX) with your employee data.
Tip: Learn how to integrate Culture Amp to your HRIS
Manual data upload
If you prefer to upload a file manually, create a CSV or XLSX file that follows the Employee data template. This file should contain all required employee details and demographics.
Choose from two import options when uploading:
Full import: Upload a complete file with all employee data. Employees not in the file will be marked as inactive.
Partial import: Upload only updated data for selected employees. Employees not included in the file will remain active, and their demographic data will remain unchanged.
Tip: Learn more about the difference between partial vs. full imports
Data import process
Here’s how to manually import your employee data into Culture Amp:
Navigate to your Users page
Click on Settings > Users
Select Import & Export > Import
Choose your import method
Select full or partial import and upload your CSV or XLSX file.
If you have an HRIS integration set up, click Sync.
Validate your data
Click Next to import and validate your data. The platform will process your file and display a summary of any changes.
Add a Hierarchy (Optional)
If you’re uploading data for the first time via a full import, you’ll be prompted to select a Manager Identifier (typically manager email). Click Next to proceed.
If you don’t need a hierarchy at this stage, turn it off using the toggle button and click Next.
Review Import Summary
Review the import summary to ensure accuracy. Click Import Data if everything looks good.
Process and apply changes
Your data will be processed and applied to your account. You can navigate to other parts of the platform or log off, and the import will continue in the background.
Note: Culture Amp doesn’t send notifications to employees when they’re added to the platform.
Reviewing import details
You can review import details on the Import summary page, which appears just before you click Import data, or after the data has been successfully imported.
During import
Click on a section header or select a tile under the Import summary dashboard to dive deeper into the status of your upload.
After import
Go to Settings > Import History to find the import and click View to review any identified issues or errors.
Import summary
Here’s a breakdown of the key sections you'll see in the import summary:
Hierarchy errors
This section will only be visible if you’ve enabled a hierarchy in Culture Amp.
This section highlights any issues that prevent the platform from building a valid hierarchy from your data. You’ll need to fix these issues in your file (such as missing or incorrect manager data) and re-import for the changes to be applied.
Learn more about troubleshooting hierarchy errors.
Ignored data
This section lists employees whose demographic data could not be imported due to formatting issues (e.g., missing or incorrectly formatted values). While these records will not be updated, they will not block the rest of your import from being processed.
Tip: Users with issues are grouped by problem type, and the troublesome data fields will be highlighted in yellow, allowing you to easily pinpoint and fix the issues in your source file.
If you receive a "Duplicate email" warning, ensure that any flagged emails or employee Ids are not associated with inactive users in your account. If these profiles are inactive, you can reactivate them instead of creating new profiles. See our troubleshooting guide for more on ignored data.
Demographics
This section displays a summary of the demographics included in your upload (e.g., Location, Department). Make sure all demographics in your file are listed here. If you notice any missing demographics, check your file to ensure the correct columns were included.
Added/Removed/Updated Users
These sections show how many users will be:
Added: New employees to be imported into the platform.
Removed/Deactivated: Employees who will be marked as inactive (based on the import file).
Updated: Changes made to existing employee data (e.g., demographic updates). New or updated demographic values will be highlighted in green for easy identification.
Demographic mapping
For Performance customers or those using 1-on-1 conversations, follow these steps after importing employee data:
Start a Support Conversation
Reply with "Ask a Person" in a to connect with a Product Support Specialist.
Request Demographic Mapping
Ask the specialist to map your performance demographics (e.g., Manager Email, Department, Job Title). This is a one-time mapping process to ensure your demographic data is correctly populated in the Performance or 1-on-1 Conversations tool.
Tip: Additional demographic fields (e.g., Job Title Level, Gender, Location, Business Unit, Division, Country, and Employment Type) can be mapped for Performance customers. Consider including these fields in your import file.
Note: Job Title and Job Title Level are interconnected. To display a user's Level in Performance, make sure Job Title is included in your file and mapped.
FAQs
How can I deactivate employees when manually importing data?
To deactivate employees through manual import:
Export your employee data from Settings > Users.
In your data file, remove the End Date values for employees you want to deactivate.
Under the Employee Deactivated column:
Set TRUE for deactivated employees
Set FALSE for all others.
Re-import the file via a Full Import.
Can I export imported data from the previous day?
Import data from previous days cannot be exported, as historical records are not stored. However, you can view past imports and any errors in the platform via the Import history page. We recommend saving a copy of your imported files to your computer, if you'd like to refer back to them later.
💬 Need help? Just reply with "Ask a Person" in a Support Conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.