Who can use this feature?
Available on:
All Culture Amp subscriptions.
Is your import blocked or are you wondering why some of your data is being ignored? In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to diagnose and resolve common import errors to get you back on track. For more precise guidance on hierarchy, HRIS integration, and SFTP-related errors, we offer support materials tailored to each area.
HRIS Integration: If you're using an HRIS integration, there might be specialized solutions given your setup. If you get stuck, check out the troubleshooting section in your HRIS guide for personalized tips.
Hierarchy errors: For any hierarchy errors such as your import being blocked because there are employees assigned to managers that are not in your employee list, check out our dedicated support guide on troubleshooting those.
SFTP: Having trouble with an SFTP connection? Dive into our troubleshooting guide for further help.
Step 1: Checking your Import History
To see why an import failed or why some data was ignored, go to your Import History page under Employee Data in Account Settings.
Each Import Status is color-coded for clarity:
Green: Import successful with no errors in your file.
Yellow: Successful import, but some errors were detected and these data changes were ignored in the uploaded file.
Red: Import unsuccessful; your file couldn't be processed. Errors must be resolved in your file before data can be processed on the platform.
To review errors, click View next to the import where issues were identified.
Step 2: Review the Errors
On the import summary page, click on the flagged tiles (any with an exclamation mark) to view associated errors and resolve them using the troubleshooting instructions below. Depending on your data, you may need to repeat this troubleshooting process several times until validation passes.
Troubleshooting Common Import Errors
"Swapped Identifiers" / Duplicate email or Employee ID blocking import
FIX:
Identify the conflicting profiles: check both Active and Inactive/Former/Deactivated user lists in Settings > Users. Search by the flagged email or Employee ID.
Decide which profile should keep the identifier. If the profile holding the ID is inactive, reactivate it first.
Remove the identifier from the profile that should not have it. If that profile has no other identifier, assign it a temporary dummy value (e.g., a placeholder Employee ID that isn't used by anyone else).
Deactivate the profile you just updated (if it should be inactive).
Re-import your file to resolve the error.
Explanation: This error occurs when an email address or Employee ID in your import file is already assigned to a different user profile in Culture Amp; including inactive, former, or deactivated users. Unique identifiers can only be held by one profile at a time, regardless of their status.
"Employees must have a name"
FIX:
Check your file and ensure you have a column titled 'Name' (no other variation).
Ensure that every employee has a Name value assigned under this column.
Explanation: The employees were excluded from your data import because they were not given a name value under a column titled 'Name'. The Name column is mandatory and cannot be titled as any other variation e.g. Full Name, Employee Name, etc. Every user in your file must have a Name value assigned before this error will resolve.
"Empty Demographics"
FIX: In your upload file, find the demographic flagged in this error and ensure that at least one user has a value assigned under this demographic.
Explanation: Demographics can only be created during a user import when there is at least one user in your file with a value assigned under that demographic. If you're not ready to assign users to a demographic value, you can manually create the demographic from your Account demographics page instead.
"Employee ID or Email Address Needed"
FIX: Ensure that your user file includes both an Email and Employee ID column and that every user in the file has either an Email or Employee ID value assigned.
Explanation: Every user in your file must have either an Email or Employee ID value assigned to their profile. Ensure that the column headers in your file also match the column name exactly so the data can be read properly e.g. Email versus' Email Address. Refer to our template guidelines for more information.
"Dates must be formatted the same"
FIX:
Import date values in one of our expected formats.
The chosen format should be consistent for all date columns (Date of Birth, Start Date, and End Date).
Explanation: Culture Amp stores dates in the format mmm dd, yyyy. Import dates in this format or in the alternative acceptable formats MMM DD YYYY or YYYY-MM-DD. Refer to the instructions for customizing the date in Excel and Google Sheets.
"Birth dates must be before start dates"
FIX:
Review the date you have entered in the Date of Birth and Start Date fields for the user/s flagged under this error.
Update the date to ensure that the Date of Birth is before the listed Start Date.
Explanation: Employees will be excluded from your data import because their start dates came before their birth dates. To add these employees you must amend their start dates and birth dates to be in chronological order.
"Birth date is too recent"
FIX:
Review the date you have entered in the Date of Birth column for the user/s flagged under this error.
Correct the year listed.
Explanation: Employees will be excluded from your data import because the platform has recognized that the listed year for the birth date is too recent. Review your file and double-check that those employees have the correct date (specifically year) listed.
"Start dates must be before end dates"
FIX:
Review the Start Date and End Date values for the User/s flagged under this error.
Amend the Start Date listed so it comes before the End Date.
Alternatively remove the End Date value to reactivate their profile.
Explanation: Start dates must be before end dates. Amend the start dates and end dates to be in chronological order. If the employee should be active (e.g. they may be returning from leave) remove their End Date value to override this error and reactivate their profile during the import.
"You cannot remove yourself"
FIX:
Review your import file.
Uploading via a full import? Add your Employee Information to the file.
Explanation: This error can occur when you upload a file using the full import option and your employee details are not included on the file. Full imports can overwrite platform data, meaning any employee not present in your file will be marked inactive. For this reason, it's important to ensure that your employee information is retained within the uploaded file. If you need to remove your information, please request another admin user to deactivate your profile, as self-deactivation is not possible during the full import process.
"Timezone should be in a recognised format"
FIX:
Check the Timezone field in your employee data.
Use a valid IANA timezone name (e.g.,
America/New_York).Save your file and try uploading again.
Explanation: The Timezone field must use names from the IANA Timezone List (refer to the TZ column on this list). Only these formats are supported.
Example: America/Los_Angeles, not PST or GMT-8.
Note: Only customers participating in the SMS survey links pilot need to fill out this field. If you’re not part of the pilot group, you can leave it blank.
"Column needs a header"
FIX:
Check your file for the column flagged with this error.
Assign a column header.
Alternatively, delete the column to remove the associated data.
Explanation: The platform has picked up that there is a column present in your file with data in the cells but no header. Review the column flagged in your file and either assign a column header or delete the column itself to remove any associated data.
"Duplicate column"
FIX:
Review Your import file.
Remove any duplicate columns (any with the same demographic header).
Alternatively, rename the duplicate column.
Explanation: The platform has picked up that there is a duplicate demographic in your spreadsheet. The same column header can only appear once in your file. Review your file and remove the duplicate or rename the column.
"Your file contains multiple sheets"
FIX:
Review your import file.
Remove any extra sheets/tabs in your file.
Import your updated file.
Explanation: The platform has picked up that the file you are uploading contains multiple sheets. Remove any extra sheets/tabs in the file itself and run the upload again.
"We couldn't save your progress: status code 502"
FIX:
Review your import file:
Ensure that your file adheres to our Employee data file template guidelines.
Check for common issues:
Verify that your file has no:
Inconsistent or incorrect date formats.
Inaccurate column names as per the template guidelines.
Duplicate columns with the same name.
Copy the data to new spreadsheet
Highlight the cells with data and paste into a NEW spreadsheet file using the Paste Special > Values & Number formatting only
Save the file as a CSV:
After confirming the alignment with guidelines, save the file in CSV format.
Explanation: A 502 bad gateway message signifies that one server received an invalid response from another, indicating an issue in the page-loading process.
To troubleshoot, consider the following steps:
Switch browsers, with a recommendation for Google Chrome or Firefox.
Clear cookies and cache - In Chrome:
Open Chrome on your computer.
Click on More at the top right.
Navigate to More tools and select Clear browsing data.
Choose a time range (e.g., All time).
Check the boxes next to "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files."
Click Clear data.
Check that your file aligns with our employee data template guidelines. Some common things to check:
Date Format: Are the dates formatted consistently and correctly?
Column Naming: Are the columns named accurately as per the guidelines?
Column Duplication: Have you included two columns with the same name
Manually highlight only the cells with data in your file (avoiding the use of the command A/Ctrl A functionality to copy the entire spreadsheet). Paste this data into a NEW spreadsheet file using the Paste Special > Values & Number formatting only option and save it as a CSV. Following these steps, proceed with the upload via partial import.
Tip: The troubleshooting steps above are also helpful if your import or sync gets stuck for an unusually long time, even if it doesn't show a 502 error. For example, if your import is stalled at 25%, following these steps may help to resolve the issue.
"We couldn't import that data. There's a problem connecting to your HRIS"
FIX:
In most cases, this can be resolved by either:
Running a one-time manual sync
Go to Users > Import Users > HRIS sync, and run a manual sync of the data. If it is successful, the failed automated sync was likely due to a connectivity issue or outage at the time it was scheduled.
Re-entering and saving your integration credentials on the Data Integrations page in Culture Amp
Head to Account Settings > Data Integrations > Edit/Configure
Review and re-enter your listed credentials, making sure they are accurate.
Run a manual sync of your data.
If the issue persists after trying these steps, please contact our support team for further assistance.
Explanation: When using a native HRIS or API integration, you may occasionally encounter a generic error message that doesn't provide specific details about what went wrong.
If a sync fails without showing a specific error message, it usually indicates a general issue related to one of the following:
Integration credentials
Permissions
Endpoint configuration
Data structure
Temporary connectivity issues
These types of errors often happen when the issue isn’t linked to a specific field or schema—for example, if the response from the HRIS is unexpected or blank. Another common cause is when the person who originally set up the integration credentials has left the company. In these cases, the credentials may need to be re-entered, or a new report may need to be created and reconnected to the integration.
"You are not authorized to update these employees - Unauthorized update"
FIX:
The employee/s flagged under the error will either need to be removed from the file, or you will need to ask a full Account Administrator or user with Employee Data Full Permissions to process the import for you.
Explanation: This error should only occur for users with Employee Data Limited Permissions (scoped) when they attempt to update an employee who is outside of their assigned demographic permission scope.
Common HRIS field mapping issues
If your HRIS sync is completing but demographic fields are missing, empty, or not updating as expected, the cause is usually one of the following:
Fields not included in the source extract
Culture Amp can only sync fields that are explicitly included in the data extract or report sent by your HRIS. Fields that exist in your HRIS but are not part of the extract will be silently ignored, they won't appear in Culture Amp.
FIX: Review the report or extract configured in your HRIS and confirm that every demographic field you want in Culture Amp is explicitly included as a column and the data has been formatted according to our Employee Data File Template guidelines. If you're unsure which fields are being sent, check your Import Summary in Culture Amp, only columns present in the extract will appear there.
Date fields include timestamps or unsupported formats
Culture Amp accepts dates in the following formats only:
YYYY-MM-DD (ISO 8601 recommended)
MMM DD YYYY (e.g. Feb 20 2024)
Mmm dd, yyyy (e.g. Feb 20, 2024)
If your HRIS exports date fields with timestamps (e.g. 2024-02-20T00:00:00) or in a non-standard format, those records will be ignored or cause a sync failure.
FIX: Check your HRIS export configuration and ensure date fields are formatted without timestamps. If your HRIS always exports with timestamps (common in UKG and some ADP configurations), you may need to pre-process the file before importing, or contact your HRIS admin to adjust the report output format.
Custom field mappings require a backend sync to take effect (API Integrations only)
If you have an API integration set up and have added or edited custom field mappings in your HRIS integration, these changes often won't be reflected in Culture Amp until a full backend sync has been triggered by our support team. Running a manual sync from the platform is not sufficient in these cases.
FIX: If your field mapping changes aren't reflecting after a manual sync, reply with "Ask a Person" in a Support Conversation to request a backend sync from our team.
💬 Need help? Just reply with "Ask a Person" in a support conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.