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Troubleshooting: Validation errors during data import

 

This article explains various error messages that may be displayed in Personio when a data import could not be completed successfully. We will present you with the possible causes of the errors as well as the corresponding correction suggestions.

 

Upload of employee data

Errors when attributes and columns are assigned

Error

During the upload, an attribute/column title that has been newly created in the Excel file, such as Address details, cannot be selected in Personio.

imports-employee-bulk-import-attribute-mapping_en-us.png
Cause The selected Excel file contains attributes/column titles that have not yet been created in Personio.
Solution

First go to Settings > People > Employee information and make sure to create all sections and their corresponding attributes as per the data in the Excel table. For more information on how to manage the different sections and attributes, see our Help Center article Create custom sections and attributes.

Once this has been done, you will be able to assign all attributes to the predefined columns without any issues.

imports-employee-bulk-import-attributes-matching_en-us.png

 

Error Each attribute can only be mapped to one column in your uploaded file. You assigned the attribute First name more than once. Please correct the problem and try again.imports-employee-bulk-import-attribute-mapped-twice_en-us.png
Cause During step 2 of the import process (Configure columns), certain attributes have been assigned multiple times.
Solution When assigning attributes, make sure that each attribute is only allocated once. The attributes from the Excel file (on the left) have to match the correct attributes in Personio (on the right).

 

Errors in the imported file

If an import file has errors, the import is aborted and a revision file offered for download.

imports-employee-bulk-import-error-downoad-revision_en-us.png

In the revision file, errors are identified in red, including details on the value that is expected by Personio. This will always be displayed in the language version that you are using. 

Import-Error-Validated-detail_en-us.png

Since the revision file has the same structure as the original import file, you can fix the errors directly in the revision file and then re-import it. 

To do this, start from the beginning and select the revision file for your import. 

 

Error example 1: Attribute type List of Options or Tags settings-employee-information-attribute-list-of-options_en-us.png
Cause

In Personio, the attribute Emergency contact was created in the example above as the attribute type List of options, with the following restrictions/selection options: available, not available and hand in later.

In the import file, however, the column Emergency contact contains values that differ from these restrictions. Consequently, the data cannot be imported.

Import-Attributs-Listofoption_en-us.png
Solution Make sure that the data in your Excel file matches the options in Personio. Only then can the data import be completed.Import-Attributs-Listofoption2_en-us.png

Note
Even for certain system attributes, which are predefined in Personio as a selection list, you must specify the value in the Excel template. One example is the system attribute Status. An overview of the possible options for these attributes is available under the Download section of the employee data import templates.

 

Error example 2: Hierarchy loop Import-Attribut-Supervisor_en-us.png
Cause In the Excel file, an employee is recorded as being their own supervisor, or two employees are recorded as each other's supervisors.
Solution Ensure that in the column Supervisor, no employee has their own email address entered, or that no two employees have each other as being their supervisors. If an employee has no supervisor, such as the CEO, just leave the respective field blank.Import-Attribut-Supervisor1_en-us.png

 

Incorrect format for the attribute name in your file

Error Personio doesn't recognize the attribute from your Excel file during the import (see 20-year anniversary).import-date-error_en-us.png
Cause The attribute name in your file is not in Default format.
Solution Set the format of the attribute name in your Excel file to Default. Personio will then automatically recognize the attribute.

 

Deactivation of Administrators

Error

The last active administrator has not been updated.

imports-employee-bulk-import-admin-error_en-us.png
Cause

In the import file, the status of the last administrator is set to Inactive.
Solution Make sure that there is always an active administrator stored in the account. Download the revision file, correct the error and repeat the import.

 

Salary data import

Inconsistencies between Personio and the import file

Error

Employees could not be found.

Import-Salary-Email_en-us.png
Cause With imports, the email address usually serves as the unique ID that is needed to identify the employee profiles and to assign the data correctly. If the message above appears, your Excel file contains email addresses that cannot be found in Personio. This can be due to typing or spelling errors, or because the employee profile does not exist.
Solution Verify that the email addresses in both Personio and in the Excel file are correct, and that all employees whose salaries you want to import are in the system.

 

Error During column assignment, an additional compensation is not found.Import-Salary-Additionalcompensation_en-us.png
Cause The salary list is imported, but not all compensation types that are required have been created in Personio before the import.
Solution Before doing the import, first go to Settings > Payroll > Additional Compensation and set up all recurring compensation types / one-time compensations that are paid to your employees. Find out more about how to add Recurring compensation types in Personio and Create and manage one-time compensations.

 

Cause

If in the column Month, values are outside 1-12, or if values for the column Year are smaller than 1, the import is not possible and an error message is shown.
Solution Enter values between 1-12 for the months, and bigger than 1 for the year to the import file. 

 

Error

Rows with no salary/bonus entered.

Import-Salary-Bonus_en-us.png
Cause The salary list Custom Bonuses Upload is imported, but the custom bonus has not been activated in the employee profile before the import.
Solution Before importing the Custom Bonuses Upload template, the custom bonus must be activated in the employee profile. To find out more about this, read our Help Center article on Importing Salaries.

Errors in the weekly hours entry

Error

The weekly hours that are stored in Personio are automatically overwritten with the number of weekly hours in the full-time work schedule.

Originally stored weekly hours:

Import-Salary-Weeklyhours_en-us.png

Imported Excel file:

Import-Salary-Weeklyhours1_en-us.png

Details in the employee profile after the import:

employee-profile-weekly-hours_en-us.png
Cause

When you set up a new employee, you also entered their weekly working hours (weekly hours) in the employee profile. In a second step, you imported the Salary History Upload Excel list, but left its Weekly hours column blank.

Due to the weekly hours missing from the Excel file, Personio automatically overwrites the weekly hours of all employees affected by the import with the full-time weekly hours that have been stored under Settings > Organization > Departments & Teams > Departments.

Note: If you then manually correct the weekly hours in the employee profile, the employee's salary will automatically be reduced proportionally as well!
Solution Enter the employees' weekly hours in the Excel file that you use for the salary import. The hours must match those stored in the employee profile in Personio. If they do, both the weekly hours and the fixed salaries will be correctly reflected in Personio.

 

Import of absences

Errors in the imported file

Error

Not all the absences that are contained in the Excel file are imported.

Imported Excel file:

Import-Absenceperiod-Email_en-us.png

Preview Import:

Import-Absenceperiod-Email1_en-us.png
Cause Some absence periods in the Excel file are missing the email address that is needed to allocate the data to the desired employee's profile. Personio only imports those absences for which an email address has been assigned.
Solution

Add the missing email address for the employee matching the absence in your Excel file. All absence types and periods will then be displayed as such:

Import-Absenceperiod-Email2_en-us.png

Import Preview:
Import-Absenceperiod-Email3_en-us.png

Inconsistency between Personio and the import file

Error Absence types not found.Import-Absenceperiod-Name_en-us.png
Cause

This error message can have two possible causes:

  1. The first cause could be that the name of the absence type in the Excel file (such as special leave) is not identical with the name of the absence type in Personio.
  2. The second possible cause is that the required absence types were not created in Personio before the import was attempted.
Solution
  1. Give the absence types in Excel and those in Personio identical names. Make sure that the spacing is correct, too, as missing or double spaces can also result in errors.
  2. Ensure that all absence types that exist in your company have been set up in Personio before you import the Excel file. Click here to learn how to add absence types in Personio.

A substitute is required for the absence

Error Substitute not supported.Import-Absenceperiod-Substitute_en-us.png
Cause Absence periods are imported for an absence type that requires a substitute.
Solution

Absences cannot be imported if, under Settings > Work Hours & Absences >  Absences > Absence type (for example Paid vacation), the option Substitute required? has been set to Yes. If this is the case, Personio will assume that every absence entry needs to have a substitute entry.

To work around this error and import the data successfully, first change the status in the settings to Optional or No. After the import, you can change it back to being required.