Validate and apply an import

Validation checks the whole file without applying it. Apply the import only after the preview, warnings, and totals match the change you intended.

Before you begin

Applying an import requires the Run batch imports permission plus the permission for the type of information you are importing listed in Import and export overview. Every permission limited by department must cover all departments. Your access is checked when you confirm the import. Changes to relevant organization rules or existing information may require validation again.

Validate the file

1. Upload the completed CSV.
2. Start validation.
3. Review record counts, proposed changes, warnings, and errors.
4. Correct the source file and upload it again when any error appears.
5. Validate again until the result is ready to apply.

Warnings require a business decision. Do not confirm one merely to make the import continue.

Validation can classify preview rows as:

Review the expected create, update, unchanged, and skipped totals. Then review the row preview sample and the complete issue summary.

What happens when a cell is blank or missing

A blank cell does not automatically mean zero. Its meaning depends on the selected import type, Create or Update mode, and column instructions.

• A missing required value or identifier is an error. The whole file remains unapplied.
• An optional blank Update cell may leave the existing value unchanged when the template says so.
• A supported clear must appear as a clear in the preview before you apply it.
• A position import does not create a missing labor budget rate or employee pay entry. Those are separate imports and separate review steps.

If approved position history has no FTE for a date, Position Report Readiness identifies the missing value and related financial amounts remain Needs Position setup. Review affected position, budget, compensation, and forecast results after an import rather than assuming another area supplied a default.

Resolve errors and warnings differently

An error must be corrected before the import can be applied. Common causes include a missing required value, unknown identifier, invalid date, unavailable choice, duplicate record, or conflicting assignment.

A warning identifies a change that may be allowed but needs a deliberate decision. Examples include bypassing ordinary position approval or changing approved position information while a request is active.

For each warning:

1. identify every affected row;
2. read the expected before-and-after change;
3. confirm the business authority for the action;
4. decide whether to change the file, postpone the import, or accept the warning; and
5. record the reason when the page requests acknowledgment.

Do not assume that a file with no errors is safe to apply. A valid but unintended update can still change the wrong records.

Review the preview

Compare the preview with the source file and your expected outcome:

• Does the record count match?
• Are creates and updates separated as expected?
• Are any rows unexpectedly unchanged?
• Are stable identifiers matched to the intended records?
• Do effective dates and cleared values appear correctly?
• Are protected values hidden from anyone without the required access?
• Does a position import identify approval bypass and active-request effects?

If any answer is unclear, stop and correct the file or ask the responsible business owner.

Apply once

Confirm that no one else is applying the same changes, then select Apply once. Leave the page open or use import history to follow progress. Do not upload a duplicate file while the first import is still running.

The confirmation tells you that the validated rows will be created or updated as shown in the preview. Recheck the import type, mode, counts, warnings, and intended effective dates immediately before confirming.

Confirming approves that exact import for the organization. Later changes to your permissions do not cancel it. The import can still stop if the source data or organization settings change, or if a data check fails. Review its final status and counts.

If relevant access, organization rules, or records changed after validation, validate again. The previously reviewed preview may no longer describe the current result.

Follow progress

Open the import page to check its current status: validation, waiting, applying, completed, stopped, or failed.

• If validation is still running, wait for the preview.
• If the import is waiting or applying, do not submit a duplicate.
• If the import stops before applying rows, correct the file or setup and start a new import.
• If it fails, read the message and confirm whether any rows were applied before deciding what to do next.

Do not infer completion from the browser being open or an email arriving. Open the import itself and confirm the completed status and result summary.

Review the result

Open the completed import and affected records. Confirm effective dates and a small sample of created or updated values. Review labor budget or actual compensation separately when the import belongs to those areas.

For a broad import, sample:

1. the first and last source rows;
2. at least one created record;
3. at least one updated record;
4. a row with a warning;
5. a record from each affected department; and
6. a protected or financial row when authorized.

Also compare the completed counts with the validated preview. Open Activity on representative records when you need to confirm the recorded change.

Example: safe position update

A file updates department and FTE for 20 positions beginning July 1. Validation shows 20 updates, no creates, and a warning that 3 positions have active requests.

Before applying, review those 3 requests and decide whether the imported approved change should proceed first. After applying, open all 3 requests, compare their submitted proposal with the newly approved starting information, and close and replace any request that no longer represents the intended change.

Why is a row unchanged?

Its supplied values may match the current information, or blank Update cells may leave existing values unchanged. Review the row preview.