Step 1: Get to know CiviHR fields


CiviHR has a large number of built-in fields to store information about your staff. It is helpful to save a 'Test' staff profile to see these built-in fields.


Step 2: Review legacy data 


Most database applications such as OpenOffice.org Calc, Google Spreadsheets allow exporting data as spreadsheets or CSV files. Look through your staff data in these spreadsheets and mark what you would like to save in CiviHR. Try to make as much use of built-in fields because many of them are linked to additional features. 


If you have data that cannot be saved in any built-in CiviHR field, you may need to add custom fields. 


Step 3: Download the CiviHR import templates


On completing Steps 1 and 2, you will be able to map plan what existing staff data point should get saved into which CiviHR field.


Download this file containing the full list of importable CiviHR fields, and put your staff data into it. Please do not delete any columns marked ‘mandatory’. The import will not go through unless these columns contain valid data for each staff member. You can delete any non-mandatory columns that you do not want to use.



At the time of import please save staff contact, staff job contract and staff job role data in three separate CSV files.


Step 4: Clean up data for import

  • In CiviHR, data is imported in several passes: staff contact and demographic data in the first pass, Job Contract in the second, and Job Role in the third pass. The CiviHR Importer uses unique email addresses, or employee ID numbers to make sure it imports the correct data for each staff member in these passes. 

  • In order to import data into fields that appear as dropdowns, please make sure the spelling used in CiviHR and the import CSV file match exactly. For example, if the Country field in CiviHR has the option 'United Kingdom', and the staff data file uses 'UK' or 'United Kingdom  ', the import will not go through. 
  • Please use one row in the import template for each staff member. To import more than one email address, phone or address, insert additional columns in the import sheet. 
  • The first email addresses, phone number or address will automatically be marked as Primary.
  • If you have added custom fields to the CiviHR staff profile, please add a separate column for each such field under Staff Contact. 


Step 5: Run a test import


We recommend that a small batch of data should be imported first as a test. Search and review this test data once it is imported. If you are happy with the result, proceed to import the rest of your data.