Excel/CSV – OrgChart

Audience: Administrators

Overview

Administrators can populate an Excel/CSV file with HR data, and upload that to OrgChart. Excel/CSV files require manual upkeep to reflect the most accurate records. This source is common for supplementing a main data source, or creating quick charts. However, it is not recommended for charts larger than 300 boxes.

The following article provides information on:

Preparing your Excel or CSV file for upload
Setting up an Excel or CSV as a main data source in OrgChart
Preparing your Excel or CSV file for adding new records to an existing chart
Setting up Excel or CSV as an append data source

Preparing your Excel or CSV file for upload

OrgChart can import HRIS data from an .xlsx or .csv file, which necessitates manual upkeep to reflect the most accurate records. A flat file can be used as a Main Data Source, Append Data Source, and Merge Data Source.

The following section provides information on:

Required fields for your Excel or CSV file
How to structure a flat file
How to create a valid org chart hierarchy

Required Fields

In order for the flat file to function properly, the following fields are required:

PersonID	This is a unique code (at least 4 characters long) used to identify an employee.
SupervisorID	The PersonID of a supervisor, assigned do a direct subordinate in order to create the hierarchy. Each box needs another box to report to. The top box should report to itself, or no one. See the Creating a Valid Hierarchy section below for more information.a
Name	This field assigns a Person ID with a name to display on the chart. Additionally, providing a name allows you to use the search-by-name function.
Title	This field assigns a Person ID with a job title to display on the chart. This allows you to organize and filter data, as well as use the searching-by-title function.

Note

Add additional fields by creating new headers and populating the column with at least one value assigned to an employee. Once loaded into the chart, you will see this field available in Chart Settings: Fields and Formulas.

Structuring the Flat File

In order for the flat file upload to be successful, your Excel must follow these guidelines:

Field names appear in the first row of the file
Required fields are present and populated
Every record has a unique Person ID
Every record, with the exception of the record that will appear at the top of the chart, has a Supervisor ID
The record without a Supervisor ID has a blank value or a value of -1 in the Supervisor ID column (do not use ##### or other symbols)
The reporting hierarchy is valid (see the Creating a Valid Hierarchy section below for more information)
The file is encoded in UTF-8

Creating a Valid Hierarchy

OrgChart uses Person IDs and Supervisor IDs to build your chart. The following section provides information on how to create a valid reporting hierarchy in a flat file.

Below is a screenshot of a dataset with a valid hierarchy.

Note that the Person IDs are all unique, and the Supervisor ID is the Person ID of the record to whom the assigned records report.

Joshua Ryor has a Person ID of 1001 and a Supervisor ID of -1, meaning that this record is at the top of the chart.

Pauline Dinh has a Person ID of 0159 and a Supervisor ID of 1001, meaning that she reports to the record with a Person ID of 1001 (Joshua Ryor).

When uploaded to OrgChart, the dataset shown above generates the following chart:

Uploading an Excel/CSV file as an Main data source

The following section provides information on how to upload an Excel or CSV file as a main data source.

1. Click on the Settings button in the bottom right corner, and then select the Chart Settings option from the list.

2. The Data sources panel is displayed. The various data sources are is listed under the Main data source heading. Click on the Click here to select data source button to select the data source.

3. From the Select data sources dialog box, click on Excel or CSV as required.

4. Click on the gear icon to open the configuration dialog box.

5. Once the configuration box open, click on Choose file , select the required file and click on save.

6. Click on Save in the Chart Settings: Data sources panel to preserve your data source selection, and then click on the Configure field mapping button.

7. Click on the Load field mapping option.

Creating your first base chart with Sample Data - Step 9.png

Note

If OrgChart does not identify the correct field from your data source, click on the dropdown menu associated with that field, and select the correct one. Additionally, if the fields are not able to populate automatically, click on the Edit button associated with each field, and manually type the name of the field from your data source.

8. Click on Save in the Chart Settings: Mapping panel, and then click on Refresh.

Adding new records to an existing org chart using Excel or CSV

To display records in your chart that are not apart of your HRIS, and do not exist in an Applicant Tracking System, use a flat file (containing the required fields) to append them.

The following section provides information on:

How to structure an Excel/CSV file to add new records to an existing org chart
How to upload an Excel/CSV file as an append data source

Structuring an Excel/CSV file to add new records

As discussed in the Creating a Valid Hierarchy section above, OrgChart uses Person IDs and Supervisor IDs to build your chart.

Records that do not exist in your HRIS still require a unique Person ID. Create the Person IDs yourself, ensuring that they meet the following criteria:

Person ID is at least 4 characters long
Person ID is unique to the one employee record

The following screenshot provides an example flat file used for appending non-HRIS records to a chart

Jacob Findalay, Frida Benyon, and Austin Gray are consultants that do not exist in the HRIS data.

They have been assigned the unique Person IDs CON001, CON002, and CON003 respectively.

Jacob Findalay, Frida Benyon, and Austin Gray each have the same Supervisor ID, meaning that they all report to a record with a Person ID of 1439.

When uploaded to OrgChart as an Append File , the dataset above generates the following chart:

Note

This naming convention for person IDs (CON###) allows Administrators to easily locate the consultants in the dataset, as well as track the use of the unique Person IDs. Additionally, this naming convention could be used to target consultants with conditional formatting.
Other popular naming conventions for Person IDs are: