How to upload employee data
This guide will walk you through the process of uploading your employee’s data using our Flatfile powered data importer. The importer supports CSV and XLSX file formats and streamlines the process of adding users to our platform.
There are 7 steps to complete the process:
- Preparing your data
- Uploading your data
- Identifying data titles or headers
- Mapping the data headers against the required fields
- Data validation and correction
- Submitting your data
- Retrieving your discarded records
1. Preparing your data
You may choose to use our provided CSV template to populate your employee’s data. The template consists of four fields/columns:
First Name: Mandatory
Last Name: Mandatory
Email Address: Mandatory
Division: Optional
Sub-division: Optional
Please ensure that your data file is saved in either CSV or XLSX format.
At Sonder, we use your employees' email addresses as the primary identifier in our systems. As such, please ensure that when you are uploading data, each employee has a unique email address.
2. Uploading your data
Once you have your data file ready, you can simply drag and drop the file into the designated area or click on ‘Select file’ and select the relevant file from your computer.
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3. Identifying data titles or headers
After the file has been successfully uploaded, the next step is to identify the headers. This prepares us to match the original data headers to the required Sonder fields to ensure we capture all the data correctly. The importer should automatically identify the header row from your file, which should match the template’s fields (First Name, Last Name, Email Address, Division).
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4. Mapping the data headers against Sonder's fields
The mapping step is central to the import process as it confirms the alignment of columns from the input data with our required fields. The importer should automatically match your file’s headers with our required fields. If any manual input is required, the dropdown will remain blank and you can use it to select the relevant field.
A data preview pane is provided on the right hand side so you can confirm what data is attached to the selected header.
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5. Data validation and correction
In the final step of the data import process, you will see your data translated into the requested output format. This step allows you to review and validate the data upload as well as correct or provide any additional values that are required before the import can be completed.
At this stage there may be errors which require your attention. For example, empty values for required fields (First Name) or invalid email addresses. You can use the filters at the top of the page to filter for only rows containing errors to understand what actions are required of you. You can then make your edits directly in the data table. Any changes will be immediately validated by the importer.
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If you try to progress whilst the table still contains errors, you will be given a prompt to resolve the errors or progress. If you choose to continue, all the rows with errors will be discarded and the associated member’s will NOT be invited to the Sonder experience. Records discarded at this step will be retrievable at the end of the upload process.
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At the conclusion of the upload process, if there are any rejected records due to discarded entries in the validation step or you have gone above quota, Sonder will provide you with a CSV containing said rejected records.
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7. Retrieving your discarded records
After you submit your data, if there were any records that were discarded then you will see the pop-up below. This will give you the opportunity to downloaded a CSV file with a list of discarded records. Note that this is the only time you will be able to retrieve this list.
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Discarded records will have one of two possible errors. ‘Quota Exceeded’ means that you have tried to upload more employees than your number of licensed seats. Please contact your customer success manager to discuss adding more seats to your license. ‘Record with invalid or duplicate values’ relates to the errors that was found during the file upload process and you chose to discard. After the issues have been remediated, the entries can be re-uploaded to ensure every member of your company has access to Sonder’s services.
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