Import Employee Data from Excel into HRMS

Moving to a new HR system usually means moving a stack of spreadsheets. Data Import brings in employees, departments, designations, locations, holidays and opening leave balances from Excel or CSV. It works in four steps: choose what to import, upload the file, check how its columns match ZeniaHR fields, and review a row-by-row check done on the server before anything is saved. Imports of up to 10,000 rows run in the background, and rows that need fixing come back as a file with reasons.

Who uses it

HR teamDownloads samples, prepares the sheets, checks the column matching, fixes the rows the check flags and runs imports of up to 10,000 rows at a time.

Company headOversees the first large import when moving from spreadsheets or another system, and checks the added, updated and skipped counts before the import is confirmed.

How an import works

Choose the kind of data, upload an .xlsx, .xls or .csv file up to 15 MB, and pick the sheet if the file has several. ZeniaHR finds the header row and matches your columns to its fields by their headings, including common spellings such as DOJ, Emp Code or IFSC No, and you can change any match. The server then checks every row without saving and shows how many will be added, updated or skipped and which need fixing, with reasons. Nothing is saved until you press import, and the import then runs in the background.

What you can import

Six kinds of data are supported, covering what a company needs on its first day in ZeniaHR. Each has a sample file with the right columns and an instructions sheet, so the person preparing the data knows what is required and which formats are accepted.

Employees: add new, update existing, or both, matched on employee ID, Aadhaar, PAN, email or phone.
Departments and designations: name, code and description.
Locations: name, code, address, city and state.
Holidays: name, date, optional or not, repeating, category and the branches and departments it applies to, up to 2,000 rows.
Opening leave balances: employee ID, leave type, days and an as-on date, posted into the leave ledger.

The right order for a new company

Import masters before people and people before balances. Start with departments, designations and locations, and set up branches in Company Profile, because the employee import matches branches by name or code. Then import employees. Switch on the Leave Ledger before importing opening balances. Finally, link each employee's department, designation and reporting manager in the organization assignment on their profile, since the employee import brings these in as text, and set each person's salary structure on the payroll tab before the first Direct Payroll run.

Data import features

Employee importAdd new employees or update existing ones from Excel or CSV, matched on employee ID, Aadhaar, PAN, email or phone, without blank cells erasing saved data.Column matching and row checkUpload an Excel or CSV file, let ZeniaHR match its columns, review a server check of every row and download the rows that need fixing before you import.Holiday list importUpload the year's holiday list from Excel with dates, optional holidays, categories and the branches and departments each holiday applies to.Opening leave balance importCarry each employee's CL, SL, EL and other balances from your old system into the leave ledger with one Excel file, checked row by row before import.Department and location importCreate department, designation and location lists from Excel in one go, with codes, descriptions and addresses, skipping names already in your lists.

See data import on your own data

A 30-minute demo on a video call. We set it up for your departments and rules and show it running. Free for your first 50 employees.

Book a free demo See pricing

Frequently asked questions

Can I import employees from Excel into ZeniaHR?

Yes. Choose Employees in Data Import, upload an .xlsx, .xls or .csv file and let ZeniaHR match its columns. The server checks every row for formats such as PAN, Aadhaar, IFSC and mobile numbers before anything is saved, and existing employees are updated rather than duplicated when a row matches them.

How many rows can I import at once?

Up to 10,000 rows per file for employees, departments, designations, locations and opening leave balances, and up to 2,000 rows for holidays. The file can be up to 15 MB. For a larger workforce, split the sheet by branch or department and import each part in turn.

Will an import overwrite data already in ZeniaHR?

Not by accident. Blank cells never erase details already saved. For employees, a row that matches an existing person updates only the fields filled in the sheet. Departments, designations, locations and holidays already on record are skipped, and an existing opening leave balance is never counted twice.

What file formats does Data Import accept?

Excel files in .xlsx or .xls format and CSV files, up to 15 MB. Dates can be in DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY or YYYY-MM-DD, and ZeniaHR suggests the format it detects from your data. The sample file for each kind of import shows the columns and an example row.