Set up Automatic Spreadsheet Imports Using an SFTP Server

To set up automatic CSV imports, you'll need:

• Admin access to an SFTP server.
• The login credentials to that server so Pingboard can connect.
• A CSV file of employee data, which you'll keep on the SFTP server.

There are 3 steps to set up an Automatic CSV Import.

Step 1: Connect to your SFTP Server

 

1. Click Settings > Add-Ons.
2. Select Automatic CSV Import.
3. Navigate to the Settings tab.
4. Enter your SFTP server’s address in the Server Address field.
5. Enter the Username and Password credentials you use to access your server.
6. Under Path to CSV File, enter the specific path to your file (be sure to include the file’s name and extension).

Make sure the information you entered is correct. Then, select Connect to connect to the server and import data from the CSV file.

Step 2: Set Your Import Rules

1. Choose what changes you'd like to make in your Pingboard account using the CSV file.
   
   
   
   • Update existing employees in Pingboard - Checking this box means Pingboard will update existing employee profiles if it finds new or updated data for them in your CSV file. Pingboard matches employees in your CSV file to their existing Pingboard profiles based on your chosen unique identifier (You'll choose a unique identifier in the next step). This is on by default.
   • Add new employees to Pingboard - Checking this box means Pingboard will create profiles for employees it finds in the CSV file who are not yet in your account. This is on by default.
   • Remove employees from Pingboard that aren't in this import  - Checking this box means Pingboard will delete employee profiles from Pingboard if it cannot find them in your CSV spreadsheet. Pingboard matches existing employees in your account to the unique identifier you select from your CSV file, like email address. If an employee exists in Pingboard but Pingboard does not find them in your CSV file, they will be removed. You should only select this option if the spreadsheet you've uploaded is the current source of truth for your employee data.
     
     
2. Tell Pingboard which column of your CSV it should use to match employees in your spreadsheet to their existing Pingboard profiles.
   
   
   
   
   
   • Email - Matches existing profiles by their Email field in Pingboard (recommended).
   • Name - Matches existing profiles by their First and Last Name in Pingboard. Names in your CSV must match names in Pingboard exactly to be recognized. This is not the best option for you if two or more employees have the same first and last name.
   • Pingboard User ID - Matches users by their unique Pingboard User ID, downloadable from the Reports page in Pingboard.
   • Custom Field - Matches users by one of your custom fields. You can use text, number or email custom fields.
     
     
3. Match Fields: Tell Pingboard where to place employee data from your spreadsheet by using the drop-down menus to match each CSV Column on the left to its target Pingboard Field on the right.
   
   
   
4. Use the middle columns to choose how you want to update each field:
   
   
   • Update if Blank - CSV data will only be imported into blank fields. This means that if an employee already has data in a field in Pingboard (like Job Title), your import will not update or change that data.
   • Overwrite - Existing data in Pingboard is overwritten and replaced by data from your CSV. Keep in mind that if there are blank rows in your CSV file, they will erase existing data in that Pingboard field when you choose "Overwrite."
5. Once you're finished matching fields, select Continue.

Step 3: Preview

1. On the Preview page, make sure the "Here are the changes" summary matches the numbers of existing and new employees, locations, groups, and deleted employees that you're expecting from your import.
2. If those numbers don't match your expectations, check your CSV for errors, and specifically check to make sure the unique identifier data you've chosen from your CSV matches what's in Pingboard. For example, if you're using Email as your unique ID, check to make sure everyone's email in your CSV matches their existing Email in Pingboard. If there are errors in email addresses, Pingboard can't accurately match employee data in the CSV file with employee data that exists already in your account, meaning employees may be added or deleted when that isn't your intent.
3. If there are errors listed, select View Errors to see a summary of what needs to be corrected and what will happen if you ignore those errors and proceed with your import (Click Export to download a CSV file of the errors we found. This is especially helpful when you want to fix errors before completing your import).
4. Check the Matched Fields section to make sure that your mapping and import settings for each field are correct; fields matched with a blue arrow are updated if blank, those with an orange arrow will be overwritten with the data from your CSV.
5. When you're satisfied with your preview, select Import.

Results

Your import may take a few minutes to complete, so feel free to navigate away from the page while we import your data. We'll send an email as soon as the import is finished.

The Results page provides a summary of how many employee records were updated or created and how many new Groups and Locations were added.

The Results page also shows if any errors occurred during import. Select View Errors to view a summary of the problematic rows. Download the summary to make corrections and re-import that data to Pingboard by selecting Start Export.

If you have questions or need help, please contact our Support Team. We're ready to help!

View and Change Automatic CSV Import Settings

Still need help? Let us know.