Identity and contact
The details that identify and contact the person, without creating login access.
- First name
- Last name
- Preferred name
- Work email
- Personal email
- Work phone
- Personal mobile
- Staff ID
- Date of birth
Spreadsheet to HollyHR
Turn the spreadsheet into a clean starting point.
Choose one master copy, fix the rows that need judgement, then use HollyHR to stage, check and reconcile the move before anything changes.
- 15 fields
- People and current employment
- Exact identity
- Person ID for every update
- Reconciled
- Dry run before per-person commit
The short answer
How do you move HR data out of a spreadsheet?
Start with one signed-off master file. Remove duplicate rows, standardise dates and names, and decide which columns still have a purpose. HollyHR accepts paste, CSV and .xlsx sources, then stages 15 people and current-employment fields for review.
A new person can be created only after review. An update needs the exact tenant-scoped HollyHR Person ID. Names and email addresses can reveal a collision, but they never authorise an automatic merge. Once every row is resolved, HollyHR pins a dry run and commits ready people one at a time, with a receipt for each result.
Working files
Download the files for your migration.
Use the dictionary while cleaning your people source. Use the leave workbook to agree the cutover position before HollyHR generates the final exact-ID version.
CSV
People data dictionary
A field-by-field CSV for the 15 people and current-employment facts HollyHR can stage.
Download the data dictionary XLSXLeave cutover planning workbook
Structure opening balances and approved or pending future bookings before the final organisation-specific import.
Planning copy. The import-ready workbook is generated inside HollyHR with exact Person IDs.Download the leave workbookOnce you add employee data, keep the working copy in a restricted location and remove abandoned copies.
The cleanup clinic
Fix decisions, not just formatting.
A tidy sheet can still contain duplicate people, unclear ownership and numbers nobody can explain. Resolve those questions before mapping columns.
People data
Fifteen fields with a clear destination.
These are current facts, not a complete employment history. Updates use the exact HollyHR Person ID generated inside your workspace.
Current employment
The current job facts HollyHR can stage and reconcile at the cutover date.
- Department
- Job title
- Start date
- Work type
- Weekly hours
- Employment status
Manager relationships need their own cutover step.
Preserve each person's current manager in the signed-off source, then rebuild and check those relationships separately after the people records are reconciled. Manager relationships are not one of the 15 staged fields.
Email can flag a collision. It cannot authorise an update.
The update template is generated inside HollyHR with the exact tenant-scoped Person ID. Names and email addresses never become silent merge keys.
Plan the whole handover
Decide what moves and what needs a separate plan.
HollyHR can import people records and leave cutover data. Files, historical evidence and old workflows need a separate destination or retention decision.
People and current employment
Released import
Stage the 15 supported fields from a spreadsheet, then decide each create or exact-ID update.
Manager relationships
Separate setup
Preserve each person's current manager in the signed-off source, then rebuild and check reporting relationships separately after the people records are reconciled.
Opening leave balances
Released import
Import remaining balances separately, including the leave year, unit and whether future bookings are already deducted.
Future leave bookings
Released import
Approved and pending future bookings can be staged with exact Person IDs. Historic bookings stay outside this release.
Documents and acknowledgements
Separate setup
Move files through the product's document workflow and retain any source evidence that HollyHR does not recreate.
Historical changes and notes
Preserve or review
Keep only records with a current operational or retention purpose. Do not turn an old spreadsheet into a permanent junk drawer.
Login access
Separate setup
The import creates or updates people records without inviting users. Invitations remain a separate decision after reconciliation.
The cutover plan
From one source to one signed-off handover.
The useful sequence is short enough to follow and strict enough to stop a guess becoming live data.
Choose the master copy
Name one owner, one source file and one cutover date. Freeze duplicate working copies before they drift again.
One dated sourceClean the decisions
Resolve duplicate people, mixed date formats, obsolete departments and columns with no current purpose.
A reviewable people fileStage and reconcile
Map useful columns, correct exceptions and choose create, update, hold or skip for each person.
Every row resolvedPin the dry run
Check the proposed changes against the current source and target versions before committing anything.
A stable planCommit and spot-check
Apply ready people one at a time, retry only failed items and compare the receipts with the signed-off source.
A reconciled handover
Ready to make it live
Checks before you finish.
A cutover is ready when another person can check the source, the decision and the result.
- One source file and cutover owner are named
- Duplicate people and email collisions are resolved
- Dates, weekly hours and employment status are standardised
- Every update uses the HollyHR Person ID
- Current manager relationships are preserved for a separate rebuild
- Opening balances state how future bookings affect the number
- The signed-off source and import receipts are retained
Questions
Questions about moving your data.
The practical details that usually change the plan.
Can HollyHR import Excel and CSV files?
Yes. HollyHR accepts pasted tabular data, CSV and .xlsx files. Older .xls files need to be opened in Excel, Google Sheets or Apple Numbers and saved as .xlsx or CSV first.
Which spreadsheet fields can HollyHR import?
The people cutover supports 15 fields: names, contact details, staff ID, date of birth, department, job title, start date, work type, weekly hours and employment status. Manager relationships are not one of the staged fields, so preserve them in the signed-off source and rebuild and check them separately after the people records are reconciled. The public data dictionary lists every supported field and its update rules.
How does HollyHR match an existing person?
An update requires the exact HollyHR Person ID for that organisation. Names, staff IDs and email addresses can flag a possible collision, but they do not authorise a match or overwrite a person automatically.
What happens before the import changes anything?
You map columns, resolve questions and reconcile each person first. HollyHR then creates a mutation-free dry run pinned to the staged source and current target versions. A stale dry run must be checked again.
Does one failed person stop the whole import?
No. Ready people commit in separate transactions. A failed or stale person can be held and retried without replaying successful people, while each completed item keeps its own evidence.
Can HollyHR import opening leave balances?
Yes. The separate leave cutover supports opening balances and approved or pending future bookings. It requires exact HollyHR Person IDs and an explicit answer about whether each future-booking group is already deducted from the source balance.
Will importing people invite them to HollyHR?
No. A cutover creates or updates people records without creating login identities or sending invitation events. Invite the team only after the records and leave position have been checked.
Sources
Read the source material.
Start with the first 10 people free.
Create the workspace, stage the source and keep every change reviewable before the team is invited.
No card. No trial clock. Your source stays yours.