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Table of Contents
Introduction
Whether you've just joined the Indigo family 😍 and need to migrate your leave requests from your previous system—or you keep track 👀 of leave in separate places that have to be aligned—you'll likely need to process a large number of leave requests.
Let's be honest, adding them one by one isn't ideal. That's why we offer the possibility to upload multiple leave records at once, speeding up the process 🚀 while maintaining accuracy 💯.
Leave entries can be entered in bulk using an Excel file via Payroll & Leave > Main > Leave.
🤔 Remember
All records imported following this procedure will be automatically set to approved status, just as they are when you insert them manually in the Leave Request Audit page.
Click 👉 here to find out more about leave requests in the Leave Request Audit page😉.
Generating a Template
Before proceeding with the import itself, it's necessary to extract the Excel file to use to list the leave records you need to upload in bulk. You have two ways to achieve that (both acceptable):
Generating a completely blank Excel file.
Generating a sample Excel file to use as a reference.
💡 Hint
Think of a template as an Excel version of a new leave entry form (Payroll & Leave > Leave > ➕ Insert). Each field corresponds to a column in the Excel file.
Generating a Blank Excel File
Navigate to Payroll & Leave > Main > Leave.
Click on the Generate template button without modifying any settings on the page.
A file called 'LeaveRequestImport Import Template' will get downloaded.
Once you open the file, two tabs are available: Import Template and Template Info.
In the Import Template tab, you'll have to fill in the columns with your leave requests details.
In the Template Info tab, you can find basic instructions on how to fill the Import Template tab (e.g. check for required fields)
💡 Tip
Each column in the Import Template tab accepts a specific type of data (specified under the Type column in the Template Info tab). Below some of them:
String - Normal text entry.
Selection - The data entered must correspond exactly to one of the values listed under the Allowed Values column.
Generating a Sample Excel File
Navigate to Payroll & Leave > Main > Leave.
Hover over the Import file icon and select the Download Sample Sheet link.
A separate tab will open on your browser.
The Excel file columns and tabs are exactly as those shown above. However, we provide you with some dummy records to help you better understand how to insert records into the file.
You can either:
Keep this page open as a reference to fill in a blank Excel file,
Or;Download the file (via File > Create a Copy > Download a Copy) and open the sample on your computer.
Using the dummy data as a guide, fill in the file. Don't forget to delete the dummy records before saving the file 😉.
Hover over the red marks on the cells to display a comment. Here you can read more details about the fields related to the marked cells.
Importing the Leave File
Once data is correctly entered in the chosen Excel sheet, save it on your computer. Then, navigate to Payroll & Leave > Main > Leave and click on the Import icon in the functions bar.
Select the Excel file you've previously edited and saved, and click on Import.
If all the data is correct, the entries will be added to the system just like normal leave entries. Should two identical entries be entered on the same date, the system will still process it while notifying the user that one entry is allowed on the same date.
Importing Leave by Total Hours
Importing Leave by Total Hours
To generate a template with the option to import leave by total hours, the correct setting must first be enabled. Navigate to Payroll and Leave > Settings > Payroll > Leave and tick the checkbox for 'Request new leave by hours (all entries entered with hours will not feature in the leave portal if enabled) Note recommended for time and attendance users.'
⚠️ Careful
We strongly recommend to use the mentioned setting only for migrations or emergency bulk imports. Please make sure to disable the mentioned setting once the import by total hours is complete.
We also suggest consulting our Support staff for guidance when using this setting.
You will need to add two new columns to the spreadsheet called TotalHours and HoursPerDay, as per the image below.
⚠️ Careful
If a line in the Excel file contains invalid data, the entire sheet will be rejected, and no changes will be made to the system. This is to ensure that no irregularities will be recorded in the system.
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