Importing payroll data

The payroll Import tab loads base salaries, recurring payments, bonuses or attendance hours in one go from a CSV or Excel file. Each import goes through four steps: upload, column mapping, row-by-row validation and result. You can simulate before writing anything, and roll back a real import. This article is intended for payroll managers.

Before you start #

• Each data type has its own permission: Import — Base salaries, Import — Recurring payments, Import — Bonuses, Import — Presence hours. You only see the types open to you.
• Some modes also have their own permission: Import — Full replacement mode, Import — Deletion mode, Import — Simulation mode (dry-run), Import — Initial migration. The history requires Import — History and reports, rolling back requires Import — Rollback (undo an import), and saving a mapping requires Import — Save mapping templates.
• The default Administrator and Payroll Manager roles have all these permissions.
• The employee is identified by their Employee ID (the ID on their record). An employee outside your population is refused.
• The import applies to the month shown on the payroll screen: choose it first.

Step 1 — Upload #

1. Open Payroll › Import.
2. Under Data type, choose Base salaries, Recurring payments, Bonuses or Attendance hours. The Expected fields list shows the type’s columns; those marked with an asterisk are required.
3. Under Import mode, choose the mode (see below).
4. Under Date format, say how dates are written in your file: European, US or ISO format.
5. Under File, click or drop your file. The File template button downloads a template with the right columns. For a CSV, check the CSV encoding.
6. A preview of the first rows appears, with the total number of rows. Click Continue to mapping.

Import modes #

• Incremental — adds or updates: existing records are updated, new ones are created, nothing is deleted.
• Full replacement — overwrites everything: all existing data of the selected type is deleted and replaced by the content of the file.
• Simulation — no changes: the file is analysed and validated without changing any data. Ideal for checking the mapping and errors before a real import.
• Correction — updates only: only existing records are updated; a row that matches nothing is refused with its reason.
• Deletion — each row designates an existing item (employee and date) which will be deleted; a row that designates nothing, or several items, is refused.
• Initial load — loads the history of employees who do not yet have any data of this type, over as many periods as needed; records already filled in are skipped row by row.

Step 2 — Mapping #

1. For each column of your file, choose the matching Illizeo field, or — Ignore —. Columns whose header is a field’s code (shown next to each expected field, for example employee_id or amount) are mapped automatically.
2. To reuse this mapping, click Save this mapping and give it a name. Saved mappings then appear at the top of the step and apply in one click.
3. Click Validate and preview.

Step 3 — Validation #

Each row is checked. A banner recalls the chosen mode (for example “Simulation mode — no data will be changed”), and counters show the rows that are ready, the warnings and the errors. The table repeats the mapped columns and the Status of each row: valid, or the reason for refusal, for example an unknown employee ID. In Incremental or Correction mode, the Before → After column shows the current value and the new one.

1. Review the table. Export the report downloads the validation result.
2. In simulation, click Run the simulation. Otherwise, click Import N rows (or Delete N rows in Deletion mode). Rows in error are skipped.

If the target period is outside the allowed retroactive window, the import is refused with its reason. When an exception is possible, the Reason for the retroactive exception field appears: enter the reason, then run the import again.

Step 4 — Result #

The outcome is displayed: Simulation complete, Import complete, Partial import or No row imported, with the rows processed, imported and failed. Refused rows are listed with their Row, Employee ID and Reason, and can be downloaded as CSV.

• After a simulation, Run it for real repeats the same import in Incremental mode.
• After a real import, Roll back this import restores the previous data.
• New import starts again at step 1; Back to payroll closes the wizard.

If an approval workflow is set up for imports, the screen shows Import submitted for approval: nothing has changed yet, and the import is applied as soon as it is approved. Only one import of the same type and period can await approval at a time.

Viewing the history and rolling back an import #

1. Click History at the top of the Import tab. The Import history panel lists the imports of the displayed period: Date, User, Type, Mode, File, Rows, Errors and Status (Success, Partial, Simulation, Rolled back).
2. On an import with refusals, click Refusals to download the refused rows (CSV).
3. To roll back a real import, click Roll back, read the confirmation (the data is restored to its state before the import) and click Confirm the rollback.

Good to know #

• Imported amounts are recorded as they are: no proration, back pay or contribution is calculated on import.
• For an employee with several contracts, the Contract start (if several) column designates the contract; left empty, it is the main contract.
• In an initial load, approved payroll periods remain locked.
• Full replacement and Deletion modes are not offered for attendance hours.
• A simulation writes no payroll data and cannot be rolled back: there is nothing to roll back.

Frequently asked questions #

My rows are refused although the employee exists. #

Check that the column mapped to Employee ID really contains the ID on the employee record, and that this employee is within your population.

I cannot see the Full replacement mode. #

This mode has its own permission. Without it, it is not offered; some modes also do not apply to every data type.

Can I import the 13th-month salary? #

The number of salaries per year (12 to 15) is set by the frequency of the base salary; see Payroll settings.