Quick Summary: Administrators can bulk-load employee records, certification histories, and career assignments into SkillsDB using CSV or Excel files. The Import page provides downloadable templates, real-time validation, and a full Activity Log for auditing and troubleshooting.
Overview
The Import/Export feature allows SkillsDB administrators to load large volumes of data into the platform without manual entry. Instead of adding employees, certifications, or career assignments one record at a time, admins can prepare a spreadsheet and upload it in bulk. SkillsDB supports three types of data imports: People (employees and org structure), Employee Certifications (approved certification records), and Careers (role, group, and level assignments). Each import type includes a downloadable template, field-level validation, and a post-import results summary that lists exactly which records succeeded and which failed — so you can correct and resubmit only the rows that need attention. The Import page is accessible to administrators only. An Activity Log within the Import page retains a full history of every import operation, including the original file, the importing user, timestamps, and a breakdown of any errors encountered.Note: The Import feature must be enabled for your organization. If you do not see Import in your navigation, contact your SkillsDB account manager.
Prerequisites
Before running any import, you need:- Permission level: Administrator role
- File format: CSV, XLS, or XLSX files only
- File size: Maximum 5 MB per import file
- Access: Navigate to Import from the left sidebar
Importing People (Employees)
Use the People import to add new employees, update existing employee records, or assign managers in bulk. SkillsDB identifies each employee by their email address — new email addresses create new records, and existing email addresses update existing records.Prepare your file
- Navigate to Import in the left sidebar.
- Select the People Import tab.
- Select Download template to get the
SkillsDB_People_Import_Template.csvfile. - Open the template and populate your data using the columns below.
| Column | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
FirstName | Yes | Employee’s first name |
LastName | Yes | Employee’s last name |
EmailAddress | Yes | Unique identifier; must not be duplicated within the file |
ManagersEmail | No | Must match an existing employee’s email in SkillsDB |
JobTitle | No | Auto-created if it does not already exist |
Department | No | Auto-created if it does not already exist |
Level | No | Auto-created if it does not already exist |
IsAdmin | No | Enter Y or N; blank preserves existing status for current employees and defaults to non-admin for new employees |
IsActive | No | Enter Y or N; blank preserves existing status for current employees and defaults to active for new employees |
YourPersonId, BusinessUnit, Division, Country, Region, City, State, Site, Team, Shift | No | Optional organizational fields for your records |
- Save your completed file as CSV, XLS, or XLSX.
Upload and run the import
- Navigate to Import > People Import.
- Drag and drop your file into the upload zone, or select Add file to browse your computer.
- Select Import to begin processing.
- SkillsDB processes the file in three stages: Validating → Processing → Uploading.
- When processing completes, the results panel displays a count of successes and a breakdown of any failures by error category.
Understand people import results
If records fail, the results panel groups errors into categories so you know exactly what to fix:| Error category | Cause |
|---|---|
| Duplicate emails | The same email address appears more than once in the file |
| Existing emails | The email belongs to a user registered in a different organization |
| Invalid emails | The email address is not correctly formatted |
| Missing emails | A row has no email address |
| Manager email conflict | A user’s ManagersEmail value matches their own EmailAddress |
| Failed creations | The record could not be created due to a processing error |
| Failed manager assignments | The manager email does not match any existing employee in SkillsDB |
Importing Employee Certifications
Use the Employee Certifications import to bulk-assign certification records to employees. All certifications imported this way are automatically set to Approved status and become each employee’s active certification record.Note: Each certification must already exist in your SkillsDB certifications library before you can import it for employees. If a certification has not yet been created, add it to the library first.
Find your SkillsDB Certification IDs
The certifications import requires a SkillsDB Certification ID for each row. To find these IDs:- Navigate to Import in the left sidebar.
- Select the Employee Certifications tab.
- Select Export all certifications list.
- Open the downloaded
SkillsDB_Certifications_List.csvto view all available certification IDs and their names. - Copy the relevant IDs into your import file.
Prepare your file
- On the Employee Certifications tab, select Download template to get the
Employee_Certifications_Import_Template.csvfile. - Complete the file using the following columns:
| Column | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
EmployeeEmailAddress | Yes | Must match an existing employee in SkillsDB |
SkillsDBCertificationID | Yes | Must match a certification in your library (see above) |
IDNumber | No | The employee’s certificate number from the issuing authority |
IssuedDate | No | Format: YYYY/MM/DD (e.g., 2025/06/15) |
ExpirationDate | No | Format: YYYY/MM/DD (e.g., 2027/06/15) |
- Save your completed file as CSV, XLS, or XLSX.
Upload and run the import
- Navigate to Import > Employee Certifications.
- Drag and drop your file into the upload zone, or select Add file to browse.
- Select Import to begin processing.
- Review the results summary when processing completes.
Understand certification import behavior
When you import a certification for an employee who already has an active record of the same certification type, SkillsDB marks the previous record as inactive and sets the imported record as the new active certification. The full certification history is preserved and remains accessible.Understand certification import results
| Error category | Cause |
|---|---|
| Unknown employee emails | The email does not match any existing employee in SkillsDB |
| Unknown certification IDs | The certification ID does not exist in your library |
| Invalid issued dates | Date is not in YYYY/MM/DD format |
| Invalid expiration dates | Date is not in YYYY/MM/DD format |
| Failed imports | A processing error occurred for those rows |
Importing Career Assignments (Roles, Groups and Levels)
Use the Careers import to assign existing employees to roles, groups, and levels in bulk. This import associates employees with existing career structure elements using their system IDs — it does not create new career structure elements.Note: Roles, groups, and levels must already exist in your SkillsDB career structure before running this import.
Prepare your file
- Navigate to Import in the left sidebar and select Careers from the import type dropdown.
- Select Download template to get the
Roles_Groups_Levels_Import_Template.csvfile. - Complete the file using the following columns:
| Column | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
EmailAddress | Yes | Must match an existing employee in SkillsDB |
JobRoleId | No | The system ID of the job role to assign |
GroupId | No | The system ID of the group to assign |
LevelId | No | The system ID of the level to assign |
- Save your completed file as CSV, XLS, or XLSX.
Upload and run the import
- Navigate to Import > Careers.
- Drag and drop your file into the upload zone, or select Add file to browse.
- Select Import to begin processing.
- Review the results summary when processing completes. Any email addresses that did not match existing employees are listed in the results panel.
Reviewing Import History
The Activity Log tab in the Import section provides a complete audit trail of every import run across all import types.What the Activity Log shows
Each row in the Activity Log includes:- Import type — People, Employee Certifications, or Careers
- Status — Imported, Partially Failed, Failed, or Processing
- File name — The original uploaded filename
- Imported by — The email address of the admin who ran the import
- Date and time — When the import ran
- Rows processed, succeeded, and failed — A count summary for that run
View error details
If an import shows Partially Failed or Failed status, select Details on that row to open the error detail modal. The modal lists the specific records and error descriptions for that import run, so you can identify and fix only the affected data.Download original import files
Select Download on any Activity Log row to retrieve the original file that was uploaded for that run. Use the downloaded file as a starting point to correct errors and reimport.Common Questions
What happens if I reimport an employee who already exists in SkillsDB?
What happens if I reimport an employee who already exists in SkillsDB?
SkillsDB uses email address as the unique identifier. If you import a row with an email address that already exists, SkillsDB updates that employee’s record with the values in the file. Fields not included in the file are not modified. This means you can safely run partial updates — for example, updating only job titles — without affecting other profile data.
Can the People import create new job titles, departments, or levels automatically?
Can the People import create new job titles, departments, or levels automatically?
Yes. When the People import encounters a job title, department, or level value that does not yet exist in SkillsDB, that value is automatically created. This lets you establish your org structure through the People import without manually pre-creating each job title or department.
Can I import certifications for employees who have not been added to SkillsDB yet?
Can I import certifications for employees who have not been added to SkillsDB yet?
No. The Employee Certifications import requires each
EmployeeEmailAddress to match an existing employee record. Import your employees first using the People import, then run the certifications import.What date format does the certifications import require?
What date format does the certifications import require?
Dates must follow
YYYY/MM/DD format. For example, June 15, 2025 should be entered as 2025/06/15. Dates in any other format fail validation and appear in the Invalid dates error category in the results panel.Can I grant or revoke admin access through the People import?
Can I grant or revoke admin access through the People import?
Yes. Set the
IsAdmin column to Y to grant administrator access, or N to remove it. If you leave IsAdmin blank for an existing employee, their current admin status remains unchanged. Blank values for new employees default to non-admin.Is there a limit on how many rows I can import at once?
Is there a limit on how many rows I can import at once?
Each import file must be 5 MB or smaller. There is no separate fixed row limit, but the 5 MB ceiling applies to all import types. If your file exceeds 5 MB, split it into multiple files and run them separately.
Can I download the file from a past import to use as a starting point?
Can I download the file from a past import to use as a starting point?
Yes. In the Activity Log, select Download on any row to retrieve the original file uploaded for that run. This is useful for correcting errors and resubmitting, or for auditing what data was submitted at a specific point in time.
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Need Help?
If you run into any issues or have questions, reach out to your organization’s SkillsDB administrator or contact SkillsDB Support.