Preparing Your Employee Import File

You can add your whole roster at once by importing a CSV file (a spreadsheet saved as .csv). TrainGrid reads your column headers automatically, so in most cases you can export from your HR or payroll system and upload it as-is.

Accepted columns

Only First Name and Last Name are required. Everything else is optional but recommended. TrainGrid recognizes the common name each column goes by, so you don't have to rename your headers.

• First Name (required) — also reads: First, Given Name, Legal First Name
• Last Name (required) — also reads: Last, Surname, Family Name, Legal Last Name
• Employee Number — also reads: Emp No, Employee ID, Emp ID, Badge Number, Number
• Email — also reads: Email Address, Work Email
• Department — also reads: Dept, Home Department, Department Description
• Position — also reads: Job Title, Title, Job Description, Role
• Location — also reads: Site, Plant, Facility, Division
• Shift — also reads: Shift Code, Assigned Shift
• Supervisor — also reads: Manager, Reports To, Supervisor Name
• Hire Date — also reads: Start Date, Date Hired, Date of Hire, Hire/Rehire Date
• Employment type — also reads: Employee Type, Worker Type, Staff Type, Internal/External, Contract Type, Agency, Contractor. Values are matched loosely, so “internal”, “Direct”, “agency” or “contractor” all resolve to the right one; anything unrecognized is flagged for review rather than guessed.
• Notes — also reads: Comments, Remarks

Tip: Don't have a matching column? On the Map columns step you can point each TrainGrid field at any column in your file by hand. And if you'd rather start fresh, click Download template on the upload screen for a ready-made file with all the right headers.

Accepted date formats

For Hire Date, TrainGrid accepts the formats you're likely already using:

• YYYY-MM-DD (for example, 2024-03-18)
• M/D/YYYY or D/M/YYYY (for example, 3/18/2024 or 18/3/2024)
• Excel serial date numbers (what Excel sometimes stores dates as behind the scenes)

Leave the Hire Date blank if you don't have it — that's fine.

Tips for a clean import

1. Employee numbers are optional, but helpful. If your people have unique employee or badge numbers, include them — TrainGrid uses them to recognize the same person on future imports. If you don't have them, just leave the column blank.
2. Same names are never a problem. Two people named "John Smith" are kept as two separate employees. TrainGrid never merges people by name alone. If they're in different departments, they always stay distinct.
3. Re-importing is safe. Uploading the same file again won't create duplicates. Rows that match an existing employee (by number, email, or name + department) are updated, not doubled.
4. New departments and locations are created for you. If a department or location in your file doesn't exist yet, TrainGrid adds it automatically — no setup needed first.
5. Preview before you commit. The Preview & import step shows exactly what will be added, flags any rows with errors (which are skipped, never guessed at), and points out same-name employees so nothing surprises you.

Example file

Note: Imports handle up to 2,000 rows at a time. If your roster is larger, split it into a few files — re-importing is safe, so there's no risk of overlap.