Understanding the User Data Uploader

Category: User Data | Type: Overview & Data requirements

What you'll find in this guide:

Overview of the User Data Uploader
FAQs
Glossary

💡 Ready to get started? Skip straight to - User Data Uploader - Step-by-step

What is the User Data Uploader?

The User Data Uploader lets you add or update your employee data in Hive directly , no need to contact our support team or wait for a scheduled sync. Whether you're onboarding a new cohort, updating reporting lines, or tidying up your employee list, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know.

What Data Can I Upload?

The uploader accepts employee contact and reporting information. This data is used to ensure the right people receive surveys and that managers see the right insights.

Required fields

🚩 Every file you upload must include all of the below fields

Field	Description
Unique Identifier	e.g. Employee ID or payroll number — must be unique per person
First Name	Employee's first name
Last Name	Employee's last name
Email Address	Used to send surveys and log in to Hive
Telephone Number	Use international format, e.g. +441234567890
Status	Either 'active' or 'inactive' (lowercase)
Locale	Language preference, e.g. en, fr
Roles	One of: Administrator, Manager, or Employee

Optional (but recommended) fields

The more reporting data you include, the more powerful your insights will be. These fields help segment survey results by team, location, or other attributes.

Field category	Examples
Structural attributes	Directorate, Division, Department, Location
Demographic attributes	Gender, Age Group, Length of Service, Contract Type

‼️ A note on sensitive data:

Avoid including attributes like salary in your upload file.

For sensitive information such as ethnicity or religion, use Results Segmentation instead.

All data is handled in line with Hive's confidentiality commitments.

Preparing Your File

‼️ Accepted file formats: .csv (comma-separated values)

Downloading the template

Not sure where to start? The easiest way is to download Hive's ready-made template:

Go to Settings > User Settings > Uploader
Click Download Template in the top right corner
Open the file and add your employee data, making sure the column headers match exactly

💡Pro tip: Match your HRIS export to the template

If you can export employee data from your HR system (HRIS), try to match the column names to Hive's template. This makes future uploads much faster and reduces the chance of errors.

Formatting rules to follow

Getting the below details right will save you time when uploading:

Field / Format	What to do
Dates	Use DD/MM/YYYY format throughout
Phone numbers	Use international format, e.g. +441234567890
Status	Must be 'active' or 'inactive' — lowercase, no variations
Segments (e.g. Department)	Must match exactly across uploads - case sensitive: 'IT' and 'it' are treated as different segments
Unique Identifier	Every employee must have one — no blanks, no duplicates
Email addresses	No duplicates allowed
Locale	Use standard language codes, e.g. en, fr
Extra spaces	Remove any leading or trailing spaces in cells

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the segment name matter so much?

Segment names (like Department or Location values) must match exactly across every upload. Hive is case sensitive, so 'Marketing', 'marketing', and 'MARKETING' would all be treated as three separate segments. Inconsistencies can affect how survey results are grouped and displayed to managers.

Who can see the demographic data I upload?

Administrators, Managers, and Hive's Delivery Team can access demographic data within the platform. All data is handled in line with Hive's confidentiality commitments. Managers only see data for the segments they're authorised to access, this is controlled through Authorised Attribute Segments. Hive support can help you with setting up this access.

Glossary

Here's a quick reference for the key terms you'll come across when using the uploader.

Term	What it means
Unique Identifier	A field that uniquely identifies each employee across uploads — e.g. Employee ID or Payroll Number. Must never be blank or duplicated.
Full Upload	Replaces your entire employee list in Hive. Anyone not in the file will be removed if 'Delete users not in the CSV' is ticked.
Partial Update	Adds or updates employees without removing anyone from Hive. Useful for smaller, ongoing changes.
Status	Indicates whether an employee is currently active or inactive in Hive. Must be entered as 'active' or 'inactive' (lowercase).
Locale	A language preference code that controls the language of surveys sent to the employee, e.g. en for British English.
Segment	A grouping attribute used to filter survey results, such as Department, Location, or Contract Type.
Structural attributes	Segments that reflect your organisation's structure — e.g. Directorate, Division, Department, Location.
Demographic attributes	Segments that relate to individual employees — e.g. Gender, Age Group, Length of Service, Contract Type.
Authorised Attribute Segment	Controls which segments a Manager can view insights for. For example, a London Head of Department might only see data for Department: IT, Location: London.
HRIS	Human Resource Information System — the HR software your organisation uses to store employee data (e.g. Workday, BambooHR, HiBob).
Results Segmentation	Collect sensitive demographic data via question within your survey and use them for reporting purposes (e.g. disability, religion)
Delete Import	A button on the review screen that cancels the current upload so you can fix your file and start again. No changes are made until you click Confirm and Sync.
Confirm and Sync	The final step that applies your upload to Hive. Changes appear in User Settings within 15 minutes for large files.

💡 Ready to update your data? Proceed to our step-by-step setup guide: User Data Uploader - Step-by-step

🎓 Useful Information

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