User Data - Preparing your file for Upload

Category: User Data | Type: Step by Step Guide | Part 2 of 4 in: Using Hive's User Data Uploader

💡 Before you start

This guide covers everything you need to do before you open the uploader.
Getting your file right here will save you time, prevent errors and mean your data goes live first time — without needing to re-upload or contact support.

📣 New to the Uploader? Read Understanding the User Data Uploader first.

What you'll find in this guide

Step 1 — Download and open the template
Step 2 — Add your required fields
Step 3 — Add optional fields for better reporting
Step 4 — Apply the formatting rules
Step 5 — Handle leavers and inactive employees
Step 6 — Final file check before uploading
Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Step 1 — Download and open the template

The easiest and most reliable way to prepare your file is to start from Hive's ready-made template. It has the correct column headers already in place, which prevents the most common formatting errors.

To download the template:

Go to Settings > User Settings > Uploader
Click Download Template in the top right corner
Open the file in Excel, Google Sheets or your usual spreadsheet tool

💡 Pro tip — Match your HRIS export to the template.

If you export employee data from your HR system (e.g. Workday, BambooHR, HiBob), try to match the column names in that export to Hive's template headers.

This makes future uploads much faster and reduces the chance of errors each time.

Step 2 - Add your required fields

Every upload must include all eight required fields. If any of these are missing or blank, the upload will fail.

🚩 Every row in your file must include all of the fields below

Missing even one required field on one row will cause the upload to fail. To find out more information on a Partial Upload vs a Full upload visit - Understanding the User Data Uploader

Required field	What to enter
Unique Identifier	A stable, unique reference for each employee — e.g. Employee ID or payroll number. Must be unique — no two employees can share the same value. Must never be blank.
First Name	Employee's first name.
Last Name	Employee's last name.
Email Address	Used to send survey invitations and for login. Must be unique — no duplicates allowed.
Telephone Number	Use international format, e.g. +441234567890
Status	Must be either 'active' or 'inactive' — lowercase only. No variations (e.g. 'Active' or 'ACTIVE' will cause errors).
Locale	Language preference using standard codes, e.g. en for English, fr for French.
Roles	Must be one of: Administrator, Manager, or Employee.

Step 3 - Add optional fields for better reporting

Optional fields aren't needed for the upload to work, but they make a significant difference to the quality of your survey insights. The more segmentation data you include, the more your managers and admins can filter and analyse results.

Attribute type	What to include
Structural attributes	Reflect your organisation's reporting structure. Examples: Directorate, Division, Department, Location, Team
Demographic attributes	Individual-level data used for reporting. Examples: Gender, Age Group, Length of Service, Contract Type

Attribute type

What to include

Structural attributes

Reflect your organisation's reporting structure.

Examples: Directorate, Division, Department, Location, Team

Demographic attributes

Individual-level data used for reporting.

Examples: Gender, Age Group, Length of Service, Contract Type

‼️ A note on sensitive data

Do not include salary in your upload file.
For sensitive attributes such as ethnicity, religion or disability — use Results Segmentation questions in your survey instead.
This keeps that data separate and handled with appropriate care.

Step 4 - Apply the formatting rules

Formatting errors are the most common cause of upload failures and data issues. Follow each rule below carefully — small details like capitalisation and date format matter.

What to check	Rule to follow
Dates	Use DD/MM/YYYY format throughout your file.
Phone numbers	Use international format, e.g. +441234567890. Do not use spaces or brackets.
Status values	Must be 'active' or 'inactive' — lowercase only. Any variation will cause an error.
Segment names (e.g. Department, Location)	Must match exactly across all uploads. Hive is case-sensitive. 'IT', 'it' and 'It' are treated as three different segments. Inconsistent segment names will split your reporting data and are difficult to fix after the fact.
Unique Identifier	Every row must have a value. No blanks, no duplicates. Use the same identifier field every time you upload (e.g. always Employee ID — never switch to payroll number).
Email addresses	Must be unique. No two employees can share the same email address.
Locale	Use standard language codes only, e.g. en, fr, de, es.
Extra spaces	Remove any leading or trailing spaces in cells — particularly in segment names. A space you can't see can create a duplicate segment.
Column headers	Headers must match the template exactly. Do not rename, reorder, or add columns that aren't part of your agreed attribute set.
File format	Save as .csv (comma-separated values) before uploading. Excel, Google Sheets and most HRIS tools can export to this format.

Step 5 - Handle leavers and inactive employees

Before uploading, decide how you want to handle employees who have left or are no longer active. Getting this right prevents accidental deletions.

Situation	What to do
An employee has left	Set their Status to 'inactive' in the file. They will remain in Hive but will no longer receive surveys. Do not simply delete the row from your file — see below.
You want to fully remove employees from Hive	Only do this if you are doing a full upload (replacing the entire employee list). Tick 'Delete users not in the CSV' in Step 4 of the upload. Any employee not in the file will be permanently removed. ⚠️ Do not tick this option for a partial update — you will remove everyone not in your file.
You're doing a partial update	Leave 'Delete users not in the CSV' unticked. Only employees in the file will be updated. Everyone else remains unchanged.
A new employee has joined	Add them as a new row with Status set to 'active'. Hive will create a new record for them when the upload processes.

Step 6 - Final file check before uploading

Run through this checklist before you upload. It takes two minutes and will save you from the most common errors.

☐	All eight required fields are present and correctly named
☐	No blank cells in required fields
☐	No duplicate email addresses
☐	No duplicate Unique Identifiers
☐	Status values are 'active' or 'inactive' — lowercase
☐	Dates are in DD/MM/YYYY format
☐	Phone numbers are in international format (+441234567890)
☐	Segment names match exactly what was used in previous uploads (check capitalisation and spacing)
☐	No extra spaces or unusual characters in any cell
☐	Salary and sensitive attributes (ethnicity, religion, disability) have been removed — use Results Segmentation instead
☐	File is saved as .csv
☐	You've decided: full upload or partial update?
☐	You know which field you're using as your Unique Identifier

‼️ Important — use .csv format only - Only save in this format when you are ready with your data as sometimes this can affect your data.

The uploader only accepts .csv (comma-separated values) files.
If your file is in .xlsx or another format, save it as .csv before uploading.
In Excel: File > Save As > CSV (Comma delimited).

✅ All checked? You're ready to upload.

Head to the Step-by-Step Upload Guide to continue.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

These are the issues that most frequently cause uploads to fail or data to look wrong after uploading. Most are easy to prevent if you know what to look for.

Common mistake	What goes wrong	How to avoid it
Inconsistent segment names	'Marketing' in one upload, 'marketing' in the next. Hive is case-sensitive. These become two separate segments, splitting your reporting data.	Decide on a standard format for all segment values (e.g. Title Case) and stick to it. Check against your previous upload before uploading.
Switching Unique Identifier	Using Employee ID in one upload, then Payroll Number in the next.	Hive uses the Unique Identifier to recognise returning employees. Switching creates duplicate records. Choose one field and never change it.
Ticking 'Delete users not in the CSV' on a partial update	You only meant to add 10 new starters — but the option was ticked and 200 employees were removed.	Only tick this option when doing a full replacement of your entire employee list. Leave it unticked for all partial updates.
Status entered with a capital letter	'Active' or 'Inactive' instead of 'active' or 'inactive'.	The Status field is case-sensitive. Use lowercase only.
Extra spaces in cells	A segment value of ' Marketing' (with a leading space) creates a new segment that's invisible to the eye.	Before saving, do a Find & Replace in your spreadsheet tool to remove leading/trailing spaces, or use a TRIM function.
Uploading an .xlsx file instead of .csv	The file was edited in Excel and saved in its default format.	Always do a 'Save As .csv' before uploading. Check the file extension before you upload.
Leaving required fields blank for some rows	Some employees are missing an email address or Unique Identifier.	Filter for blanks in required columns before uploading. Every row must be complete.
Using email address as the Unique Identifier	Email addresses can change when someone gets married or changes their name. This causes duplicate records over time.	Use a stable identifier like Employee ID or Payroll Number that never changes.

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