Batch user upload: overview and options explained

Intended Audience: Admins

Create, invite or update data for large numbers of users by uploading a CSV file: this article covers the feature, and its options in detail. 

See “Upload users by batch CSV file” for how-to instructions.

The batch upload feature lets you manage volumes of data with a comma-separated value (CSV) file. The most powerful features need data in a column, plus setting an option for the upload in the application interface. These features include:

• creating or inviting new users, and assigning them to groups
• creating or inviting new users, and assigning them to groups, and removing group assignments for existing users, in the same upload
• adding or updating custom user data about users

To get started, download a sample CSV template from Batch User Upload. 

Topics covered in this article:

• Comma-separated value (CSV) file basics

• Batch upload interface options explained

Comma-separated value (CSV) file basics

Spreadsheet applications use CSV files to share data with minimal formatting, and no calculations or indexing attached to the data. CSV files, and similar files which use tabs or pipes (|) to separate values, are broadly called 'flat' files. 

The formatting conventions CSV files do use are:

• line: each record in a CSV gets a single line

• commas: commas separate individual values for an item on a line

• double quotes: enclose any strings of text, like a long group name, in double quotes

For Safety Made Simple use, the column headings in your CSV file are not case-sensitive. The CSV sample template uses lowercase by default, but accepts an uploaded file with capitalized columns. 

The batch file upload does require exact matches of column heading spelling and spacing. If you add a column of custom user data, the column heading must use the same spelling and spacing as the custom user data field in Safety Made Simple.

Example: if you create a custom user data field called Department, your column title in the CSV must be Department, not Dept or Dep.

Batch upload interface options explained

Upload file

Select to browse your drive for your CSV file.

Separator character

Pick the separator character used in your file:  comma (default), tab, pipe, or other. For other, enter a custom separator character.

Send Invites to new users?

You either create (default) or invite (not recommended) new users:

• creating users lets an admin create user profiles, and the admin can assign users to groups and enroll them in courses. It requires an admin to set an initial password for each user, using the password column in the CSV file

• inviting users sends an auto-email with a link for users to respond to and set their own password. The admin can assign users to a group in a batch upload, but the users are pending until they respond to the invite

See “Add users to your portal” for background.

Update existing users?

This option lets you update lots of existing learners' data in your portal, with one uploaded file.

Safety Made Simple relies on the unique identifier - username - to identify users. In a batch upload, Safety Made Simple overwrites any other changed data associated with a unique identifier.

You cannot update the unique identifier for existing users by batch upload: this step requires the Safety Made Simple interface.

Example: existing learner johndoe123 has the firstname and lastname values "John" and
 "Doe" respectively. Your next batch upload for johndoe@abc.com can provide new values of "John" and "Smith", but cannot change the username johndoe123.

Search and select groups to assign

Enable this option to add all the users in the batch upload to the same group, or groups. The application prompts you to search for the group, or groups, to assign your users to.

The groups must already exist in your portal: you cannot create new groups with this option. See “Group your users” about creating groups.

To add users to several different groups, or to change groups, use the assign_groups or group_sync columns in the CSV file, rather than the interface option.

Note: this option disables the option to add users to courses through the same batch user upload.

Perform user/group upload sync?

This option lets you assign users to groups listed in the group_sync column. The data you upload synchronizes users and groups, making sure users are assigned to, or removed from, groups as required.

If you invite new users while using group_sync, the users are assigned to their groups when they accept the invite.

Warning: take care when updating existing users. If you leave an empty value in group_sync, then the application removes those users from all groups.

Perform unenrollments during user/group sync?

If you have assigned groups to courses or learning paths, Safety Made Simple can unenroll users from the courses and paths when removing them from groups.

Enable this feature, to process these unenrollments for any group removals that occur as part of your sync.

Note: This unenrollment applies only to learners who have not started a course, or whose courses are in progress. Completed courses always stay in a user's training history.

Enroll users in courses?

Set this option to enroll users in multiple courses.

Note: this option disables the option to add users to groups in the same batch upload. 

Re-enroll completed users?

Set this option to re-enroll users who have completed any of the courses you assigned in a new enrollment.

Example: if your learners need to retain a certification, or renew their training regularly, this option ensures learners stay enrolled.