Upload users by batch CSV file

Bulk create users using batch upload. The batch creation function allows you to bulk invite or create users by Comma Separated Value (CSV) file.

See “Batch user upload: overview and options explained” for detailed review of the batch upload options.

When you batch upload users, Safety Made Simple assigns all users the Learner user type. After a successful upload, you need to edit some accounts to change them to Manager, Instructor or Administrator.

Topics covered in this article:

• Download an example template
• Prepare your CSV file
• Review the example CSV, column by column
• CSV columns for features: assign_groups and group_sync
• Upload your CSV file
• Batch summary email
• Troubleshooting

Download an example template

1. From main navigation go to Users.
2. From the action menu select Batch Upload.
3. Optionally: select a Separator character. The default separator is a comma.
4. From Select your user data file, choose download an example file. 

Safety Made Simple provides a download link to a CSV, which you can open in a spreadsheet.

Prepare your CSV file

The template file contains column titles like username, email, firstname and lastname. Do not change the column titles: the application needs these titles to recognize the data.

1. Delete the sample data and replace it with your data.
2. The template file contains a notes section about how to populate your file. Delete this text before uploading the file. 
3. After you enter your data in the CSV file, save it locally to ready for upload.

The following screenshot shows the top of the example template.

Required columns:

• username: the unique identifier for the portal
• password: when creating new users you must provide an initial password

When inviting users, delete the password column: new users set their own passwords when they accept the invite. 

All other columns are optional, but you may need them for additional actions like assigning groups. 

Though it is not mandatory, we highly recommend you always enter the firstname and lastname for your users.

Username Tip: Username lengths can be no less than six characters and no greater than 30 characters.

Password Tip: The passwords in your file can be no less than 6 characters in length.

Review the example CSV, column by column

Typically, the example CSV file contains the following columns. The columns can vary if you have set up custom user data fields. See “Custom user data: set up custom fields”.

username: required as the unique identifier Safety Made Simple uses to distinguish users in the portal

email: optional but we recommend entering one when possible 

firstname, lastname: are not mandatory but we highly recommend always entering this information

password: required for creating users, delete the column if you are inviting users

expires: optional. Set a date when the user's access to Safety Made Simple runs out.

enabled: optional. By default, Safety Made Simple enables new users. Enter No to disable users: for instance, for someone on leave, to prevent them logging in when they are not at work.

must_change_pass: an optional setting for creating users, where you are providing an initial password. Enter Yes to oblige the user to change the initial password at first login.

CSV columns for features: assign_groups and group_sync

assign_groups: this column's data assigns users to different groups, or multiple groups. The group name you enter must match the spelling and spacing of the group name in Safety Made Simple, or else the batch upload does not recognize it, and generates an error.

You can only add users to groups with assign_groups: you cannot remove a user from a group with this column. To change or remove users from groups use group_sync.

Note:

• to add users to more than one group, enter a comma-separated list in the field, like: sales, support, marketing
• if your group name uses a comma, enclose the group names in quotes, like: "sales, Europe", "sales, US", "support", "marketing"
• when in doubt, enclose the whole set of names in quotes (bold for emphasis): ""sales, Europe", "sales, US", "support", "marketing""

group_sync: this column works together with Perform user/group upload sync? option in the portal, to add and remove users from groups. Enter group names as comma-separated list, like for assign_groups.

If group_sync has entries, the application ignores any entries in assign_groups.

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

Upload your CSV file

For a basic task of creating new users you need the first 5 steps. If you are using a batch upload to manage group assignments or courses, you set the options in step 6.

1. From main navigation go to Users.
2. From the Actions menu, select Batch Upload.
3. Select Upload File. Find and then select the file you want to upload.
4. From Enter the character that separates the data columns in your file, select the separator characters in your file: comma, tab or pipe. If you use the sample CSV file provided, use default comma separator. 
5. If you are inviting users select Send invites to new users? Default setting is creating users.
6. Select the optional settings which apply to this upload:
   • To assign the whole batch upload to one or more groups, set Search and select groups to assign, and find the correct group names.
   • If you are using the group_sync column in the CSV to add and remove users from groups, select Perform user/group upload sync. 
   • If you use group_sync to change users' groups, optionally select Perform unenrollments during user/group sync? to unenroll users from any courses when their group changes.
   • To assign the whole batch upload to one or more courses, select Enroll users in courses? and search for the courses in the field as required. 
   • If you assign the batch to a course, you can optionally set Re-enroll completed users? so users stay enrolled on the course.
7.  Save to start the upload.

Note: in a single batch upload, you can either assign users to groups, or assign users to courses, through the interface options. You cannot set both options in a single batch upload.

The following screenshot shows the 2 interface options used most often in a batch user upload.

A pop-up message confirms that Safety Made Simple is processing the file. 

Batch summary email

The finished file upload triggers a summary email. The summary states if the upload was successful and lists the number of users who were created or invited. It lists errors if the file fails to upload, or if some accounts had errors.

Troubleshooting

See “Character encoding errors in batch uploads: troubleshooting” for the most typical issues with batch uploads.