The Timesheet Import module lets you bring time and attendance information captured outside FastTrack360 into the system so electronic timesheets can be created, approved, paid, and billed as normal. This article explains the overall import process, from uploading the file through to reviewing the results and handling any exceptions.
⚠ Important: When entering timesheets manually in the UI, negative values are not supported. However, if the import file includes negative values, Timesheet Import imports them. If an imported timesheet with a negative value is approved, the negative value displays on the interpreted timesheet.
Understand Timesheet Import
The Timesheet Import module uses an import batch to group a collection of timesheet data that is processed together to create timesheets in the Time and Attendance module.
Each timesheet import batch follows these general steps:
Upload the timesheet import file.
Define the field mapping.
Queue the timesheet import batch for processing.
Once a batch is processed, any timesheets that can be created successfully are created in the Time and Attendance module with a status of Submitted. The import batch status is set to Completed or Completed with Exceptions, depending on whether any rows failed to import.
If a system error occurs when you queue an import batch for processing, the status of the batch is set to Failed, and no timesheets are created in Time and Attendance. In this case, you must process the original import file again as part of a new timesheet import batch.
Upload the Timesheet Import File
The import batch process starts when you upload a timesheet import file that contains the data used to create timesheets and populate their fields.
Prepare the import file in the required format so that the Timesheet Import module can read it.
Ensure the first row of the import file contains column headers that can be mapped to FastTrack timesheet fields.
Upload the import file to create a new timesheet import batch.
Define Field Mapping
After you upload the import file, the system validates its format. If the format is valid, the system reads and displays the column headers from the file.
Review the column headers detected from the import file.
Map each column header to the appropriate Time and Attendance timesheet field to tell the system what each piece of data represents.
Confirm the mapping once all required fields are mapped.
You can save a set of field mappings as a field mapping template:
Configure the mapping for an import file from a particular source.
Save the configuration as a template.
Apply the template whenever you process another import file from the same source, so you do not need to configure the mapping again.
Queue the Import Batch for Processing
Once the field mapping is configured, you can queue the timesheet import batch for processing.
Queue the import batch for processing.
When you queue the batch, the system performs field mapping and data type validation to check that timesheets and timesheet items can theoretically be created based on the mapping and the types of data in the import file.
If the validation succeeds:
The import batch is sent to the Process Queue.
The batch undergoes processing in the background.
The time required to process the batch depends on factors such as:
The number of import batches already queued for processing.
The number of rows in the import file.
Review Import Batch Results
When processing of an import batch is completed:
Any timesheets that can be created successfully from the import file are created in the Time and Attendance module.
The status of these timesheets is set to Submitted.
The import batch status is set to Completed or Completed with Exceptions, depending on whether all rows imported successfully.
After processing is complete, you can:
Download the original import file that was used for the batch.
Download the exception report, which:
Lists rows from the import file that failed to import.
Shows exception reasons that explain why each row failed.
Download the validation report, which identifies all rows from the import file that imported successfully.
View the import batch audit information for tracking and review purposes.
If a system error occurs when the import batch is queued for processing:
The batch status is set to Failed.
No timesheets are created in Time and Attendance.
You must reprocess the original import file as part of a new import batch.
Notifications and Imported Timesheets
If notifications are configured in the related Timesheet Workflow, the system handles them differently for imported timesheets:
Instant notifications do not dispatch for the import batch, to avoid a large volume of notifications being triggered at once and potentially affecting system performance.
Scheduled notifications still dispatch so that, where imported timesheets remain unapproved, reminders are sent to the approver or approvers defined in the Timesheet Workflow.