Use this import to add or update the dated records behind employee fields, instead of entering each record by hand on the employee's profile.
Some employee fields keep not only their current value, but the whole history behind it: what the field held, and from which date. On the employee's profile, these fields show a list of dated records instead of a single value: Junior from January 2023, Middle from April 2024, Senior from July 2026.
This import fills that history in bulk. Use it when you are moving to PeopleForce and want past values to come across with you, when you have just started keeping a history for a field and want to backfill it for everyone, or when a batch of records needs correcting.
💡 Only fields marked as Historical fields can be imported. Tick them in Settings > People Data when you create or edit a field. Once ticked, you can't untick it. File and Rich text fields can never keep a history.
🧾 Prepare your file
Download the template and use it as a reference (sample for reference only).
Complete these required fields:
Employee ID: ID number of an existing employee;
Employees are identified by Employee ID only; this import does not accept email addresses or full names. Make sure everyone in the file has an Employee ID filled in on their profile.
internal_name: the internal name of an employee field that keeps a history
To find the internal name, go to Settings > Employee fields, open the field and copy Internal name from the top of the form. Capitalisation does not matter, but everything else must match exactly. The internal name stays the same when someone renames the field.
effective_on: the date from which the value applies;
value: the value the field held from that date;
What to write in the value column
The value must suit the type of the field named in internal_name:
Field type | Write |
Single-line text, Multi-line text | Any text |
Number | A number. A decimal comma is read as a point - |
Date picker | A date in your account's date format, or |
Single select | One option, spelled exactly as it is in the field's settings |
Multiple select | Several options separated by commas |
Single checkbox |
|
Employee select | The referenced employee's Employee ID or email address |
📤 Import field history into the system
Go to Settings > Imports.
Select Field history as the import type.
Upload your completed file.
Check the field mapping. The system maps matching columns automatically where possible. Manually map any fields that were not recognised automatically.
Click Next to preview data.
Review the Preview and start the import. Valid rows are processed even if other rows in the same file contain errors. Invalid rows are skipped and recorded in the import results.
✅ The system will automatically validate each row. Any cells with invalid data will be highlighted in red - fix these in your file and re-import as needed
How existing records are updated
The system identifies records by employee, field and effective date combination:
New record created if the employee has no record for that field on that date
Existing record's value updated if the same employee, field and date already exist
The effective date itself is never changed — to move a record to another date, import the new row and delete the old record on the employee's profile
The import never deletes records
📊 Track file upload history
Open Import > History to view uploads.
Check imported/updated records and errors.
Click the 3 dots > View logs to view detailed error messages.
Error message | What it means |
Employee ID does not exist | No employee has that ID, or the employee is archived |
Field does not exist, or does not keep a history | The internal name is misspelled, the field is not marked Historical field, or the field is disabled |
Effective date is not a valid date | The date could not be read. Use your account's date format, or |
Value is not valid for the field X | The value does not suit that field's type, or the cell is blank |