Data Import - Global Employee Census Data

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This article is part of a series on importing records into PensionPro. Specifically, this article focuses on adding yearly Census data from multiple Plans to their respective Projects or Plan Cycles in a single import. Importing census information is accomplished by saving the necessary data in Excel workbook format, then uploading the data using Power Tools. This article will cover obtaining and completing the proper templates, and uploading those templates to PensionPro.

 

Warning: This Power Tool is only intended to add new records to PensionPro; it cannot be used to add additional data to, or update, existing records. In some cases, this functionality may be provided by another Power Tool (such as the Field Update category of Power Tools). For more information, refer to the article Power Tools.

 

Tier Availability: Team, Business

 

Article Contents

 

 

 

Global Census Import Basics

 

The Global Employee Census Data Import performs the same function as uploading census data directly to an Annual Data Collection; however, rather than uploading one census at a time, the Power Tool can upload census data to multiple different Plans, or even to multiple plan years for the same Plan. This can be useful for new firms importing data into PensionPro for the first time, or for firms who are adding a new Plan and who want to include historical census data.

 

Imported census data is added to the Employees step of Data Collection on relevant Plan Cycles (Team tier) or Projects (Business tier). If census data already exists for a Data Collection, it will be overwritten by this import.

 

Note: Annual Data Collection must be launched for the relevant plan year before census data can be imported. For more information, refer to the article Data Collection - Annual Data Collection.

 

 

Obtaining an Import Template

 

Requires Security Rights: Access Power Tools

 

Blank templates can be downloaded directly from PensionPro. It is always best to download a fresh copy of the template whenever an import needs to be performed to ensure that it is up to date with PensionPro's current standards.

 

To obtain a copy of the import template:

 

  1. Select Power Tools > Import > Global Employee Census to launch the Census Import Power Tool.
  2. The Power Tool begins at Step 1: Options. Select Moremore_options.png > Download Template. A blank template will be saved to the device.

 

 

Completing the Import Template

 

The Global Census Import template mimics a standard census template; each row represents a single employee for a single plan year, with each column collecting the necessary census data.

 

Minimum required data:

Plan Name / TPA Plan ID At least one of these fields is required to match the entry to an existing Plan in PensionPro. If both fields are used, they must reference the same Plan.
Period End Must match the Period End date of an existing Annual Administration Project or Plan Cycle under the above Plan.
First Name and Last Name Both fields are required.

 

The remaining columns on the import template correlate to each census field used by PensionPro. Column headings cannot be altered in any way, but unnecessary columns may be deleted if desired.

 

I set up PensionPro to only collect certain census fields per plan type. How do I account for this on the import template?

There isn't any need to remove columns or limit what data is added to the Global Census Import template; it can be used as-is for multiple different plan types at once. For each line, PensionPro will only import fields used by the associated plan type; all other data will be ignored.

 

 

Importing the Template

 

Requires Security Rights: Access Power Tools

 

Once the template is complete, it can be imported via Power Tools.

 

  1. Select Power Tools > Import > Global Employee Census to launch the Census Import Power Tool.
  2. In Step 1: Options, use the File Selection box to select the import template, then select Next.
    • If an issue with the template is detected, an error message will appear in red containing a link to an error log. Selecting the link opens a new Error Log tab, which summarizes any errors (which will prevent the import) or warnings (which will not prevent an import, but may signal undesired results).
  3. Step 2: Preview will display the records as interpreted by PensionPro. Review the data, then select Next.
    • If one or more records contain issues that are preventing a successful import, an error message will appear in red containing a link to download an error log. This error log is a copy of the import template, but with any cells containing errors highlighted in red. Hovering over a highlighted cell will display a note containing the associated error message.
  4. Step 3: Review summarizes the data to be imported. Select Execute.
  5. When Step 4: Finish is reached, the data has been imported and is now available for use. If desired, select Start Over to run the Power Tool again from the beginning.