Overview
Originally, this feature was designed for HR Bamboo however, we have found that it can be beneficial and useful for all clients even if Bamboo is not our HR tool currently used.
We understand that manually entering in PTO on a cell-by-cell basis within the Assignments View can be tedious - especially when you're already using an HRIS system to track and approve PTO! We want to make PTO easier, and we're starting with HRIS system Bamboo. With our new PTO Upload feature, you can download PTO entries directly from Bamboo and upload them right into to Parallax!
| How it Works | We’ll cover what this change is and the basics of how to use it. |
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There are some important details you'll want to be aware of when using this feature to avoid snags, we've grouped them below so you can skip ahead to learn more: Upload matched by Employee Name Check out each of these subsections to make sure you're aware of this info before using! |
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| Can I use this for other HRIS systems besides Bamboo? |
We’ll talk more in this section about how this affects you if you don't use Bamboo HR. |
How it works
To obtain the correct CSV download from Bamboo HR, you'll want to make sure you're an Admin there - likewise, to use the Upload with Parallax, you'll want to make sure you have Permission to edit Time Off in Parallax. You'll want to reach out to the individual in your organization in charge of managing Permissions if you need to check this.
You'll start by obtaining a CSV download of the standard report in Bamboo called Time Off Schedule, then you'll upload it. This can be done in the following easy steps:
- You'll find the Time Off Schedule report in Bamboo under "Reports".
- Download a CSV of the Report - you'll find this in the upper-right corner.
- This will download a ZIP with two CSVs - you'll want to extract them.
- Once you've extracted them you should see two files - one for the PTO hours themselves, and the other with the applied filters. We'll be using the file for the hours themselves*.
- Next visit the Parallax Time-Off Page (under Settings) to click "Upload CSV" - select the hours CSV you got from Bamboo to upload it right into Parallax!
Once you're viewing this report, you'll select "CSV" in the "More".
Important things to know before using
Upload is matched by Employee Name
Because Bamboo does not provide email addresses within their CSV download, Bamboo and Parallax Employees will be matched by First and Last Name. This means that:
- Employee Names in Parallax and Bamboo need to be written identically, including spelling/punctuation, etc.
- Employees with identical Names (i.e. John Smith) would need to be differentiated in both Parallax and Bamboo (i.e. John A. Smith, John B. Smith)* in order to be captured by the upload.
If the Names are not in agreement, you'll see an error like this calling out which lines in the CSV could not be matched to Parallax. The good news is that if this happens, Parallax will still accept the lines from your CSV that were matched - so you can identify what isn't matching in the lines that error out, and either re-upload the file with just those names or (if it's just one or two) add the PTO manually.
*Parallax Tip - Pay attention to the First Name and Last Name Field!
If the names look identical, but you're differentiating Employees by a middle name or middle initial, make sure the middle name/initial is in the same field (first name or last name) in both Parallax and Bamboo - Example:
First Name: John A.
Last Name: Smith
vs.
First Name: John
Last Name: A. Smith
Upload is Write/Edit-only
The PTO Upload feature is designed for adding and editing PTO within Parallax - while you can overwrite PTO that has already been added to Parallax on a given day, you would not be able to use the PTO Upload to remove PTO from Parallax. For example, if you have uploaded time from Bamboo into Parallax and the time has changed, the change would need to be done in Parallax directly from the Assignments View page.
*Parallax Tip - I accidentally uploaded PTO unintentionally!
While the PTO Upload cannot be used to remove PTO entries in Parallax, you can add an entry of 0 hours. If you still have the file you uploaded, you can quickly reverse any entries by editing your CSV file to remove any lines you want to keep and change the Amount in any lines you want to remove to 0.
Employees need a start date in Bamboo HR
In order to accrue PTO in Bamboo HR, Employees need a start date - if you're having difficulty locating them in the appropriate report within Bamboo HR, make sure you've checked to verify they have a start date!
Replacing Convert PTO
Previously as part of the transition from tracking PTO through Internal Projects, our Time Off Page temporarily had an option for converting Internal Projects within Parallax into PTO. As part of this release, this option is now being retired. If you still have Internal Projects that you have not yet converted into PTO, please reach out to your CSM for help!
Can I use this for other HRIS systems besides Bamboo?
Currently, this feature is designed specifically to accept the template that is exported by Bamboo HR in the above-mentioned standard report. However, if you are able to export a CSV file from an alternate HRIS system and format that CSV to match this template, Parallax can accept any CSV file that matches this format.
To that end, we have provided an example template on the Time Off Page showing the required format as a point of reference if you are not using Bamboo HR. However, until we are able to expand our CSV Upload to include additional upload formats, it is recommended if you are not using Bamboo HR to test any CSV you have reformatted using a limited number of entries.
We hope to expand the PTO Upload feature as we identify additional formats used by other HRIS systems - so keep an eye out for more to come!**
**Parallax Tip - Time is stretched across the whole range!
You'll want to remember when using Hours, the amount of Hours/Days you enter will be stretched across the whole Period (ex: 5 Hours on Jan 1-Jan 5 is 1h per day, not 5h per day). Make sure you're adding the full Total amount of Time, not amount per Day.