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Attendance/Absence Import

Attendance/Absence Import

 

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In order to use Attendance/Absence Import option, the user will need to have the default USPS_STANDARD or USPS_STANDARD_ATTENDANCE_IMPORT role. If changes to a user’s roles are needed, a user with the ADMIN role can assist.

The Utilities>Attendance/Absence Import option allows data (often obtained from third party software) contained in a load file to be imported into USPS. When the load file is imported, information contained in the load file creates Core>Attendance records as well as payment information into Payroll Payments - Future or Payroll Payment - Current. For payment entries, payroll account(s) can be included in the import file for charging purposes. There is no limit to the number of records that can be included in the import file.

The import file must conform the following:

  • Column placement must match the file specifications listed below.

  • All required fields must be formatted the file specifications listed below.

  • The load must be formatted as a comma delimited or a comma separated values (CSV) file.

Some districts utilize the deferred posting absence option when posting sick, vacation, and personal leave. The deferred absence posting option allows absence entries to be created in Attendance that affect a future pay period to be entered at any time. These leave entries will not touch the employee’s current leave balance until the Activity Date on the leave record falls within the payroll’s Start Date and Stop Date. If the System>Configuration>Deferred Absence Posting checkbox is marked prior to the file being loaded in Attendance/Absence Import, the deferred absences rules will apply. For more information regarding deferred absence posting, click here.

image-20250429-172246.png

 

  • Attendance Import File - Must be formatted as a comma delimited or a comma separated (CSV) file.

  • Location Code - Used to determine the Position to post the transaction to if one is not included in the load file. The Location Code may contain either a Position>Building IRN or Position>Building Code/Department Code. If using the Location Code field, select one of the following options: 

    •  Building IRN

    •  Building/Department Code

    •  None

  • Post to Payroll Processing Options offers the following options:

    •  None - No Payroll Payments - Future or Payroll Payments - Current payment posting will occur. Column O (Gross) of the CSV file is ignored as well.

    • Post to Payroll Processing Future - Payment information will be posted to Payroll Payments - Future.

    • Post to Payroll Processing Current - Payment information will be posted to Payroll Payments - Current.

  • Combine Attendance Entries

    • Mark the checkbox - If AT entries that include payment information, when imported will create Payroll Payment - Future or Payroll Payments - Current entries, for employees should be combined. In order for Payroll Payments - Future and Payroll Payments Current entries to be combined, Column B, Column C, Column Q, Column I, Column J, Column R, Column S, Column V, Column N, Column W must match. These entries will be combined on the Pay Report and the employee's pay slip.

    • Unmark the checkbox - If AT entries that include payment information, when imported will create Payroll Payment - Future or Payroll Payments - Current entries, for employees should not be combined.

  • Allow Negative Leave Balance prompt offers the following options: 

    • Mark the checkbox - If AB entries, when imported will create Attendance records for sick, vacation and personal leave, should allow employees leave balances to become negative. These situations will appears as warning errors on the error report.

    • Unmark the checkbox - If AB entries, when imported will create Attendance records for sick, vacation and personal leave, should not allow employees leave balances to become negative. These situations will appears as fatal errors on the error report.

      • Even if the Rules>Rule to prevent Sick Leave balance from going negative is false, the checkbox needs to be checked to allow negative balances.

  • Payroll Account to Charge prompt offers the following options:

    • Defined Payroll Account for Position - Charge the Position>Pay Account(s).

    • Sub for SSN - Charge the regular employee’s Position>Pay Account(s). The Employee ID entered must have a Compensation with remaining pays (Pays Paid must be less than Pays In Contract).

      • Specific object codes can be entered when the Sub for SSN option is selected.

        • Certified Object - Enter the appropriate certified object code.

        • Classified Object - Enter the appropriate classified object code.

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File Specifications

 This file is used to import attendance and/or absences into Attendance and/or payment information into Payroll Payment - Future or Payroll Payment - Current. The field names that are bolded are required in the load file. Column headings are not required in the load file; however, column placement must be match the spreadsheet column listed below.

Field Name

Spreadsheet Column

Column Position  

Field Location and Valid Values

Format

Maximum Character Size 

Field Name

Spreadsheet Column

Column Position  

Field Location and Valid Values

Format

Maximum Character Size 

Record Indicator

A

1

Indicates Absence/Attendance

  • AA

XXXX

4 

Employee Number

B

2

Employee>Number

XXXXXXXXX

9 

Position Number

C

3

Either the Position Number or a location code

  • Position>Building IRN or

  • Position>Building Code/Department Code

99

2 

Location Code

D

4

A location code can be used instead of a Position Number.

  • Position>Building IRN or

  • Position>Building Code/Department Code.

XXXXXX

6 

Activity Date

E

5

Attendance>Activity Date

YYYYMMDD

8 

Transaction Type

F

6

Attendance>Type

  • AB = Absence

  • AT = Attendance

XX

2 

Transaction Category

G

7

Attendance>Category

AB Type:

  • CA = Calamity

  • DO = Dock

  • HO = Holiday

  • JD = Jury Duty

  • MI = Military

  • OT = Other

  • PL = Personal

  • PR = Professional

  • SI = Sick

  • UN = Unknown

  • VA = Vacation

AT Type:

  • AT = Attendance

  • SB = Substituting

XX

2 

Transaction Length

H

8

Attendance>Length

  • Numeric value of absence or attendance

(+/-)99999.999

10 

Unit

I

9

Attendance>Unit

Compensation>Pay Unit

  • H = Hourly

  • D = Daily

XX

1 

Rate

J

10

Payroll Payments - Future>Unit or Payroll Payments - Current>Units

  • If a value is entered, this rate will be used when the record is created.

  • If a value is not entered, the Compensation>Unit Amount will be used when the record is created.

    • For Overtime (OT), leave the Unit blank and the system will calculate a value by Compensation>Unit Amount X 1.5% and round the value using Configuration>Rounding Configuration>Unit Amount Decimal Positions.

(+/-)9999.999

9 

Appointment Type

K

11

Position>Appointment Type

  • Space = Not Defined

  • 1 = Certified

  • 2 = Classified

XX

1 

Substitute For

L

12

Attendance>Substitute For

  • Number of employee the substitute is working for. May be used to determine pay account charging.

XXXXXXXXX

9 

Sub Category

M

13

Attendance>Sub Category

  • User defined.

 

XX

Expenditure Account

N

14

Payroll Payments - Future>Specific Pay Accounts or Payroll Payments - Current>Specific Pay Accounts

  • Pay Account

    • Fund = XXX

    • Function = XXXX

    • Object = XXX

    • Special Cost Center = XXXX

    • Subject = XXXXXX

    • Operational Unit = XXX

    • Instructional Level = XX

    • Job = XXX

  • XREF Code

Alphanumeric

28 

Gross

O 

15 

Payroll Payments - Future>Gross or Payroll Payments - Current>Gross

  • Y = Yes

  • N = No

  • Space = User defined. When the file is loaded, you will be prompted to select:

    • Post to Future

    • Post to Current

    • None

 X

1 

Retire Hours

P 

16 

Payroll Payments - Future>Retire Hours or Payroll Payments - Current>Retire Hours

  • Entering a value of 0 in the load file will result in 0 being populated in the Retire Hours field.

  • For REG and OT Pay Types (Column Q), the Compensation>Hours In Day value will be used if retire hours are not included in the load file.

  • For MIS, DCK, SHP, IRR, BCK, and TRM Pay Types, the Retire Hours value will be set to 0 if retire hours are not included in the load file.

 (+/-)999.999

8 

Pay Type

Q 

17 

Payroll Payments - Future>Pay Type or Payroll Payments - Current>Pay Type

  • REG = Regular (Can not be used if Compensation>Strs Advance checkbox is marked).

  • MIS = Miscellaneous

  • OT = Overtime

  • BOT = Blended Overtime

  • DCK = Dock

  • SHP = Shift Premium

  • IRR = Irregular (Can not be used if Compensation>Strs Advance checkbox is marked).

  • BCK = Retro

  • TRM = Termination

  • POF = Pay off accrued wages

  • NC1 = Life Insurance Premium

  • NC2 = Adoption Assistance

  • NC3 = Non-cash Taxable Benefit

XXX 

3 

Supplemental Tax Option

R 

18 

Payroll Payments - Future>Supplemental Tax Option or Payroll Payments - Current>Supplemental Tax Option

  • 1 = Apply Annuities to Regular

  • 2 = None

  • 3 = Apply Annuities to Supplemental

  • Space = None

If left blank in csv file:

• If the Compensation>Supplemental Type Option equal Apply Annuities to Regular, then Apply Annuities to Regular is automatically assigned.

•  If the Compensation>Supplemental Type Option equal Apply Annuities to Supplemental, then Apply Annuities to Supplemental automatically assigned.

•  If the Compensation>Supplemental Type Option does not equal Apply Annuities to Regular or Apply Annuities to Supplemental, then no supplemental tax option is assigned.

 X

1 

Applies For Retirement

S 

19 

Payroll Payments - Future>Applies For Retirement or Payroll Payments - Current>Applies For Retirement.

  • Y or Space = Mark the checkbox.

  • N = Do not mark the checkbox.

X 

1 

Description

T 

20 

Payroll Payments - Future>Description or Payroll Payments - Current>Description

  • Quotes are acceptable.

  • Multiple values can be entered by separating them with a comma.

    • Example: 5/8/25, 5/10,25

Alphanumeric 

25 

Attendance  

U 

21 

Attendance

  • Should an Attendance record be created?

    • Y or Space = Yes, create an Attendance record.

    • N = No, do not create an Attendance record.

 X

1 

Board Distribution Flag

V 

22 

Payroll Payments - Future>Specific Pay Account>Employer Distribution or Payroll Payments - Current>Specific Pay Account>Employer Distribution

  • Y or Space = Mark the checkbox.

  • N = Do not mark the checkbox.

X 

1 

Leave Projection Flag

W 

23 

Payroll Payments - Future>Specific Pay Account>Leave Projection or Payroll Payments - Current>Specific Pay Account>Leave Projection

  • Y or Space = Mark the checkbox.

  • N = Do not mark the checkbox.

X 

1 

Effective Date

X 

24 

Payroll Payments - Future>Effective Date

YYYYMMDD 

8 

Label

Y

25

Compensation>Label

  • Used to assign the appropriate Compensation to the Attendance record.

  • If the employee has more than one Compensation assigned to the same Position, the Label is used to determine which Compensation to apply the entry to.

Alphanumeric 

 

FLSA OT

  • ONLY for OT and BOT pay types

  • Non-OT pay types will be ignored and the value set to False

Z

26

Included:

  • INCLUDED

Excluded:

  • EXCLUDED

If left blank, will default to INCLUDED

 

 

 

USPIMPORT.CSV Sample

ATTERR Error Report

Once the import file has been loaded, any errors will be displayed on the Attendance/Absence Import grid and listed in the ATTERR.CSV report. To view the error(s), open the ATTERR.CSV file. Below is an example of an error message (the error is in bold):

  • AA,XXXXXXXXX,01,,20160520,AB,VA,1,D,320.000,1 | "Error message here"

Any necessary corrections can be made directly in the ATTERR.CSV file. Removing the error messages is not required. The corrected ATTERR.CSV file can then be saved in CSV format and then loaded using the Attendance/Absence Import option.

Common Fatal Errors:

  • Attendance for the day cannot total more than 1 day.

    •  If the Leaves>Leave Unit equals Daily and the Length is greater than 1 or less than -1.

  • Attendance for the day cannot total more than 24 hours.

    •  If the Leaves>Leave Unit equals Hourly and the Length is greater than greater than 24 or less than -24.

  • An Attendance entry cannot be posted to a position for which the job status is deceased.

    • An Attendance entry cannot be posted to a Position with a Job Status that equals Deceased.

  • An Attendance entry cannot be posted to a position for which the job status is terminated.

    • An Attendance entry cannot be posted to a Position with a Job Status that equals Terminated.

  • Appropriation account does not exist for budget account.

    • Budget account to be charged does not have a corresponding appropriation account. Verify the Expenditure Account is in the CSV file (Column N).