Best practice forum (Archived)

Multiple job assignments in HR import

 
Ian MacKinnon
Multiple job assignments in HR import
by Ian MacKinnon - Monday, 19 December 2016, 9:45 AM
 

Hi,

Not sure if I've missed something straight forward here, but how do you assign multiple job assignments to a user via HR import (CSV)? There is the column for "jobassignmentidnumber" which I have populated with 1 for the first job, but how do I then assign the second job assignment?

I have tried to upload a separate file with just the second job assignments on, but this just replaces the first rather than adding to it.

Thanks,

Ian

Craig Eves
Re: Multiple job assignments in HR import
by Craig Eves (Totara Support) - Monday, 19 December 2016, 12:32 PM
Group Totara

Hi ian

There are some instructions on using HR import for multiple job assignment at  https://help.totaralearning.com/display/TL9/Upgrading+and+Using+Job+Assignments#UpgradingandUsingJobAssignments-HRImport 

This covers the scenario of using your own job assignment numbers. Basically once you have the multiple job assignments setup you can use different values in the field jobassignmentidnumber for the same user in the import file

regards

Ian MacKinnon
Re: Multiple job assignments in HR import
by Ian MacKinnon - Monday, 19 December 2016, 2:47 PM
 

Thanks Craig. I did look on that page first, and on second read I still can't find a solution to my problem.

I have job assignments set up, and on upload it creates the correct job assignment, but my question is, how do I assign one user to multiple job assignments, in one upload? Your suggestion of using different values for the same user in the import file, does that mean in the same upload?


Nathan Lewis
Re: Multiple job assignments in HR import
by Nathan Lewis - Monday, 19 December 2016, 3:10 PM
Group Totara

Hi Ian.

The important bit is the "Link job assignment" setting. If you're linking to the first job assignment, you can only have one record per user in your import and it will always write the data you provide into their first job assignment record, including updating the job assignment id number (it is effectively just another imported field). If you change it to link by job assignment id number, then you can include multiple records per user in one import (or do some in one import and others in another, whatever you like) and it will use the job assignment id number you provide as a key, either update existing records with matching job assignment id number or it will create new job assignments if the provided job assignment id number does not already exist for that user.

You should make sure you read the whole document before trying this. It's important to understand that once you import linking on job assignment id number, you can't change the setting back to linking to the first job assignment record (it would mess up your data big time, so we don't let you change it back).

Nathan

Ian MacKinnon
Re: Multiple job assignments in HR import
by Ian MacKinnon - Tuesday, 20 December 2016, 2:03 AM
 

Hi Nathan,

Thanks for this. I'm still not able to get it to work for multiple assignments for the same user, in the same import. I shall put a ticket in, thanks for your assistance.

Ian

Amir Elion
Re: Multiple job assignments in HR import
by Amir Elion - Wednesday, 11 January 2017, 2:27 AM
 
Hi Nathan,

Can you please clarify the process and setting in the following scenario:

  1. For most users, there is only 1 job assignment. For a few there are several jobs and therefore multiple jobs is required.
  2. HR Import is used only to sync primary jobs for all users
  3. For the few users that do have multiple jobs - these will be added and updated manually

How can this be set up - ensuring the HR Import does not override the 2nd job assignment that is handled manually?

Thanks,

Amir

Nathan Lewis
Re: Multiple job assignments in HR import
by Nathan Lewis - Wednesday, 11 January 2017, 12:27 PM
Group Totara

Hi Amir.

Please check out this thread:

https://totara.community/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=11844

The first scenario would work in your case, as long as you enable multiple jobs and you make sure that your users don't change the order of their job assignments within their profiles.

Or to prevent that mistake from happening, use scenario two, and include the job assignment id number column in your import with value "1" for all records - if someone did swap the job assignments in their profile then it would still be updating the job assignment with id "1", wherever in the list it is. You can leave out the other job assignments from your import source. Job assignments are only created or updated using HR Import. They aren't deleted if they are missing from the import, and only the records in the import are affected.

Nathan