Use bulk import to create multiple group types, groups, and group memberships at once by uploading a CSV file. After a successful import, new group types and groups appear on the Manage groups page.
Before You Begin
- You must have the Manage groups permission.
- Your CSV file must be saved in UTF-8 format.
- You must assign at least one member in the CSV to create a group type or group. You cannot create empty group types or groups via bulk import.
Steps
- Click People in the left panel of your 15Five account.
- Click Manage People.
- Click Import in the top navigation bar.
- Click Download current structure to save a copy of your current data.
- Open your CSV file in a spreadsheet editor.
- Add a new column for each group type using the format
group_type_GroupTypeName— for example,group_type_Department. - In each
group_type_*column, enter the group name for each person row. - Save the file in UTF-8 CSV format.
- Click Choose file at the bottom of the bulk import page.
- Select your saved CSV file.
- Review the changes on the Preview import screen.
- Click Finish import.
- Navigate to Manage groups to confirm new group types and groups appear.
The group_type_* column format
Each group_type_* column reflects all groups a person belongs to within that group type after import. If you omit a group name from a person's cell, that membership can be removed during import.
Example: A person currently belongs to Sales and Account Management under group_type_Department. If the next import only includes Sales in that cell, the Account Management membership is removed.
The older add_to_groups and remove_from_groups fields are still supported but are not the preferred method.
If Something Goes Wrong
| Issue | Check | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Import fails immediately | Confirm the file is saved as UTF-8 CSV, not UTF-16 or Excel format | Re-save the file as UTF-8 CSV and re-upload |
| New group type does not appear after import | Confirm the column header uses the exact format group_type_TypeName with no spaces |
Correct the column header and re-upload |
| Group memberships were unexpectedly removed | Check whether the group_type_* cell was left blank for affected users |
Restore memberships by re-importing with the correct group names in the column |
| No groups appear after import | Confirm at least one person row has a value in the group_type_* column |
Add at least one member per group and re-import |
Not Covered Here
This article covers creating group types and groups via bulk import only — for editing group settings, visibility, or check-in frequency after import, see the Edit group settings article.