This article covers how to format your file so it is accepted by 15Five's external performance data importer. When your file is correctly formatted, the importer will map your columns to 15Five fields without errors.
Before You Begin
- You must have access to Feature Settings. This article is for Account Admins only.
- This feature is available on the Perform and Total Platform pricing packages.
- Prepare one file per performance review cycle. Each cycle must be imported separately.
File Requirements
Your file must meet all of the following conditions before upload:
- Format: CSV or XLSX only
- Structure: single sheet, single tab — no multi-tab workbooks
- Employee identifier: must include Employee ID, Employee Email, or both
- One performance review cycle per file
Definitions
The importer uses these terms to describe people in the review:
- Employee — the person the review is written about
- Responder — the person who authored the review
Field Reference
Column names in your file do not need to match the field names below exactly, but the importer must be able to determine which column maps to which field. You do not need to include every field — only the required identifier fields are mandatory.
| Field | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Employee ID | Employee ID of the person who received the review | Required if Employee Email is not provided |
| Employee Email | Email address of the person who received the review | Required if Employee ID is not provided |
| Employee Name | Full name of the employee (use if first and last name are in one column) | Optional |
| Employee First Name | First name of the employee (use if first and last name are in separate columns) | Optional |
| Employee Last Name | Last name of the employee (use if first and last name are in separate columns) | Optional |
| Responder Name | Full name of the review author (use if first and last name are in one column). Responses are grouped by responder when provided. | Optional |
| Responder First Name | First name of the review author (use if first and last name are in separate columns) | Optional |
| Responder Last Name | Last name of the review author (use if first and last name are in separate columns) | Optional |
| Responder Email | Email address of the review author | Optional |
| Responder Employee ID | Employee ID of the review author | Optional |
| Responder Type | The type of review — examples: manager, self, peer, employee | Optional |
| Question | The question asked in the review | Optional |
| Question Info | The question description, if any | Optional |
| Response | The response to the question | Optional |
| Score | The performance value to map to 15Five's rating scale. The rating scale uses three values: Bottom, Middle, and Top. Contact your 15Five admin to confirm which source values map to each. | Optional |
Note: If you include both Employee Name and separate Employee First Name / Employee Last Name columns, the importer treats them as redundant — include only one set. The same applies to Responder name fields.
Note: Questions may be structured as a single shared column (with each row being a response) or as individual columns (one per question). Both formats are accepted.
Sample Template
Use the sample template if reformatting your existing export is more complex than starting from scratch.
What a Valid File Looks Like
Your file is correctly formatted when:
- The importer recognizes at least one employee identifier column (Employee ID or Employee Email)
- All rows belong to a single performance review cycle
- The file contains one sheet with no merged cells or header rows above the column row
- The importer presents a column-mapping screen without an error message
If Something Goes Wrong
| Issue | Check | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Importer rejects the file immediately | Confirm the file is saved as .csv or .xlsx
|
Re-export or re-save the file in the correct format |
| Importer cannot identify employees | Confirm at least one column contains Employee ID or Employee Email values | Add the missing identifier column and re-upload |
| Importer reports a multi-tab error | Open the file and confirm it contains only one sheet | Delete all extra sheets, save, and re-upload |
| Column mapping screen shows no recognized fields | Confirm column headers are present in row 1 with no blank rows above them | Remove any rows above the header row, save, and re-upload |
| Score values are not mapping correctly | Confirm source score values correspond to Bottom, Middle, or Top | Contact your 15Five admin to confirm the correct mapping before re-uploading |
Not Covered Here
This article covers file formatting only. For instructions on running the import after your file is ready, see Import External Performance Data into 15Five.