How to Set Up Automated HR Imports in Totara

Summary: This guide explains how to set up automated HR import in Totara using CSV or an external database, including element configuration, source setup, file upload, manual test runs, and log review.

This is the practical admin workflow for getting HR import working in Totara. The important part is not just loading a file. It is defining the source structure, deciding whether you are doing complete or delta imports, and validating the result before you automate it.

Understand what HR import can update

The SOP focuses on the standard HR import elements:

• users
• job assignments
• positions
• organizations

Totara supports importing from either:

• CSV files
• an external database connection

Step 1: Enable the elements you actually need

In Totara, enabled elements drive what you can configure and import. Go to:

Quick-access menu > HR Import > Elements

Enable only the elements you intend to manage through HR import. If an element is disabled, it will not be included in import processing.

Step 2: Configure the source per element

Go to:

Quick-access menu > HR Import > Sources

For each enabled element, choose whether its source is:

• CSV, or
• External database

This is configured per element, not as one global switch for the whole import.

Step 3: Decide whether the import is complete or delta

The SOP highlights this because it is operationally critical:

• Complete import means the source represents the full truth.
• Delta import means the source represents changes only.

Pick the mode that actually matches the upstream HR process. If you choose the wrong one, you can create incorrect suspensions, stale users, or broken organizational structures.

Step 4: Prepare the files or source data carefully

If you are using CSV, define and validate:

• column names
• identifier stability
• date formats
• encoding
• whether the file really contains the scope you expect

The SOP’s practical approach is sound: provide sample files and instructions first, then validate the customer’s real file before scheduling anything.

Step 5: Upload the files into Totara

For CSV-based imports, the upload path is:

Quick-access menu > HR Import > Sources > Upload HR Import files

Upload each source file for the enabled element. Totara will only show upload targets for elements that are enabled and configured properly.

One operational detail from Totara’s docs is important: after an HR import runs, the uploaded files are cleared. If you want to rerun the import, you need to upload them again, even if the earlier run failed.

Step 6: Run the import manually first

Do not schedule the import until you have run it manually and reviewed the result. A first-pass validation should confirm:

• new users are created correctly
• existing users are matched correctly
• positions and organizations are assigned correctly
• job assignments behave as expected

Also note Totara’s own limitation: a job assignment cannot be updated via HR import unless the HR import setting is enabled on that job assignment.

Step 7: Review the HR import logs

After each manual test run, review the logs before automating anything. The logs are where you catch partial matches, invalid values, and file-format mistakes while they are still easy to fix.

Step 8: Automate only after the manual run is clean

Once the import is working correctly, you can move the process into scheduled operation. For SFTP or key-based file delivery from an external system, validate the upload path and permissions separately before relying on them in production.

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Solin specializes in Totara administration, HR import automation, and integration workflows. Need help? Contact us.