Use the Goals wizard to load Goals and Goal Categories and assign them to jobs in Dayforce.
Using this wizard
Use the Load Data template to upload the goal and goal category information.
Note: You can also download an empty Goals template from the Download Template Files page.
Note: The Activate release version shows in cell B3 on the Instructions tab of the template. This information helps you later determine the version of Activate you were using when you downloaded the template.
After you import the goal information, review it to make sure that there are no errors and all applicable information is included.
Note: You must resolve any errors before you can install the information.
When the goal information is complete in Activate, install it in Dayforce.
Prerequisites
The Performance features in Dayforce must be enabled to view data. However, there are no configuration prerequisites.
Messages: Error, Warning, and Information
Activate sorts each generated message by severity:
Actively incompatible with the data in Dayforce. If you have a data error, you must resolve the error before you can complete the installation.
Indicate nonstandard setup that could potentially cause an error in Dayforce. For example, if an earning code is defined as Hours x Rate and the data is amount only, the system creates a warning. However, you can still import the data into the system.
A notable occurrence of data in the system. For example, an informational note shows if codes are dropped from the YTD import.
Tasks
-
On the Upload Goals page, click Download.
Note: The Activate release version shows in cell B3 on the Instructions tab of the template.
- Select the location where you want to save the template document.
-
Open the
GoalDataTemplate.xlsxtemplate in the location where you saved it. - On the GoalData tab, complete all of the columns with the data for all employees in the organization.
Note: Instructions for populating the fields are in the Goal Data Template Fields section (below) and on the user guides tab of the template.
-
Click Save and close the template.
You can use any file name for the template you upload. The file must be an Excel or CSV (Comma-Separated Value) document and contain the data in the required format.
Important: The uploaded template must be the current Excel template file downloaded from Activate. Old templates aren’t accepted.
Important: Do not change the name of the tab. Activate uses the tab name to validate that the correct template is being uploaded.
- On the Upload Goals page, click Upload.
- Go to the completed Goal Data template in the location where you saved it.
-
Click Open.
The Goals wizard validates the uploaded file.
Note: When you upload an Excel file, Activate includes the name of the uploaded file in the name of the XML file it generates and loads to the Dayforce File Server. The format of the generated XML file name is <NamespaceName>_<Import Type>_<file name provided>_YYY-MM-DD_HHMM. This naming convention makes it easier to audit files later.
Note: If the uploaded file has errors, a Validation Failed message shows in red on the page. You must correct the errors in the file on your computer and upload the file again.
- Click Next.
Note: The Activate release version shows in cell B3 on the Instructions tab of the template. This information helps you later determine the version of Activate you were using when you downloaded the template.
- Review the information shown in the grid.
- To make updates to data on the page:
To insert a new row in the grid, click the row where you want to insert it and click New.
To delete a row, click the row and click Delete.
To save information in the grid to your computer, click Download File and save it to the location you want. The download file includes only the following information: Employee Number, First Name, Last Name, Effective Start Date, and the respective global properties and values selected.
To upload the file from your computer, locate the file and click Upload File. The data in the file shows in the grid.
- To download the error message list and save it to your computer, click Download Errors File.
- To correct errors in the grid, click in the field containing the error. Click Tab to move to the right and Shift+Tab to move to the left in the row. Use the scrollbars on the right side and bottom of the grid to go to other areas of the grid.
To remove changes that you don’t want to save, click Refresh.
To remove changes that you don’t want to save, click Refresh.
- When the data is complete, click Next.
When the goal information is complete in Activate, you must install the information in Dayforce.
The Load page opens with a list of the steps to complete and an estimate of how long the installation usually takes. During the installation, the current step in the process is bolded so you can monitor the progress.
- Click one of the following:
- Add Email and enter your email address to be notified when the installation process ends instead of waiting for it to finish.
- Next when the installation is complete.
Activate Central opens with the wizard name now in green text and a green checkmark next to it. The day, date, and time of completion show, along with your name as the user who completed the wizard. The environment in which the installation was applied (Stage, Config, or Train) is also shown.
Note: If you want to add more information, click I want to add more. See
Results
The configuration for any new goal categories and all of the goals in the file is installed in Dayforce and can be accessed on the Performance Setup > Goal Setup page.
Note: Performance Admin access can be assigned to Managers using the Employee Management Structure.
The data uploaded from the Goal Data template populates the fields on the following pages in Dayforce.
| Field in Template | Field in Dayforce | Page in Dayforce |
|---|---|---|
| Goal Name |
|
Performance > Goals |
| Goal Description | Description | Performance > Goals
Note: Goal Categories end up in Performance Setup > Goal Setup > Goal Categories as a byproduct of the import. |
| Goal Category | Category Name | |
| Goal Owner | Created By | Performance > Goals, Created By Indicates who the owner is from an imported perspective. |
| Start Date | Start Date (or Period) |
Performance > Goals, Start Date |
| Due Date | Period | Performance > Goals, Period (When a Start and Due Date are present.) |
| Goal Area | Goal Area | Performance > Goals Must be selected as visible in the form setup under Performance Setup > Goal Setup. |
| Is Organizational Goal | Organizational Goal |
Performance > Goals |
| Measurement Type | Not showed | Performance > Goals Percentage and target sliders show on the personal goals meant to track these values.
|
| Target Type | Not Displayed | |
| Target Value | Slider scale. |
Next steps
Complete the next wizard, because appropriate.
Goal Data template fields
All templates have the same basic structure:
- Instructions tab: Helps you understand the purpose of the data and complete the fields in the template.
- Data tab: Contains headers for the data to be included in the template. The headers remain the same, but you can change the column order. If you add more columns, Activate ignores them.
All number ranges in the templates include the numbers at both ends of the range.
| Order | Data Type | Description | Examples | Why This Is Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | String1 between 1-128 characters. | Goal name. All names must be unique. | Increase team NPS | The Goal Name is used to identify the goal in Dayforce HCM and in other import files. |
1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &
| Order | Data Type | Description | Examples | Why This Is Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | String1 between 1-1000 characters. | Goal description. |
|
The goal description gives additional detail about the goal to the user. |
1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &
| Order | Data Type | Description | Examples | Why This Is Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | String1 between 1-128 characters. | Specify the goal category. | Financial Personal Globalization Sustainability Operational | Goal categories are used to pull user goals into performance reviews. |
1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &
| Order | Data Type | Description | Examples | Why This Is Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Alphanumeric. Unique value between 1-9 characters. | The unique identifier/number for the employee who originally created the goal or who should have ownership of the goal in Dayforce. The value must match exactly to an existing employee record in Dayforce. | 9005684
0000554489 159753 |
Dayforce uses the goal owner to identify the user who has the ability to delete the goal and might also align with the user responsible for the goal. |
| Order | Data Type | Description | Examples | Why This Is Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Date. | The start date for when the goal begins. | Date formatted cells:
09/24/2015 24/09/2015 Text formatted cells: |
This date is used to identify when this goal is active from. |
| Order | Data Type | Description | Examples | Why This Is Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Date. | The due date for the goal. | Date formatted cells:
09/24/2015 24/09/2015 Text formatted cells:: |
This date is used to identify when this goal is due by. |
| Order | Data Type | Description | Examples | Why This Is Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | String1 between 1-512 characters. | Additional free form field to further define the area of the goal beyond category. | Healthy Habits Efficiency Improvement |
Used as an additional detail in the goal. |
1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &
| Order | Data Type | Description | Examples | Why This Is Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Accepted Values:
YES NO |
Defines whether the goal being imported is an organizational goal. If it isn’t an organizational goal, it’s considered a personal goal in Dayforce. | YES
true 0 No |
Used by Dayforce to identify Organizational Goals from Personal Goals. |
| Order | Data Type | Description | Examples | Why This Is Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Accepted Values: Percentage Target None |
Defines in Dayforce how the individuals assigned to the goal measure the progress of the goal. Percentage tracks completion up to 100%. Target tracks completion based on a specified target value. None means that there’s no regularly updated tracking. | Percentage
Target None |
Determines how goal progression is calculated when updated by the individuals assigned to the goal. |
| Order | Data Type | Description | Examples | Why This Is Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 |
Accepted Values:
|
Required when Measurement Type = Target. Target Type indicates whether your Target measurement type is tracked as a currency amount (for example, $5000 in sales) or as a count (for example, 50 items sold). | Amount Count | Goal progression percentage is calculated as the actual value divided by the target value. The individuals who are assigned to the goal enter the actual value. |
| Order | Data Type | Description | Examples | Why This Is Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Numeric | Required when Measurement Type = Target. Target Value is the amount or count value assigned to the goal based on which target type was selected. | 45
5.5 100000.00 |