Umbrella lets you upload new datasets at any time that will populate your dashboards with new data automatically - there's no need to wait for an expensive external consultant to do the work for you! But what do those files need to look like?

You will usually build your dataset in a spreadsheet (perhaps MS Excel or Google Sheets), using data you've exported from your HR or Finance system, or perhaps gathered from a survey. The first thing to check is that, however you put your file together, that you export it in the standard CSV file format before trying to upload to Umbrella. The CSV format stores the data from your file in a plain-text way, ignoring all the formatting (which Umbrella doesn't need).

Your file can contain the following types of data:

You may also include any other columns you like, but they will be ignored by the Umbrella upload wizard. This means the data will never leave your computer, so it is safe to include personally identifiable data such as names and addresses in your file. However, in the interests of caution, we recommend that you remove such data before uploading.

For each column of data, the first row must contain one of the following headings so that Umbrella recognises what type of data the column contains. (In each case, the / character separates the different allowed names. So, for the pay column, you may title it Pay, Salary or Wages. Capitalisation is optional.)

  • Pay / Salary / Wages
  • Job level / Pay band / Business area
  • Gender / Gender identity
  • Ethnicity / Ethnic identity / Ethnic group
  • Country
  • Sexuality / Sexual identity / Sexual orientation