People Hub runs Excel imports and large exports as background jobs so the interface stays responsive while the system validates files, processes records, and prepares results.

Who this is for: company administrators and activity managers who need to understand how long-running import and export actions behave, where to check status, and what happens when a job succeeds or fails.

Why background jobs are used

Some People Hub actions can take time, especially Excel imports and larger document exports. Instead of making the user wait on one screen, People Hub creates a background job and continues processing asynchronously.

• The upload is accepted first.

• The job is queued and processed by a background worker.

• The user can continue using People Hub while processing runs.

• When the job finishes, People Hub shows the outcome through notifications and result views.

What uses background jobs

• Excel imports for onboarding, activities, skills, roles, and people assignments

• Large exports and transfer jobs visible in export and import history

This behaviour is especially important for administrator workflows that involve many records or company-wide updates.

Excel import flow

At a high level, an Excel import follows this sequence:

Upload file → Import job created → Validation pass → Import pass or validation failure → Notification and results

The process begins when a user uploads a supported Excel file. People Hub creates an import job and starts background processing. The file is validated first. If validation passes, the system continues with the actual import. If validation fails, the import does not proceed and the user is directed to the import results page.

Core rules

Important: background processing does not remove template validation rules. The uploaded file must still be the correct People Hub template, for the correct company, and on a supported version.

Validation and processing stages

1. Upload and job creation

After the file is uploaded, People Hub creates an import job record and assigns processing to a background worker.

2. Validation pass

The system checks whether the workbook can be processed safely and correctly. This includes template recognition, supported version checks, company matching, and row-level validation of imported data.

3. Import pass

If validation succeeds, People Hub applies the import rules for that template type. Depending on the import, this may create new records, update existing records, assign people, or defer follow-up configuration.

4. Completion handling

When processing finishes, People Hub shows the outcome to the user through notifications and, where relevant, directs them to the results page.

Import results page

The import results page is the main troubleshooting view for failed validations and import issues.

Route: /peoplehub/import-results/:importJobId

If validation fails, this page opens automatically.

Users can also export the error list as CSV to help review and correct larger spreadsheets.

Best practice: when fixing a failed import, work from the results page in order. Correct the sheet, row, and field shown in the error list, then upload a fresh copy of the template.

What users see when a job finishes

On success

• People Hub shows a success toast with counts, such as how many skills or assignments were processed.

• If the import created activities that need follow-up setup, People Hub can prompt the user to open Settings and complete configuration.

On failure

• People Hub shows an error alert.

• The import results page is used to review validation or processing issues.

This makes it easier to understand whether the upload succeeded fully, needs follow-up setup, or failed before data was applied.

Tracking progress

People Hub monitors background job progress in the interface using background polling. Users do not need to stay on one screen while the job runs.

In practical terms, that means:

• imports continue even if the user navigates within People Hub;

• completion feedback appears when processing finishes;

• history remains available later from the transfer job history view.

Transfer job history

Background import and export activity can be reviewed in Settings → Export & Import history.

This history table lists transfer jobs such as Excel imports and document exports, along with their status and the user who started them.

This is useful when administrators need to:

• confirm whether a file was processed;

• check who ran an import;

• review whether a job succeeded or failed;

• return to recent activity without repeating the upload.

Large files and deferred processing

Most companies will see imports process immediately after upload. For very large files, processing may be deferred to off-peak times depending on server configuration.

If a large file does not complete as quickly as expected, this does not necessarily indicate an error. The job may still be queued for background processing.

How this connects to Excel import behaviour

Background jobs explain several parts of the wider People Hub import experience:

• Imports run in the background rather than blocking the page.

• Only one import per company can run at once.

• Validation errors open a dedicated results page instead of failing silently.

• Post-import actions, such as activity configuration after onboarding imports, may still be required before all assignments take effect.

For example, a full onboarding import may finish creating activities, skills, and roles, but employee assignments can remain deferred until activity deadlines are configured in Settings.

Watch for follow-up actions: a successful background job does not always mean setup is fully complete. If People Hub indicates that activity configuration is required, complete that step before expecting all downstream assignments to apply.

Operational tips

• Use smaller test files before running a large company-wide import.

• Wait for the current company import to finish before starting another one.

• Keep the import results page details when troubleshooting: sheet, row, field, and message.

• Review Export & Import history if you are unsure whether a job already ran.

• After onboarding imports, check whether activity deadline configuration is required.

Related documentation

• People Hub Excel Import Guide for Administrators

• People Hub Admin Dashboard