Use Update from spreadsheet in Studio's desktop People workspace when you have a newer roster and want to compare it with the people already in your chart. Studio shows the differences before it changes the chart. This is a file-based update, not a live connection to an HR system.
If the chart is empty, use the first-import guide. The update flow appears after the chart already has people.
Give each person a stable identity
The safest update file includes an Employee ID column that does not change between exports. Map it to Employee ID. If reporting relationships use IDs, include the matching manager value and map that column to Manager ID.
Studio tries to match each incoming row with an existing person in this order:
- Employee ID
- Email, when it identifies one existing person
- The identifier stored by an earlier Studio export
- Name, ignoring capitalization and surrounding spaces
A name-only file can work, but a rename may look like one person removed and another added. Stable IDs let Studio recognize that Casey Patel became Casey Rivera without treating Casey as a new employee.
Review a new file against the chart
Use this sequence on a desktop browser. Update matches identities, shows proposed differences, and applies only what you select. It does not replace every person unless you use Replace all people below.
- Open the chart in a desktop browser.
- Choose People in the bottom workspace bar, then choose Update from spreadsheet in the People workspace.
- Select a CSV or Excel file. If the Excel workbook has several sheets with data, select the sheet that contains the roster, then choose Import this sheet. Check the sheet name, row count, and column preview before continuing.
- Check Map spreadsheet columns. Name is the only required field. On desktop, each Studio field and its description appears on the left; its source-column dropdown and a sample value appear on the right. Map Employee ID and Manager ID together when the file uses ID-based reporting lines.
- Choose Confirm & import to continue to Review changes. Nothing has been applied yet.
- Choose the changes you want, then use the Apply button. Its label includes the number of selected changes, such as Apply 3 changes. Leave removals unchecked when those people should stay in the chart.
The review groups the differences into people added, removed, updated, or moved. A move means the person's manager changed. It does not change their department unless the spreadsheet also contains a selected department change.
Choose what to apply
Select the additions, field updates, manager changes, and removals you want, then choose the Apply button. Its label includes the number of selected changes. The summary above the list counts the selected changes.
Rows with no differences are not changes to apply. Unselected changes leave the current chart value or person in place. Matching happens before this review, so check how Studio identifies the same person when a rename appears as 1 removal and 1 addition.
Removals are opt-in. If a person is missing from the new spreadsheet, Studio leaves them in the chart unless you select that removal. Use that when the file is partial or a row was omitted by mistake.
To try the review with fictional data, first import the original 4-person roster into a practice chart. Then use Update from spreadsheet with this changed roster. Keep your own chart separate.
| Review group | Change in this example |
|---|---|
| New people | Riley Brooks is added as a Host reporting to Morgan Chen. |
| Removed people | Casey Lee is absent from the new file. Leave this unchecked to keep Casey. |
| Field updates | Alex Rivera's title changes from General manager to Restaurant manager. |
| Manager changes | Jordan Patel moves from Casey Lee to Morgan Chen. |
On desktop, scroll the review body to inspect every group. Field updates show the old and new values; manager changes show the old and new manager. The selected-change summary stays above the scrolling list, and the Apply button stays in the dialog footer while you review.
With the removal unchecked, the button reads Apply 3 changes. After applying, the desktop People workspace returns with 5 people, including Casey. Use Search people... to find Jordan and check that Reports to shows Morgan Chen.
Review manager changes carefully after a rename. If a new row points to a manager value that Studio cannot resolve, the person may need attention in People after the update. Use the missing-people guide to repair the reporting line.
If imported names or departments changed
The review compares only fields mapped from the new file. A Name change comes from the source column mapped to Name. A Department change comes from the column mapped to Department. If either result is unexpected, check the old and new values in Review changes, then return to the mapping and choose the intended source column.
A stable Employee ID helps Studio treat a renamed person as the same record. Without a stable match, a renamed row can appear as 1 person removed and another added. Do not select those 2 changes until you have checked the identity columns.
Changing a person's Department updates their stored data. It does not apply a different theme or replace the theme attached to the chart. Department colors still follow that chart's current theme.
If you already applied the wrong fields, use Undo while the updated chart is still open. Correct the file or mapping, run Update from spreadsheet again, and select only the changes you intend.
Replace every person instead
Replace all people discards the current roster and takes the new file as the complete chart. Studio asks you to confirm this separately.
Use replacement only when the spreadsheet is meant to be the whole source of truth. Custom people or rows that exist only in the chart will be removed. The chart's theme and layout settings belong to the chart and are separate from this people update.
Undo the spreadsheet update
An applied update is one people-history step, even if it contains several additions, edits, removals, and manager changes. Choose Undo, then confirm Undo spreadsheet update? Studio tells you how many selected changes will be reversed. Redo reapplies the update.
This history covers people. It does not roll back theme edits or layout settings, and you should not rely on it after reloading or switching charts. If the result is wrong, undo it while the updated chart is still open, correct the spreadsheet or mapping, and run the comparison again.
Updating is not automatic sync
Studio does not watch your HR system for changes. Export the latest CSV or Excel roster, then run Update from spreadsheet again. Review the differences before applying them to your chart.