Uploading Data
The fastest way to get activity data into Slate in bulk, walked through step by step, including what to do when a file doesn't upload cleanly.
The upload wizard
- 1
Open Upload Sources
Click Upload Data to start the wizard. Step one offers download cards for the Emission, Energy, Water and Waste templates, skip this step if you already have your file ready.
- 2
Pick a data type
On step two, choose Emission, Energy, Water or Waste from the Data Type select. Each has its own template, downloadable again from here if you need it.
- 3
Set Reporting Year
Required for every data type. If none exist yet, you'll be told to create one in Organisation Setup first.
- 4
Set Facility, if uploading waste
The Facility field only appears when Data Type is Waste, the backend rejects a waste upload without one. Emission, Energy and Water uploads don't need this.
- 5
Drop or select your file
The dropzone accepts .xlsx, .xls and .csv. Drag a file in or click to browse.
What happens after you submit
Uploading doesn't process your file instantly, the server accepts it and starts working on it in the background. As soon as that acceptance comes back, the modal closes on its own, you don't wait for the whole file to finish parsing with the dialog open. A toast confirms the upload started.
Progress from here on is visible in the Upload Sources table itself, which checks for updates every few seconds while any file is still pending or processing.
Reading the status
Pending
Accepted, waiting to start.
Processing
Actively being parsed, with a progress bar.
Processed
Done. Records were created and are ready to review or calculate.
Failed
Something went wrong, see below.
When an upload fails
If your file has validation problems, Slate doesn't just reject the whole thing with no explanation. Click the red error indicator on a failed row in the Upload Sources table to open a details panel showing:
Errors grouped by sheet
Each sheet in your file that had a problem gets its own group, with a count.
Row and field
Where available, each error names the exact row and field, not just "something on this sheet is wrong."
A template reminder
A prompt to re-download the current template, in case the file was built against an older version.
Note