How to Import Shifts from a File in EDGEBIC

Importing shifts into EDGEBIC by User Solutions uses the Shift entity on the Import tab: map the shift name and a start and end pair for each weekday, run the mask, and your whole shift pattern loads at once. Shifts are matched by name, so a re-run never duplicates them, and a blank start-and-end pair simply marks a day off. Here is the full task.

For the import mechanics that apply everywhere, see how to import work centers from Excel. To build a shift by hand on screen instead, see how to set daily working hours and breaks. Every task in this library is mapped on the EDGEBIC how-to hub.

Before You Start

• Your file has one row per shift, with a shift name in every row. Name is the natural key.
• Each weekday the shift runs has both a start time and an end time. A one-sided day fails.
• You can reach the Settings tab, since Import lives there and is permission-controlled.

Step 1: Open Import and Pick Shift

Open the Settings tab, click the Import tab, and select Shift in the Entity Type list. This loads global shifts, the site-wide patterns your work centers reference for their capacity.

Step 2: Build the Mask

Click Define New, name the mask, for example Shift Patterns, click Get File, and pick your spreadsheet. Choose the Sheet for an Excel file. The headings appear under File Header Titles ready to map.

Step 3: Map the Name and the Weekday Pairs

Drag the shift-name heading onto the Shift name row, which carries the Req tick. Then map the weekday time columns, one start and one end for each day the shift runs.

The rule that catches people: a blank pair means the shift is off that day, but a start with no end (or an end with no start) is an error. Fill both cells of a day, or blank both.

Click Save.

Step 4: Run It

Select the mask and click Do It. The Import Result dialog reports Created ... Updated ... Reused ... Failed .... A row with a one-sided weekday fails with a clear message while the rest of the run continues.

Step 5: Re-run and Update Safely

Shifts are matched by name, so re-importing a revised file finds and reuses the existing shifts. To change hours on shifts that already exist, tick UpdateExistingRecords in the mask Options before the run; without it, matches are reused unchanged.

What Changes When You Import

The imported shifts appear immediately in the shift list and become available to assign to work centers. The schedule does not change on import: a shift has to be assigned to a work center, and the scheduler re-run, before it affects any plan. One log file is written per run, opened from the result dialog.

How to Check It Worked

Open the shift list and confirm each imported shift shows the right hours for each weekday, with the days off blank. Then assign a shift to a work center, run Drive Schedule, and confirm that work center only books work inside the shift's hours. A work center that schedules outside the expected window usually has a different shift assigned than you intended.

Common Mistakes

• A one-sided weekday. A start with no end has no length. Complete the pair or blank both cells.
• Forgetting to assign the shift. An imported shift schedules nothing until a work center references it.
• Expecting the plan to move on import. Shifts loaded but the plan unchanged means the scheduler has not run since.
• Blanking a name. Name is the key. A blank name cell fails the row.

Next Steps

• Load your closed days with how to import plant holidays from a file.
• Choose whether a mask updates or reuses with how to set import options for a mask.
• See how shifts and calendars drive capacity on the EDGEBIC product page.