**This section is only necessary if you are NOT using the ACA Track Default Data Template (or if you’ve made modifications to the template). If you are using the Default Data Template, skip to Upload Your Employee & Dependent Data.**
If you already have your own internal employee and/or dependent data reports, you do not need to recreate all that information to fit the ACA Standard Template. Instead, using our Custom Template Tool, you can train the ACA Track system to recognize your columns and map the data in your spreadsheet to our Standard fields.
If you choose to use your own data formats, keep in mind that it is your responsibility to ensure all of the required data fields are included within your data file and that they are mapped to the appropriate fields within ACA Track.
If you decide to use your own data template, go to the Manage Template tab and click the “Create or Manage My Custom Templates” button:
The following instructions will walk you through the process of setting up and mapping your own Employee Data Template to our system. These same steps will work for your dependent data as well.
Select Your Sample File
On the Template Mapping Screen, click “Add New Template.”
On the Sample File Upload page:
- Select whether the data source is for Employees or Dependents
- Provide a name for the new template
- Choose the Sample Data File you will use to create the template.
Important Notes:
- Your Sample Data File MUST be in Excel Spreadsheet format (.xls OR .xlsx)
- The Sample Data File DOES NOT need to be a final file, but it DOES need to match the structure of the final data file you expect to use. The sample file will be used to map columns between your data and ACA Track required fields.
Once you’ve selected your file, click Next.
Mapping Your Columns
On the Template Mapping Screen, you will map each column in your Sample Data File to one of the standard fields recognized by ACA Track:
When mapping your Sample Data File:
ACA Track will pull every column from your template and list them on the left side of the screen.
- On the right side of the screen, you will see a list of ACA Track standard fields.
- Fields marked with an asterisk are required, and must be mapped to a column in your Sample Data File. As you map the ACA Fields, a green checkmark will appear next to their names in the Field List, indicating you have finished mapping that term.
- If your data file has extra or unnecessary columns, you can direct ACA Track to ignore them, as shown in Line 11 above.
- ACA Track will pull column names from your data file. If your file does not have column names, or there are blank columns, it will list those by column number. We highly recommend using column names. Without them, any change to your column order will invalidate your data file.
Once you have mapped all necessary columns, click “Save and Close.” You have completed setting up the template and are now ready to upload your data.
Next Step: Data Management 5 - Upload Your Employee & Dependent Data