3568660 - Executive Review Offline Edit - How to import date field

Importing date through Executive Review does not get updated on the UI though the Job is successful

• SAP SuccessFactors Compensation
• SAP SuccessFactors Variable Pay

1. Take any Compensation or Variable Pay Template Executive Review with Export and Import enabled.
2. The template has a date field which is editable
3. Export the Executive Review as excel by selecting the option Update variable pay worksheet by modifying data in the exported file and reimporting the same file (Variable Pay Template) or I want to add my compensation changes to the exported file, then upload it when I’m done. Recommended if you want to primarily make changes by import. (Compensation Template)
4. Enter date in the Date field to be imported in DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY depending on the date format that appears on the worksheet.
5. Save the Excel sheet and import it in Executive Review by clicking on the Import button
6. Wait for the Job Completion status under Monitor Compensation Jobs
7. Refresh the Executive Review page
8. Observe that the imported date is not visible on the UI or the already existing date has been removed from the field 

This behavior is related to the way MS Excel responds to the date formats and not influenced by the changes in SuccessFactors. 

To conclude, the issue we are experiencing occurs because Excel automatically compares any date-like input entered into a cell with the system's date format. If the input matches a recognizable date pattern, Excel converts it to a Date format automatically. This behavior is a built-in feature of Excel and is unrelated to any changes that are implemented in SuccessFactors.

To give an example, if the system date is English US (mm/dd/yyyy) if we import a date as 13/12/2024, the import happens successfully. This is because, the system does not recognize this as a date(there is no 13th Month). But if instead we import 12/13/2024, the excel will convert this into a date format and the import fails.

The possible Resolution Options:

                               1. :Pre-format the Date Fields as Text:

• • • Before entering the data, format the target cells as "Text."
    • This can be done by selecting the cells, navigating to the Home tab, and choosing "Text" in the Number Format dropdown.
    • Once formatted, you can input the date in your desired format, and Excel will treat it as plain text.

      2. : Use an Apostrophe (') Before the Date:

    • Adding an apostrophe before entering a date (e.g., '01/22/2025) forces Excel to treat the input as text.
    • Note that the apostrophe will not be visible in the cell but is stored internally.

      Excel’s Internal Handling of Text Formats:

      • When cells are formatted as text, Excel internally prepends an apostrophe (') to the value to signify that the content is treated as a string, not a date or number.

https://community.sap.com/t5/human-capital-management-blogs-by-sap/understanding-the-executive-review-import-feature/ba-p/13506522

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