Create a chart from Excel

Chart administrator role required

Prepare your Excel data for TeamOrgChart

TeamOrgChart can create organization charts from Microsoft Excel.

The spreadsheet must contain:

  • An ID column: a column that uniquely identifies each person or position.
  • A manager column: a column that identifies each person's manager or parent position.

These two columns form the basis for creating the hierarchy.

The column types must match. For example, if the ID column uses email addresses, the manager column must also use email addresses.

The other columns in the spreadsheet are used to show data within the organization chart. Typically, these include details such as name, job title, department, and telephone number, but there are no specific requirements.

Additional columns can be displayed in chart boxes, used within conditional rules, and shown in the information window.

Example spreadsheet structure

A simple spreadsheet might contain columns such as Employee ID, Manager ID, Name, Job Title, Department, Email, and Telephone. The top person or position should have an empty manager value, while everyone else should reference an existing ID from the ID column.

You can download and use the basic org chart spreadsheet as a starting point.

Before importing, check for duplicate IDs, missing managers, self-reporting rows, and circular reporting relationships. These are the most common causes of charts that appear incomplete after import.

Build a chart from uploaded Excel data

Charts created from an uploaded Excel file are built from the uploaded data. They do not automatically update when the original spreadsheet changes.

  1. From the Dashboard or Chart Selector, select Create a chart.
  2. Enter a name for your chart and select Microsoft Excel as the data source.
  3. Drag and drop your Excel spreadsheet onto the upload panel, or select Upload and browse to the file.
  4. Review the preview table, then select Import Positions.
  5. Select the spreadsheet columns that contain the unique ID and manager values.
  6. If required, identify columns that contain names, email addresses, departments, and other key information.
  7. Select Save. TeamOrgChart will build the chart and attempt to locate the person or position at the top of the organization.

What if I only see one chart box?

If only one chart box appears, TeamOrgChart may not be able to match people to their managers. Go to the Data Health page and run a check to identify the issue.

Build a chart from Excel data stored in OneDrive

Charts created from a workbook stored in OneDrive can synchronize automatically when the selected workbook changes.

  1. From the Dashboard or Chart Selector, select Create a chart.
  2. Enter a name for your chart and select the option to use an Excel spreadsheet stored in OneDrive.
  3. If prompted, grant TeamOrgChart permission to access Excel documents in OneDrive. See Microsoft 365 permissions for more detail.
  4. Search for and select the spreadsheet you want to use.
  5. Select the ID and parent key columns that define the chart hierarchy.
  6. Select Create. TeamOrgChart will build the chart from the selected workbook.