Fill in one row per pathway step, using the column headers pathway, step, description, code, position, price, price_by, categories and billing_enabled, and save the file as Excel (.xlsx). During onboarding you can return the file to your Equip contact, who imports it for you, or you can upload it yourself from the Pathways page with Import Pathways. Pathways describe the services, milestones or program steps you track in Equip, so use the names your staff already use.
Who can do this, and where
The import runs on the web app only.
Anyone whose role can open the Pathways page can validate and import a file.
The pathways are created in the account you are signed in to.
Download the template
Open the Pathway Import Template.
Click File, then Download, then Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).
Open the download, delete the sample rows, and enter your own. Keep the header row exactly as it is.
Rename the file with your organization name and save it.
Fill in the columns
Headers are matched without regard to case, but keep the spelling exact. Every column below is accepted; no other column is.
Column | Required | What to enter |
pathway | Yes | The pathway name. Rows with the same name become steps of one pathway. If a pathway with that name already exists in your account, the steps are added to it. |
step | No | The step name. Leave blank on a single-step pathway and Equip uses the pathway name. |
description | No | Notes or context shown on the step. |
code | No | A short code for the step (service, billing, course or reporting code). Equip uses it to match steps on a re-import and to enroll participants by code in the participant import. Give each step its own code. |
position | No | The step order: 1 for the first step, 2 for the second, and so on. |
price | Only when billing_enabled is true | The rate for the step. A billable step without a price is skipped. |
price_by | No | How the price is charged: hour, service or unit. Blank means hour. |
categories | No | Pathway categories, separated by commas. Missing categories are created. |
billing_enabled | No | true to make the step billable, false or blank otherwise. |
Keep the pathway, step, code, position, price and price_by columns in the file even when you leave them empty. The upload check only insists on pathway, but the import itself refuses a file that is missing any of those six and creates nothing.
Steps to import the file yourself
In the left sidebar, open Pathways and click Import Pathways.
Drop your .xlsx file into the panel (one file, up to 5 MB) and click Validate Import.
Review the preview: Total Pathways and, under each pathway, its numbered steps. If the preview shows problems, click Reupload File and fix the spreadsheet.
Click Import Pathways. Equip shows "Your pathways are being imported. You will be notified once the import is complete."
Refresh the Pathways page after a moment to see the new pathways. Open each one to check its steps, codes and prices.
Limits and what the errors mean
"Missing required headers: pathway": the first row has no pathway column. Add it exactly as spelled.
"Invalid headers found: rate, notes": the file has columns Equip does not accept. Remove or rename them to the nine listed above.
"Row 4: Missing required field 'pathway'": that row has no pathway name. Every step row needs the pathway it belongs to.
"Row 6: Invalid value for 'price_by'. Valid options are: hour, service, unit": use one of those three words or leave the cell blank.
"Error processing file: Unsupported file type": the upload is not an .xlsx workbook. Save the sheet as Excel, not CSV or Google Sheets format.
Rows with the same pathway name and the same step name and code as an existing step are left untouched on a re-import; the import never updates an existing step's price, description or position. Change those from the pathway's page.
A step with billing_enabled true and no price is skipped without an error. Give every billable step a price.
Steps are created with the account's default settings for everything not in the file, such as custom fields, linked forms and date fields. Set those up on the pathway afterwards.
FAQ
Do we have to use the sample pathways in the template?
No. They only show the format. Delete them and enter the pathways and steps your organization uses, one row per step.
What if a pathway has only one step?
Enter one row with the pathway name and leave the step column blank. Equip names the step after the pathway.
Should Higher Ed programs fill in the billing columns?
Only if your program bills for services. Leave price, price_by and billing_enabled blank otherwise; the steps still track dates, supporters and progress.
Should CRPs include service or authorization codes?
Yes, put them in the code column. Codes are what the participant import uses to enroll people in the right step, and they appear on authorizations and reports.
Can pathways be changed after import?
Yes. Anyone with edit access to Pathways can rename pathways and steps, change prices and positions, add custom fields and link forms from the pathway's page. Reviewing the spreadsheet first still saves cleanup.
Can I import the same file twice?
Yes. Existing pathways are matched by name and existing steps by name and code, so a second import adds new rows and leaves matched rows unchanged. It does not update prices or descriptions on steps that already exist.
I imported but nothing appeared. What happened?
Refresh the Pathways page first. If the pathways are still missing, the file most likely lacked one of the pathway, step, code, position, price or price_by columns, which passes validation but stops the import. Add the missing columns, even if empty, and import again.
Related
Create a pathway and its steps
Add custom fields to a pathway or step
Import participants' pathway progress and authorizations