Smart Excel Templates help manage data by generating structured templates for bulk uploads using existing information within the CSR system.

Data can be added or modified for the following:

To find these, on the menu bar select Data Collection > Smart Excel Templates.


Quick Guide

To use Smart Excel Templates:

1. From What to you want to do? choose Download a template
2. From What do you want to download? choose the type of template required

Additional options will be displayed for different template types, e.g., for All data for a specific supplier, you will be asked to select the supplier and the time period you are collecting for. Choose values as appropriate

3. Click Download the template.


The template download link will appear in the bottom left corner of your browser. Once the download is complete, click on the link and the template will open in Excel.  The file format and structure will be tailored for the type of template selected;



4. Click Enable editing and edit the template as required to add or modify data.
Please Note: some of the templates, e.g., Emission Factors open as an Excel protected sheet.  To edit you will need to select Unprotect sheet from the Review menu


5. Save the updated template and return to the Smart Excel Templates page
6. From What to you want to do? choose Upload a template
7. From What do you want to upload? choose the type of template required

Additional options will be displayed for different template types, e.g., for activity data you can choose an associated task and add comments. Choose values as appropriate


8. Click Select, navigate and select the saved updated template


9. Click Upload the template;
The template and the data it contains will be uploaded and processed. A detailed log of the processing is displayed on screen.


If there is an issue with the upload, the system will display error details. These will need to be corrected and then the upload re-attempted.



Good to know

  • The right-hand side of the Smart Excel Templates page shows a history of downloads and uploads

  • When using Locations and Asset, Inventory Item or Emission Factor templates:
    • Once you have downloaded the template, complete the changes and upload as soon as possible.
    • Always download a current template before making changes, i.e., do not use an older download as data may have changed.
    • The Emission Factor template will not allow download of another template until the original downloaded template has been reuploaded or the job cancelled by the user that requested the download.
      To cancel the job:
      The user who requested the download should repeat the steps to download the template, and when the following message is displayed, click the Cancel this job link.
  • When using the templates to upload activity data for supplier, resource, location, or data collection group, the data in the template will be added using an overwrite function.
    If there is existing data in the system for the same time period, this will be replaced by the values in the template

Keep reading for information specific to the different template types.


Activity Data Templates

These are used to upload activity data by the following:

  • Specific supplier(s), e.g., ABC Waste Company, Air New Zealand etc.,
  • Specific resources (inventory), e.g., Air Travel, Diesel etc.,
  • Specific locations, e.g., Head Office, New Plymouth Office etc.,
  • Specific data collection groups e.g., Business Travel, Fuel etc.,

Good to know

  • Only one type of template should be used for uploading activity data to avoid duplication, i.e., uploading by travel supplier and by travel inventory will add activity data in both instances.

All data for a specific supplier template:

This template is made up of three sheets:

  • Intro: template information and contact details
  • Supplementary: for entering notes to supplement the data
  • Activity Data:  shown below, contains all existing activity data for locations/sites and resources associated with the specific supplier and period selected. It is also where new activity data for the selected supplier can be added

Good to know

  • When downloading, use the Choose a supplier… to select from a list of current suppliers
  • The Intro sheet displays the supplier the template is for

  • Column A is hidden and should not be overwritten, they contain unique codes that help the system upload activity data correctly
  • In the ActivityData sheet, enter data to be uploaded in columns G, I and J. Changes in the other columns will be ignored when uploading the saved template
  • Column H specifies the unit of measure (UoM) for a resource, e.g., KG. If this value is “NA” then the UoM is usually specified as part of the resource name in column E. If a UoM is not specified, contact your administrator
  • Units entered in column G should be entered in the correct UoM, i.e., if UoM is KL and measurement is L the units will need to be converted

All data for a specific resource

This template is made up of three sheets:

  • Intro: template information and contact details
  • Supplementary: for entering notes to supplement the data
  • Activity Data: shown below, contains the selected resource(s)/inventory at all locations and is where new activity data for the selected resources can be added

Good to know

  • When downloading, use the Choose the inventory items(s)… to select from a list of current inventory items
  • The Intro sheet displays the resources/inventory the template is for
  • Column A is hidden and should not be overwritten, they contain unique codes that help the system upload activity data correctly
  • In the ActivityData sheet, enter data to be uploaded in columns G, H and I. Changes in the other columns will be ignored when uploading the saved template
  • Column F specifies the unit of measure (UoM) for a resource, e.g., KG. If this value is “NA” then the UoM is usually specified as part of the resource name in column E. If a UoM is not specified, contact your administrator
  • Units entered in column G should be entered in the correct UoM, i.e., if UoM is KL and measurement is L the units will need to be converted

All data for a specific location

This template is made up of three sheets:

  • Intro: template information and contact details
  • Supplementary: for entering notes to supplement the data
  • ActivityData: shown below, contains the selected locations and the inventory associated with those locations. It is also where new activity data for the selected locations can be added

Good to know

  • When downloading, use the Choose Location… to select from a list of current inventory locations
  • The Intro sheet displays the location(s) the template is for
  • Column A is hidden and should not be overwritten, they contain unique codes that help the system upload activity data correctly
  • In the ActivityData sheet, enter data to be uploaded in columns G, H and I. Changes in the other columns will be ignored when uploading the saved template
  • Column F specifies the unit of measure (UoM) for a resource, e.g., KG. If this value is “NA” then the UoM is usually specified as part of the resource name in column E. If a UoM is not specified, contact your administrator
  • Units entered in column G should be entered in the correct UoM, i.e., if UoM is KL and measurement is L the units will need to be converted

All data for a specific Data Collection Group

This template is made up of three sheets:

  • Intro: template information and contact details
  • Supplementary: for entering notes to supplement the data
  • ActivityData: shown below, contains the selected locations and the inventory associated with those locations. It is also where new activity data for the selected locations can be added

Good to know

  • When downloading, use the Choose a Data Collection Group… to select from a list of current data collection groups
  • The Intro sheet displays the data collection group the template is for
  • Column A is hidden and should not be overwritten, they contain unique codes that help the system upload activity data correctly
  • In the ActivityData sheet, enter data to be uploaded in columns G, H and I. Changes in the other columns will be ignored when uploading the saved template
  • Column F specifies the unit of measure (UoM) for a resource, e.g., KG. If this value is “NA” then the UoM is usually specified as part of the resource name in column E. If a UoM is not specified, contact your administrator
  • Units entered in column G should be entered in the correct UoM, i.e., if UoM is KL and measurement is L the units will need to be converted

Locations and Assets Template

This template is made up of three sheets and contains data about all your existing locations and assets:

  • Intro: template information and contact details
  • Supplementary: for entering notes to supplement the data
  • Organisation: shown below, contains all existing location and asset details and is where existing information can be modified, and new locations added

Good to know

  • Users must be assigned the correct roles to be able to upload this template, i.e., Company Administrator or Location Manager
  • Columns A and B are hidden and should not be overwritten, they contain unique codes that help the system identify existing locations and upload data correctly
  • Columns C to BJ are for modifying and adding data. Typically, columns C to W only are used. Changes in the other columns will be ignored when uploading the saved template
  • Columns C to D are important as they specify parent child relationships between locations. E.g., a HVAC asset will usually belong to a particular site or building
  • When adding new locations, always add them to the next blank row and assign them a unique Location Code. A duplicated location code will result in the location not being created

    Please Note: Parent locations cannot be changed in the template, only added to!

Inventory Items Template

This template is made up of three sheets and contains data about all your existing Inventory items:

  • Intro: template information and contact details
  • Supplementary: for entering notes to supplement the data
  • Inventory: shown below, contains all existing inventory item details and is where existing information can be modified, and new inventory added

Good to know

  • Users must be assigned the correct roles to be able to upload this template, i.e., Company Administrator or Inventory Manager
  • Columns A and B are hidden and should not be overwritten, they contain unique codes that help the system identify existing inventory items and upload data correctly
  • Columns C to AB are for modifying and adding data. Typically, columns C to W only are used. Changes in the other columns will be ignored when uploading the saved template
  • Columns C to D are important as they specify the location (and location code) to which the inventory is allocated
  • Column C contains a drop-down of existing locations
  • You cannot add a new location using this template, you must use an existing location
  • An Inventories location cannot be changed in this template, only new inventory can be added to the location
  • Column L is important as it specifies the emission factor to apply to the inventory item
    It is best practice to always assign a factor even if this is a zero-emission item
  • When adding new inventory items, always add them to the next blank row

Emission Factors Template

This template is made up of two sheets and contains data about all your Emission Factors in the system:

  • Intro: template information and contact details
  • Emission factors: shown below, contains all existing emission factors details. This is where existing information can be modified, and new emission factors added

Good to know

  • Users must be assigned the correct roles to be able to upload this template, i.e., Company Administrator or Emission Factor Manager
  • Columns A and B are hidden and should not be overwritten. They contain unique codes that help the system identify existing emission factors and upload data correctly
  • The yellow columns are for entering data. Changes in the other columns will be ignored when uploading the template
  • Columns R to V are hidden and are required so that your Emission Factors upload as expected
  • Emission Factors and groups cannot be deleted using the Emission Factors Template. They can only be deleted through the Emission Factor Management page

Adding new emission factors

1. Amend the Effective To date of the existing emission factor in column J
Effective dates must run sequentially without any gaps, e.g., if the existing emission factor is Effective To 30/12/2021, the added emission factor must be Effective From 1/1/2022
2. Copy the content from columns C to H to the next blank row
3. Add Effective From and To dates to columns I and J
4. Add the new emission Factor tCO2e to columns K and M
5. Add the gas break down in columns N to P
Each emission factor must contain a gas breakdown for data to be displayed correctly. If you do not know the gas breakdown, add the total emission factor to the gas type of 'Other'
6. Column L provides a check sum to verify the gas breakdown in columns N to P match the total tCO2e factor in column K:

  • If Column L is zero, the cell will be highlighted green, the figures match and you can proceed
  • If Column L is not zero, the cell will be highlighted red, the figures do not match and need to be checked and corrected
  • If Column L cell is highlighted red, but the value is zero, this is a minor rounding difference and can be ignored

7. Add the emission factor source to column Q

Good to Know

  • When adding new emission factors, do not copy an existing row, always add them to the next blank row
  • Filter column C for the Emission Factor Group you are adding a factor too
  • Once an Emission Factor Template is downloaded, a new one cannot be downloaded until the user who downloaded the last one has either uploaded the file or cancelled the job

    Do not copy already created Emission Factors into a new row, this will create a duplicate when you upload the file

    WARNING! PLEASE DO NOT UPLOAD THE FILE MORE THAN ONCE.

    ONCE YOU HAVE UPLOADED THE FILE, PLEASE DOWNLOAD A NEW ONE IF YOU WISH TO MAKE MORE CHANGES AS ANY NEW EMISSION FACTORS CREATED WILL BE DUPLICATED!