--- sourceDocument: Australia IT Service Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-service-management Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia IT Service Management ft:clusterId : - itsm bundleId : - itsm workflow : - Technology --- # On-call bulk roster template Excel file # On-call bulk roster template Excel file {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated August 21, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 4 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of On-call bulk roster template Excel file The On-call bulk roster template Excel file is a workbook generated by the On-call Onboarding wizard to facilitate creating on-call schedules for multiple groups efficiently. Each sheet in the workbook corresponds to a mapped group and is prefilled with shift template details, including shift, roster, rotation, and frequency information. This structured template streamlines bulk onboarding of on-call configurations in ServiceNow. Show full answer Show less ## Workbook Structure and Usage * **Group Sheets:** Each sheet is named after a mapped group (with names shortened if exceeding 31 characters) and contains prefilled shift and roster details, including separate blocks for multiple regions if applicable. * **Group Members:** A list of active group members is provided on each sheet for easy assignment. * **Roster Details:** Editable fields include roster name (Primary or Secondary), rotation interval (Daily, Weekly, Monthly), rotation frequency, day of rotation, monthly rotation type, and start day. Group members can be assigned to rosters by copying names from the members list. * **Structural Boundary Row:** A mandatory, non-editable boundary row marks the end of each roster's member list, essential for proper parsing during upload. ## File Requirements * The file must be in .xlsx or .xls format and comply with the size limit set by the system property `com.glide.attachment.maxsize`. * Files exceeding the size limit will be rejected by the wizard during upload. ## Upload Validation and Error Handling Upon uploading the completed workbook, the wizard performs validation with two severity levels---errors and warnings---and provides a per-group preview of the resulting on-call configuration if successful. * **Common Errors:** Include missing or duplicate group sheets, missing shift or roster names, unrecognized group names, duplicate shifts or rosters, member name issues (such as placeholders, misspellings, or ambiguous names), and removing mandatory shift or roster blocks. * **Common Warnings:** Include missing rotation intervals or details (with defaults applied by the wizard), rosters without members (resulting in empty schedules), duplicate members in rosters, and members assigned who are not active group members (which should be reviewed). **Important:** Do not delete, modify, or type in the structural boundary row as it is critical for the upload parser to correctly process roster member lists. ## Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers This template enables bulk creation and update of on-call schedules across multiple groups with consistency and accuracy, reducing manual effort and errors. The built-in validations and structured format help ensure that on-call configurations are correctly imported, improving onboarding efficiency and schedule management within ServiceNow. The roster template workbook contains one sheet per mapped group, prefilled with shift template details. When you select Download template on the roster upload step of the On-call Onboarding wizard, the wizard generates the roster_template.xlsx workbook. The wizard prefills each sheet with the shift template details for the group that you mapped in the wizard.{#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template-overview-1} For more information, see [Create on-call schedules for multiple groups](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/RBrU9BVHlKxSiZgIkdtGjQ "Use the on-call onboarding utility to create schedules for many groups at once instead of configuring each group individually. The On-Call Onboarding wizard helps you create on-call schedules for multiple teams by mapping shift templates, uploading a roster spreadsheet, and optionally configuring escalation policies.").{#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template-overview-2} Figure 1. On-call roster template workbook {#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__table_tz3_vjp_jkc__entry__2} | Component | Description | |-|-| | Group sheet | One sheet per group that you mapped in the wizard, named for that group. The group sheet is prefilled with details about the shift, roster, rotation, and frequency from the on-call template mapped to that group. If the shift template includes multiple regions, separate blocks appear for each region, such as APAC and EMEA. Sheet names cannot exceed 31 characters. If a group name is longer, the wizard shortens it and adds a number to keep duplicate names unique. The sheet name might not exactly match the group name. | | Group Members | List of active group members. | | Roster details | Update the roster and rotation details as needed. * Roster Name: Primary or Secondary. These are the only supported roster names. * Rotation Interval: The rotation interval of the shift: Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. * Rotation Every: Positive whole number that sets the rotation frequency of the shift. * Day of Week: The day when the shift rotates. Applies to Weekly rotation. * Monthly Rotation Type: When the monthly shift rotation happens: Specific Day or Last day of the month. Applies to Monthly rotation. * Start rotation on: When monthly rotation type is specific day, which day of the month the rotation happens. * Members: Group members assigned to the roster. Copy one member name per row from the Group Members list. {#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__ul_xrt_f3p_jkc} | | --- DO NOT DELETE --- end of roster | Structural boundary row that marks the end of each roster's member list. The upload parser uses this row to determine where the member list ends. Important: Don't delete, modify, or type in this row. Deleting or altering this row breaks parsing for all roster data below it on that sheet. | [Table 1. Workbook structure] {#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__table_tz3_vjp_jkc} ## File requirements {#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__section_file_reqs} The workbook must be an .xlsx or .xls file. The file cannot exceed the attachment limit set by the com.glide.attachment.max_size system property. If the file exceeds this limit, the wizard displays an error and blocks the upload.{#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template-file-reqs-1} ## Upload validation {#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__section_upload_validation} When you upload the completed workbook, the wizard validates it and reports issues at two severity levels. After the upload passes validation, the wizard displays a per-group preview of the resulting on-call configuration.{#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template-upload-validation-1} If validation flags an issue, refer to the following tables for the cause and resolution.{#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template-upload-validation-2} {#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__table_upload_errors__entry__3} | Message | Cause | Fix | |-|-|-| | No groups detected | The workbook has no recognizable group sheets. | Re-download the template instead of removing all the sheets. | | Group name is missing | The Group cell is empty. | Don't clear the pre-filled group name. | | Duplicate group | Two sheets list the same group name. | Verify that each sheet's Group cell matches only its own group. | | Unknown group | The group named in the Group cell wasn't selected in Team selection step of the wizard. | Go back to the wizard and add the group. | | No shifts on a sheet | Every shift block was removed from a group's sheet. | Keep at least one shift block, even if its rosters are empty. | | Shift name is missing | The Shift cell is empty. | Don't clear the pre-filled shift name. | | Duplicate shift | The same shift name appears twice on one sheet. | Each shift should appear only once per group. | | Shift name doesn't match the template | The Shift cell was edited to a name that isn't on the group's shift template. | Use the exact shift name the wizard pre-filled. The error message lists the shift names it expects. | | No rosters on a shift | Both the Primary and Secondary roster blocks were removed. | Keep at least one roster block per shift. | | Roster name is missing | The Roster Name cell is empty. | Don't clear the pre-filled Primary or Secondary label. | | Duplicate roster | Two rosters under the same shift are both named Primary, or both Secondary. | Keep one of each. | | Member row contains placeholder text | A label such as Members or Roster Name was left in a member row. | Replace it with a person's name, or leave the row empty. | | Member not found | The name doesn't match any active user. | Check the spelling, or copy the exact name from the Group Members list. | | Member name matches more than one user | Two or more active users share that display name. | Use the person's username instead. | [Table 2. Upload errors] {#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__table_upload_errors} {#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__table_upload_warnings__entry__3} | Message | Cause | Fix | |-|-|-| | Rotation interval is missing | The wizard doesn't apply a default for this field. | Fill in Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. | | Day of week is missing | Weekly rotation selected but Day of Week left empty. | The wizard defaults it to Monday. | | Monthly rotation type is missing | Monthly rotation selected but Monthly Rotation Type left empty. | The wizard defaults it to Specific Day. | | Start day of the month is missing | Specific Day selected but no start day provided. | The wizard defaults it to day 1. | | Roster has no members | A roster (Primary or Secondary) has no member names under it. | That roster is created with nobody scheduled on it. | | Duplicate member | The same name appears twice under one roster. | Remove the duplicate if it wasn't intentional. | | Member not in the group | The person is added to the roster but isn't currently an active member of the group. | The person is still scheduled, but this usually signals a mismatch worth double-checking. | [Table 3. Upload warnings] {#oc-bulk-schedule-roster-template__table_upload_warnings}