SELF-SERVE PEOPLE IMPORT
Moves through the mapper
- First name and surname
- Work and personal email
- Known-as name
- Work phone and personal mobile
- Department and job title
- Job start date and date of birth
- Full-time, part-time or contractor
BREATHE TO HOLLYHR · KNOW THE MIGRATION PERIMETER
Move the people record first. Plan the rest with your eyes open.
Bring Breathe's Excel Employee Data export into an inspectable field map, review the first five mapped rows and give each cutover stream a clear owner.
- Map before applying
- Five rows to review
- Results recorded
breathe-employee-data.xlsxEmployee Data export · people only ready
Suggested map12 people fields
Before anything changesPreview 5 rows
Named boundaryLeave, files and history stay outside the people import.
THE DIRECT ANSWER
Can you import Breathe data into HollyHR?
Yes. Breathe's current People Data Export downloads as an Excel file. A System Admin selects the Breathe format, uploads the .xlsx export, reviews suggested mappings and previews the first five mapped rows. HollyHR can process up to 500 rows and creates or updates people by work email.
Use the field ledger below to confirm the 12-field people shape, then assign separate owners to leave, documents, working patterns, reporting history, custom data and workflow state before ending access to Breathe.
MAP, THEN DECIDE
A suggestion is not consent. Check every useful column.
HollyHR recognises common headings, but the System Admin owns the final field map. Required fields stay visible, optional matches can be changed, and irrelevant columns can be left out. The preview shows the first five mapped rows so you can check the shape before applying the import.
- First name, last name and work email are required
- Existing people are matched by work email
- Apply resolves matches, limits and row failures
First nameFirst NameRequired
SurnameLast NameRequired
EmailEmailRequired
Known asPreferred NameSuggested
Full or parttimeWork TypeSuggested
Holiday allowanceDo not importReview
What apply can resolve
New work emailA new people record can be addedCreated
Same-workspace emailAn existing profile can be changedUpdated
Invalid rowA bounded warning can explain whySkipped
History keeps aggregate counts and bounded issues.
THE MIGRATION PERIMETER
Start with the people record. Name every other cutover stream.
HollyHR recognises common headings in a Breathe Employee Data export, then maps them into the same inspectable 12-field people shape as any spreadsheet.
SEPARATE CUTOVER WORK
Needs its own reconciliation
- Holiday balances and leave history
- Documents and read acknowledgements
- Manager and reporting-line history
- Working patterns and rota data
- Performance, training and add-on data
- Audit and workflow history
Use synthetic or redacted samples for an early migration conversation. Do not send live employee data through a public form.
THE CUTOVER PLAN
Five calm steps. Each leaves something another person can check.
The aim is not a dramatic migration weekend. It is a short sequence with named evidence, cheap reversibility and no ambiguity about the live master.
- 01A real migration perimeter
Inventory the account
List the people report, leave evidence, documents, add-ons and any process that still relies on Breathe.
- 02A protected exit pack
Take dated exports
Download the available employee data and the evidence needed for every separate reconciliation stream.
- 03Twelve-field people map
Map the people record
Choose the Breathe format, inspect the suggested matches and correct any columns that need human judgement.
- 04Exceptions understood
Test real edge cases
Sample future starters, part-time people, duplicate emails and anyone whose record changed recently.
- 05A controlled cutover
Freeze and reconcile
Name the final change window, complete the people run and reconcile leave and files before invitations go out.
THE FIT CHECK
Breathe is broader in several areas. That matters.
Breathe has a longer operating history and currently offers a wider catalogue around the core HR system. Choose HollyHR when its focused people, leave, document and onboarding workflow fits the job—not because a switching page pretends every module is equivalent.
Add-on breadth
Breathe advertises recruitment, rota, expenses, learning, performance and health-and-safety options. HollyHR does not claim parity there.
Migration perimeter
Neither this page nor HollyHR's shipped importer is a managed full-account transfer. Every stream outside the supported people shape needs an owner and a check.
The HollyHR case
A focused small-team core, transparent limits, a broad inspectable export and a product that makes ordinary HR work feel lighter.
Cutover receiptReady for named review draft
01
The final Breathe change window is named
02
Employee Data export headings have been checked
03
Existing HollyHR emails have been reconciled
04
Leave balances have their own signed-off source
05
Documents have a secure transfer and spot-check plan
06
Breathe access ends only after reconciliation
BEFORE THE INVITATIONS
Turn “looks about right” into a signed-off handover.
Import history records the file, provider, mapped and ignored columns, counts, warnings and errors, with bounded issue lists. Pair that aggregate record with a short human review of the people who exercise your awkward cases.
- Name the System Admin who ran the import
- Name the people used for spot checks
- Date the read-only source and final map
QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU MOVE
Answers worth having before access changes.
Use these answers to set owners, evidence and timing before the old system stops being your live source.
01Does HollyHR import directly from Breathe?
HollyHR has a Breathe-oriented self-serve import format. A System Admin uploads Breathe's Excel Employee Data export as .xlsx. A working copy converted to CSV is also accepted, but there is no API connection that reads the Breathe account directly.
02What Breathe data can HollyHR import?
The importer maps the supported 12-field people shape: names, work and personal contact details, department, job title, job start date, date of birth and work type. First name, last name and work email are required.
03Will HollyHR import Breathe holiday balances and history?
No. Leave balances, policies and history do not come through the people importer. Export and reconcile them as a separate cutover stream.
04Will HollyHR import Breathe documents?
No. The current self-serve Breathe route does not transfer document files or acknowledgements. Take a secure exit copy and plan the destination and checks separately.
05Can we test HollyHR before cancelling Breathe?
Yes. A short, controlled overlap is sensible. Test representative people, reconcile leave and documents, freeze changes in the old system and only then complete the invitation wave.
06Is HollyHR feature-for-feature the same as Breathe?
No. Breathe currently advertises a broader add-on catalogue and has a longer operating history. HollyHR is the better choice only when its focused small-team core, pricing shape, product experience and portability fit your actual job.
07What should we export before leaving Breathe?
At minimum, take the Employee Data export used for the people import plus the available evidence for leave, documents, policies, reporting and any paid add-ons you rely on. Keep the dated exit pack read-only.
08Should we cancel Breathe before the migration is checked?
No. Breathe says normal access lasts until the next renewal date; the following 60-day suspended period is inaccessible, not read-only migration time. Export and reconcile before cancellation takes effect.
CHECK THE SOURCE
The facts behind this route.
Product limits come from the shipped HollyHR workflow. Supplier facts come from the supplier's own current guidance, reviewed 18 July 2026.
- HollyHR people importThe supported fields, file types, preview, matching and row limit in the current product.
- HollyHR organisation exportWhat a HollyHR System Admin can take out later, including named limits and exclusions.
- Breathe: People Data ExportBreathe describes its Excel people export as containing the majority of profile data.
- Breathe: exporting dataThe supplier's own inventory of separately downloaded reports and exports.
- Breathe: people documentsBreathe says employee and company documents must be downloaded individually.
- Breathe: cancelling a planAccess to the account, the inaccessible 60-day suspension and eventual deletion.
- Breathe: what is includedCurrent core product and add-on breadth used for the candid fit boundary.
BRING THE AWKWARD ROWS
Planning a Breathe migration? Start with one clean source and a named owner.
Join the early-access list. If your team is invited, a synthetic or redacted sample can make the follow-up useful without sending live employee data through a public form.