Setup Custom Factors

This page outlines the how to extract custom emissions factors,

make changes, add new factors and upload to Envizi.

Basic instructions

1. Navigate to the Custom Factors page: Admin | Configuration |

Custom Factors
2. Run the Setup Custom Factors report by clicking Extract
Factors.
3. Review your factors and make necessary changes using the
guidance below.
4. Save your changes as an .xlsx document.
5. Upload to Envizi using the Upload Factors button.
6. Verify that the file was successful by using the Files Processed
- Accounts & Setup page.

Prerequisites

1. Your organization must subscribe to the Sustainability Data

Management and Reporting module.
2. Your organization must also have a 1 or more custom factor
sets configured for use. This is accessed through custom
factor management. Please raise a ticket with our help desk to
enable this functionality.
3. You must be logged in as a system administrator.
Functions on the Custom Factors page

There are 2 functions available on the custom factors page to help

you extract, transform and load factors back to Envizi.

Extract Factors - This button will generate a report for you so you can
make your changes or add new factors.

Upload Factors - This button will allow you to upload your Excel file
directly to Envizi. You can check the status of your file by navigating
to Manage | Files Processed - Accounts & Setup page.

Files Processed - Accounts & Setup - Note that it usually takes about
2-3 minutes for the file to appear in the Files Processed - Accounts &
Setup page. If the file does not appear check the following:

• File name must have the format of:

‘Setup_Custom_Factors<optional text>.xlsx’
• The first tab in the file should be named ‘Setup’.
• The file structure has been edited (eg, a new column has been
inserted or a column has been deleted)
• The region name entered doesn’t match the region name in
Envizi. To verify, download the region extract.

Troubleshooting - Any errors encountered will show <*Error*> in the

File Status column. To investigate the cause of the error, right-click
on the row and select Load Errors and read the Message displayed for
the error.
N ote - factors will be applied to your data over the weekend. This
delay is to avoid putting unnecessary strain on the database as this
can sometimes cause large emissions recalculations.

File and column validation

First, search for the report using global search or navigate to

the Extract Reports folder.

Open the file in excel and immediately save the file with the name
‘Setup_Custom_Factors<optional text>.xlsx’ where <optional text>
can be anything that helps you differentiate files.

Rename the first tab to Setup

When making edits in Excel, please take note of the following:

1. To delete a value in a field you must enter the world NULL

contained within square brackets like this: [NULL]. This
function is added to increase security so that if some fields are
deleted by accident they are not lost when a factor is updated.
This applies to all Optional fields.
2. This connector does not allow you to delete factors entirely.
This can be done easily in Envizi by navigating to Admin |
Configuration | Custom Factors. Multi-select factors you wish
to delete and then right-click, delete. Note that there is no
undo function for this so proceed with caution.
3. The Action, Organization, Associate_Link fields must always be
populated for the file to be processed when creating a new
factor, and the Factor_Link must also be populated when
updating a factor.
4. Do not add or delete columns in this report. Any columns
added or deleted will be caught as a load error.
5. Region: To enter the Country, State or City, you must enter
regions exactly as they are recorded in Envizi. See below for an
extract of all regions. If your region is unavailable, then you
can also create a custom region.
6. Scientific Notation: You may encounter an error if your file
contains very small numbers that result in scientific notation,
eg: 3.413E-05. To fix this, format all columns that contain
numeric values where at least 1 value is shown as scientific
notation as ‘number’ with 8 decimals, you can avoid this error.
This is particularly relevant for the CH4 and N2O columns.
Region extract

Regions extract.xlsx

NOTE: You may experience a common validation error when loading your
factors:
This creates a conflict with 1 or more existing factors in the database.
Please check that the effective and published dates do not overlap with any
factors that share the same data type, sub type, factor set and region.
This usually happens when published dates are not entered. Note that
even if your factors are not using published dates, you must still enter a
date value in the published date fields if 2 or more factors are being
created within the same data type, sub type, factor set and region.
Best practice is to set the published dates to have the same values as
the effective dates.
More information on this validation can be found here.

Field Validation

Column Heading Description

Action Mandatory. 2 valid values are:
CREATE: this will create a new emission factor. If you are
using an old factor and would like to create a new one,
make sure to delete the value in the ‘Factor_Link’ column.
UPDATE: this will update the factor with your changes.
Make sure you do not delete the Factor_Link when using
UPDATE.
Organization Mandatory. Do not edit or delete the value in this column.
Every row (both CREATE and UPDATE) must contain the
name of your organization for the record to be processed.
Associate_Link Mandatory. Similar to ‘Organization’, the ‘Associate_Link’
id must be entered into every row for both CREATE and
UPDATE.
Factor_Link Mandatory. This field is required only for rows where the
‘Action’ field is set to UPADTE.
Country Optional. This field is not required for global emission
factors. This field is mandatory for Country, State or City
level factors.
 The name of field must exactly match the values in the
Envizi database. A complete list of Envizi’s ‘regions’ can
be downloaded from the link above this table.
State Optional. This field is not required for global or country
level emission factors. This field is mandatory for State or
City level factors.

The name of field must exactly match the values in the

Envizi database. A complete list of Envizi’s ‘regions’ can
be downloaded from the previous section.
City Optional. This field is not required for global, country or
state level emission factors. This field is mandatory for
City level factors only.

The name of field must exactly match the values in the

Envizi database. A complete list of Envizi’s ‘regions’ can
be downloaded from the previous section.

Note if you have configured a custom region you can find

the name of that region by navigating to Admin |
Configuration | Custom Regions. Also take note of the
State and Country as those fields are mandatory when
providing ‘City’.
Factor Set Mandatory.
Scope Mandatory. As Envizi contains a few data types that exist
in more multiple GHG Scopes, there is validation on this
field.

Acceptable values include:

• Scope 1
• Scope 2
• Scope 3
• No Scope
• Offsets
• KPI
• Building Attributes
• Social Metrics

Data Type Mandatory. The data type must be entered exactly as it is

in Envizi and the correct Scope must also be entered for
validation.
Sub Type Optional. This is a rarely used function that can
differentiate factors that exist within a data type, region
and factor set for the same time period. An example of
 this might be various grades of paper or transport fuel
grades (92, 95, 98 octane).

If you need to make use of this function please raise a

ticket with our help desk.
Name Mandatory.
Description Optional. This is for your records only and there is no
validation on this field.
Total Optional. This is the value on which all emissions are
CO2e(kgCO2e/unit) calculated. If this value is omitted then emissions will not
be calculated for data linked to this factor.
CO2(kgCO2e/unit) Optional. This value is only apparent in the Emissions
Performance dashboard.
CH4(kgCO2e/unit) Optional. This value is only apparent in the Emissions
Performance dashboard.

NOTE: You may encounter an error if your file contains very

small numbers that result in scientific notation, eg:
3.413E-05. To fix this, format all columns that contain
numeric values where at least 1 value is shown as
scientific notation as ‘number’ with 8 decimals, you can
avoid this error.
N2O(kgCO2e/unit) Optional. This value is only apparent in the Emissions
Performance dashboard.
BioCO2 Optional. This value is only used in extract reports.
Indirect Optional. This value is only apparent in the Emissions
CO2e(kgCO2e/unit) Performance dashboard.

This is also sometimes known as the Well-to-tank (WTT)

conversion factor and refers to the upstream Scope 3
emissions associated with extraction, refining and
transportation of the raw fuel sources, before
consumption in their intended activity. In the case of
electricity it can also refer to the downstream Scope 3
emissions associated with grid losses from transmission
and distribution (the energy loss that occurs in getting the
electricity from the power plant to the organisations that
purchase it).
Energy(GJ)/unit Optional. This value is needed to show energy in reports
and dashboards. For example, if the factor being entered
is measured in kWh, the conversion = 0.0036 GJ/kWh.
Mass(Kg)/unit Optional. This value is needed to show mass in reports
and dashboards. For example, if the factor being entered
is measured in lbs, the conversion = 0.453592 kg/lbs.
Volumn(L)/unit Optional. This value is needed to show volume in reports
and dashboards. For example, if the factor being entered
is measured in m3, the conversion = 1000 L/m3.
Area(m2)/unit Optional. This value is needed to show area in reports and
dashboards.
Distance(m)/unit Optional. This value is needed to show distance in reports
and dashboards.
Effective_From Optional. This is required to determine the starting
effective period of the factor. If left blank the factor will
apply for all time into the past.
Effective_To Optional. This is required to determine the starting
effective period of the factor. If left blank the factor will
apply for all time into the future.
Published_From Optional. This is required to determine the starting
effective period of the factor according to when the factor
was published. If left blank the factor will apply for all
time into the past. See Factor Published Date Logic for
more information.

If your organization does not apply factors based on when

they were published then this field should contain the
same value as ‘Effective_From’.
Published_To Optional. This is required to determine the starting
effective period of the factor according to when the factor
was published. If left blank the factor will apply for all
time into the future. See Factor Published Date Logic for
more information.

If your organization does not apply factors based on when

they were published then this field should contain the
same value as ‘Effective_To’.
Review_On Optional. This is for your records only and there is no
validation on this field.
Factor_Source Optional. This is for your records only and there is no
validation on this field.
Notes Optional. This is for your records only and there is no
validation on this field.
Additional validation

Factors cannot be loaded into Envizi that have overlapping effective

or published dates that share the same region, data type, sub type
and factor set. More information on this can be found in the custom
factor management page.