How to create, apply, edit, and archive roster templates in Sona — and what to watch out for when using them. This article covers general usage of Roster Templates. For self-serve management of these templates, please also see this article for further information
Applies to: Admin / Manager
What are roster templates?
Roster templates let you save a week of shifts and reuse them without having to rebuild the roster from scratch each time. They are most useful for locations that run a regular or repeating rota — for example, a two-week rolling pattern, a weekday versus weekend split, or a seasonal schedule.
Templates are set up per location (org unit). A template saved for one location will not be available to apply to a different location.
Important: applying a template will add shifts to a roster week. It does not remove or replace shifts that are already there. If you apply a template to a week that already has shifts on it, you will end up with both.
Creating a template from an existing week
The most common way to create a template is to build a roster week the way you want it and then save it as a template.
- Navigate to the roster for the relevant location.
- Go to the week you want to save.
- Select the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the roster view.
- Click Save week as template.
- Give the template a name and save.
Templates are saved per location. Give each template a clear name that describes the pattern — for example, "Week 1 — Standard", "Summer Weekends", or "Night Shift Rotation B". This makes it easier to find the right one when applying it later.
Creating a template from scratch
There is no separate template creation workspace in Sona. Templates are always created by building or editing shifts on a real roster week and then saving it using Save week as template from the three-dot menu.
If you want to build a template from scratch, add the shifts to a roster week, save it as a template, then delete those shifts from the roster before publishing. If you forget to remove them, they will remain on the live roster as real scheduled shifts.
For most teams, the easiest approach is to create templates from a week that is already correctly rostered rather than building from an empty week.
Applying a template to a roster week
To apply a template to a future week:
- Navigate to the roster for the relevant location.
- Move to the week you want to fill.
- Select the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the roster view.
- Click Load from template.
- Choose the template you want to apply and confirm.
Click once and wait. There is a processing delay after clicking. If you click a second time before the first action completes, you may end up with duplicate shifts. Click once, then wait for confirmation before doing anything else.
You can only apply a template to one week at a time. There is currently no way to apply a template to multiple weeks in a single action.
Templates and existing shifts: what happens when you apply
Applying a template adds shifts to the roster — it does not clear the week first. If the roster week already has shifts, the template shifts will be added on top of them.
This is the most common mistake when using templates. If you have already manually added some shifts to a week and then apply a template, you will have both sets of shifts in place. There is currently no undo option for applying a template — if you apply one in error, you will need to manually delete the unwanted shifts.
Templates and holiday or absence bookings
If employees in the relevant week have holiday or absence already booked, this affects what happens when you apply a template:
- If the template includes shifts that overlap with a booked holiday or absence, the system may prompt you to decide how to handle the clash (for example, reassigning the shift to open).
- In some configurations, particularly where templates include overnight or night shifts and employees have holiday booked that day, the template application may fail silently — it appears to do nothing, and no error message is shown. If this happens, the most reliable workaround is to temporarily cancel the holiday, apply the template, and then rebook the holiday.
This behaviour is linked to an organisation-level setting for overwriting holiday when loading templates. If you are consistently having problems applying templates to weeks with holiday booked, contact Sona support to review your organisation's settings.
Editing a template
To update the content of a template, you save over it with a new version. There is no in-place editor for templates.
To update a template:
- Apply the template to a draft or upcoming roster week.
- Make the changes you need (add, edit, or remove shifts).
- Save the week as a template, using the same template name.
- This overwrites the previous version of the template.
Editing a template does not affect any roster weeks where you have already applied it. Once a template has been applied to a week, those shifts are independent of the template. If you update the template and reapply it to the same week, you will get duplicate shifts (the original template shifts plus the new ones).
If you need to update a week that already has a template applied, edit the shifts on the roster directly rather than reapplying the updated template.
Archiving a template
To archive a template you no longer need:
- Go to Admin > Templates in the admin portal.
- Find the template you want to archive.
- Select the archive option.
You will need the correct permission to archive templates. Not all roles have this by default. If you cannot see the archive option, check with your system admin or contact Sona Support to request a permission update.
Archived templates are no longer available to apply to new roster weeks. They are not deleted from the system — they can be restored if needed by contacting support.
Archiving a template does not affect rosters where you have already applied it. Any shifts created when the template was applied remain on the roster as normal. Archiving simply removes the template from the list of options available for future use.
Note: there is no option to permanently delete a template yourself — archiving is the only available option. If a template has been created in error and you want it removed entirely, contact Sona support.
Please also see this article for further information
Common mistakes
Applying a template to a week that already has shifts. Templates add to what is already there — they do not clear the week first. Always check whether a week has existing shifts before applying a template to it.
Double-clicking the apply button. There is a processing delay when a template is loading. Clicking the button twice before the first action completes will create duplicate shifts. Click once and wait.
Editing a template and then reapplying it to a week that already had the old version. This creates duplicate shifts. If you need to update an already-rostered week, edit the shifts directly on that week rather than reapplying the template.
Expecting a template update to change weeks that already had it applied. Templates and the rosters they have been applied to are not linked. Updating a template has no effect on previously rostered weeks.
Saving a template over the wrong name. Because updating a template means saving over it, double-check the name before confirming to avoid overwriting the wrong template.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I applied a template and now I have duplicate shifts. What do I do?
The template was applied to a week that already had shifts on it. You will need to manually delete the duplicate shifts from the roster. There is no undo option for applying a template.
Q: I tried to apply a template and nothing happened. What went wrong?
This is usually caused by a clash between the template shifts and holiday or absence already booked for that week. Try clearing your filters to check whether shifts did get added but are hidden. If nothing was added, check whether any employees have holiday booked in that week that might be clashing with overnight or night shifts in the template. As a workaround, temporarily cancel the clashing holiday, apply the template, then rebook the holiday.
Q: Can I apply a template to multiple weeks at once?
Not currently — templates can only be applied one week at a time.
Q: I archived a template but now I need it back. Can I restore it?
Yes — contact a Sona Administrator at first as this can now be self-served. If you still have issues, please contact Sona Support and the team can restore an archived template for you.
Q: I want to delete a template entirely, not just archive it. Can I do that?
You cannot delete templates yourself — archiving is the only self-serve option. If you need a template permanently removed, contact Sona Support.
Q: Will archiving a template affect the rosters where I have already used it?
No. Any shifts that were created when you applied the template will remain on the roster unchanged. Archiving only removes the template from the list of options for future use.
Still Need Help?
Contact Sona support with the name of the template, the location, and a description of what you are trying to do.