Integrations and HR data sync
Keep OpenAleph members in sync with your HRIS through the partner API - what is synchronised, the daily run, ETL reports and what changes for admins once sync is on.
Instead of maintaining members by hand, your company can keep OpenAleph in sync with its HR information system (HRIS). The HRIS, or an integration tool between the two, sends member data to the OpenAleph partner API; OpenAleph applies it once a day and produces a report of each run.
Ways to bring members in
| Method | When to use it | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Manual creation | A few members, small companies | People › Members › Add member |
| Excel import | Initial load or periodic bulk updates by hand | People › Members › Import members (.xlsx template) |
| HR data sync through the API | Your HRIS is the source of truth and you want automatic updates | Partner API, see below |
See People for manual creation and Excel import.
Note: OpenAleph does not provide ready-made connectors for specific HRIS products. The synchronisation is built on the partner API: your IT team, your HRIS vendor or an integration partner sends the data. Contact your OpenAleph account manager to plan the project.
What gets synchronised
| Data | Details |
|---|---|
| Members | Identity (employee ID, email, first and last name), status (active or inactive), access level, birth date, gender |
| Manager | The reporting line, using the manager's employee ID |
| Profile fields | Any system or custom field: work location, contract type, level, job title, organisation units, dates, custom fields |
| Lists | Job titles, options of select fields and organisation units can be created or updated through the API before members are sent |
| Scoped admins | The access level and the perimeter rules of each scoped admin |
| Departures | A member sent as inactive is deactivated and their departure date recorded (the date you send, or the date of the sync) |
Values that do not exist yet in OpenAleph (an unknown work location, job title or unit) are rejected for that member and reported in the ETL report. Create them first, through the API or in Company settings.
Set up the synchronisation
- Prepare the structure in OpenAleph: profile fields, organisation units, job titles and lists (Company settings, People attributes).
- Create an API key in Company developer › Go to api keys and hand it securely to whoever builds the integration (API keys and public API).
- Build the integration: it reads the field identifiers from the schema endpoint, pushes the lists, then pushes members (usually all active members every day).
- Check the first report in Company developer › Go to ETL reports the day after the first push, and fix the rejected rows at the source.
The daily run
- Data received through the API is queued, then processed once a day, at 2 a.m. ("A cron job is set up to run every day at 2 a.m. To process data that has been received during the previous 24 hours."). Changes are not visible immediately.
- Pushing the same member several times a day is safe: the last data received wins.
- A member who is simply absent from a push is not treated as a departure: send them with status inactive to deactivate them.
ETL reports
Go to Company developer › Go to ETL reports. The Jobs page lists every run with its Job ID, its Created at date and a Report File to download. If nothing has run yet, it says "No job has been executed yet".
The Excel report details each step of the run (reading the data, preparing members, managers and profile values, then saving members, profile values and scoped admin rules) with information messages and errors for each row. Use it to find members that were rejected and why.
What changes once sync is on
The first push to the API switches your company to synchronised mode. From then on the HRIS is the source of truth and, to avoid conflicting edits, OpenAleph blocks manual changes to members:
- Add member and Import members are hidden; Export all members appears instead;
- profile editing, the bulk actions Manage access levels, Manage attributes and Deactivate selected members, and member restoration are unavailable;
- deactivations come from the HRIS (members sent as inactive).
Everything else works as usual: company settings, profile fields, campaigns, trainings.
Important: Because access levels are part of the synchronised data, change them in your HRIS feed, not in OpenAleph. Otherwise the next run overwrites your change.
To leave synchronised mode (for example to go back to manual management), contact OpenAleph support.
Common questions
A member's change in the HRIS is not in OpenAleph.
Wait for the next daily run, then check the latest ETL report for an error on that member (unknown value, missing required field, email already used).
Why can't I edit members any more?
Your company is in synchronised mode. Change the data in your HRIS.
Can the OpenAleph team set up the integration for us?
Contact your OpenAleph account manager to discuss the integration project.
A new hire should appear in a scoped admin's population.
It happens automatically when the new member matches the perimeter rules (for example their work location), after the daily run.
Still stuck?
Our team answers every question. Tell us what you are trying to do and we'll walk you through it. Contact support