Introduction:

In a recent update to our dashboard we've introduced several enhancements that empower admins to manage people integrations and user data more efficiently. This article will guide you through these new features, including manual triggers, user data synchronization, and attribute mapping debugging.

PlusPlus runs a daily people integration data sync automatically starting at 00:00 UTC, which for perspective, is 7:00 Hours ahead of the PST time zone. Depending on your instance's interval setting of this automatic sync, which can be configured from every 24 to every 3 hours, your next sync may not trigger until the next day at 00:00 UTC.

The People Integration Syncs Dashboard now will contain a record for each Automated run including success or failure, the number of people affected, and the ability to click into the results and dig into a particular affected user. See more below in Inspecting People Integration Syncs.

Note: by clicking on the People Integration Settings button on this dashboard you can quickly access the global Integration settings in your PlusPlus instance.

Here you can see how often your automated people integration sync interval is set as well as review and update related integration settings. Note that the sync interval can be set to occur at every 24,12, 6, or 3 hours, where 24 hours is the default

Using the People Integration Syncs dashboard an admin can now trigger these syncs manually at any time.

This new People Integration Syncs dashboard is enabled and visible by default however it is only accessible to platform admins.

This dashboard offers a variety of use cases to inspect, debug and interact with your People Integration.

On the top right of the page locate the Sync Users button to initiate the people integration process manually.

To run a persistent sync and update users in PlusPlus with the pulled data from your system be sure to toggle the Use received data to update users option to on in the modal after clicking "Sync Users"

Note: automated rules are triggered to run right after any "system initiated" PI sync completes, however, they are not triggered with manual PI sync from the PI Syncs dashboard. They can be manually triggered from the Automated Rules dashboard via the right side menu

By default the top Use received data to update users toggle is not enabled and will not run a live user data sync, only a test "dry run" which only pulls data without updating user information.

This is very useful to test and update fields definitions. For example the process looks like this: change a field, perform a dry run, inspect the run, and inspect payload for individual affected users.

Note that leaving the Use received data to update users toggle disabled allows for the dry test run aforementioned where changes can be viewed but no data is updated or changed. This is helpful for troubleshooting or reviewing potential changes before running a persistent data update.

This page contains a list of the most recent automatic executions of bulk user syncs and any manual syncs initiated by admins. Running the sync with the toggle enabled will create a new top result. Please allow adequate time for processing to finalize as depending on the amount of data being synced it could take up to 30 or more minutes to complete and that transaction to display

By clicking on a sync ID we can see the users who were affected (or would have been in the case of a dry-run). We can click on individual users to see what changes would be made.

People Integration Syncs dashboards column definitions:

There are seven sync results columns to familiarize with to quickly determine the status of sync outcomes, whether automatically initiated by the system or manually by an admin

Sync ID - the ID the manual sync was given by the system

The status - if it's running/pending, if it failed or if was completed successfully

The summary of affected users - how many user were created/deleted/updated and how many syncs failed or were skipped

If it was persisted - if the sync data was used to update live user data on PlusPlus or if we only ran a dry transaction which just downloads the data and stores it (useful for debugging purposes)

Created by - admin who initiated the sync (system is shown for syncs created by daily automatic syncs created by the system)

Created At/Finished At - sync start and completion time

Reviewing details and troubleshooting failure messages:

A failed status message shown in the summary column is a concern which prompts troubleshooting failed syncs. This and other details can be obtained by clicking the 3 dots on the right and selecting View User Records

This links to the a child user records dashboard containing details on each user data entry received containing information on attempts to map changes or record that no changes occurred, which are a majority of the statuses we'll see. Each one of these entries will be associated with the payload containing the exact data PlusPlus received in the last sync, but it may also contain:

User Records dashboards column definitions

Sync ID - the currently selected sync lD

The user - current selected user (blank if none selected)

The status - if failed or if was completed successfully

If it was persisted - if the sync data was used to update live user data on PlusPlus or if we only ran a dry transaction which just downloads the data and stores it (useful for debugging purposes)

Created by - admin who initiated the sync (system is shown for syncs created by daily automatic syncs created by the system)

Created At/Finished At - sync start and completion time

Clicking the 3 dots on the right provides sub menu with the option to view payload details

Along with the payload details the other two options to view, Updated Attributes as well as Error Messages, are also presented, which are also button links at the top of the payload menu

Clicking Error Messages on top right of the payload menu displays a log detailing the error. In this instance the error was due to an invalid email address which is required for all PlusPlus users

Connecting the data mapping dots:

Admins can view integration mappings in their global settings here:

(https://{YourInstanceName}.plusplus.app/a/system-settings/integrations/#people)

To review and compare attribute mappings and paths from the error message above and match them with the payload synced to PlusPlus. In the example below we find that Email is required and mapped to the email attribute

Individual user data Synchronization:

In additional to full data syncs you can now also selectively trigger syncs for individual users which is useful for quickly updating or troubleshooting with a specific user:

Navigate to User Profile:

By browsing from the People Dashboard or going directly to the users profile whose data you want to sync

Sync User Data: Use the Sync User Data option, similar to the dashboard's "Sync Users," but specific to the selected user.

View Sync History:

Post-sync, clicking the View Latest User Sync returns you to the People Integration Syncs dashboard highlighting the selected user you've completed syncing from their profile where you can review the latest sync activities for that user

People Integration Syncs dashboard filters:

From both the People Integration Syncs and User Records dashboards you'll find filter options for targeted searches. Within each filter you can specify details to fine tune search criteria which can then be saved. On the Records dashboard if you wanted to search for a specific user you certain can.

The current User Records dashboard filter options

People Integration Syncs dashboard filter options

Please note currently we do not have filters all content within the payload or for every attribute mapped in your integration, however, we plan to add more filter options in the future.

Single user sync statuses:

These are the available statuses when running a user sync

Created - the ID the manual sync was given by the system

Failed - if it's running/pending, if it failed or if was completed successfully

Restored - if the sync data was used to update live user data on PlusPlus or if we only ran a dry transaction which just downloads the data and stores it (useful for debugging purposes)

Skipped - no data needed to change

Terminated - the selected user data was flagged as terminated

Updated - the selected user data was updated

Attribute Mapping in People Integration:

The process of mapping attributes like email and employee ID has been simplified.

Accessing People Integration Settings:

There is a shortcut button located on the PI dashboard you'll find on the top right next to the Sync users button

Note: by clicking on the People Integration Settings button next to Sync users this links to the global Integration settings in your PlusPlus instance here:

https://{YourInstanceName}.plusplus.app/a/system-settings/integrations/#people

This is where you can see how often your automated people integration sync interval is set as well as review and update a number of related integration settings

Review Current Mapping:

Although the syntax can be complex, here you can check the existing attribute mappings. Prior to PI2.0 platform admins used to have to work with PlusPlus support and a complex spreadsheet system, however, this mapping data is all contained here.

Update Mapping:

If comfortable, admins can modify the mapping directly, however, for a smoother experience, we recommend seeking support assistance. The workflow is once changes are made here a manual sync is then triggered where we can see changes immediately.

Conclusion:

These enhancements to the dashboard and people integration process are designed to streamline operations and provide admins with greater control and flexibility. While some features, like attribute mapping, may require a learning curve, the overall improvements assist admins in making the platform more user-friendly and efficient.