Integrations: HRIS

Contents

• Overview
• HRIS Integration Diagram
• Terms
• Common HRIS Providers
• Parent-child Departments
• User Data Templates & Explainers
  • Default
  • Custom
  • Advanced Analytics
• SFTP Client Configuration
• SFTP Server Credentials
• Data Security
• File Processing
• Common Errors
• The Betterworks Support Team
• FAQs

Overview

The Betterworks HRIS integration automates the transfer of user data between an organization’s HRIS and Betterworks; ensuring that information remains up to date. This automation includes:

• Creating accounts for new employees.
• Updating the accounts of existing employees (i.e. manager change, title change, etc.).
• Deactivating the accounts of employees who are no longer with an organization.

Note: There are also manual user management options (i.e. uploading a file or making individual updates).

HRIS Integration Diagram

Terms

• HRIS (Human Resources Information System): An application used to maintain, manage, and process employee information.
  
  
• SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol): A network protocol for securely accessing, transferring, and managing large files and sensitive data.
  
  
• SFTP Server: An endpoint associated with a destination during a message exchange.
  
  
• SFTP Client: An application that uses SFTP to securely move files to and from a remote computer.
  
  

• Point People: The people in your organization who will be responsible for completing the HRIS integration setup. To avoid confusion and/or delays, we ask that only these 3 people from your organization be involved in the process:

  • Your organization’s Betterworks Program Lead to oversee the process.
  • Your organization’s HRIS administrator to map the user data in the HRIS to one of our user data templates. A member of your organization’s IT Team to configure the SFTP client and schedule a recurring file feed to the Betterworks SFTP server. 
    
    

• Technical Contact: The Technical Contact is the person (or group of people) who receives an automated email notification if any errors are found in the completed user data file. We can only use one email address for the Technical Contact, so we highly recommend that organizations provide a group email address (i.e. [e-mail]). That way, multiple people will be notified.

  • Note: Error notifications apply to data that is sent to Betterworks. It does not apply to manual user management (i.e. uploading a file or making individual updates). If any errors are found during manual user management, the error message(s) will be displayed in a banner or preview panel. 

Common HRIS Providers

Note: If your organization uses an HRIS provider that isn’t listed below you can still move forward with our HRIS integration.

• ADP: Continue to the next section, but keep in mind that you may need to contact the ADP Support Team for additional assistance.
  
  
• BambooHR: We have a separate integration for BambooHR.
  
  
• Oracle: Continue to the next section, but keep in mind that you may need to contact the Oracle Support Team for additional assistance.
  
  
• SuccessFactors: Continue to the next section, but keep in mind that you may need to contact the SuccessFactors Support Team for additional assistance.
  
  
• TriNet Zenefits: We have a separate integration for TriNet Zenefits.
  
  
• Workday: Continue to the next section, but keep in mind that you may need to contact the Workday Support Team for additional assistance.
  
  
• UKG Pro: We have a separate integration for UKG Pro. However, you can still move forward with our HRIS integration.
  
  Note: Some customer configurations are not supported by our UKG Pro integration. In those situations, the Betterworks Support Team will recommend using our HRIS integration instead. 

Parent-child Departments

A parent-child department structure (aka nested department structure) is an organizational hierarchy where departments are nested within larger ones, forming a tiered system. If your organization has this structure, please define it by using the template below. If not, continue to the next section.

• Parent-child Department Data Template

In the name field (aka name column header), enter the parent department followed by related child departments. In the parent field, enter the parent department where applicable. 

In the screenshot below, “Human Resources” is the parent department. It is shown at the top of the name field followed by related child departments, and in the parent field, to the right of each child department.

Note: When using the template, do not rename the fields. Also, save the completed parent-child department data file as “Comma Separated Values” (.csv). Otherwise, it cannot be processed. 

The completed parent-child department data file must be uploaded manually. It cannot be sent through the HRIS integration. 

1. Access the CSV upload page.
   
   • Go to the Admin module. 
   • Select the User Management tab. 
   • Select Departments (under the Department and users header). 
   • Select the CSV upload tab.
2. Drag and drop the completed parent-child department data file or click choose a file. 

3. Wait a few moments for the completed parent-child department data file to be processed and validated.
4. Click Save.

User Data Templates &amp Explainers

Below are our user data templates and explainers. Please read the explainer thoroughly before using the related template.

Default

For organizations that need to send user data to Betterworks:

• User Data Template (Default)
• User Data Template Explainer (Default)

Custom

For organizations that need to create custom user data fields before sending user data to Betterworks, see this Support article.

Advanced Analytics

For organizations that use Advanced Analytics and need to send user data to Betterworks.

• User Data Template (Default & Advanced Analytics)
• User Data Template Explainer (Default & Advanced Analytics)

Note: When using the template, do not rename the fields. Also, save the completed user data file as “Comma Separated Values” (.csv). Otherwise, the file cannot be processed. 

SFTP Client Configuration

Note: Any manual changes made to Betterworks users will be overwritten by the data sync.

• Protocol Type: SFTP
• Server Name:
  
  • United States (US): sftp.betterworks.com
  • European Union (EU): sftp-eu.betterworks.com
• Port: 22
• Username: Covered in the next section.
• Password: Covered in the next section.
• Destination Folder: /incoming
• File Name Format: “betterworks” followed by the date (i.e. “betterworks_01_01_2024.csv”).
• File Cadence: Once daily.
• File Contents: Include all users in each file instead of only including new users or existing users whose details have changed.

SFTP Server Credentials

You need your organization's unique username and password to access the Betterworks SFTP server. To receive it, we ask that you create a Keybase account. Keybase is an encrypted chat application that Betterworks Support uses to share sensitive data with our customers.

Note: If you are using the BambooHR, TriNet Zenefits, or UKG Pro integrations, you don’t need the SFTP server credentials. By extension, you don’t need to create a Keybase account.  

Data Security

Data sent to Betterworks through the HRIS integration is stored at rest on an encrypted volume (AES-256). The data is also encrypted in transit for additional security. Although it isn’t necessary in most situations, we can support PGP encryption upon request. In that situation, the Betterworks Support Team will work with our engineers to create a public PGP key for your organization. The public PGP will be shared with you while the private PGP key will be stored in the Betterworks application. 

File Processing

Files sent to the Betterworks SFTP server are processed as soon as possible. However, processing time may vary depending on our queue. As such, if you’ve scheduled the file feed to run every day at midnight, it may be processed at 12:03 am on one day, and at 12:05 am the next. The difference is usually just a few minutes.

Note: Any changes made through other user management options (i.e. uploading a file or making individual updates) will be overwritten by the data sync. 

Common Errors

If there are any errors found in the file sent to the Betterworks SFTP server, the Technical Contact will receive an automated notification by email. The notification will contain a downloadable error file and direct them to our error resource.

The Betterworks Support Team

Before reaching out to the Betterworks Support Team ([e-mail]), please contact your point people so they can:

1. Read this Support article.  
2. Designate a Technical Contact. 
3. Create a Keybase account (if applicable).

FAQs

Will a user be deactivated if they are excluded from the completed user data file?

Excluding users from the completed user data file will not deactivate them. Only providing a deactivation date will.

Deactivation dates can be provided in advance. They will be stored for the future. Every hour, the Betterworks application runs a task that checks if there are any users scheduled for deactivation. If there are, those users are deactivated at midnight (in the organization's time zone) on that date.

Once the date has passed, those users can be excluded from future completed user data files.

Can I use fields that are different from the fields in the templates?

No. Aside from custom user data fields, using fields that are not part of our templates will result in those fields being ignored by the Betterworks application.

Do any of the user data fields have character limits?

Yes.

• email: 254 characters
• first_name: 254 characters 
• last_name: 150 characters 
• manager_email: 254 characters 
• matrix_manager: 254 characters

Can you support PGP encryption?

Yes. Although it isn’t necessary in most situations, we can support PGP encryption upon request. In that situation, the Betterworks Support Team will work with our engineers to create a public PGP key for your organization. The public PGP will be shared with you while the private PGP key will be stored in the Betterworks application.