Keep your directory current by connecting an HRIS or directory solution for automatic sync, or import users from a file.
Keep your
directory populated and up to date
from the system that’s the source of truth for who’s in your organization. There
are two ways to do it:
Connect a source system
Link a live source (an HRIS such as Workday or BambooHR, or
another directory solution) and Iru pulls users from it and syncs on a
schedule, creating, updating, and removing users on its own. More providers are
on the way.
Import a file (manual)
No direct connector for your system? Export your users to a CSV (from a
legacy HR system, a Student Information System (SIS), or anything you can
produce a file from) and upload it. Re-upload an updated export whenever your
list changes to keep users current.
When you connect a live source, updates flow into Iru on their own, so when
someone is hired, changes roles, or leaves, your directory follows with no manual
work. The rest of this guide covers connecting a source system; for the manual
route, see CSV import.Today you can connect the HR systems Workday and BambooHR, with more
providers (including other directory solutions) on the way. Setup is the same
guided flow for each; only a couple of steps differ by provider.
Connecting a source system needs administrator access to your Iru tenant and
administrator credentials for that system. The connection only reads users
from the source; it never writes back to it.
Connected sources are listed under Directory, on the Sync tab.
Configure (some providers only): tell Iru where your data lives.
Map the source’s fields to Iru fields.
Enable: turn on syncing.
Once a connection is enabled, Iru re-syncs it automatically on a schedule, every
60 minutes, so changes in your source (new hires, role changes, departures)
flow into your directory within the hour, with no manual steps.
Your source system leads. Once connected, it’s the authority on user data;
Iru reflects what it sends.
Every user needs a stable ID. You pick one field that uniquely and
permanently identifies each user, so Iru always updates the right record.
You decide how fields line up. Iru doesn’t guess. You map each source field
to the matching Iru field, and can transform values with IQL when they don’t
line up one-to-one.
In Directory → Sync, select Connect Source and pick your provider:
Workday or BambooHR.
Connect Source lists the source systems you can connect.
2
Connect and authorize
Give the connection a name (and optional description), then
Connect. A secure window opens where you sign in to your provider and
authorize access with your administrator credentials. When the provider
confirms it, the window closes and Iru continues.
Use a dedicated admin / integration account where you can, so the connection
keeps working regardless of any one user’s status.
3
Configure where your data lives (some providers)
Some providers need you to point Iru at the right data source. Workday asks
for the report that exposes the worker fields you want, plus the
integration user that runs it. BambooHR reads its standard employee
directory, so it skips this step. See the provider guides
below.
4
Map your data to Iru
Iru reads the fields your provider makes available and lays them out for you to
match. See Map your data below.
5
Finish and enable
Save your mappings to finish setup. A new connection starts disabled, so
nothing syncs until you’ve reviewed it, then Enable it to run the first
import and keep syncing on a schedule.
Choose the field that uniquely identifies each user, often an employee ID or
similar stable identifier. Iru relies on one stable value per user to update the
right record on every sync, even when names or emails change.
Pick something that never changes for a user. Once you save the connection,
the unique identifier can’t be changed. Changing it would break Iru’s ability
to recognize the users it has already imported.
For each Iru attribute, pick the source field that should fill it. Four attributes
are required and always mapped:
Email
First name
Last name
Username
Any attribute you’ve marked required in your
schema is required here too. Everything
else is optional, but mapping it brings over the full picture of each user:
title, department, manager, location, and more.
Most fields are a simple pick-and-go. When the value you want needs to be built
from a field rather than copied as-is, write a short IQL expression instead. As
you type, Iru suggests the available fields and checks your expression, so you
catch a typo or a missing field before you save, not during a sync. See
Attribute mapping and
IQL expressions for the full syntax.Common examples (use your provider’s own field names):
Build a username from an email (everything before the @):
email.split("@")[0]
Combine two fields into one value:
firstName + " " + lastName
Prefer one field, fall back to another when the first is blank:
optional.ofNonZeroValue(workEmail).orValue(homeEmail)
If a field is sometimes blank, guard against it so the sync doesn’t trip on empty
records. Wrap the value with optional.ofNonZeroValue(...).orValue("") before
transforming it. For example, only deriving a username when an email exists:
optional.ofNonZeroValue(email).orValue("").split("@")[0]
Re-authenticate: submit fresh credentials when they expire or change,
without touching your mappings.
Edit your configuration or mappings: adjust what’s imported as your needs
evolve.
Force attribute sync (Workday): re-read the latest available fields from
your report without waiting.
Review activity, effective users, and sync errors: see what’s flowing in
and spot anything that needs attention.
Enable or disable the connection, or remove it.
A connection's detail page: status, the source instance, and Re-authenticate, with Configuration, Mapping, Effective Users, Activity, and Sync errors tabs.
Connection status and re-authentication
The connection shows its status and when it was last updated. If your
provider credentials expire or change, use Re-authenticate to submit new
ones. Your attribute mappings are not affected.
Sync errors
When Iru can’t process a particular record, it records a sync error you can
review: when it occurred, the affected user, the action Iru attempted, an
error code, and a message. If many records fail with the same error, the cause
is usually a mapping: a required attribute left unmapped, or a unique identifier
that isn’t actually unique. Fix the mapping, then let the next sync run.
A failed sync on the Activity tab, with the full error detail. Here, a record was rejected because a required attribute was missing.
