Who can use this feature?
Available on:
All Culture Amp subscriptions.
You can import employee data directly from SageHR into Culture Amp using a secure, one-way API connection. This ensures your employee list and demographics are always up-to-date.
Data Flow: Employee Data flows from SageHR into Culture Amp (one-way sync). Changes made in Culture Amp will not sync back to your HRIS.
Initial Setup Timeframe: As this integration is currently in Beta, the full setup and validation process typically takes 1–2 weeks. Because the API key is user-specific, the administrator connecting the integration must have full read access to all employees and teams to ensure a complete data sync. We recommend involving a SageHR administrator familiar with API key generation early in the process.
This Integration is currently in Beta
This is a new HRIS integration that is currently in Beta. Beta means you’re one of the first to try out our latest integration before its full launch. During this phase, we're actively seeking your feedback to refine and improve the integration experience further. While it's fully functional and secure, you may encounter occasional bugs or changes as we fine-tune the experience. Your input is invaluable in shaping the final version, so please don't hesitate to share your thoughts and experiences with us via this survey.
Choosing Your Integration Method
We offer two primary ways to connect your employee data. The table below briefly outlines both and should help with the decision on which is the best approach for your organization:
Method | Type of Import | Best For | Key Difference |
Full Integration (API) | Full Employee Import | Organizations seeking real-time, daily automation of all employee data that the API supports. | Data transfer is handled automatically via a secure API connection. Users with an End Date in the HRIS become former employees instantly upon sync. If a user is simply removed from the sync report without an End Date, they will remain "Active" in Culture Amp until a manual sync is performed by our Culture Amp Support team. Properly terminating employees in your HRIS with an End Date is the only way to guarantee automatic deactivation. |
Partial Employee Import | Organizations that need complete control over file creation, have unique filtering requirements, or need to manage data fields not supported by the API. | You generate a file and securely transfer it to us at scheduled intervals. Users missing from the file are ignored, so must be included on the file with an end date, to become former. |
API Integration Checklist
Access Requirements— Prerequisites and system logic.
Step 1: Connect & Authenticate — Locating and entering your API credentials.
Step 2: Field Mapping — Aligning your SageHR demographics with Culture Amp.
Step 3: Activate Integration — Establishing the technical connection.
Step 4: Run Your First Sync — Reviewing and importing employee records.
Troubleshooting & FAQs — Solving errors, duplicates, and sync blocks.
Before You Start: Access Requirements & Terminology
To set up the connection, you’ll need:
Access to your SageHR instance with the required role (see Permissions below).
Access to Culture Amp with Account Administrator or Employee data administrator access.
Important Considerations & Data Limitations
Important Considerations & Data Limitations
Supported Product: This integration is for Sage HR only. If you use Sage People, you must use Culture Amp's standard SFTP integration instead.
Hierarchy Logic: The sync identifies reporting lines based on the "Reports to" field found in the employee's Work tab in Sage HR. For the hierarchy to build correctly in Culture Amp, the person assigned as the manager must be an active employee included in your sync and must have a valid work email address populated in Sage HR.
Teams & Positions: These are not core identity fields and do not map automatically. If you wish to include them, you can manually map them during the Custom Mapping step.
Custom Fields: Sage HR custom fields are supported. However, if you add new custom fields in Sage HR, you may need to refresh the connection in Culture Amp for them to appear in the mapping dropdown.
Required Permissions & Rationales (Technical)
Required Permissions & Rationales (Technical)
Permission/Role | Permissions Needed in Sage HR | Rationale |
Administrator / Manager | Full Read Access to Employees and Teams | Required to generate the API key and allow Culture Amp to pull core identity data and organizational groupings. |
API User | Standard API Access | The API key is user-specific; the connecting user must have permissions to "see" all employees for them to be included in the sync. |
Step 1: Connect & Authenticate Your SageHR Account
Sign in to Culture Amp with an account that has Account Administrator or Employee data administrator access.
Navigate to your Settings > Account > Integrations page in the Culture Amp platform.
Select SageHR from the list of integrations and click Continue setup
Click I am an admin to confirm your SageHR administrator permissions
You will see CultureAmp’s request to read your SageHR employee data. Click Next
Enter the subdomain of your SageHR account. Click Next
Enter your API Key and Submit
🔑 How to Locate Your API Key
🔑 How to Locate Your API Key
To authenticate Sage HR, you will need to provide your Sage subdomain along with an API Key.
Note: The steps below are sourced from Merge, our integration partner. We recommend checking their official guide for the most current instructions: Merge SageHR Account Linking Guide
Prerequisites:
Please ensure you fulfill all the requirements to set up the integration:
Examples:
You have Administrator or Manager permissions in your company's Sage HR instance or someone has shared their access with you.
Instructions:
Step 1: Find the subdomain address for your Sage HR account
In the example below the subdomain is overlookhotel
Step 2: Find your Sage HR API key
Log in and click on your name in the top right corner, and select Settings in the drop-down menu
2. Click on Integrations in the left-hand menu, and select API in the drop-down menu
3. Copy the API key
Step 2: Enter the subdomain and API key into the linking flow
Enter your subdomain into the linking flow
2. Enter your API key into the linking flow
Step 2: Setting Up Demographic Field Mapping
Once you have authenticated with SageHR, you will be prompted to map the demographic fields you would like to import into Culture Amp.
Note: Core demographic fields map automatically and should not be manually configured unless instructed by a Culture Amp specialist. Please note that once these fields are set up, they cannot be edited or deleted. If you need to make changes, reply with "ask a person" in a support conversation to speak with a specialist.
Core Demographics: Automatic Mapping
Core Demographics: Automatic Mapping
This table is intended for your technical SageHR administrator. The following fields will sync automatically from SageHR to Culture Amp.
Note: While the "Typical SageHR UI Label" shows the common reference field in SageHR, exact UI labels and underlying field names may vary by tenant and configuration.
Typical SageHR UI Label | Primary SageHR API Endpoint (Data Location) | Culture Amp Field (The Destination) |
Work Email |
| Email (Unique Identifier) |
Employee Number |
| Employee ID (Unique Identifier) |
First Name / Last Name |
| Name |
Preferred Name |
| Preferred Name |
Date of Birth |
| Date of Birth |
Employment Start Date |
| Start Date |
Termination Date |
| End Date |
Reports To (Work Email of referenced Manager) |
| Manager Email (Hierarchy demographic) |
Custom Demographics: Manual Mapping
Custom Demographics: Manual Mapping
If you track additional employee data in SageHR that you want to use as demographics in Culture Amp, follow these steps to set up custom mapping.
Step 1. Map Fields
Now that the initial authentication is complete, on your Integrations page, click Map fields.
Step 2. Select the Data Model
Select the data model for your target field (e.g., Employee).
Step 3. Set Details for the Target Field
Set the details for the field you are targeting in Culture Amp (the demographic name, e.g., Gender).
Step 4. Choose the Matching Field from SageHR
Select the matching SageHR field that contains the data.
Step 5. Save Mappings
You can Save mappings or click the + Field mapping icon to add more.
Alternatively, if you’re not ready to map fields yet, you can click Skip for now and return to mapping later.
Tip: Not all demographic fields can be synced via merge due to API limitations. If you're unable to map a required demographic, some options are:
Use an alternate field that contains similar data.
Manage the demographic directly in Culture Amp instead of relying on the sync.
Excluding Employees (Optional)
Excluding Employees (Optional)
To exclude specific employees, you must first specify them in your SageHR system (e.g., by creating a custom field or using an existing one) and set the value of this field to "Yes" for the employees you want to exclude.
Step 1. Start Mapping
Click on Map fields to begin the workflow.
Step 2. Select the Exclusion Field
You will see a field mapping for Exclude from Culture Amp in the workflow.
Search for the corresponding field from your HRIS under the Exclude from Culture Amp field.
Ensure that employees you want to exclude are marked as "Yes" in your HRIS.
Step 3. Save Mappings
Click Save mappings
Note: Only demographics that use "Yes" values can be attached to the Exclude from Culture Amp mapping in your integration settings. It is not possible to map an existing demographic like Job Title and tell the system to exclude all participants whose Job Title is 'Contractor'.
Step 3: Activate Integration
After mapping your fields, click Sync, and the system will run an initial sync to connect your SageHR account details and mappings.
Note: This sync does not import employee data yet.
You will see a "Syncing data" message. This initial sync can take up to 12 hours to complete, depending on the size and complexity of your SageHR configuration.
Feel free to navigate away from the page. The process runs in the background.
The "Syncing data" message confirms the connection and mapping setup. Once this first sync completes, you can proceed to import your employee data through another sync.
Note: As part of our commitment to data security, only data relevant to your import and field mappings will be stored.
Step 4: Run Your First Employee Data Sync
Once the initial setup sync is complete, the Integrations page in Culture Amp will update. Follow these steps to run your first employee data import:
Click the Finalise sync button.
Click Get Started.
On the review page, ensure Sync is selected in the "Sync with merge" section (ignore the other options).
Culture Amp will validate the data. If there are no concerns, click Next.
Review the data: Carefully examine the review screen, which shows the number of new employees to be created, existing employees to be updated, and employees to be deactivated.
If the data looks correct, click Import Data to pull the employees into Culture Amp.
After the import is complete, click Go to Users to review the new users.
Important: If you see any unexpected numbers (e.g., too many employees being deactivated or created), do not proceed with the import. Check the Troubleshooting section or reply with "Ask a Person" in a Support Conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.
Once these steps are completed, you will see the "Syncing data" notification appear on the Data Integrations page.
After syncing is complete, you will see the last sync information and an active SageHR integration. To perform another manual sync, click Sync and follow steps 1-6 as above.
Set Up Automated Daily Syncs
Set Up Automated Daily Syncs
By default, auto-syncs are Off. We recommend enabling daily syncing to ensure your employee demographics are kept up-to-date.
To enable: Go to Integrations, click on the Off button and toggle Auto-sync On.
To disable: Go to Integrations, click on the On button, then click Turn off auto sync.
Troubleshooting/FAQs
If the fixes below don't resolve your issue, please remember that the complexity of SageHR means complex mapping or sync problems often require a specialist. Please reply with "Ask a Person" in a Support Conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.
General Data Integrity & Import Management
The first step when investigating any data issue is to check the Import Summary Screen for your most recent import.
Go to Settings > Employee Data > Import History.
Select your most recent import to view details.
This screen provides information on the state of your integration, any specific errors, or will prompt you to run a manual sync to identify problems.
SageHR: Integration-Specific Errors
SageHR: Integration-Specific Errors
Issue | Cause | Suggested Fix |
Terminated Employees Still Showing as "Active" | The employee was removed from the SageHR sync report or deactivated without a populated End Date. | Immediate Fix: Re-add the user to the Sage report with a valid End Date and sync again. Secondary Fix: If they cannot be re-added to the report, reach out to our Culture Amp Support team (via "Ask a Person") to request a manual sync to process the deactivation. |
Need to Edit/Delete Mappings | Mappings are locked in the Culture Amp platform once set up. Adding or editing custom mappings often requires a full back-end sync to be triggered by our Culture Amp support team for the changes to be reflected in the platform. | Contact Culture Amp Support:
|
Missing Manager or Hierarchy | The manager listed in the Reports To field is not included in the sync, or their profile is missing a work email. | 1. Verify Manager Inclusion: Ensure the person assigned as the manager in Sage HR is also being imported to Culture Amp. 2. Check Email: Ensure the manager has a valid work email address in their Sage HR profile. |
Field Mapping Complexity | General sync or mapping errors specific to the Sage HR API. | Sage HR complexity can occasionally require backend adjustments. Reply with "Ask a Person" in a Support Conversation for specialist help. |
Missing "Department" or "Job Title" data | These optional fields require manual custom mapping. | If you want this data in Culture Amp, navigate to Step 2: Custom Demographics and map Sage HR "Teams" or "Positions" to your preferred demographic |
Syncing the Wrong Data (Sage People) | You are attempting to connect a Sage People account to the Sage HR API. | Action: This integration only supports Sage HR. If you are using Sage People, please switch to the Culture Amp SFTP integration method. |
Switching From CSV or Other Imports
Switching From CSV or Other Imports
If you are moving from CSV uploads or a different integration, keep the following in mind:
Demographic Consistency: When mapping fields, you must map the data to the exact same demographic field you used historically (e.g., mapping to "TEAM" is different from mapping to "TEAM NAME"). Using an incorrect or slightly different title risks discontinuity in your trended survey results.
Recommended Action: To avoid confusion, we recommend navigating to Settings > Employee Data Demographics and deleting the old, unused demographics after your first successful sync. (This won't impact any previous survey results.)
Handling Duplicate Employees
Handling Duplicate Employees
Culture Amp uses two fields as unique identifiers for user profiles: Email and Employee ID.
As long as at least one of these remains consistent between SageHR and Culture Amp, the sync will successfully update the existing profile rather than creating a new one.
Duplicate Risk: If you change both the Email and the Employee ID simultaneously in SageHR, the sync will not find a match and will create a duplicate profile.
If you see a duplicate profile error flag during your import, take the following steps:
Scenario | Action to Take |
A. Before Changes Are Applied | During the first sync review screen, stop the sync. Update the employee emails in Culture Amp to match those in SageHR.
|
B. After Changes Are Applied | To clean up the duplicated profiles:
|
Further Guidance | Check out our dedicated support guide for further information on duplicate employee clean-up. |
Sync Blocked to Protect Employee Privacy
Sync Blocked to Protect Employee Privacy
Your automated daily sync might be blocked if Culture Amp detects a high-risk change for an employee. You will receive an email notification if this occurs.
When It Happens: The sync is blocked if a combination of an employee's Name, Date of Birth, or Email is changed simultaneously.
Purpose: This prevents one employee from accidentally getting access to another employee's private information (like performance reviews).
Fix: If you've intentionally changed the employee's details, you can run a manual sync to push the change through. Go to Settings > Employee Data > Users, click Import data, and select Sync. Culture Amp will guide you through the rest.
Redaction of Sensitive Data
Redaction of Sensitive Data
As part of this integration, Culture Amp has the ability to redact sensitive data at your request. If you need any fields to be disabled/redacted for your account, please reply with "Ask a Person" in a Support Conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.
💬 Need help? Just reply with "Ask a Person" in a Support conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.