What can I learn from this page? | Guidance on how you can sync HRIS data from TriNet using the Merge API |
Who is this guide for? | Account Admins |
This integration is powered by Merge API, a trusted sub-processor who has partnered with Culture Amp to offer more integration options for our customers. We can import data directly from TriNet. The setup process is straightforward and can be completed quickly without technical support.
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.
How it Works
Employee Data will flow from TriNet into Culture Amp. Changes to employee data in Culture Amp will not flow back to TriNet.
Any employees already in Culture Amp but not imported from TriNet will be made inactive as former employees with their End Date set to the date of import.
📌 Note: The default behavior for users left off your HRIS sync file is to set their end date to the import date, categorizing them as former employees. If you prefer that these users are treated as deactivated instead, just contact Culture Amp Support, and we can adjust the default setting.
Before You Start
Ensure that you have access to the following accounts when setting up the integration:
Access to your TriNet instance
Culture Amp account with Account Administrator access
Step 1: Connect your TriNet Account
Sign in to Culture Amp with an account that has Account Administrator access.
Navigate to your Settings > Data Integrations page in the Culture Amp platform.
Select Trinet from the list of integrations.
4. Click Continue setup
5. You will see CultureAmp’s request to read your Trinet employee data. Click
Continue
6. Enter your Trinet Client ID and Secret by following the steps outlined. For additional help, follow the instructions here.
7. Enter your Trinet Company ID in this step obtained from the previous step.
Step 2: Setting Up Field Mapping
Once you have authenticated with Trinet, you can map fields you would like to import into Culture Amp.
📌 Note:
On your end, you will not be able to delete or edit the fields once they have been set-up. If you would like to make changes, just reply with "Ask a Person" in a Support Conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.
Please note that the below fields will map to their equivalent field in Culture Amp automatically, so you don't need to manually map them. It's important to steer clear of manually mapping these fields to avoid any hiccups with your data:
Name
Preferred Name
Employee Id
Email
Start Date
End Date
Date of Birth
Manager Id
Manager Name
Manager Email
To map additional fields, follow these steps:
Select Map fields.
2. Select Employee from the target field drop down
3. Set the details for the field you would like to target, for this example, we will use Employee Department Name.
4. Select the matching field from Trinet and click Save.
5. You can Save mappings or click the + Field mapping icon to add more.
Step 3: Active Integration
Once everything's set up, you'll see the integration screen. Data syncs happen automatically, but the first one might take a few hours; during this time, you won’t be able to sync data into Culture Amp. Feel free to navigate away from the page, as data syncing will continue to happen in the background. You can return to check on the progress later. After that, you can manually sync data whenever you need to.
📌 Note: As part of our commitment to data security, only data relevant to your import and field mappings will be stored.
Optional - Choose the Type of People to Sync
If you want to exclude specific employees when importing your employee data via the Merge API, you'll need to specify those employees in your HRIS system. You can do this by creating a custom field or using an existing field in your HRIS.
For more information on excluding employees from imports, check out our guide on Excluding Specific Employees from Data Imports via the Merge API. This guide provides step-by-step instructions and best practices.
Step 4: Sync Data
After connecting TriNet and Culture Amp, perform a manual sync. Click Finalise sync to begin:
Next:
Click Get Started.
At the top of the page, in the Sync with merge section, select Sync (ignore the Select Import and Import your user data sections as they are not applicable for an integrated sync).
Culture Amp will validate the data. If there are no concerns, select Next.
Review the data. If there are any issues, check the troubleshooting section below or ask our Culture Amp Product Support team for help.
Hit Import Data to import the employees into Culture Amp.
After importing, click Go to Users to review the new users.
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 latest sync information, including the date and time, and confirmation that your integration is Connected on the Data Integrations page.
To perform another manual sync, click Sync and follow steps 1-6 as above.
⚠️ Note: If you leave the "Finalise sync" message on the "Data Integrations" page, the autosync feature will not work. You must click the "Finalise sync" button to enable autosync.
Step 5: Setup Automated Data Syncs
You can set up daily auto-syncing of your employee data with CultureAmp. Auto-syncs help ensure your data is always up to date.
By default, auto-syncs are Off when you set up a new Merge Integration account.
To switch on auto-syncs:
From the Data Integrations page, click on the Off button.
A pop-up will appear. Confirm by clicking Turn on auto sync.
Once enabled, your data will sync daily during Merge's next cycle.
To turn off auto-syncing:
From the Data Integrations page, click the On button.
A pop-up will appear. Confirm by clicking Turn off auto sync.
Your auto-sync will be turned off.
Troubleshooting Integration Issues
To explore troubleshooting for common user import errors not addressed below, please refer to our guidance here.
For any hierarchy errors such as your import being blocked because there are employees assigned to managers that are not in your employee list, check out our support guide for troubleshooting assistance.
For further troubleshooting tips, check out our guidance below:
Switching from CSV Uploads to Integration
If you already have existing data in Culture Amp as a result of doing CSV uploads or using a different integration, then there are a few things to pay attention to:
When doing your first sync via the TriNet integration, you could see errors related to matching employees. Please review the troubleshooting information in the Duplicate Employees section below.
When doing field mapping during the integration setup it is very important construct target demographics/fields accurately. For example: If you have historically used a demographic “TEAM” it is critical to map your data to that specific demographic. If you map to a field title that is similar but not exact e.g. “TEAM NAME” there is a risk that you will not see continuity in your data over time in the platform. This is possible to remediate but may initially be confusing if this error occurs. We would recommend keeping this in mind if you trend results in surveys for demographic groups over time. To avoid confusion from users about which demographic to use, we would recommend navigating to the Settings > Account Demographics page and deleting the old demographics after your first sync (this will not impact any previous survey results or comparisons).
Duplicate Employees in Culture Amp
Culture Amp will match employees in TriNet to employees in Culture Amp based on the employees email address. If the same employee has a different email address in Culture Amp and TriNet, duplicate employee profiles will be created in Culture Amp. Here is how to reconcile the duplicates:
Before Changes are Applied:
During the first sync, you'll get feedback on all employees to be created, updated, or deactivated on the Review screen. At this point, ideally, you'd stop the sync and update employee emails in Culture Amp to match those in TriNet.
To update emails in Culture Amp:
Go to the Users page.
Click on the name of the employee you want to update.
Update their email.
Click Save and Exit to update.
Repeat for all duplicated employees.
Then, try the integration sync again.
Check out our support guide for further information.
After Changes are Applied:
If you didn't handle the duplicates during the first sync and duplicate employee profiles were created, you can clean the data using the following steps:
Deactivate the newest employee profile and remove their email (you'll need to assign a fake ID/email to Save).
Update the original user profile to match emails in TriNet. This keeps the history on the existing employee record.
Check out our support guide for further information.
Sync Blocked to Protect Employee Privacy
Your automated daily sync might be blocked if Culture Amp suspects that one of your employees may have had their details mixed up with another. You will receive a notification of this via email.
If a combination of an employee's Name, Date of Birth, or Email is changed, the sync will be blocked. This is to prevent an employee from accidentally getting access to another employee's private information, such as performance reviews.
If you've intentionally changed the employee's details, you can run a manual sync to push through the change. Simply click Import data from the Settings > Users page and select Sync. Culture Amp will guide you through the rest.
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 just reply with "Ask a Person" in a Support Conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist. They will assist you in actioning this redaction.
Investigating and Resolving any Data Issues
Once the first integration has been performed and the integration history has been created, the first step when investigating data issues is to check the Import Summary Screen for your most recent import. This will provide information about the state of your integration.
To find this information, go to Account Administration > Import History and select your most recent import.
If there was a problem with your last import, you will either be able to view errors on this page or you will be prompted to run a manual sync to identify any problems.