What can I learn from this page? | How to send HRIS data from Rippling through a SFTP connection |
Who is this guide for? | Account Admins |
Note: this guide covers how you can send your HRIS data from Rippling through a SFTP connection which uses our PARTIAL import process. Partial imports are good for when you upload a data file that contains new or updated information for a subset of your employees. Employees NOT in your data file will remain active. See: Importing your user data to Culture Amp for more information.
Overview
You can save time and effort by configuring your HRIS to automatically extract and send your employee data to Culture Amp via Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP).
You can use the integration to automate updates to the demographics outline in Step 1 and from time to time upload additional demographics (e.g. diversity & inclusion demographics for understanding engagement results) via 'Import users'.
Setting up an SFTP integration may require assistance from your IT Team. We've provided detailed technical instructions that you can provide to them during the set up process.
SFTP updates the user data using our Partial Import process. This means that you can update or add data via SFTP and manual uploads if you do not have all your information available in Rippling.
Step 1: Create a Custom Report in Your HRIS
Create a report that contains all the employees and demographics you want to import into Culture Amp. We recommend that you start with our Employee Data File Template. If you have existing data in the platform, you can head to Account Admin > Users > Export Users and use the headings that are included in the export to create your template. If you have additional demographics that want to send through in addition to the existing data, you can add these columns in the report you are creating.
At a minimum, for every employee you want to update, you must include:
Name
Employee email (Email) OR Employee ID. You can include both pieces of information if you have this available.
Rippling includes the following data on their standard connection:
Name
Preferred Name
Employee ID
Email
Job Title
Employee Type
Gender
Date of Birth
Employee Start & End Date
Manager Name
Manager Email (All values must be in lower case)
Manager ID
During the integration setup in Rippling you can also choose whether you want to include a few other demographics such as Department and Location. If you'd like even more data points to be included in this integration, please contact Rippling Support.
If you plan to create a hierarchy, or already have a hierarchy enabled, every employee except one must be assigned a manager using a unique manager identifier (e.g. Manager Email or Manager ID).
Step 2: Create an SSH Key Pair
An SSH key pair will ensure the SFTP connection via your client/HRIS is unique and secure. An SSH key pair is a pair of unique keys that are generated by you and saved on your computer. There's a private key which should only be used by you (or very carefully within your own organisation), and there's a public key which can safely be shared outside your organisation. The integration uses the combination of the two keys to verify the security of the connection.
Note: Our SFTP only supports openSSH key pairs, not SSH2. If your HRIS or command line tool generates keys in SSH2 format, you can convert them to openSSH using the instructions in the guide below.
Step 3: Connect Your SFTP Client with Culture Amp
To start the process, you’ll need to connect your Rippling account to the Culture Amp app on the Rippling App Shop. The app will guide you through the process of setting up the integration. (Note: this will not impact the SSO/SAML integration also offered via Rippling - refer to our SAML integration guide for setup instructions)
Most SFTP clients will require the following information to set a connection. Some of this information can be found in Culture Amp (Settings > Data Integrations > Rippling). Make sure the hostname and username you use to set up your SFTP client are copied directly from the setup form in Culture Amp. Both are case-sensitive.
Protocol: SFTP
Logon Type: Key File
Host/Hostname: Can be found Culture Amp
Username: Can be found Culture Amp
To start setting up on Culture Amp, select your HR system from the options on the Data Integrations page.
Step 4: Testing Your SFTP Connection
If you're having problems with your SFTP connection, we suggest testing it by first running a manual import of your data. This will ensure you have a valid data set, and allow you to focus specifically on the SFTP connection.
Export your report from Rippling in XLSX or CSV format
Head to your Settings > Import Users > Partial Import page and upload the custom report. You will need to go through the steps until you reach the “Review Import Summary” stage.
Review any errors and request adjustments to the report, if any are required.
Cancel and do not “Apply changes”. This is because you are only testing the data and do not want to apply the changes via this manual upload process.
Test your SFTP connection by transferring your data via SFTP
If the transfer fails, you now know the issue is with your SFTP connection and not your data file.
Common Errors
'Duplicate Employee IDs' Error When Using the Rippling Integration
If you have switched to Rippling from a different HRIS and still have data from your previous HRIS in Culture Amp, you may experience a 'duplicate employee IDs' error when uploading data from Rippling. The common root cause is that the same Employee ID may be assigned to two different users in Rippling and your previous HRIS.
To correct the error:
Go to Users page in Culture Amp
Click 'Export Users' and export all users, including inactive users.
In the export of your user file remove values for 'Employee ID' but keep the column header
Save the document and go back to Users page and do a partial import with that file.
These steps will erase the Employee IDs from your previous HRIS and should stop the 'duplicate employee IDs' error from occurring when you next sync your SFTP.
Add Your Hierarchy
Once your integration has been successfully set up, the process of adding hierarchy to your account is a once off manual task.
The steps to add hierarchy to your account can be located via our Add your hierarchy guide.
Troubleshooting Integration Issues
If you are facing issues with syncing your data from Rippling to Culture Amp, you can view troubleshooting information we have included in our Troubleshooting SFTP integration issues guide.
FAQs
How do I mark employees as inactive in my SFTP file?
When removing users from the platform, you have two options: you can mark them as inactive, indicating they are former employees with an end date, or deactivate them, with no specified end date. Both options result in the user being made inactive.
Learn more about the differences between former and deactivated employees here.
Mark Users Inactive as Former Employees:
To make users inactive via SFTP as former employees:
Ensure that there is an End Date column included in your user file
Apply an End Date value next to the employee you are deactivating
Following your update, the Culture Amp platform generally does a file sweep every 10 minutes or so and will process any file that has been picked up and process the updates to the platform.
Once the import is processed, those users will show up under your Settings > Users page under the Former User list.
Mark Users Inactive as Deactivated Employees:
Ensure that your SFTP file has an End Date column
Under the End Date column, ensure that the value for the user you would like to deactivate is blank.
Create an Employee Deactivated column in your SFTP file. Make sure that this column comes before any other custom demographics in your file.
Assign TRUE as the value next to the employee/s you are deactivating.
Make sure FALSE is set for any other employees.
Following your update, the Culture Amp platform generally does a file sweep every 10 minutes or so and will process any file that has been picked up and process the updates to the platform.
Once the import is processed, those users will show up under your Settings > Users page under the Deactivated User list.
Alternatively, you can mark users as inactive by deactivating them individually in the platform. Follow the instructions provided here.
Just make sure that once you manually deactivate these users, they are removed from any file uploads moving forward.
Need further help? Contact our Culture Amp Support team via email: support@cultureamp.com or ask to speak with a support specialist during your live chat conversation.