See the Datafeed FAQs for more info.
Table of Contents
What is a Datafeed?
Non-Technical Overview
In short, a datafeed is a way to automatically manage users in a site via a file that is regularly sent to Wisetail.
The Source:
Users typically originate in some type of HRIS (such as ADP, Paycom, etc.), though sometimes a client will handle this themselves. This will be the source of the user information.
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In a Standard Datafeed:
Your data source creates a file with headers that map to Profile Fields in the LMS, and rows containing individual user values.
Most platforms can automate delivery of the datafeed file (usually in CSV format). If not, files can be manually uploaded on a regular cadence, or automated using third-party tools like Zapier.
The file is sent via SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol), an encrypted method for securely transferring user data to Wisetail’s server.
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In an API Datafeed:
Wisetail interfaces directly with your data source via API calls to create a file with headers that map to Profile Fields in the LMS, and rows containing individual user values.
This process can only run once per day due to system limitations.
2. After step 1, Standard Datafeeds and API Datafeeds work exactly the same.
3. Your datafeed file is picked up from the SFTP server at a predefined time and cadence, then processed into your LMS to add, remove, and update users.
Non-Technical Standard Datafeed Overview (PDF):
Detailed Technical Overview
A Datafeed typically runs once per day (usually between the hours of 11pm, & 4am MST). If you have other needs, please mention this to the Technical Support agent configuring your datafeed.
Standard Datafeeds:
Generally speaking, our clients' HRIS will generate a file that includes information for all actively employed people in their company. This file is then exported in a CSV file and sent to an SFTP server that Wisetail manages.
API Datafeeds:
- Wisetail will interface with Merge.Dev via API calls to communicate with your data source to create a file which consists of headers that translate into Profile Fields in the LMS, and rows, with individual user values.
We then have a system that grabs that file on a daily basis and updates users in Wisetail according to what is found in the file.
Datafeeds are the most common way user management occurs in a site. The alternative to a datafeed is manual management, which for many of our clients is unrealistic given the number of users to create, update, and deactivate.
The set up process is fairly simple but can take some time, if you don't know what you'll need ahead of time. You will need to determine which data you'll need to have coming into the site, and work with your data source (typically your HRIS) to ensure that the file that will be sent to us is built correctly (clean data in, clean data out!). Your data source will then need to automate a system to send a file to the sFTP server where we can pick it up on our end.
This file will contain only active employees in the HRIS. This means that the HRIS system will function as the source of truth of your users, so all data in the HRIS must be up-to-date to ensure the correct information is populating the LMS. Each time Wisetail processes the datafeed any employment or status changes in the file will flow through to the LMS and be updated accordingly.
For example, If a certain employee is terminated in the HRIS and does not show as an active employee in the data file, then the employee will be archived within the LMS. Similarly, if an employee is hired and added to the HRIS, this employee’s profile will be created in your Wisetail LMS the next time the datafeed runs. Employee profile field changes entered in your HRIS such as employee title, location or department will also update within the LMS as the datafeed runs each day.
Profile Fields
Required Fields
In the file you must include the following fields:
First Name
Last Name
Email
Employee ID (or other unique identifier)
We will need one profile field to serve as a unique identifier; something that will distinguish each employee individually. We recommend using Employee ID as your unique identifier.
Commonly Used Fields
The fields listed above are a great built-in starting point for user profile fields, but we can pull more user profile fields as needed. Which fields you will need depend on how you plan to use your site, and very greatly from site to site. Some common profile fields our clients use include:
Birthday*
Hire Date
Title
Location
Department
Exemption Status (note: this is required to use the @work feature)
*Birthday: many clients wish to have birthdays on the site, but do not wish to have the year. To mask the full date, we can import all birthdays with an arbitrary year.
Additional Fields
You can also send us other data for other, less common, usages. As long as the data can fit into a Profile Field, you can pass the data to us, and have it populate for your users. The sky's the limit.
The 80% Safety Function
From time-to-time, a datafeed run gets out of control and attempts to delete all or most of the users in the platform. This is usually done on accident a data source transmitting an empty data set to Wisetail. When the file run is processed, and the change is not intentional, it can be costly and time-consuming to recover lost data.
The 80% Safety Function detects whether a file would result in the deactivation/deletion of 80% or more of the users managed by that datafeed. If this threshold is met, the file is rejected and the Notification Email gets a note with additional information:
Note: If you need to bulk deactivate or delete users, we have a Bulk Admin Actions tool to assist.
Datafeed User Process Flow
This diagram is a simplified picture of the general flow of how the data from your data-vendor turns into users, updates, and removes users from your site:
Sample File
You can download a sample file: