This article explains how to set up the 'write-back' integration between Arbor and Access People, enabling HR data, such as employee details and absences, to flow from Access People to Arbor. It covers permissions needed, data synchronisation, field mapping, and setup instructions, ensuring Access People serves as the single source of truth for HR data.
Permissions
- School: User Accounts: Administer - Approve the API connection
- Integrations: Administer All Integrations - Access the Integrations Administration page to set up the integration in Arbor
If you don't have the permission, you'll need to ask your admin team to give you permission using these instructions.
What is included in the integration?
The integration includes the following areas of staff HR data:
- Staff/Employee Profile
- Staff/Employee Contract
Data is synced to Arbor immediately after a change is made to one of the above areas in Access People.
Field mapping
Staff Details
The Arbor fields in the left column of the table correspond to the fields listed on the right when you navigate to Person > Profile in Access.
| Arbor Field | Access People |
|---|---|
| Title | Title |
| Legal First Name | Forename |
| Preferred First Name | Preferred Forename |
| Legal Middle Names | Middle Name |
| Legal Last Name | Surname |
| Gender Identity | Pronoun |
| Sex | Gender |
| Date of birth | Date Of Birth |
| Ethnicity | Ethnicity |
| Continuous Service Start Date | Cont. Service |
| Staff Number | Primary Employment Number |
| Deceased | If Termination Reason is set to ‘Death in Service’ in Access |
| Date Of Death | The Termination Date if Termination Reason is set to ‘Death in Service’ |
Contract details
The Arbor fields in the left column of the table correspond to the fields listed on the right when you navigate to Person > Employment > Position in Access.
| Arbor Field | Access People |
|---|---|
| Business Role | Job Description |
| Role Start Date | In post from |
| Role End Date | Termination Date |
Staff Absence
The Arbor fields in the left column of the table correspond to the fields listed on the right when you navigate to Person > Absence > Sickness in Access.
| Arbor Field | Access People |
|---|---|
| Absence Start Date | First Day of Sickness & Start Time* |
| Absence End Date | Last Day of Sickness & End Time* |
| Absence Category | Absence Category |
| Absence Narrative | Comments |
*For start and end times to be available in Access, the Record Start and End Times for Absences setting in Access needs to be switched on. Please contact Access People for guidance. When no start or end times are provided, the start time defaults to 12:00 a.m. and the end time defaults to 11:59 p.m., so that the whole day is encompassed in the absence.
Before setting up the integration
- Consider restricting permissions - As Staff profile data and Absence data can be controlled in Access People when the integration is enabled, consider restricting users’ permissions to edit these areas in Arbor if you only want this to be managed in Access People. You can do this by removing the permissions associated with a Business Role.
Setting up the integration
- Request that the Access People Support Team enable the integration.
- In Access People, navigate to Setup > Settings > System Settings > MIS Integration.
- Click the Add MIS Integration button in the top right
- Complete the options in the drop-down for whichever School you wish to set the integration up for and click Save.
- Click on the blue wording. You will be presented with an Arbor login screen where you can log in with your Arbor MIS credentials.
Note: The approving school staff member will need the School: User Accounts: Administer permission, and 2FA must be disabled to make the approval. It may take up to 2 hours for the approval to take effect.
Checking for a Successful Write Back
In Arbor, you can verify a successful write-back by reviewing the Staff Profiles and confirming that the employee data from Access People has been either added or updated in Arbor.
- To see all staff absence data in Arbor, follow this article: Staff Absences
- Absence data sent to Arbor can then be used to manage staff cover. Follow this article: Manage cover
Using the integration in Arbor
Once enabled in Access People, all existing employees will be linked to the corresponding staff record in Arbor. This creates the Arbor ID in the background, which is used as the unique identifier on subsequent edits to this data in Access People.
- Update staff details in Access People and it will automatically pull through to Arbor.
- Absences entered into Access People will be immediately available in Arbor for cover purposes.
- It is possible to record staff details in Arbor directly. It isn't possible to disable this, so please advise your staff to update staff details that do not sync from Arbor in Access People to ensure data is synced across both systems.
Further Support
Please contact the Access People Support Team via their Customer Success Portal or In-app Digital Assistant.
The Access People team will contact Arbor’s API Support Team directly if needed.
FAQ
What is a 'write-back' integration?
With this new write-back integration, Access People is treated as the controlling system for Staff/HR/Absence data.
Which system (Arbor or Access People) should the School Workforce Census be completed in?
As the integration does not sync Staff Contract data, the School Workforce Census should be completed within Access People.
How are Pay Scales updated in each system?
Pay Scales need to be updated in both Arbor and Access People.
How frequently does data sync from Access People to Arbor?
Data is synced to Arbor immediately after a change is made in Access People.
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