Bob Merge sync setup

If you currently use Bob to manage HR data, you can fully automate the management of your recognition program data using Merge synchronization (recommended).

Merge synchronization eliminates the need to maintain employee data in multiple places. Any changes to Bob data (employee adds, removes, edits, etc) automatically update in the recognition program within 24 hours.

Good to know

Data is automatically synced every 24 hours
Data errors reported by the Merge process are clearly noted for you to resolve in the Bob system that you're already using
All data fields listed in the table below are mandatory
Each employee must have access to their email inbox
Inactivated/Terminated employee accounts will automatically be deleted from the recognition platform

Prerequisites

BEFORE enabling Bob automated Merge synchronization, please ensure you have done the following:

Existing programs currently using REST API or Console App sync will need to disable that process before enabling Merge synchronization - see instructions below
You will need Full Admin Access in Bob to enable this automated sync
Do a one-time export of your Bob employee data and confirm that all mandatory fields are complete for every employee, and that the 'reports to' hierarchy is complete without any missing/vacant managers; i.e. every employee must have an active manager, and every manager must have a manager, up to a single CEO with no manager
From the Admin system, create your Reporting Groups and map your Departments (these need to be an exact match to the Departments stored in Bob)
Check the following Required Data Fields for every employee:
Note: The data will not sync if even one field is missing or incorrect

BobData Requirements

Required Data Fields	Notes
Employee ID	Bob field: Employee # Must be unique Max 30 characters Must be alphanumeric We will automatically flatten the ID (all lower-case)
First Name	Bob field: Name > First Must be alphanumeric Max 50 characters Won't include preferred names
Last Name	Bob field: Name > Last Must be alphanumeric Max 50 characters Won't include preferred names
Email Address	Bob field: Work Email Max 50 characters Must be a valid email address The domain must be functional (we will check its DNS MX record) We will automatically flatten the address (all lower-case) If you are configured for offline invites (some employees don’t have a company email and you are going to send them their login details manually), email can be blank
Department	Bob field: Department Max 100 characters Departments need to be manually mapped to Reporting Groups prior to sync
Job Title	Bob field: Job Title Max 100 characters
Start Date	Bob field: Start Date
Manager ID	Bob field: Reports To This can only be blank for the one employee at the top of your hierarchy (i.e. MD, CEO, etc.) Manager's Personal Basic Status must be Active and Job Employment Status must not be Terminated
Country	Bob field: Personal > Address > Country If your program operates in a single country, we will assume all employees are located in that country If you are running a multi country program, you will need to ensure that a home country is defined for each employee, and that those countries have been enabled in your program
Employment Type	Bob field: Job Employment Status During sync setup you will choose how to treat each Job Employment Status: The Merge process will attempt to categorize any Employee Status you have created in Bob to one of the following types: FULL_TIME, PART_TIME, INTERN, CONTRACTOR or FREELANCER If it can’t map to one of these types, then it will pass through the original value from Bob Prior to syncing all your employees, you will be shown which types have been pulled through and the total number of employees in each type (see screen shot below) You can determine which types you want to sync into Workstars, and which you don’t You can also define if each type is going to be classed as an Employee or a Contractor, which gives you additional functionality to restrict rewards for contractors, if necessary Terminated will not be synced

Note:

Employment Status

Bob field: Personal Basic Status

This sync will analyze all of your employees with Personal Basic Status = Active

It will not sync employees with Personal Basic Status = Inactive

If Job Employment Status is set to Terminated with an effective date in the past, we will exclude this employee from the sync (regardless of Personal Basic Status)
If Job Employment Status is set to Terminated with an effective date in the future, we will include this employee in the sync until the Terminated effective date is reached (regardless of Personal Basic Status)
Note: Never Delete an employee from Bob; Inactivate them instead

Existing programs currently using REST API sync or Console APP sync only: Disable current automated HR data sync before enabling Merge synchronization

Login to your Administrator account
Click the Add-ons tab, select HR Data Sync
Confirm that the blue information box states that "You upload your HR data using our REST API or Console App"
Click the Settings & Configuration cog
Click the 3 dot ellipsis and select Disable HR Data Sync
Click Confirm
Follow the steps below to enable Bob automated Merge synchronization

AFTER you have confirmed that your Bob data is complete and any current automated HR data sync has been disabled:

How to enable Bob automated Merge synchronization

Login to your Administrator account
Click the Add-ons tab, select HR Data Sync
Click Learn More
Click Sync via Merge (Recommended)
Click the Bob button
Click Continue
Confirm that "I want to authenticate through Bob's website. (Recommended)" is selected, then click Next
Enter your company's Bob account sub domain, then click Submit
Click Open Window
Enter your Bob login email and password, then click Login
Note: You will need Full Admin Access in Bob to enable this automated sync
The first part of the sync between Merge and your Bob instance will be initiated
NOTE: This can take several hours depending on your employee numbers
Once complete you can review and decide which Employee Types to sync (see Employment Type notes above)
- Sync as Employee
- Sync as Contractor
- Don’t Sync
Click Confirm
This will initiate the sync between Merge and Workstars. You should now see the HR Data Sync Dashboard showing your sync logs and status
Wait 20-30 minutes for the initial automated sync to happen, then check for any errors and resolve in Bob
The data will re-sync overnight, then you can re-check for errors and resolve them in Bob

See How check status of Merge HR data sync and troubleshoot any issues for more information.