Understanding How Employee Directory Details are Synced and Made Available in Microsoft 365.
This blogs covers:
In today's digital workplace, having access to accurate and up-to-date employee information is crucial for effective collaboration. Within Microsoft 365, employee directory details are seamlessly made available through a series of integrations between various services, primarily leveraging Entra ID (formerly known as Azure Active Directory) and SharePoint Online. In this blog post, we'll explore how these integrations work, how data is synced, and how it becomes accessible via search tools within Microsoft 365.
Understanding Employee Directory in Microsoft 365
The Employee Directory (also sometimes referred to as People Directory) in Microsoft 365 is a centralized database that contains information about all employees within the organization. It includes details such as employee names, contact information, job titles, departments, and other relevant data.
This directory allows employees to easily search for and find their colleagues, fostering better communication and collaboration. By having a comprehensive Employee Directory, organizations can streamline internal processes and improve productivity.
Entra ID: The Central Hub for Employee Information
Entra ID serves as the identity and access management service for Microsoft 365. It stores essential information about each employee, such as their name, job title, department, and contact details. This directory is the primary source of truth for all user-related data across Microsoft 365.
When an organization sets up Microsoft 365, user accounts are created in Entra ID. This can be done manually by an administrator, or it can be automated through a synchronization process from an on-premises Active Directory using Azure AD Connect. Entra ID ensures that all employee details are accurate and consistent across the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Synchronization with SharePoint User Profiles
Once the user information is populated in Entra ID, it needs to be made available in SharePoint Online to power various collaboration features. This is where the synchronization process comes into play.
- User Profile Synchronization: SharePoint Online has a User Profile Service that automatically syncs data from Entra ID. This service pulls in user attributes such as name, email, job title, and more. These attributes form a user’s profile within SharePoint Online.
- Custom Attributes: In some cases, organizations may have custom attributes in Entra ID (like employee ID, office location, etc.). These can also be mapped and synchronized to SharePoint user profiles through custom configuration.
The synchronization between Entra ID and SharePoint User Profiles typically occurs every 24 hours, ensuring that any changes made in Entra ID are reflected in SharePoint Online without significant delays.
Making Employee Details Searchable in Microsoft 365
Once the user profile data is synced to SharePoint Online, it becomes accessible across Microsoft 365's various search tools:
- SharePoint Search: Within SharePoint Online, the search functionality can index user profiles, making it easy to find employee details. Users can search for colleagues by name, department, job title, or other profile attributes directly from the SharePoint search bar.
- Microsoft Delve: Delve is another powerful tool in Microsoft 365 that surfaces information about people based on their user profiles. It provides an intuitive interface to browse through the organization’s directory and even discover people based on their skills and interests.
People Search in Microsoft 365: Across Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook, Teams, and Word, users can perform a "People Search" to quickly find contact information and organizational details about their colleagues. This functionality is powered by the user profile information synced from Entra ID to SharePoint Online.
Enhanced Collaboration with Accurate Employee Directory Information
Having accurate and readily available employee information significantly enhances collaboration within an organization. Whether it’s finding the right colleague for a project, understanding reporting lines, or simply getting in touch with someone, the integration between Entra ID and SharePoint Online ensures that all employees have the information they need at their fingertips.
Troubleshooting and Customization of the Employee Directory
While the synchronization process is typically seamless, there can be situations where user profile data doesn’t sync as expected. In such cases, administrators can check Sync Status using the Microsoft 365 Admin Center where admins can monitor the status of synchronization between Entra ID and SharePoint.
Sometimes, additional attributes need to be added to the Entra ID profile. Since only certain attributes sync natively between Entra ID and SharePoint, custom mapping is necessary. When custom attributes are needed in Entra ID, attribute mapping and syncing will be required, usually done via PowerShell scripts but needing skilled personnel for setup and maintenance.
Conclusion on Employee Directory in Microsoft 365
The integration of Entra ID and SharePoint Online in Microsoft 365 provides a robust framework for managing and accessing employee directory details. Through automated synchronization and powerful search tools, users can effortlessly find and connect with colleagues, driving productivity and collaboration across the organization.
By understanding how these systems work together, administrators can ensure that employee information is always up-to-date and accessible, enabling a more connected and efficient workplace.
There are some limitations of the standard employee directory in Microsoft 365, however, that are also worth considering.
View all articles by this author
