Atomicwork's multi-source user sync allows you to bring employee data from your all sources - CSVs, connected identity and HR systems — into a single unified profile for every employee. This enables workflows, personalization, and analytics to always run on accurate, up-to-date information. To manage individual employee records, see our guide on Managing people in Atomicwork.
You can import employees into Atomicwork in three ways:
Through a CSV import
Sending them email invitations
Importing employees through CSV
When you want to view a list of your employees or assign journeys to them, you can access the employee list by navigating to the Directory in the left navigation pane.
You can bring your employee list into Atomicwork via a CSV import. The sample CSV file is unique to every account, configured as per your People attributes. So, please make sure to review them so you know all the data you’re working with across journeys and requests.
Navigate to Settings > Import people under Organization. Alternatively, you can go to the Directory and click on the Import button at the top right.
Download the sample CSV file. The sample CSV file is unique to every account, configured as per your people attributes.
Copy your data into the CSV file and upload it to Atomicwork.
Please choose if you want us to overwrite data when matching records found in your CSV and the system.
For example, if you choose to overwrite data and already have Matt Smith in Atomicwork, uploading a CSV with his information will replace his profile data with the new details.
Click on Proceed to move to the next screen. This involves mapping CSV columns to the Atomicwork people attributes. Review/change the mapping so your information is imported correctly.
Click on Import. This will load the Import history page with a list of all past imports, their status, and any errors (downloadable as a CSV file). You don’t have to keep this page open - we’ll notify you via email once your import is complete.
FAQ: There were some errors in my CSV, and Atomicwork did not import all employees.
If there’s a data issue, Atomicwork will create a new CSV file with the rows that it failed to import along with the failure reason so you can correct the issue and reupload the files.
If the upload fails again and there’s no discernible issue, please contact support@atomicwork.com.
Syncing employee data via integrations
You can choose to sync employee data from your connected identity, HR, and collaboration platforms like:
After the initial sync, Atomicwork reconciles data every 24 hours across all connected sources. For JumpCloud, Okta, and Rippling, updates are also pushed in near-real-time via webhooks, so new users appear in Atomicwork almost immediately after being added at the source.
Before you begin, make sure you have:
Org admin access in Atomicwork
At least one of the supported apps above already connected via Settings > App Store
Admin access to your source provider's console so you can confirm which attributes exist and what values they hold
Setting up sync from a single source
If you're only syncing from one source:
Navigate to Settings > People > Sync via integrations.
Click on the source you want to sync and select Sync employee data.
Filter step - You can optionally define which people to sync from this source:
Group filter: Only sync users in specific groups from the source. Available for Azure AD, Okta, and JumpCloud.
Attribute filter: Sync users whose attributes match specific criteria (for example, User State is Activated). Available for all sources.
Mapping step - Review how source attributes map to Atomicwork attributes and adjust any that need to change.
Click Confirm to save. The initial sync runs immediately and creates users in Atomicwork.
Setting up sync from multiple sources
When you connect a second source to sync employee data, you need to configure identity and primary source across sources.
The Identity setup — the Work email and Personal email mappings for each source — is a one-time configuration. Once the first sync runs, these can't be changed from the dashboard.
The Primary source and attribute mappings can be changed at any time.
Contact support@atomicwork.com if you need to modify your identity setup.
Navigate to Settings > People > Sync via integrations and open the second source you want to sync. Click on Sync employee data.
Filter step - Apply group and/or attribute filters for the source you're adding.
Multi source step - This is a one-time configuration to choose your primary source and identity mapping.
You need to configure values for both:
Primary source: This is the source of truth for employment status, which determines whether a user is active, deactivated, or deleted in Atomicwork. You can change the primary source later from Settings > People > Primary source & identifiers.
Identity: Atomicwork uses Work email to uniquely identify each person across sources. You can configure the Work email and Personal email mapping for each connected source gets its own.
Tip: If new employees at your company don't have a work email on day one, map a Personal email — Atomicwork will use this to identify them until the work email is added, then switches over automatically.
Only users who exist in the primary source are synced, even if they exist in other connected sources. For example, if JumpCloud is your primary source and a user exists in Azure AD but not in JumpCloud, that user won't be synced into Atomicwork.
Mapping step - Review and edit how source attributes map to Atomicwork attributes. You can change these mappings anytime later from Settings > People > Attributes.
Each Atomicwork attribute can be mapped to a different source — for example, pull job title from Okta while pulling department from Workday. The value shown in Atomicwork always comes from whichever source you've mapped to that attribute.
Click Confirm to save.
Repeat these steps for any additional sources you want to connect.
Editing the primary source and attribute mappings
Navigate to Settings > People > Primary source & identifiers to change which source acts as your primary source. Work email and Personal email mappings on the same page are locked and can't be changed after the first sync.
Similarly, navigate to Settings > People > Attributes to see every Atomicwork attribute alongside its current source and source attribute. Edit any mapping here without needing to touch the integration setup.
View sync status and troubleshoot records
Per-source status: On Settings > People > Sync via integrations, each connected source shows its current state (Enabled if it's actively syncing, or unmarked if it's not).
Sync history: Navigate to Settings > People > Sync log to see every sync run: which source it was for, whether it completed, and how many records were updated.
Record-level details: Click Download on any sync run in the Sync log to get a CSV report of every record processed — what was created, updated, skipped (with the reason), and errored (with the specific error where known).
User lifecycle and downstream effects
Atomicwork tracks three lifecycle statuses, determined by the user's status in your primary source:
User status | Authentication | Atom AI Assistant | ITSM access |
Active | Full access | Full access | Full access |
Deactivated (leave of absence, sabbatical) | No access | Via Slack/Teams | Via Slack/Teams |
Deleted (terminated, resigned) | No access | No access | No access |
When a user is removed or marked as deleted in your primary source, Atomicwork performs a 7-day verification check.
If the user record doesn't reappear within 7 days, Atomicwork archives the record — updates the email to an archived format (like archived_user@domain.com) and removes them from the active directory. Historical data is preserved for auditing and ITSM reporting.
Things to watch out for
Duplicate identifiers: If duplicate emails are detected within the same source, Atomicwork retains the last record processed during the sync.
Identifier changes: If a user's email changes (for example, after a name change), Atomicwork matches the record using the external ID from the source and updates the email value — preventing duplicate profile creation.
Missing identifiers in primary source: If a record is missing both work and personal email in the primary source, the user isn't synced. If either identifier is missing from a secondary source, the user profile is still created but the attributes from that source are skipped.
Secondary source syncs before primary source: If a secondary source syncs before the primary source, Atomicwork reconciles the records once the primary source sync catches up. Full reconciliation runs every 24 hours across all sources.
Manual updates in Atomicwork get overwritten — Atomicwork DOES NOT sync users or attribute updates back to your external systems. Any manual changes made directly in Atomicwork will be overwritten during the next scheduled sync.
Make attribute value changes in the source, not in Atomicwork.
Adding users using email addresses
You can add users to your account by sending them an email invitation.
Navigate to Settings > Users under Organization and click on the Users tab.
Click on Invite users at the top right.
Type out email addresses and assign a role. The selected role applies to all listed emails.
You can choose if new users receive an invitation email.
Click on Send invite.