This process requires IT Admin access in both Compass and Clipboard.
Staff who teach extracurricular Activities, run Fixtures, or mark attendance in Clipboard can be synchronised automatically from Compass. This removes the need to manually add each staff member to Clipboard or keep their SIS ID in step with Compass.
What the sync does
Each day (or on demand), Clipboard requests the list of staff your school has flagged as Clipboard users. For each staff member:
New staff are added to Clipboard with Staff-level access
Existing staff are matched to their Clipboard record and kept up to date (name, email)
Staff removed from the list are frozen in Clipboard - they can no longer log in or be rostered, but their history is preserved
Staff re-added to the list are unfrozen and resume normal access
Clipboard identifies each staff member using their CompassPersonID, so renaming, username changes, or email updates in Compass won't create duplicates.
What syncs
Field | Source in Compass | Notes |
First name |
|
|
Last name |
|
|
Preferred first name |
| Displayed where set |
Preferred last name |
|
|
| Used for login and matching | |
CompassPersonID |
| Stored on the Staff record |
What doesn't sync
Photos
Manager or Admin access levels - new staff are created at Staff level and promoted in Clipboard manually
Phone numbers or contact details beyond email
Roles, pastoral responsibilities, or year-level assignments
Controlling which staff sync
The sync is permission-based. Only staff assigned the ClipboardAppUsers permission in Compass are included.
Clipboard is licensed per staff member. Syncing every Compass staff member - including office, grounds, and non-teaching staff - would bring in people who don't need Clipboard access. The permission lets you choose who syncs.
Setup in Compass
Assign the
ClipboardAppUserspermission to the role group which is being added to users you want to sync into Clipboard. This permission can be assigned to existing role groups, or your Compass administrator can create a role group calledClipboardAppUsersin the Permissions Manager.Staff who are assigned the
ClipboardAppUserspermission via their role group/s will sync into Clipboard.Staff who are removed from role groups containing the
ClipboardAppUserspermission will be frozen in Clipboard.
Prerequisites
Before enabling Staff Sync, confirm:
The incoming Compass integration is set up and working for students and guardians. See Steps to Set Up the Compass Incoming and Outgoing Integration.
A Compass API user exists with the
CompassAPIUserClipboardRole Group and a valid API key.The
ClipboardAppUserspermission is available in your Compass instance (contact Compass Support if not).The Role Group is populated with the staff you want to sync.
Enabling the sync
Once the prerequisites are in place:
Let your Clipboard CSM know you're ready to enable Staff Sync. They will turn it on for your school.
Once you have the setting enabled, go to Integrations > Manage Integrations > Incoming > Staff and enable the sync. Run it once to populate. Depending on the number of staff, this typically completes within a few minutes.
Go to Integrations > Manage Integrations > Logs to confirm the sync completed successfully, and verify the correct Staff synced/froze/unfroze/etc.
Check the Staff list (Settings > Staff) - synced staff will appear with their Compass details.
Ongoing syncs run daily. No manual trigger required.
If staff already exist in Clipboard
No data preparation is needed. The sync matches existing Clipboard staff to Compass records by email address on the first run. Where a match is found, the Clipboard record is linked to the Compass record automatically and stays in sync from then on using the CompassPersonId.
If a staff member exists in Clipboard but their email doesn't match what's in Compass, update one or the other and run the sync again.
Managing staff lifecycle
Adding a new staff member
Add the staff member to your school's
CompassClipboardAppUserRole Group in Compass.Wait for the next daily sync, or contact your IT Admin to trigger a manual sync.
The staff member appears in Clipboard with Staff-level access.
Promote them to Manager or Admin in Clipboard if needed (Settings > Staff > select staff > Edit > Access Level).
Staff member leaves the school
Compass excludes staff marked as "Left" from the sync feed, which means Clipboard can't detect they've left. To freeze them cleanly:
First, remove the staff member from the
CompassClipboardAppUserRole Group in Compass.Wait for the next sync, or trigger one.
The staff member is frozen in Clipboard.
Then mark them as Left in Compass as part of your normal offboarding.
Reversing this order leaves the staff member active in Clipboard. Run the sync after removing the Role Group, then mark them as Left.
Staff member changes name, email, or takes a new role
No action required. The daily sync picks up name and email changes automatically. Clipboard access levels (Staff / Manager / Admin) are managed in Clipboard and should be updated manually when responsibilities change.
Troubleshooting
A staff member I expect to sync isn't appearing
Confirm they're in the
CompassClipboardAppUserRole Group in Compass.Check they have a valid email in Compass.
Look in Integrations > Incoming > Logs for the latest sync run and any errors.
If the issue persists, contact Clipboard Support.
A staff member shows the wrong name on a session
The session was likely created before the staff member had a valid CompassPersonID. Once the sync populates their identity, newly created sessions show the correct name. Existing sessions may show "Clipboard User" and can be corrected by editing the session.
Too many staff were synced, or the wrong ones
Remove the affected staff from the CompassClipboardAppUser Role Group in Compass. The next sync freezes them in Clipboard. History is preserved and they can be unfrozen by re-adding them to the Role Group.
The sync was blocked or didn't run
Clipboard has a safety guardrail that stops a sync that would freeze a large number of staff at once (more than 10 staff, and more than 50% of the total). This prevents a misconfigured Role Group from locking out your school. Contact Clipboard Support if this happens - we'll review the sync with you before running it.
Duplicate staff appearing
The sync uses a stable identifier that doesn't change when emails or usernames update, so duplicates shouldn't occur.
If you see duplicates, contact Clipboard Support with an example.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Do I need to set the CompassPersonID on each staff profile manually?
A: No. The sync handles this automatically. Existing CompassPersonID values are preserved and used for matching.
Q: How often does the sync run?
A: Once per day. Contact your IT Admin if you need a manual sync (for example, to onboard new staff immediately).
Q: What happens to a staff member's team assignments when they're frozen?
A: Team memberships, historical sessions, and attendance records are preserved. The staff member can't log in or be rostered on new sessions until unfrozen.
Q: Can I sync only teaching staff and exclude non-teaching staff?
A: Yes. Only assign the Role Group to staff you want synced.
Q: Can casual or external coaches be synced?
A: Only if they exist in Compass and are in the CompassClipboardUsers Role Group. Otherwise, add them directly to Clipboard as Staff. The sync won't touch them.
Q: What if a staff member's email differs between Compass and Clipboard?
A: On the first sync, matching is attempted by email. If emails don't match and the staff member isn't already linked via CompassPersonID, a new Clipboard account will be created. Align emails before the first sync to avoid this.
Getting help
Reach out to our support team via the in-app help chat or at support@clipboard.app with:
Your school name
The issue you're seeing
Approximate time of the sync run (if relevant)
Name/email of any staff members affected
Related articles: