Building an effective Employee Database is a foundational step for any dynamic intranet. This process involves carefully selecting the information you gather about your employees. Information such as job titles, departments, birthdays, and hobies becomes the foundation for:
Personalizing the intranet experience to each user.
People widgets such as upcoming birthdays, organizational charts and more.
Enhanced profiles that encourage networking and collaboration
The Cosmos Employee Database can only be accessed and edited by the Confluence and Cosmos admins.
When generating the employee database, we fetch users' Names and Emails for initial recognition. However, for your privacy:
We do not store this data on our end.
Real names are not processed; instead, we use user IDs, which are strings of random, unidentifiable digits and letters.
While emails are fetched, they are never stored in our system.
Employee Database field types
Aside from the name and email columns, all other columns can be edited. You can also add new columns by clicking on the + icon appearing after the last column of the table.
After synchronizing users, several default columns are created to provide a foundational structure. While "Name" and "Email" columns are fixed and cannot be deleted, all other columns are flexible. Admins can modify or remove them based on specific organizational requirements.
Follow these steps to create new field types:
Click on the plus sign (+) typically located at the end of the column headers in your Employee Database interface. This action prompts the column creation process.
Enter a title for the column that clearly represents the information you intend to store in this field. Choose a name that is intuitive and easily understood by all users, as it will be displayed in user profiles.
Select the type of data this column will hold. The type determines how the information is formatted and interacted with.
Text → Allows users to enter any combination of letters, numbers, or symbols in a single line.
URL → Allows users to add a link to an internal or external page.
Number → Allows users to enter any number.
Select → Allows users to select one value from a list that you define.
Multiselect → Allows users to select more than one value from a list that you define.
User → Allows users to add another user profile using autocomplete.
Date → Allows users to pick a date from a popup calendar.
All columns you create can be added in the user profile section of Cosmos. Users can only see and fill profile fields if they are selected by admins.
Field type options
Add/Edit Options → Primarily used with single and multiselect column types, this feature allows admins to define the names and colors of options within a dropdown list. Assigning colors can help visually differentiate options.
User can created options → This enables users to contribute to the database by adding new options directly from their profile screens. For instance, if a user notices a missing location, they can easily add it, ensuring the database remains comprehensive and up-to-date.
Rename → Renamed options are updated across profile screens, people network filters, and other relevant areas within the intranet.
Delete column → Deleting an option removes column, along with all associated data across the Employee Database.
Hide users from Employee Database
Administrators hide certain users from the database while maintaining access to and browsing functionality within the People Network.
What if user is hidden?
She can access all Cosmos screens and features.
She is excluded from all modules such as upcoming birthdays, new starters, work anniversary.
She is excluded from the People Network.
She is excluded from all created Collections.
Impact across the Intranet
The Employee Database do more than just hold information about users. Fields are key to make the Cosmos intranet work better for everyone. Here's is where you use information stored:
People Network → All columns and fields from the Employee Database are used in the People Network to filter and search for individuals.
Collections → Collections leverage the columns to categorize and group employees, making it simple to create dynamic lists based on shared attributes or skills. Beyond categorizing and grouping employees, collections play a significant role in personalizing the intranet experience.
User profiles → Every column in the Employee Database has the potential to be included in a user's profile. Through the Profile Builder feature, admins can customize the profile fields that are visible and editable.