Employee Directory Sync – Microsoft Teams & Coda

⚠️ COMMUNITY TEMPLATE DISCLAIMER: This is a community-contributed template that uses ScrapeGraphAI (a community node). Please ensure you have the ScrapeGraphAI community node installed in your n8n instance before using this template.

This workflow keeps your employee directory perfectly synchronized across your HRIS (or any REST-compatible HR database), Microsoft Teams, Coda docs, and Slack channels. It automatically polls the HR system on a schedule, detects additions or updates, and propagates those changes to downstream tools so everyone always has the latest employee information.

Pre-conditions/Requirements

Prerequisites

• An active n8n instance (self-hosted or n8n cloud)
• ScrapeGraphAI community node installed
• A reachable HRIS API (BambooHR, Workday, Personio, or any custom REST endpoint)
• Existing Microsoft Teams workspace and a team/channel for announcements
• A Coda account with an employee directory table
• A Slack workspace and channel where directory updates will be posted

Required Credentials

• Microsoft Teams OAuth2 – To post adaptive cards or messages
• Coda API Token – To insert/update rows in your Coda doc
• Slack OAuth2 – To push notifications into a Slack channel
• HTTP Basic / Bearer Token – For your HRIS REST endpoint
• ScrapeGraphAI API Key – (Only required if you scrape public profile data)

HRIS Field Mapping

(Adjust the mapping in the Set and Code nodes as needed.)

How it works

This workflow keeps your employee directory perfectly synchronized across your HRIS (or any REST-compatible HR database), Microsoft Teams, Coda docs, and Slack channels. It automatically polls the HR system on a schedule, detects additions or updates, and propagates those changes to downstream tools so everyone always has the latest employee information.

Key Steps:

• Schedule Trigger: Fires daily (or at your chosen interval) to start the sync routine.
• HTTP Request: Fetches the full list of employees from your HRIS API.
• Code (Delta Detector): Compares fetched data with a cached snapshot to identify new hires, departures, or updates.
• IF Node: Branches based on whether changes were detected.
• Split In Batches: Processes employees in manageable sets to respect API rate limits.
• Set Node: Maps HRIS fields to Coda columns and Teams/Slack message fields.
• Coda Node: Upserts rows in the employee directory table.
• Microsoft Teams Node: Posts an adaptive card summarizing changes to a selected channel.
• Slack Node: Sends a formatted message with the same update.
• Sticky Note: Provides inline documentation within the workflow for maintainers.

Set up steps

Setup Time: 10-15 minutes

1. Import the workflow into your n8n instance.
2. Open Credentials tab and create:
   • Microsoft Teams OAuth2 credential.
   • Coda API credential.
   • Slack OAuth2 credential.
   • HRIS HTTP credential (Basic or Bearer).
3. Configure the HRIS HTTP Request node
   • Replace the placeholder URL with your HRIS endpoint (e.g., https://api.yourhr.com/v1/employees).
   • Add query parameters or headers as required by your HRIS.
4. Map Coda Doc & Table IDs in the Coda node.
5. Select Teams & Slack channels in their respective nodes.
6. Adjust the Schedule Trigger to your desired frequency.
7. Optional: Edit the Code node to tweak field mapping or add custom delta-comparison logic.
8. Execute the workflow manually once to verify proper end-to-end operation.
9. Activate the workflow.

Node Descriptions

Core Workflow Nodes:

• Schedule Trigger – Initiates the sync routine at set intervals.
• HTTP Request (Get Employees) – Pulls the latest employee list from the HRIS.
• Code (Delta Detector) – Stores the previous run’s data in workflow static data and identifies changes.
• IF (Has Changes?) – Skips downstream steps when no changes were detected, saving resources.
• Split In Batches – Iterates through employees in chunks (default 50) to avoid API throttling.
• Set (Field Mapper) – Renames and restructures data for Coda, Teams, and Slack.
• Coda (Upsert Rows) – Inserts new rows or updates existing ones based on email match.
• Microsoft Teams (Post Message) – Sends a rich adaptive card with the update summary.
• Slack (Post Message) – Delivers a concise change log to a Slack channel.
• Sticky Note – Embedded documentation for quick reference.

Data Flow:

1. Schedule Trigger → HTTP Request → Code (Delta Detector)
2. Code → IF (Has Changes?)
   • If No → End
   • If Yes → Split In Batches → Set → Coda → Teams → Slack

Customization Examples

Change Sync Frequency

// Inside Schedule Trigger
{
  "mode": "everyDay",
  "hour": 6,
  "minute": 0
}

Extend Field Mapping

// Inside Set node
items[0].json.phone = item.phoneNumber ?? '';
items[0].json.location = item.officeLocation ?? '';
return items;

Data Output Format

The workflow outputs structured JSON data:

{
  "employee": {
    "id": "123",
    "firstName": "Jane",
    "lastName": "Doe",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "title": "Senior Engineer",
    "department": "R&D",
    "status": "New Hire",
    "syncedAt": "2024-05-08T10:15:23.000Z"
  },
  "destination": {
    "codaRowId": "row_abc123",
    "teamsMessageId": "msg_987654",
    "slackTs": "1715158523.000200"
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. HTTP 401 from HRIS API – Verify token validity and that the credential is attached to the HTTP Request node.
2. Coda duplicates rows – Ensure the key column in Coda is set to “Email” and the Upsert option is enabled.

Performance Tips

• Cache HRIS responses in static data to minimize API calls.
• Increase the Split In Batches size only if your API rate limits allow.

Pro Tips:

• Use n8n’s built-in Version Control to track mapping changes over time.
• Add a second IF node to differentiate between “new hires” and “updates” for tailored announcements.
• Enable Slack’s “threaded replies” to keep your #hr-updates channel tidy.