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External IDs for User Records

Overview

External IDs let you map each user in Brevity to their existing identifier from your HR system, LMS, or employee directory. Once enabled, you can assign, search, filter, and export by External ID across Organization Settings, Win Analytics, and Assignments.

Note: External IDs are an optional feature that must be enabled for your organization. Contact your Customer Success Manager to turn it on.

What is an External ID?

An External ID is a free-text field on each user record (members and pending invitations) that stores an identifier from an external system — for example, an employee number, HRIS ID, or LMS learner ID. IDs are scoped to your organization and are unique per user within that org.

Getting Started

1. Request activation

External IDs are gated behind a feature flag. Reach out to your Brevity Customer Success contact and ask them to enable the External ID feature for your organization. Once enabled, External ID columns and search capabilities will appear automatically across the platform.

2. Assign External IDs via bulk CSV upload

The primary way to add or update External IDs is through the bulk CSV upload on the Organization Settings page. This works for both existing members and pending invitations.

Preparing your CSV

Your CSV file should include the following columns:

Column Required Description
email Yes The user's email address (used to match existing records)
first_name Yes User's first name
last_name Yes User's last name
external_id No The identifier from your external system

Tip: When the External ID feature is enabled, the sample CSV download on the Organization Settings page will include the external_id column as a template.

Upload steps

  1. Navigate to Organization Settings in the left sidebar.
  2. Click Upload CSV (or the bulk upload button).
  3. Select your prepared CSV file.
  4. Review the upload summary. You will see counts for:
    • New invitations created
    • Existing members updated (including External ID updates)
    • Pending invitations updated with an External ID
  5. Confirm the upload.

What happens during upload

  • New users: An invitation is created with the External ID attached. When the user accepts the invitation, their External ID carries over to their membership automatically.
  • Existing members (matched by email): Their External ID is added or updated.
  • Pending invitations (matched by email): Their External ID is updated so it will carry over once they accept.

Important: The email field is used to match records. If a user's email already exists in your organization, the upload will update their existing record rather than creating a duplicate.

Where External IDs appear

Once enabled, External IDs are visible and usable in the following areas:

Win Analytics — Individual Progress

  • Table column: An "External ID" column appears in the Individual Progress table.
  • Search: The search bar on Individual Progress supports searching by External ID (partial matches work). The search placeholder updates to indicate External ID is searchable.
  • CSV export: When you export Individual Progress data to CSV, the External ID column is included. The export reflects your current search and score filters.

Win Analytics — Users filter (shared across dashboards)

  • Typeahead search: The Users multi-select filter dropdown on Overview, Engagement, Adoption, and Individual Progress dashboards supports typing an External ID to narrow the list. You can search by name, email, or External ID.

Assignments — Assignee filter

  • Typeahead search: The assignee filter in Practice Assignments supports searching by External ID in addition to name and email.

Team Spotlight

  • Unassigned members: When viewing unassigned members in Team Spotlight, their External ID is displayed alongside their name (when the feature is enabled).

CSV Exports

External ID columns are included in the following exports when the feature is active:

  • Members CSV (Organization Settings export)
  • Individual Progress CSV (Win Analytics export)
  • Training Plan assignment CSV

Searchable / filterable summary

Area Search by External ID Display External ID Export External ID
Individual Progress (table) Yes Yes (column) Yes (CSV)
Users filter (all analytics dashboards) Yes (typeahead) — —
Assignments — assignee filter Yes (typeahead) — —
Team Spotlight (unassigned) — Yes —
Members CSV export — — Yes
Training Plan CSV export — — Yes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I update just the External ID for existing users without changing their name or email? Yes. Include the user's email (for matching), their current first and last name, and the new External ID in your CSV. Only the External ID will be updated.

What happens if I leave the External ID column blank for some rows? Blank values are ignored — existing External IDs on those users will not be removed or overwritten.

Is the External ID visible to end users (learners)? No. External IDs are visible only to organization administrators in the areas listed above.

Can I search by External ID on the Overview, Engagement, or Adoption dashboard tables? At this time only the Individual Progress dashboard supports search. However, the Users filter supports partial or complete matching by first or last name, email, or external ID for user selection and filtering.

What characters are allowed in an External ID? External IDs are free-text fields. Alphanumeric characters, hyphens, and underscores are common, but any valid text is accepted.

Do I need to re-upload to update an External ID? Yes. External IDs are managed through the bulk CSV upload on the Organization Settings page. Inline editing is not yet available.