1. Employee Management
  2. Employees
  3. SuitePeople Workforce Management
  4. Workforce Management Setup Guide
  5. Integrating Workforce Management with NetSuite
  6. Linking Workforce Management Records with NetSuite

Linking Workforce Management Records with NetSuite

Record linking allow various records in NetSuite to be mirrored in Workforce Management (WFM). This is important to ensure that any newly created or updated NetSuite record will be automatically created or updated in WFM. For example, for NetSuite employee records, linking ensures that specific groups of employees (based on primary location mapping) will be automatically created in WFM and any shared fields (such as name, email, base wage rate) will be automatically updated in real-time in WFM.

The following topics detail how to configure linked records in Workforce Management.

Linking WFM Location Fields to NetSuite Records

The following procedure allows you to link NetSuite locations to Workforce Management (WFM). You can choose to manually or automatically create what WFM will consider as a location from NetSuite data. To manually create a WFM location, follow the steps in Adding a New Location in WFM. The following procedure then allows you to link that location to NetSuite. Alternatively, the same procedure also allows you to automatically create and link WFM locations.

To link WFM locations to NetSuite locations:

  1. From the Workforce Management tab, go to Setup > NetSuite Integration > Settings > Records.

  2. Under Standard Records, click the +Location button to create the linked record for a location.

  3. Under the Link Type dropdown, select Location.

  4. (Optional) Check the Automatically create and update data in linked objects from NetSuite records box if you want to automatically create WFM locations. Proceed to steps 6-7.

    Important:

    This will create WFM locations for all active NetSuite locations.

    This can be customized by introducing an optional custom field on the NetSuite Location Record to indicate if that location can auto-sync.

    If you manually created a WFM location, proceed to steps 6-9.

  5. Click Save.

  6. On the location row, click the refetch button as shown below. The process ends here if you chose to automatically create WFM locations.

  7. (Manual location) Go to Setup > NetSuite Integrations > Locations.

  8. (Manual location) In the search field next to your manually created WFM location, type the name of the NetSuite location you want to link. Click on the location name when it appears in the dropdown to link the two.

    Tip:

    If you don't see the name of the NetSuite location, click Refresh Locations from NetSuite and try again.

Linking WFM Job Fields to NetSuite Department Records

The following procedure allows you to link jobs to Workforce Management from NetSuite department data. You can choose to manually or automatically create what WFM will consider as a job from NetSuite department data. To manually create a WFM job, follow the steps in Create a Job. The following procedure then allows you to link that job to NetSuite. Alternatively, the same procedure also allows you to automatically create and link WFM jobs.

To create and link jobs from department data:

  1. From the Workforce Management tab, go to Setup > NetSuite Integration > Settings > Records.

  2. Under Standard Records, click the +Department button to create the linked record for a location.

  3. Under the Link Type dropdown, select Job.

  4. Check the Automatically create and update data in linked objects from NetSuite records box if you want to automatically create WFM jobs. Proceed to steps 5-6.

    Important:

    This will create WFM jobs for all active NetSuite locations.

    This can be customized by introducing an optional custom field on the NetSuite Location Record to indicate if that location can auto-sync.

    If you manually created a WFM location, proceed to steps 5-8.

  5. Click Save.

  6. On the Department row, click the refetch button.

  7. (Manual jobs) Go to Setup > NetSuite Integrations > Departments.

  8. (Manual jobs) In the search field next to your manually created WFM job, type the name of the NetSuite department you want to link. Click on the department name when it appears in the dropdown to link the two.

    Tip:

    If you don't see the name of the NetSuite department, click Refresh Departments from NetSuite and try again.

Creating the Workplace Linked Record

After you have completed linking WFM locations and jobs, you need to create your first linked record named Workplace.

To create the Workplace linked record:

  1. From the Workforce Management tab, go to Setup > NetSuite Integration > Settings > Records.

  2. Click the +Mirror new record type button.

  3. Complete the fields for the new record type..

    • Display name

    • Display name plural

    • Link type

    • Icon (not required)

    • Name field

    • Include sublists

    • Grouping field

    • Display fields

  4. Click Save.

Linking the WFM Workplace Record

After creating the Workplace record, you need to link it to NetSuite.

To link the Workplace record:

  1. Click on the Setup tab, then select the NetSuite Integrations, then select Workplace.

  2. Click in the search field and begin typing the name you want to map to. Click on the correct NetSuite name and they will automatically link.

Employee Sync Settings

The following procedure allows employees to automatically sync between NetSuite and Workforce Management.

To sync employee settings:

  1. From the Workforce Management tab, go to Setup > NetSuite Integration > Settings > Records.

  2. Click Edit in the employee row.

  3. In the Editing record data for Employee window, you should check the boxes as follows:

    • Create staff – Check the box.

    • Update staff – Check the box.

    • Update wage data – Check the box.

    • Update employment periods – Check the box.

    • Primary location field – Select a field. If this record type is not already mirrored, it will automatically be created for mirroring.

    • Wage type – Select an option.

    • Salary default hours – Enter the default number of hours.

    • Leave balance fields – Configure fields.

  4. Click Save.

Creating Time-Off Linked Records

If you are using SuitePeople HR, you need to add two linked records.

This allows approved time-off in SuitePeople to flow into Workforce Management automatically. This means managers won’t schedule employees for days they have approved time-off.

To create Time-Off linked records:

  1. From the Workforce Management tab, go to Setup > NetSuite Integration > Settings > Records.

  2. Click the +Mirror new record type button.

  3. Complete the fields in the Editing record data for Time-Off Request window.

    • Display name – Enter Time-Off Request.

    • Display name plural – Enter Time-Off Requests.

    • Link type – Select Leave/Time-off Request/Approval.

    • Icon – Select an icon for time off, such as the airplane icon.

    • Name field – Enter name.

    • Include sublists – Check the box.

  4. Click Save.

  5. Complete the fields in the Time-Off Type record.

    • Display name – Enter Time-Off Type.

    • Display name plural – Enter Time-Off Types.

    • Link type – Select Leave/Time-off Type.

    • Icon – Select an icon for time off type, such as the briefcase icon.

    • Name field – Enter name.

    • Include sublists – Check the box.

  6. Click Save.

Mapping Wage Conditions

To ensure that hours and or rates are sent to the correct time you will need to map the wage conditions to the correct pay items.

To map wage conditions:

  1. From the Workforce Management tab, go to Setup > NetSuite Integration > Region Based Wages.

    A window will open and from there you will need to link the applicable wage condition to the corresponding pay items in NetSuite.

  2. If using Subsidiaries, select which wage condition is applicable to the corresponding pay item for each subsidiary.

Note:

Things to keep in mind:

  • SuitePeople requires payroll items to have employees that will receive the payroll item to be available and have a rate set. This can be set in NetSuite by using the Administrator role and heading to Lists > Employees > Payroll Items and selecting each Payroll Item that will be used for exporting.

    Check the Apply box for each employee individually rather than using the Mark All option as this will add an effective and expiration date automatically. Enter the rate that will apply for each employee.

  • Typically, WFM Regular Hours are linked to the XX-Hourly NetSuite Payroll item; and WFM Overtime is linked to a XX-Overtime NetSuite Payroll item.

Linking WFM Leave/Time off Types to NetSuite

If you opt to create Leave/Time Off requests in NetSuite from WFM, you will need to link the two types.

To link WFM leave/time-off types:

  1. From the Workforce Management tab, go to Setup > NetSuite Integration > Leave/Time-Off.

  2. In the search field next to the WFM Leave/Time-Off, type the name of the NetSuite Time-Off you want to link. Click on the Time-Off name when it appears in the dropdown to link the two.

Note:

Some things to keep in mind:

  • Depending on your selection to either import or export leave with NetSuite you will see different linking options. If you have chosen to import leave from NetSuite you will have a list of Time-Off Types from NetSuite to match to Leave Types in WFM.

  • Once a Time-Off type is linked to an WFM Leave type, WFM will be able to create leave based on Approved Time Off in NetSuite.

  • When you are exporting to NetSuite the leave is sent as soon as it is approved in WFM, not at the time of payroll processing.

  • If you are using Infinet Cloud, when you create a part-day leave in WFM, the leave hours are sent. When you create a full/multi-day leave in NetSuite only the dates are sent, not the required hours.

Leave Balance Imports

When using NetSuite, Leave/Time-Off can be configured to source data from NetSuite, or to use WFM as the source of Leave, and push this data to NetSuite. The issue in the latter case is that it becomes important when approving leave requests in WFM to be able to see how much leave a given employee has accrued.

There are two ways WFM can source an employee's current leave balance from NetSuite: using a sublist (default: availablenow) that contains all of the leave balances, or using a custom field on the employee record for each leave/time-off type.

Leave balances will be imported whenever a changed value is detected after data is fetched from NetSuite for a given employee -having the User Event Script deployed for the employee record will ensure this happens promptly.

NetSuite Time-Off Type/Custom Record Employee Sublist

When using NetSuite standard Time-Off Types, or a custom record that is in a sublist, you need to tell WFM what the sublist record is, so it can fetch the list of choices for linking.

If this record type is not configured for mirroring, then you’ll need to create it with the following settings:

  • Record type – Enter timeofftype.

  • Display name – Enter Time-Off Type.

  • Display name plural – Enter Time-Off Types.

  • Link type – Select Leave/Time-off Type.

  • Name field – Enter name.

  • Include sublists – Check the box.

For more information, see Creating Time-Off Linked Records.

Configuring the record type for mirroring will activate the Leave linking page.

When Leave types are linked to NetSuite records, leave balances for that leave type will be imported.

NetSuite Employee Custom Field

Some NetSuite configurations use a different custom field on the Employee record for each Leave/Time-Off Type. This value is then updated within NetSuite whenever the leave balance changes.

This can be configured within WFM by configuring the Employee Mirrored Record on the Editing record data for Employee page. Add the values for the leave types you must import.

Only leave types that you enter a field for will be imported.

General Notices