Factorial
Bring your people data from Factorial into MuchSkills. Your Factorial administrator gives MuchSkills read-only access, and we map the fields and run the sync. The set-up is part of your MuchSkills implementation.
- Who
- Your Factorial administrator, with our CTO
- How it connects
- Custom set-up, part of your implementation
- Sync
- Every 5 hours, or on demand with Sync Now
- Access
- Read-only
How to
How it works
MuchSkills reads from Factorial on a schedule. New starters, leavers, manager changes and department changes arrive at the next sync, with no manual work on either side. Nothing is written back to Factorial.
Before you start
- A Factorial administrator on your side, or your Factorial implementation partner.
- A list of who should be in MuchSkills: everyone, or a selection by country, company, department or worker type.
- Your field names. Factorial installations name custom fields differently, so have your field list to hand for the technical session.
Steps
In Factorial
Your Factorial administrator creates read-only API access for MuchSkills and shares it with us. We agree the remaining connection details with you in the technical session. Factorial's screenshots are a few years old, so a label may read slightly differently in your account. Factorial documentation
- Sign in as an administrator. You need a Factorial administrator account to create API credentials. Administrator permissions are granted under Company Settings.
- Create an application for MuchSkills. While signed in, open
https://api.factorialhr.com/oauth/applications, click New application and name it MuchSkills. If it asks for a redirect URI, use the one we give you. - Tick only the scopes MuchSkills needs. Under Scopes, tick Employees, Legal entities, Locations (companies) and Contracts (Factorial keeps job titles on the contract), plus Time off if you share absence. Leave everything else unticked, including Payroll, Documents, Performance and Expenses. MuchSkills only reads. Click Submit.
- Keep the credentials safe. Store the Application Id and the Secret in your password manager.
- Note the connection details. The Application Id, the Secret, an administrator who can authorise company access with us in the technical session, and which legal entities, teams or workplaces should be in MuchSkills.
With MuchSkills
- Send us the connection details. The credentials and connection details from the steps above, your field list and your scope, through a secure channel we agree.
- Join the technical session. Your Factorial administrator and our CTO map the fields and test the connection together.
- Check a first sync. We sync a handful of people or one department. You check their names, managers, departments and any tags in MuchSkills.
- Widen the scope. We switch the sync on for everyone in scope. From then on it runs every 5 hours.
Check it worked
- Team/Org › Members lists the people in scope.
- The people in scope have an invitation to create their MuchSkills profile.
- Managers see their direct reports in My Circle.
Benefits
What you get
- Factorial stays the source of truth. People data is entered once, in Factorial, and MuchSkills follows.
- A skills layer on your HR system. Skills, certifications and project history sit next to the people records you already trust.
- Clean data for planning. Reporting lines, departments and tags arrive ready for filtering, gap analysis and Team Builder.
Important to know
Important to know
What syncs. Only name and email are required. Sync as many of the other fields as you can, because each one makes MuchSkills more useful.
| Field | Needed | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| First and last name | Required | Profiles, search, every view |
| Required | Matching and sign-in. Must be the address people sign in with | |
| Job title | Recommended | Profiles, roles, Discover |
| Manager | Recommended | Reporting lines, My Circle, reports. MuchSkills maps it from Factorial automatically |
| Department | Recommended | Departments and filters |
| Employee status | Recommended | Deactivating leavers |
| Location or country | Recommended | Filters and scoping |
| Profile photo | Recommended | Profiles and the org chart |
| Worker type | Recommended | Filtering, for example employee or contractor |
| Absence | Recommended | Availability in Team Builder and My Circle. Dates and percentages only |
| Other fields | Optional | Any field can become a filterable tag, for example legal entity, team or cost centre. Agree them with us first |
Data MuchSkills does not accept. These are blocked when data arrives and never stored, even if the source includes them: age or date of birth, salary or other compensation data, performance ratings, and political, religious or health data.
Who is included. Limiting what the integration user can see in Factorial is the preferred way, so nothing outside your scope leaves your system. The fallback is a country filter in MuchSkills; records outside it are ignored and not stored. Your security or compliance team decides which fits your rules.
Leavers are deactivated, not deleted. Project history and certificates stay on record.
Our IP addresses. MuchSkills always connects from the same two addresses: 13.51.77.53 and 16.170.107.61. If Factorial or your network limits access by IP address, add both to the allow list.
Common errors
Troubleshooting
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Some people are missing | They are outside what the integration user can see in Factorial, or outside the scope filter | Check the integration user's permissions and the scope |
| Managers are missing or wrong | The manager is outside the scope, or has no manager set in Factorial | Check that every manager is in scope and that reporting lines are filled in in Factorial |
| A person appears twice | Their Factorial email differs from the address they signed up with | Align the email in Factorial, then contact support |
| The connection is refused | Factorial or your network limits access by IP address | Add 13.51.77.53 and 16.170.107.61 to the allow list |
| The sync stopped | The credentials expired, or the integration user was disabled or lost permissions | Renew the access in Factorial and send us the new details securely |
Frequently asked questions
Factorial is not listed in MuchSkills, or shows as Contact us. Can we still connect it?
Yes. Factorial is connected as a custom set-up rather than from a form, because every installation is configured differently. Email support@muchskills.com or use the chat, and we book the technical session.
Do we need middleware or an integration platform?
No. MuchSkills reads directly from Factorial over HTTPS. Your team only creates the read-only access described on this page.
Can we leave out some countries, companies or groups?
Yes. The preferred way is to limit what the integration user can see in Factorial, so only people in scope ever leave your system. If that is not possible, MuchSkills can filter by country as records arrive and ignore the rest without storing them.
Can we test with a few people first?
Yes. The first sync can be limited to a handful of people or one department. You check the result, then we widen the scope. There are no separate test tenants.
How often does it sync?
Every 5 hours. An Owner or Admin can also run a sync at any time with Sync Now.
What happens to people who leave?
They are deactivated at the next sync, never deleted. Their project history and certificates stay on record, which matters for compliance.
Do you import absence reasons?
No. If you sync absence, MuchSkills takes only the dates and the percentage of time away. Reasons such as sick leave are never imported.
How do we send the credentials safely?
Through a secure channel we agree with you in advance, such as a password manager share. Never by plain email.