Entity Tag OpenAir Script: What Is It and Why Would I Need It?

One of the enormous benefits OpenAir brings to a professional services organization is the out-of-the-box and customizable reporting it provides. Another is its ability to integrate easily with NetSuite.

But what happens when these two benefits collide? For example, what happens when an employee record is updated in NetSuite to show a new department or title, and that information is pushed to OpenAir? Without some sort of intervention, the historical data is lost.

Entity tagging can provide that time-based context to an employee record. With the standard integration with NetSuite, you run the risk of overwriting data that may be of historical value – especially in the cases where you need that data for reporting purposes.

The great news is Top Step has developed and implemented a script that has benefited dozens of clients who need to retain historical data. This script automates updates to entity tags based on changes to standard OpenAir data so that reporting remains accurate and useful.

What are OpenAir Entity Tags?

Entity tags are OpenAir’s answer to time-binding data. These tags can be assigned to a user record and set dates when the tag was active.

For example, let’s say a professional services organization wants to track full-time employee utilization quarterly for the purpose of bonuses. If a contractor converts to an FTE in the middle of the second quarter, a utilization report would only see that she was an employee in the second quarter, and her utilization would appear low. Without the entity tag, there is no time contextualization around her employment and usage.

Entity tags in OpenAir are used for tracking for a variety of elements, such as:

• Department
• Title
• Employment status
• Location
• Job code

The Challenge with OpenAir Entity Tag Tracking

For many companies, user information typically associated with entity tags is fed to OpenAir through an integration. For example, when employee data like a department change is updated in NetSuite by an HR department, the associated field is automatically updated in OpenAir.

Unfortunately, only the standard data field is updated. If there is an entity tag associated with that information, it remains unchanged. That means that any reporting or analysis done on the information in those entity tags will be inaccurate.

Some of these fields don’t often change, so manual updates may seem reasonable. However, manual updates invite data integrity issues, especially when parts of the process are automated. It’s simple to forget to update the entity tag or let a resource manager know it needs to be updated.

This is a common problem with a straightforward solution. Top Step created an OpenAir script that monitors the appropriate standard OpenAir field and, should it change, updates the entity tag with the current date.

Let’s look at another example. A company’s NetSuite system is updated when a new employee starts. For purposes of the example, let’s use June 15, 2021, as their start date, and a title is added for that individual. In OpenAir, the company tracks the date that the employee began working with that title in an entity tag. Then, on January 3rd, 2022, the employee receives a promotion. Their title is updated in NetSuite and pushed out to the standard OpenAir data field for title.

Without the script, someone with access to OpenAir would need to go in and update the entity tag by hand to add the new title. With the script, the change in the title in the OpenAir field kicks off the process, and the script updates the entity tag with the new title and current date. Now the employee’s OpenAir record shows that they held Title #1 from their start date to January 3rd, 2022, and Title #2 applies to the employee starting on January 4th, 2022.

The Benefits of Using the Top Step OpenAir Entity Tag Script

This may sound trivial, but it’s a beneficial application of the script. So much so that we have many customers using this script in their operations today.

The primary reason is data accuracy. Because the entity tags are updated automatically based on changes to a specific field, you no longer need to be concerned about data integrity for the entity tags. By utilizing the script, reports that rely on historical information, such as utilization reports, will reflect the actual time-bound information that applies.

Secondary to accuracy is the removal of a manual process. While it may not be time-consuming to update a single entity tag on the rare occasion a change is made, it can kick off a complex process. If the HR representative that makes the upstream change doesn’t have OpenAir access, they must contact someone with the right level of access to make the change for them. Even if they have access, they must remember the additional step of updating the entity tag. There is a high probability that the update will get missed in either case. Plus, if mass updates are being done around, say, reviews or during a hiring push or downsizing, the update of the entity tag can get delayed or even lost in the shuffle.

Entity tags are a handy feature of OpenAir that help add clarity and dimension to user data and reporting output, but only if they are kept current. Because these fields are not updatable from outside integrations, companies that use them have two options – remember to update them manually or use a script to trigger the updates automatically.

If you’re looking for an easier and more consistent way to keep your entity tags up to date or have other OpenAir implementation or automation questions, Top Step is here to help. Contact us today, and we’d be happy to discuss how we can make your PSA implementation work for your business.