You will learn
- What causes a data sync failure in Workshop
- How to fix an expired authentication token
- How to fix an unexpected SFTP file modification
- What to do when the cause of a sync failure is unclear
Understanding sync failures
Workshop regularly syncs employee data from your connected directory or SFTP file to keep distribution lists and employee attributes accurate. When a sync fails, employee information can become incomplete or out of date, which may cause distribution lists to be inaccurate and prevent communications from reaching the right audiences.
If a sync failure occurs, the IT or primary admin contact for your organization will receive an automated email identifying the issue. We recommend resolving sync failures as soon as possible to keep your data reliable.
There are a few common causes of sync failures:
- An expired or invalid authentication token
- Duplicate phone numbers in your employee data
- An unexpected modification to your SFTP file
- A general or unidentified sync error
Fixing an expired authentication token
This failure occurs when the authentication token used to connect Workshop to your employee directory has expired or needs to be refreshed.
To resolve it:
- Log into your Workshop account (Admin permissions required)
- Navigate to Manage > Apps
- Click into Connected Apps
- Click Manage on the connected directory sync app
- Reconnect or refresh the account used for the sync
Note: The account you use to reconnect must have privileges to read from your employee directory.
Once resolved, Workshop will automatically resume syncing on the next scheduled cycle.
Fixing an unexpected SFTP file modification
This failure occurs when Workshop detects an unexpected change in the structure of your SFTP file — for example, column headers have changed or an attribute is missing.
To resolve it:
- Review the latest SFTP file sent to Workshop
- Check for structural changes, such as renamed column headers or missing attributes
Tip: Any attribute used in an existing merge tag or automatic list must be present in your SFTP file, or the sync will continue to fail.
Once the issue is resolved, send a new SFTP file to Workshop to complete the sync.
When the cause is unclear
Sometimes Workshop detects a sync failure but can't determine the specific cause. If this happens, you won't see a specific error reason — just a general notification that the sync was unsuccessful.
To resolve a general sync failure:
- Contact the Workshop Support team by replying to your notification email or reaching out directly
- Our team will help identify the root cause and guide you through the steps needed to fix it