Introduction

The following instructions explain how to install the iThink Connect Work Anniversary app for Graph.

The application is a Microsoft Viva Connections card that integrates with your Microsoft 365 environment. It is expected that it will becomes part of your Viva Connections experience in the Viva Connections app, Intranet Home page and Microsoft Teams Viva Connection App.

The application is made up of a Microsoft SharePoint SPFX Application Package.

Pre-requisites

You will need to accessing Microsoft 365 and SharePoint as a user who has the SharePoint Admin role within Microsoft Entra ID.

the You will need to be or have access to a login or user who has been assigned the Global Administrator within Microsoft Entra ID (Formerly Azure Active Directory) role.

Installing the iThink Connect SharePoint Package

Now iThink Connect is available in the SharePoint Store and you can install it from the SharePoint store by doing the following.

Ensuring you have Microsoft Viva Connections setup.

Firstly, ensure that you have a Microsoft SharePoint App Catalog.

Browse to the Microsoft Admin Centre by going to https://portal.microsoft.com/

• Expand the All admin centres
• Click SharePoint link

A new tab will appear with displaying the SharePoint Admin Centre.

• Click on More features

• At the top-right click find “Apps”
• Click Open

If this is the first time that you have tried to install an application in SharePoint you might not have created a SharePoint App Catalog.

• Create a SharePoint App Catalog using the wizard that is displayed on your screen.
• Our recommendation is to call the site apps.

This will show the manage apps screen and from here it is possible to access the Microsoft SharePoint Store.

• Click SharePoint Store to see all the applications available to you.

• Click on the Viva Connections Dashboard card filter on the left hand side of the screen.

• This will show our products, find iThink Connect Work Anniversary from Graph and click on it.

• Click on the Add to Apps site button.

• A Confirm data access dialog will appear.
• Ensure Enable this app and add to all sites.
• Click Add

The SharePoint Store will show adding whilst it is added to your SharePoint Online tenant.

• Click on Go to API access page.

The SharePoint API access page will appear.

In the list will be a pending request which will have the name iThink Connect Api.

This setup will allow the iThink Connect application to connect to the iThink Connect Api through SharePoint. This is all secure. We are asking for a minimal set of permissions including the ability to be able to access the Microsoft Graph to read people’s birthday information.

• Select the pending request.
• Choose Approve

The right-hand task pane will appear.

• choose the Approve button.

A new dialog will appear asking for consent to allow the iThink Connect Api application to have access to your tenant. 

As mentioned previously this is to allow it to read your users profile information.

• Check the “Consent on behalf of your organisation”
• Click Accept

You will be taken to the iThink 365 Connect setup application. 

This is where you will need to register with us and subscribe to the iThink Connect application. Without this subscription, the Work Anniversary application will not work.

Keep the window open and follow the next steps.

Register for iThink Connect

Now you will need to register for iThink Connect.

You will see the following screen.

• Scroll down and click the “Get started – sign in” button.

• Accept the consent for iThink Connect Customer Portal” if it pops up. This allows iThink Connect to read your user information and is need to continue.

• Click “Consent on behalf of your organisation”
• Click Accept

You will be presented with the Start iThink Connect Setup page.

• Check the email address at the top of the screen.
• Click Start iThink Connect Setup button

You will be taken through a setup wizard.

• Please fill out your company size.
• Please choose the domain that you use as your primary domain.
• Please fill out your details, and company address.

• Choose Yes to accept the confirmation to setup iThink Connect for the tenant.
• Click Submit.

You will be presented with screen two of the Setup Wizard.

If you have not consented to the iThink Connect Api then you will be asked to consent the application.

• Click “Consent iThink Connect Api”

• Login with your credentials.
• Check the permissions requested and click Accept.

You will receive congratulations, consent to the iThink Connect Api was successful.

You will next need to sign up to a trial subscription to the iThink Connect Work Anniversary app for 30 days.

• Click Finish and you will be taken to the homepage.

Signing up to the Trial Subscription

Once you have registered the next step is to subscribe to a trial or paid subscription.

If you closed down the previous window then browse to 

https://setup.connect.apps.ithink365.co.uk

• Click on the home icon.

You will see Connect Connection is in a failed state, do not worry the system is like this as the connection attempt has not been attempted! It will change overnight.

• Click on Products

• Scroll down and find iThink Connect Work Anniversary for Graph.
• Click Start subscription
• Now choose Sign up to Trial or Sign up to Annual Subscription.

If you choose trial then you do not need to do anything else.

• If you choose annual subscription then read the Terms and Conditions
• Provide us with a reference for the invoice (you can say contact us if you don’t have one)
• Accept the terms and conditions
• Click Purchase Subscription

We will be in touch to collect payment.

Setting a Work Anniversary in Microsoft Graph

Once you have signed up to the Work Anniversary subscription you will then need to configure the dates in Microsoft Entra ID to ensure that the work anniversary can be calculated.

• Browse to https://portal.azure.com
•  
• Find Manage Microsoft Entra ID
• Click View
• Choose users
• Choose the user you want to setup
• Click Properties
• Find Job Information and click the pencil to edit.
• Find the Employee Hire date.
• Update the employee hire date by going back a year but in a few days time.
• E.g. if today is 9^th December 2023 then choose 10^th December 2022
• Click Save

Now you need to wait.

Wait for processing

The processing of work anniversary is overnight and runs around 5:00-6:30 UTC time zone.

Once the processing has updated then you will see the users with work anniversaries as shown below.

Adding iThink Connect App to Viva Connections Dashboard

Browse to your Microsoft SharePoint homepage which hosts your Intranet.

The URL is the same as the SharePoint Admin site without the -admin

So, for example

• https://acme-admin.sharepoint.com would become https://acme.sharepoint.com

Next, we need to configure your Microsoft Viva Connections Dashboard. The instructions assume you have an Intranet homepage and are configured for Microsoft Viva Connections. If you have not then please follow the instructions here to get setup.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/connections/set-up-admin-center

or 

Alternately, come and use our Microsoft 365 Intranet Accelerator ?.

• Click on the SharePoint Cog.
• Choose Add an app

Find the iThink Connect app to add to the site.

• Click Add and wait for the button to change to Added.
• Click, on the “Back to Intranet (your name maybe different)

Now you are ready to add the application to your Microsoft Viva Connections Dashboard.

• Click on the SharePoint Cog.
• Choose Manage Viva Connections

• Scroll down and choose “View Dashboard”.

With the dashboard open.

• Click Edit.
• Click “Add a card”.
• Choose Anniversary card

Change the size of the card to Medium using the edit web part.

When happy with the card size.

• Click Republish.

The card will now appear in your Microsoft Viva Connections Dashboard.

Please note that the card will be updated with the work anniversaries the following morning (UTC) time.