Introduction
The following instructions explain how to install the iThink Connect New Starter 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.
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
iThink Connect New Starter for Graph is available in the Microsoft SharePoint Store.
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 New Starterfor 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.
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 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 New Starter 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 New Starter 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 the New Starter Data in Microsoft Graph
Once you have signed up to the New Starter 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 forward a few days.
- E.g. if today is 28th January 2024 then choose 31st January 2024
- Click Save
Now you need to wait.
Wait for processing
The processing of the data is performed overnight and runs between 3:00-6:30 UTC time zone.
Once the processing has updated then you will see the users with new starters 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 New Starter card
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 new starters the following morning (UTC) time.
Configuration of the New Starter application
To configure the settings of the New starter for Graph application.
With the Viva Connections dashboard open.
- Click Edit.
- Hover over the New Starter card
- Click the pencil icon
- Choose from the following settings.
Configure the settings as required.
When happy with the configuration.
- Click Republish.
The following table provides information about how the settings change the product.
Setting | Description |
Card title | Changes the card title on the homepage. |
New starter welcome text | This will change the header of the card when a user who is a new starter accesses the product. |
Call to action button label | The label text used for button at the bottom of the card. |
Call to action button url | When a new starter clicks the button this is the URL that the user is taken to. Use this to configure users to go to your employee onboarding site. Need an employee onboarding site? See our iThink Connect Employee Onboarding/Offboarding Solution for more information. |
New starter list description | This is the call to action for the rest of the organisation when viewing the list of new starters by clicking on the get started button. |
New starter list button text | This is the text displayed on the button that is displayed to the new starter from the new starter list. |
Number of days to show new starter list | This will show new starters who have started within x days in the past and future. |
Number of days to show the new starter the new starter message/ | This will show the new starters the new starter employee onboarding site for the configured number of days after they have started. |