Overview

This setting controls whether Classter forwards updated personal data to connected external systems — such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Moodle, Canvas, or Brightspace — every time a user record is edited, or only at the moment the account is first created.

By default, this setting is disabled, meaning Classter keeps external accounts continuously in sync with any data changes made in Classter. When enabled, the external provider receives user data only once, at the moment of account creation. Any subsequent edits made in Classter are not pushed outward to the external system.

This is an institution-level setting. In multi-institution environments, each institution can configure it independently.

 

 

What This Setting Does

 

When Enabled (checkbox selected)

Classter will push user personal data to the connected external provider only when a new user account is first created in the system. Any subsequent edits to the user’s personal data made in Classter will remain local to Classter and will not be sent to the external provider. The external account stays as it was at the time of creation.

When Disabled — Default Behavior (checkbox not selected)

Classter will sync user personal data to external providers both at account creation and each time the record is subsequently edited. The external system is kept up to date automatically whenever a change is saved in Classter.

 

 

Where It Is Used

Navigation path: Configuration > Main Settings > General Settings > Security Settings > External Sync

This setting applies across the institution and affects all user types that are linked to an external provider:

• Students (Pupils)
• Teachers / Lecturers
• Parents / Guardians
• Employees / Staff

Whenever a staff member edits any user’s personal data in Classter — such as correcting a name, updating a phone number, or modifying any other profile field — this setting determines whether that change is also forwarded to the external system.

 

 

Business Logic / Behavior

Data Sync Flow

Without this setting enabled (default):

1. A new student is registered in Classter.
2. Classter creates the account in the external provider with the student’s personal data.
3. An administrator later corrects the student’s last name in Classter.
4. Classter automatically updates the external provider with the corrected name.

With this setting enabled:

1. A new student is registered in Classter.
2. Classter creates the account in the external provider with the student’s personal data.
3. An administrator later corrects the student’s last name in Classter.
4. The external provider account is NOT updated. The name in the external system remains as it was at the time of creation.

 

Business Rules

• This setting only controls the flow from Classter to the external provider. Changes made directly in the external provider’s administration interface (e.g., Microsoft 365 Admin Center or Google Admin Console) are not affected by this setting.
• The setting applies to all active integrations simultaneously. If the institution has both Microsoft 365 and Moodle connected, neither will receive edit-time updates when this setting is enabled.
• This setting does not prevent the creation of provider accounts. It only controls the update behavior after an account has been created.
• Personal data in this context includes all profile fields that Classter sends to the external provider upon account creation, such as name, contact information, and other identifying details.
• This setting must be configured before making edits to existing user accounts, as it does not apply retroactively to past edits.

 

 

K-12 Mode vs. Higher Education Mode

There is no difference in the core behavior of this setting between K-12 mode and Higher Education mode. The setting governs the same synchronization logic regardless of which mode is active.

The only distinction is in terminology: in Higher Education mode (when ‘Enable Configuration for Higher Education’ is enabled), the teaching staff are referred to as Lecturers rather than Teachers. In K-12 mode, the term Teachers applies. In both modes, the setting applies equally to all user types — students, teaching staff, parents/guardians, and employees.

 

 

Examples

Example 1 — Setting Enabled: Creation-only sync

Academy A  uses Microsoft 365 for student email accounts. The integration is configured so that when a student receives a ‘Registered’ status, Classter automatically creates a Microsoft 365 account.

A student named ‘Anna Clarke’ is registered. Classter creates her Microsoft 365 account under the name ‘Anna Clarke.’

Two weeks later, the school administrator notices that her surname was recorded incorrectly and updates it to ‘Clark’ in Classter. Because this setting is enabled, the change is saved only in Classter. Anna’s Microsoft 365 account still displays ‘Anna Clarke.’

The institution’s IT team must manually update the name in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center if the change needs to be reflected there as well.

 

Example 2 — Setting Disabled (Default): Continuous sync on creation and edit

Institute B uses Google Workspace for all staff email accounts. The integration is active and the setting is left at its default (disabled).

When a new employee, ‘Robert Barnes,’ joins and is added to Classter, a Google Workspace account is automatically created for him. Later, HR updates his phone number and middle name in Classter. Because the setting is disabled, those changes are automatically pushed to his Google Workspace profile as well.

The two systems remain consistently in sync without any manual intervention.

 

 

 

When to Use

When to Enable

• Your institution manages personal data primarily through the external provider (e.g., Microsoft Active Directory / Entra ID, Google Admin Console) and does not want Classter to overwrite data maintained there.
• Your IT policy requires external accounts to remain stable after creation to avoid disrupting users’ active sessions, email aliases, or external configurations.
• You want to prevent inadvertent data changes from propagating from Classter to external accounts during bulk data corrections or mass imports.
• Changes to user information in Classter are considered provisional or administrative, while the external system holds the authoritative version of personal data.

 

When to Disable (Default)

• Classter is the primary and authoritative source of truth for all personal data, and you want changes made in Classter to be automatically reflected in all connected external systems.
• You want to maintain consistent data between Classter and connected platforms (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Moodle, Canvas, Brightspace, etc.) without manual intervention.
• Your institution’s staff regularly updates user information in Classter and expects those updates to appear in external systems automatically and in real time.

 

 

Notes

Prerequisites

This setting has no effect unless at least one external provider integration is active and correctly configured. The following must be in place before this setting is meaningful:

• An active external provider integration (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Moodle, Canvas, or Brightspace) configured under: Configuration > Advanced > Integration Settings.
• The ‘Provider Action’ field set to ‘Auto-Creation of Provider Account’ on the relevant user status (e.g., ‘Registered’) in the dropdown lists. This tells Classter when to create an external account. Configured under: Configuration > Main Settings > Dropdown Lists > [User Type] > Status.

 

Related Settings

The following settings are related to or affect the behavior of this setting:

• “Provider Action” on User Status dropdown — (Configuration > Main Settings > Dropdown Lists > [User Type] > Status). Defines the trigger event for automatic external account creation (e.g., when a student reaches “Registered” status). This must be configured for external accounts to be created at all.
• “Append a suffix to the username account” — (Main Settings > General Settings > Security Settings > External Sync — SchoolPortal_Onomasia_Kentrou). Adds a fixed suffix to all generated usernames; important in multi-institution environments to ensure username uniqueness across institutions.
• “Classter will send welcome email to user when a new account is created” — (Configuration > Main Settings > General Settings > Security Settings). Controls whether a welcome email is automatically sent to the user when their external account is first created. Works alongside the account creation trigger.
• “Enable Configuration for Higher Education” — (Configuration > Main Settings > General Settings — Xrisi_parametropoihshs_kolegiou). Switches the system to Higher Education mode. Does not change the behavior of the sync setting itself, but changes user type terminology (Lecturers vs. Teachers).
• “Sync External Providers/Users” — (Management > User Accounts > Bulk Actions). A manual action that triggers synchronization with all active integrations for selected users. This bulk action is not affected by the creation-only setting; it can push data on demand regardless.