Platform access level: Org Admins
This guide is the technical reference for connecting Arist to an HRIS and an LMS that are not one of the large named platforms. It covers how data flows in both directions, what each feed carries, the identifiers that keep the systems matched, and how the connection is made by API or by a scheduled file. It is written for the IT teams who provision access and map the data.
1. Integration overview
Arist sits between your HRIS and your LMS and moves data in three flows. Your employee data flows in to create and target learners, and the learning Arist generates flows back to your LMS as course records and completions.
Flow | Direction | What moves |
Employee metadata | HRIS to Arist | Worker records and attributes that create and target learners |
Course shells | Arist to LMS | A shell of each Arist course, so completions have something to attach to |
Completion records | Arist to LMS | Each learner's completion, posted onto their record |
The writeback runs one direction only. There is no automated sync from your LMS into Arist, so a course that originates in your LMS must be recreated in Arist by hand with a matching identifier.
2. Employee data Arist reads
Arist groups the employee fields into four tiers by how each is used: identity fields create learners, organization fields become targeting and reporting dimensions, lifecycle fields drive automations, and delivery fields tailor how lessons arrive.
Group | Fields | Necessity |
Identity | Employee ID, work email, name, mobile number | Required |
Organization | Job title or role, department or division, manager, location, country, worker class | Recommended |
Lifecycle | Hire date, employment status, termination date, worker type | Recommended |
Delivery | Preferred language or locale, time zone, program-specific fields | As needed |
3. Course catalog data Arist writes
Two feeds move back to your LMS. The course catalog comes first, because it defines what a completion can attach to. The catalog feed carries the fields below.
Course field | Necessity |
Content or Course ID | Required, matched to the Arist course External ID |
Course title | Required |
Author, duration, description, category, language, modality, status, launch URL, version, last updated | Optional |
4. Completion data Arist reports
The completion feed reports each learner's result against a course in that catalog.
Completion field | Necessity |
User or Student ID | Required, maps to the HRIS Employee ID |
Course code | Required, maps to the Content or Course ID |
Date completed | Required |
Completion status (Completed, In progress, Not started) | Required |
Course title, score | Optional |
5. Matching courses and learners by ID
Every completion depends on two ID matches. When both line up, Arist posts the completion onto the right person's record.
Pair | Arist side | Your side |
The course | Course External ID | LMS Content ID |
The learner | User ID | Source system User ID |
Important: If either ID does not match, the completion cannot be linked to the content or the user. Keep both consistent from day one, and follow any ID format your LMS requires.
6. Choosing a stable identifier
Arist matches each learner on a stable, unique identifier that survives job changes, transfers, and rehires, which is the Employee ID rather than email. Arist searches for the Employee ID first and falls back to work email. The same identifier is the learner User ID used in the completion feed, so the HRIS feed and the completion file must carry one identifier for a completion to land.
7. Connecting by API or flat file
Each flow uses one of two transport methods, and they can be mixed by flow.
API: Arist's External API authenticates with a single per-organization key sent in an Authorization header, and exposes endpoints for users, courses, enrollments, and reporting exports. Your integration platform calls it, or Arist reads from your system's own API where one exists.
CSV flat file over SFTP: A file is placed on a secure SFTP location on a schedule, one row per record, with credentials exchanged securely and the transfer encrypted.
A typical cadence is a daily HRIS file, a weekly full course catalog, and daily incremental completions.
8. Preparing your data with the request workbook
Arist provides an integration data request workbook, one tab per feed. Your team fills the source field for each Arist field with the exact field name from your system, answers the scope questions on each tab, and returns the file for Arist to re-import.
Field list: Agree a final, exhaustive list of fields for the employee feed across your HRIS, project, and IT teams before mapping begins, including the exact location of each field: which system, which endpoint, and how it is nested.
Scope and cadence: Confirm which populations are included, whether terminated users are sent, which course types are written back, and how often each feed runs.
Access: Provide endpoint URLs and credentials for an API connection, or the SFTP details and a sample file for a flat-file connection.
9. Security and responsibilities
The integration is built to carry the least data it needs, over encrypted channels.
Transport: API calls authenticate with a per-organization key in the request header, and file transfers run over encrypted SFTP with credentials exchanged securely, never over email or chat.
Data minimization: Only the fields you choose to map are exchanged, and a shorter list is both easier to secure and easier to keep current.
Your responsibilities: Provide and maintain the credentials and access, keep the mapped fields populated and consistent in the source system, and keep the course and user identifiers aligned so completions continue to land.
Related articles
HRIS Integration - API or Flat File
LMS Integration - API or Flat File
HRIS Data Preparation
Note: Need help at any point? Reach out to your Arist Customer Success contact, or email [email protected].