SAMPeople interface (education)

Technical Interface – SAMPeople to Cintra – Guide v1.0

Key Deliverables

This guide explains your SAMPeople and Cintra Payroll interface — including how the process works, what to check when setting up or maintaining both platforms, and what to do if you need to make a change after payroll cut-off.

Source Documents

The following documents have been designed to be used together. Each provides a different level of information about the SAMPeople and Cintra interface:

• Technical Interface – SAMPeople Inbound Interface–Education v2.0
  The technical specification for the interface. It details the secure SFTP file-transfer process, automated loading and validation of inbound CSV files, error reporting, and the mapping required to update employee, post, payment, pension, benefit and absence data in Cintra iQ.

• Technical Interface – SAMPeople to Cintra Field Mapping–Procedure v1.0
  The detailed field-mapping reference. For each Cintra iQ import file, it identifies the corresponding SAMPeople field, whether it is mandatory, the applicable format and validation rules, and any notes or open items agreed between SAMPeople and Cintra. Use this document to understand: "If this field is updated in SAMPeople, what will be updated in Cintra iQ?"

• Technical Interface – SAMPeople to Cintra–Guide v1.0
  The practical user guide. It explains how the interface works, what to consider when setting up or maintaining both platforms, and what to do when changes are required after the payroll cut-off.

These documents should be read and referenced together to ensure both the technical requirements and operational processes are fully understood.

How the Process Works

• Initiate the transfer. When you are ready to send data to Cintra Payroll, you initiate the transfer manually within SAMPeople via a button in the system.

• Secure transfer. The data is sent securely over SFTP to Cintra, where it is processed automatically into your payroll.

• Repeat as needed. This can be done multiple times throughout the month, right up to your payroll cut-off date, giving you flexibility to send updates as they occur.

Late Changes After Payroll Cut-Off

If you need to make a change after your payroll cut-off has passed, please do not rely on the SAMPeople interface for this. Instead, update Cintra Payroll directly with the change for the current payroll run and also update SAMPeople to reflect the same change. This ensures both systems remain accurate and in sync.

Key Thing to Get Right: Positions and Post References

This is one of the most important things to get right when setting up the interface. Positions held in SAMPeople must exactly match the Post References in Cintra Payroll, including spacing, capitalisation and punctuation. If these do not match precisely, the interface will not process the data correctly.

Terminology note: SAMPeople also has a separate field called Job Title. This is not what feeds Cintra Payroll's Post Reference and the two should not be confused. It is the Position field in SAMPeople that must match the Post Reference in Cintra Payroll exactly.

In SAMPeople, a single Position, for example "Teacher", can be assigned to multiple employees. Cintra Payroll works in the same way: a single Post Reference, for example "Teacher", should be created and then shared across all employees who hold that role.

Common mistake to avoid: Do not create a unique Post Reference for each individual employee in Cintra Payroll rather than a shared one. This will cause a mismatch with SAMPeople and the interface will not work as expected. If you are unsure how your Post References are currently configured, please get in touch so we can advise.

Employees with multiple jobs or posts: If an employee holds more than one job or post, for example a teacher working across multiple schools or locations, each job or post must be set up as unique in both platforms. SAMPeople can hold multiple location-linked records against the same person, but Cintra's interface does not support this distinction, so identical post names used across different locations will cause the interface to fail. To avoid this, make the post name unique to each location, for example: Teacher STH, Teacher AMB, Teacher TAM.

Work Patterns

Work patterns must be set up in both SAMPeople and Cintra Payroll for the interface to work correctly. SAMPeople requires work pattern details, including hours worked, to manage holiday accurately, and this same information must also be set up in Cintra Payroll. As with Positions and Post References, work pattern names must match exactly between the two systems.

Setting Up the SFTP Connection

• Cintra sends an SFTP form to you. No IP address is required, as this has already been configured with SAMPeople.

• You complete and return the SFTP form to Cintra.

• Cintra sends the SFTP credentials to the contacts listed on the completed form. If a SAMPeople contact has been provided, credentials will also be shared directly with them. If not, you will be responsible for passing the credentials to your SAMPeople contact.

• SAMPeople applies the credentials on their side and confirms once complete.

• You are then ready to initiate data transfers from SAMPeople to Cintra Payroll.

Using the SAMPeople Payroll Export File

Depending on where you are in your SAMPeople journey, there are two additional ways the payroll export file from SAMPeople can be used, even before the live interface is switched on.

If SAMPeople is already up and running before payroll setup

If SAMPeople is already live and you are confident the data held within it is correct, you can use the SAMPeople payroll export file to pre-populate Cintra Payroll templates, either by sharing the file with Cintra or by using it as the basis for populating the templates directly. This ensures a single source of truth between the two systems from the outset and means your payroll is built to be fully compatible with your SAMPeople platform from day one, ready for the interface to be switched on when you are ready.

If SAMPeople and payroll are being set up at the same time

If you are building out SAMPeople alongside your payroll implementation and the platform or interface is not yet ready to go live, the payroll export file can still be used to run your payroll independently in the meantime. This allows you to identify any data changes required and keep payroll running live and accurately, without being dependent on the SAMPeople interface being ready. In other words, your payroll go-live does not need to wait for the interface; the two can progress in parallel, with the interface switched on once SAMPeople is complete.

Outbound Interface: Payslips, P60s, P45s and P11Ds

In addition to the inbound data interface described above, an outbound interface is also available to send payslips, P60s, P45s and P11Ds from Cintra Payroll back into SAMPeople. This outbound interface is now included as standard in every new SAMPeople interface, using the same SFTP connection as the inbound interface, with data delivered via a separate OUTBOUND folder rather than the INBOUND folder used for sending data to payroll.

Available by default — activated on request: The interface itself is available by default, but it is not automatically activated. Client-specific SFTP credentials must be configured before it can be used, as these cannot be pre-set on the template and differ for each client. If you would like payslips, P60s, P45s or P11Ds delivered to SAMPeople via this route, please let your Cintra contact know and we will arrange the credential setup.

If you have any questions about the interface or need any assistance, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your Cintra contact.

Technical Interface – SAMPeople to Cintra Field Mapping – Procedure v1.0

Key Deliverables

This guide shows how information held in SAMPeople is uploaded into Cintra iQ payroll via the Standard Inbound Interface. For each Cintra iQ import file, it lists the SAMPeople field that populates each Cintra field, whether the field is mandatory, the format and validation rules applied by Cintra iQ, and any notes or open items agreed between the SAMPeople and Cintra teams. Use this as the reference for "if I update this field in SAMPeople, this is what updates in Cintra".

How to read this document

There are six import files that carry data from SAMPeople into Cintra iQ. Each section contains a mapping table showing the SAMPeople source field, the corresponding Cintra iQ field, whether the field is mandatory, the format and Cintra iQ validation restrictions, and any implementation notes or open items.

Fields shown as "Must match a value in Cintra iQ" rely on reference data such as post references, payment codes, pension names and work patterns being set up and kept aligned in both systems. Mismatches in reference data are the most common cause of import errors.

Interface files

The Base (BAS) and Employee in Post (EIP) files build the employee and post; Fixed Payment (FIX), Variable Payment (VAR), Pension (PEN) and Absence (ABS) files then layer on pay, pension and absence detail. All files load over SFTP at an hourly polling interval; validation errors stop that file's processing and generate an error report.

Base File (BAS)

Filename pattern: {YYYYMMDD}_{HHMMSS}_BAS.csv. Employees' personal information, contact information, bank details, employment details and base payroll-related information. One record per employee — the file adds new or updates existing employee records.

Marital Status codes are Cintra fields and are not currently populated by SAMPeople: S = Single, M = Married, D = Divorced, P = Separated, L = Living with Partner, N = Not Disclosed, W = Widowed/Surviving Civil Partner, C = Civil Partnership, V = Annulled – Voidable Marriage/Civil Partnership, Z = Annulled – Void Marriage/Civil Partnership, A = Domestic Partnership.

Employee in Post File (EIP)

Filename pattern: {YYYYMMDD}_{HHMMSS}_EIP.csv. Employees' post, working pattern, grade and spine point information. Can hold multiple post records per employee using a unique Post Reference per post.

Custom salaries: leave Grade and Spine Point ID blank on this file and send the salary value on the Fixed Payment (FIX) file instead.

Fixed Payment File (FIX)

Filename pattern: {YYYYMMDD}_{HHMMSS}_FIX.csv. Recurring employee additions or deductions, starting at a defined Start Date and optionally ceasing at an End Date. Adds new or updates existing fixed payment records; more than one record per employee is allowed.

Variable Payment File (VAR)

Filename pattern: {YYYYMMDD}_{HHMMSS}_VAR.csv. One-off payments or deductions for a defined period, paid during the current open period in Cintra iQ. Adds new variable payment records; more than one record per employee is allowed.

For SAMPeople clients, all Variable Payment types are expected to be Units × Rate apart from expenses, which are monetary.

Pension and Benefits File (PEN)

Filename pattern: {YYYYMMDD}_{HHMMSS}_PEN.csv. Pension and benefits information, including contribution amounts and opt-in/opt-out dates. Adds new or updates existing pension records; more than one record per employee is allowed.

Absence File (ABS)

Filename pattern: {YYYYMMDD}_{HHMMSS}_ABS.csv. Employee absence for a defined period — hourly and daily, including half-day and full-day. Adds new or modifies existing absence records; more than one record per employee is allowed.

Used for sickness, maternity/paternity etc. Unpaid absence is sent via the Variable Payment (VAR) file instead, as a number-of-hours deduction, and does not appear on this file.

Technical Interface – SAMPeople Inbound Interface – Education v2.0

Key Deliverables

The SAMPeople inbound interface will deliver a secure SFTP-based file transfer process, automated file loading, validation and processing of inbound CSV files, error reporting, and the required mapping into Cintra IQ to support employee, post, payment, pension, benefit, and absence data updates.

Source Document

The following documents have been designed to be used together. Each provides a different level of information about the SAMPeople and Cintra interface:

• Technical Interface – SAMPeople Inbound Interface–Education v2.0
  The technical specification for the interface. It details the secure SFTP file-transfer process, automated loading and validation of inbound CSV files, error reporting, and the mapping required to update employee, post, payment, pension, benefit and absence data in Cintra iQ.

• Technical Interface – SAMPeople to Cintra Field Mapping–Procedure v1.0
  The detailed field-mapping reference. For each Cintra iQ import file, it identifies the corresponding SAMPeople field, whether it is mandatory, the applicable format and validation rules, and any notes or open items agreed between SAMPeople and Cintra. Use this document to understand: "If this field is updated in SAMPeople, what will be updated in Cintra iQ?"

• Technical Interface – SAMPeople to Cintra–Guide v1.0
  The practical user guide. It explains how the interface works, what to consider when setting up or maintaining both platforms, and what to do when changes are required after the payroll cut-off.

These documents should be read and referenced together to ensure both the technical requirements and operational processes are fully understood.

SFTP / File Loading

The SAMPeople Interface supports file transfers over SFTP, enabling an automated process with direct data file input over a secure channel. This option can be enabled within the interface configuration.

Setup and Connection Details

The interface establishes an SFTP connection using either basic authentication or key-based authentication. To establish the connection, the following details are required: hostname or IP address of the SFTP server, connection port number, username, and password or SSH key.

SFTP Hosting

If customers have their own SFTP server, the connection and authentication details must be provided to Cintra so the option can be configured within the SAMPeople Interface. If customers do not have an SFTP server, or do not want to use their own server for this purpose, Cintra can provide an SFTP site hosted on a Cintra server and complete the setup and configuration required to establish the link between the SFTP site and the interface.

File Loading

The interface automatically connects to the defined SFTP location at the configured polling interval. It searches for files, pulls them from the location, and loads them into a queue within the Interface module. Following successful loading, the files are deleted from the SFTP server.

Interface Data Processing Overview

Data Ingestion and Validation

• Secure file transfer: files are automatically downloaded from the SFTP server using a local Windows service, based on the specified search criteria.

• Decryption: where applicable, downloaded files are decrypted to access the raw data.

• Data validation: the interface checks the number of columns, character length for each column, and data types. If validation errors are found, processing stops and an error report is produced.

Data Processing

• File prioritisation: file types are catalogued by creation date to establish the processing order.

• Sequential processing: files are processed in the defined order, one file type at a time, such as BAS, EIP, or FIX.

• Data extraction: file data is extracted and stored in a temporary table.

• Row-by-row processing: each row is processed sequentially.

• Data updates: data is inserted or updated in the target SQL tables according to the processing logic.

• Error handling: if processing or SQL errors occur, the relevant row process stops and an error report is produced.

• Process continuation: once all rows and files are processed successfully, the integration moves to the next file or file type in the queue.

Interface Configuration

SFTP Configuration

Data File Format

Import Process

A scheduled processing task monitors the SFTP location and processes all files according to the file import specification. The polling interval is set out in the configuration above, and all interface processing events are logged.

File Processing Errors and Notifications

File processing errors can be viewed in the Interface Definitions area within IQ. Email alerts can also be configured to be sent at the polling schedule when a file is received or when a file processing error occurs.

Data File Structure

The interface processes a series of CSV files. The maximum length and precision values are used for file structure validation, with additional formatting rules applied during processing.

Important Notes

• Reference values must match the setup within Cintra IQ. The Cintra team should be consulted to confirm the correct values and mapping.

• Standing Cost Allocation percentages are set at 100%.

• Cost Code 1, Cost Code 2, and Cost Code 3 may be mapped differently depending on the system setup, so the exact mapping structure should be confirmed with the Cintra team.