How Extension Attributes Boosted Search Accuracy – Case Study

Spotlight

The client is a mid-sized manufacturing company with over 1,000 employees, operating across multiple facilities with a mix of on-site and remote teams. There is a clear need for more streamlined, centralized tools that can support dynamic workforce management and ensure that employee records are up to date.

Highlights

0 %

Improvement in Data Accuracy

0 %

Reduction in IT Support Tickets

0 %

Faster Report Generation

Customer’s Speak

Mike Reynolds

Legal Operations Manager

“

Managing contracts manually led to missed deadlines, compliance risks, and inefficiencies. With SharePoint Contract Management, automation streamlined workflows, reduced manual effort, and ensured compliance. Now, we focus more on clients instead of paperwork.

Challenges Faced Before Implementing Employee Directory 365

As the organization scaled, the IT team uncovered multiple operational challenges that led to data inconsistencies, duplication of records, and significant inefficiencies in day-to-day processes. These issues not only disrupted workflows but also consumed valuable time and resources that could have been better spent on strategic initiatives.

1) Duplicate Names Problem

The organization faced a unique challenge when multiple employees shared the same name but worked in entirely different departments and reported to different managers. This resulted in challenges with user provisioning, incorrect access assignments, and prolonged approval processes across departments.

2) Unclear Employment Types

There was no structured method to distinguish between full-time employees, part-time staff, or external contractors. This lack of clarity made it difficult to assign the right level of access or manage compliance expectations. Lack of a dependable status identifier disrupted both onboarding and offboarding workflows.

3) Missing Cost Centre

Departments often requested team-level or cost center-specific reports for budgeting and internal planning. However, in the absence of system-level fields for cost center tagging, teams were forced to rely on manually maintained spreadsheets a process prone to errors and inefficiencies.

4) Inconsistent Department Records

Discrepancies between systems created friction. While the directory would reflect one department name, the payroll or HR system would reflect another. These mismatches complicated audits triggered false compliance alerts and sometimes affected benefits or internal transfers. By standardizing department information and syncing it via extension attributes across platforms.

5) Undefined Work Location

With a mix of in-office and remote employees, identifying where someone worked became crucial for planning, security, and engagement. However, there was no field in the directory to reflect physical work location. The inability to tag work modality (remote or on-site) created blind spots in workforce planning.

How We Solved It – The Solution

After analysing their existing directory architecture and operational pain points, we recommended a structured approach using extension attributes. Here’s how it helped our clients to solve issues.

1. Define Custom User Properties

Extension attributes allow organizations to define custom fields that reflect unique operational requirements such as employment type, work location, business unit, or cost center. These properties go beyond default directory fields and enable a more granular view of the workforce. By capturing this information within user profiles, teams can conduct highly accurate searches and filters across HR and IT systems.

2. Improve Identity Matching and Differentiation

In cases where multiple employees share similar or identical names, extension attributes help distinguish users based on contextual data such as role, department, or location. This added layer of supports precise user identification, minimizing errors during access provisioning, reporting, and approvals.

3. Enhance Role-Based Access Control

By storing key organizational identifiers such as job role, employment status, or remote work designation within extension attributes, IT administrators can implement more effective role-based access control. This ensures that each user is granted the appropriate access levels based on their position and operational need — reducing security risks and manual errors.

4. Support Advanced Filtering and Reporting

Extension attributes enable teams to run targeted queries and generate meaningful reports based on custom classifications. Whether it is generating a list of all contract workers in a specific region or filtering users by cost center, these attributes empower stakeholders with data-driven insights that are accurate, actionable, and aligned with business objectives.

5. Bridge Gaps Between Systems

Many operational mismatches occur due to inconsistent data between systems like HR platforms, payroll, and directories. Extension attributes serve as standardized metadata fields that sync across these platforms, ensuring alignment and consistency. This integration improves data quality, streamlines cross-functional processes, and enhances overall directory governance.