Microsoft Entra to staff IDs: automate your roster and stop re-keying data
If your organisation uses Microsoft 365, your people are already in Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory). Their names, departments, job titles, employee IDs, and group memberships are maintained there — usually by IT or HR.
So why are you re-typing that same data into a spreadsheet to produce ID cards?
The re-keying problem
Most ID card workflows start with a manual export. Someone pulls a list from the HR system, reformats it into a CSV, imports it into badge software, and hopes nothing changed between export and print. Names get misspelled. Departments are out of date. New starters are missing. Leavers are still on the list.
Every manual step is a chance for data to drift. And when the data on an ID card is wrong, someone has to redo the whole process.
Sync once, stay current
CaptrID connects directly to your Entra ID tenant and syncs your people into a master list. You configure it once:
- Connect your tenant — authenticate with your Entra credentials (client ID + secret, stored securely)
- Choose your scope — sync specific groups (e.g., “All Staff”, “Year 7 Students”) or the entire directory
- Map your fields — tell CaptrID which Entra fields map to which roster fields (givenName → First Name, department → Department, employeeId → Staff ID)
- Sync — CaptrID pulls the data and populates your master list
After the initial sync, delta sync picks up only what’s changed — new starters, updated details, deactivated accounts. No full re-import needed.
What syncs from Entra
Any standard or extension attribute in Entra can be mapped:
| Entra Field | Typical Use |
|---|---|
givenName, surname | Name on card |
department | Department label |
jobTitle | Role/position |
employeeId | Unique identifier (UID) |
mail | Email for notifications |
companyName | Organisation name (multi-entity) |
officeLocation | Campus/site |
| Custom extension attributes | Student year, house, badge number |
Field mappings include transforms — lowercase, uppercase, trim — so you can normalise data without touching the source.
From sync to session to card
Once your roster is synced, the workflow is seamless:
Entra → Master List → Photo Session → Approval → Card Design → Print / Wallet ID
Create a photo session from your synced master list. The roster is already there — names, IDs, departments, everything. Capturers photograph people, admins approve, and cards are designed against live data.
When someone joins or leaves in Entra, the next sync updates your master list. No manual intervention.
Changeset review: you stay in control
CaptrID doesn’t blindly overwrite your data. When a sync brings in changes, or when a photo session captures updates, changes flow through a changeset review:
- See exactly what changed (field by field)
- Approve or reject individual changes
- Resolve conflicts when both Entra and a session modified the same field
- Roll back if something went wrong
This gives you the automation of a sync with the governance of a manual review.
Photos flow back too
Here’s where it gets powerful: photos captured in CaptrID can flow back to your master list. Run a photo session, approve the photos, and the approved headshots are stored against each person’s master record.
Next time you print cards, design a wallet pass, or export data, the photos are already there. One capture session feeds every downstream use.
Group-based scoping
Not everyone in your Entra directory needs an ID card. CaptrID supports group-based scoping — sync only the members of specific Entra groups:
- “Staff” group → Staff ID card master list
- “Year 7” group → Year 7 photo day session
- “Contractors” group → Contractor badge roster
Add someone to the Entra group, and they appear in the next sync. Remove them, and they’re deactivated. The Entra group becomes the single source of truth for who needs a credential.
Setup in minutes, not days
Connecting Entra takes about 10 minutes:
- Register an app in your Entra tenant (standard process, documented step-by-step)
- Grant read permissions for users and groups
- Enter the tenant ID, client ID, and secret in CaptrID
- Test the connection
- Configure field mappings
- Run your first sync
No enterprise consulting. No weeks-long integration project. No custom middleware.
Who this is for
Any organisation on Microsoft 365 that issues ID cards or credentials:
- Schools syncing student and staff data from Entra
- Businesses keeping employee badges current with HR changes
- Government maintaining contractor and staff rosters
- Healthcare syncing practitioner details for ID issuance
If your people are in Entra, your ID workflow should start there — not in a spreadsheet.
CaptrID syncs directly from Microsoft Entra ID to photo sessions, card design, and wallet ID issuance. Learn about directory sync or start a free trial.