Exchange Integration Manager Overview

OpenAir Exchange Manager (Exchange Integration Manager)is a Windows-based application that enables IT system administrators to set up and run the integration between OpenAir and Microsoft Exchange. You can configure the OpenAir <> Exchange integration to:

• Export automatically either or all the following OpenAir transactions for any OpenAir user to the Exchange user mailbox as a calendar event, and update or delete the calendar events in the Exchange user mailbox when the transactions are changed or deleted in OpenAir. These OpenAir transactions show in the user's email client's calendar. You can select the type of transactions you want to export to the Exchange user mailbox for each user.

  • Task assignments — Only task assignments with non-zero planned hours are exported.

  • Bookings — The resulting calendar event will show as Free time, by default. You can map booking types in OpenAir to specific "Show As" designation for the calendar event in Exchange user mailboxes so that the resulting calendar event shows as Free, Tentative, Busy, or Out of Office, and you can prevent bookings from being exported, depending on the booking type. See Mapping OpenAir Booking Type to Exchange Calendar Event "Show As" Designation.

  • Time off requests (or schedule requests).

  Note:

  Some of these OpenAir transactions are constrained only by dates with no start and end times. These transactions export as an entire day. The subject line and body of the calendar event shows information similar to that shown in the OpenAir calendar. See Examples of OpenAir Transactions Exported as Calendar Events.

• Import automatically calendar events created by a user in their email client into OpenAir as bookings for that user, and update bookings in OpenAir when changes are made to the calendar events in the Exchange user mailbox. This functionality enables users to control OpenAir bookings from their email client's calendar to some extent. It also makes calendar events created in the email client visible in OpenAir. You can choose whether to import calendar events from the Exchange user mailbox as bookings for each user.

  Note:

  By default the integration is unidirectional (export from OpenAir to Microsoft Exchange only). You must enable the bidirectional integration to import Exchange calendar events into OpenAir as bookings. For more information, see Configuring the Synchronization of OpenAir Bookings and Exchange Calendar Events.

  If the calendar event includes multiple attendees, the OpenAir <> Exchange integration imports the Exchange calendar event as different bookings in OpenAir for each attendee if the bidirectional integration is set up for this attendee. If the user rejects the event invitation or deletes the event in the email client's calendar, the integration deletes the booking or changes the booking type, depending on your integration configuration.

  The start date and time, and end date and time are adjusted to account for the time zone of the user. You should refresh the OpenAir user – Exchange user mailbox mapping information when changing users' time zone preferences change in OpenAir. To do so, launch OpenAir Exchange Setup and click File > Update. See Setting Up the OpenAir Exchange Integration.

This guide describes the functionality available in OpenAir Exchange Manager 5.0 and later versions.

Note:

The OpenAir Outlook Connector add-on service can be used by authorized individual OpenAir users to export their task assignments, bookings, and schedule requests to their Outlook calendar. OpenAir Exchange Manager and OpenAir Outlook Connector are mutually exclusive. You must disable access to OpenAir Outlook Connector for all users on your OpenAir account before you enable access to OpenAir Exchange Manager.

OpenAir Exchange Manager Components

OpenAir Exchange Manager includes three components:

• OpenAir Exchange Setup (OpenAirExchange.exe) — Use OpenAir Exchange Setup to set up the OpenAir <> Exchange integration. See Setting Up the OpenAir Exchange Integration.

  You can control:

  • Details necessary to connect OpenAir with Active Directory or Azure Active Directory, and Microsoft Exchange.

  • Optional bidirectional integration settings, importing Exchange calendar events as bookings in OpenAir.

  • Mapping information matching each OpenAir user record with a user mailbox.

  • Which OpenAir transactions (task assignments, bookings, time-off requests) are exported to an Exchange user mailbox for each mapped user.

  • Whether Exchange calendar events are imported into OpenAir for each mapped user, if the bidirectional integration is enabled.

• OpenAir Exchange Engine (OpenAirExchangeEngine.exe) — Use OpenAir Exchange Engine to run the integration. See Running the OpenAir Exchange Integration.

• OpenAir Exchange Tray Monitor (OpenAirExchangeTrayMonitor.exe) — Use the OpenAir Exchange Tray Monitor to run, or to stop OpenAir Exchange Engine as a Windows service, and to monitor its status and activity. See Running OpenAir Exchange Engine as a Windows Service

Examples of OpenAir Transactions Exported as Calendar Events

The OpenAir <> Exchange integration exports task assignments, resource bookings, and schedule requests created in OpenAir for a mapped user as an event on the user's calendar in Outlook. The following examples shows transactions created in OpenAir and exported as Exchange calendar events:

• OpenAir Task Assignment Exported as Calendar Event

• OpenAir Booking Exported as Calendar Event

• OpenAir Schedule Request Exported as Calendar Event

OpenAir Task Assignment Exported as Calendar Event

The following example shows a project task assignment that was created in OpenAir, and then exported to an Exchange user mailbox as a calendar event using OpenAir Exchange Manager. The calendar event shows as an all-day event. The Subject line includes the text “OA Task Assignment” followed by the total time, project name, task ID, and task name. The body of the calendar event includes task information as well as the customer company name and the project name.

OpenAir Booking Exported as Calendar Event

The following example shows a resource booking that was created in OpenAir, and then exported to an Exchange user mailbox as a calendar event using OpenAir Exchange Manager. The calendar event shows the start date and end date selected on the OpenAir booking. The Subject line includes the text “OA Booking” followed by the total time, customer name and project name. The body of the calendar event includes the customer name, the project name, the project task name, the duration of the booking, and notes about the booking, if any.

Note:

Depending on your OpenAir account configuration, you may create bookings with a start date and time and an end date and time. This is enabled when the optional feature Enable work schedule time ranges is enabled in OpenAir (Administration > Global settings > Account > Optional features). In this case, the calendar event shows the start date and time, and end date and time entered on the OpenAir booking. Otherwise, the calendar event shows as an all-day event.

OpenAir Schedule Request Exported as Calendar Event

The following example shows a schedule request that was created in OpenAir, and then exported to an Exchange user mailbox as a calendar event using OpenAir Exchange Manager. The Subject line includes the text “OA Schedule request” followed by the total time, project name, and schedule request status. The body of the calendar event includes schedule request information (duration, description, and notes).