BlueTally seamlessly integrates with Jamf School by adding all your devices to BlueTally as assets, and even checks them out automatically to their assigned users.
Setup
To set up the Jamf School integration, please refer to our comprehensive setup guide here. It includes screenshots and detailed instructions to help you effortlessly configure the integration in a few minutes.
Configuration
After completing the integration setup, you'll need to select how you want to configure the integration in BlueTally. Simply go to your BlueTally account settings and click on the Jamf School section.
Before enabling the integration, you'll need to click on the Test Connection button to ensure a successful setup. This test verifies both the credentials and permissions, ensuring they align with the setup guide and are configured correctly for the integration to function properly.
Here is the complete list of all the configuration options:
Map Asset ID Field to: You can map the Asset ID field in BlueTally to the device's Serial Number, Device Name, or Asset Tag from Jamf School. We recommend that you map it to the Serial Number, as the Asset ID field in BlueTally is unique across your entire account, and can't contain duplicates.
Map Asset Name Field to: You can map the Asset Name field in BlueTally to the device's Serial Number, Device Name, or Asset Tag from Jamf School. The Asset Name field in BlueTally is not unique and can contain duplicates.
Automatically Checkout Assets to Employees: This will automatically check the asset out in BlueTally to whoever the device is assigned to in Jamf School (based on the device owner's email address). This will override any manual employee checkout in BlueTally made for the asset.
Merge Duplicate/Existing Assets with Data from Jamf School: If you've already manually added assets to BlueTally with the same Asset ID as ones from Jamf School, you can enable this option to merge the two entries. That means that you'll still keep the history and details of the existing asset while having it synced with Jamf School. Please note that this is merging based on the Asset ID field; for example, if you've manually added an asset to BlueTally with the Asset ID 'ZYZ121V', you need to make sure you've mapped the Asset ID field in Jamf School to a field that has that same Asset ID, like the device Serial Number.
When a device changes user in Jamf School, automatically change it in BlueTally as well: This will automatically check in the asset in BlueTally from whoever it's assigned to, and then check it out to the new user it's been assigned to in Jamf School (based on the device owner's email address).
When a device has its user removed in Jamf School, automatically check in the asset in BlueTally as well: This will automatically check in the asset in BlueTally when it's unassigned in Jamf School (based on the device owner's email address).
The Jamf School integration will create Product entries for all your unique models, and then corresponding Asset entries for each one. For example, let's say you have 100 MacBook Pro 16" M4 laptops. The integration will then create:
1x Category with the name Jamf School
1x Manufacturer with the name Apple
1x Product with the name MacBook Pro 16" M4
100x Assets using the Product MacBook Pro 16" M4 with the relevant asset details for that device based on your configuration.
Once the first sync has completed, you can change the categories of the products created by the integration from Jamf School to any category of your choice. Any new devices of the same product enrolled in Jamf School will be added to BlueTally using the existing product entry (and thus the category of your choice). Any new devices using products that don't exist will, by default, be created with the category Jamf School.
Once the integration is enabled, you can update the connection without disabling it and adjust all configuration settings, except for changing the Asset ID (see the FAQ below for details).
When testing a new connection, the new one will be temporarily applied. If the connection succeeds, the new configuration will automatically overwrite the existing one. If it fails, your current settings will remain unchanged.
If there’s an issue with your connection (e.g., expired credentials), an error message will appear here. Administrators will also receive an email notification and see an alert within the app. To resolve the issue, click Update Connection, enter your new credentials, and click Test Connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often does the sync run?
The sync runs every 10 minutes. If you have a lot of devices in your Jamf School tenant, it can take a bit longer than 10 minutes to complete each sync. Please note that the first sync can take up to 40 minutes to complete.
Is the sync two-way, or can any changes be made in my Jamf School tenant from BlueTally?
No, all our integrations are strictly one-way only (from Jamf School to BlueTally), so you're never risking any changes being made in your Jamf School tenant by our systems.
Can I change the category of the products after the first sync?
Yes! For example, if you change the category of the product MacBook Pro 16" M4 from the default category (Jamf School) to your own category (Laptops), any new assets of the product MacBook Pro 16" M4 synced via the integration will be added to the Laptop category. Only brand new products will be added under the Jamf School category.
Can I change the Asset ID mapping after the first sync?
Since the Asset ID is the unique identifier for an asset across your BlueTally account, this can't be changed after the first sync to prevent duplicates. The only way to do this would be to disable the Jamf School integration, delete all the assets that have been synced from Jamf School, and then re-enable the Jamf School integration with your new Asset ID mapping selection. This will then re-add your devices from Jamf School in BlueTally with the new Asset ID selection.
What happens if a device is wiped in Jamf School?
If you wipe a device in Jamf School, BlueTally will not create a duplicate asset as it will understand that it's the same device (based on the Serial Number). If you didn't unassign the device from its user in Jamf School before wiping it, it will still be checked out to its last user in BlueTally until it's re-enrolled and assigned to a new user, at which point it will automatically check it out to the new user in BlueTally.
What happens if a device is removed from Jamf School?
If you delete a device from Jamf School, it will still be present in BlueTally. If you didn't first unassign the device from its user in Jamf School, it will also still be assigned to its last user. We recommend that you manually archive any deleted devices from Jamf School in BlueTally; that way, it will be out of sight on a daily basis, but you'll still retain all the history of the asset.
What if I mapped the Asset ID to a field that isn't unique in Jamf School?
If you've mapped the Asset ID field in BlueTally to a field in Jamf School that doesn't have unique values, only the first duplicated device will be added to BlueTally. For example, if you've mapped the Asset ID field in BlueTally to the Name in Jamf School, and you have 3 devices with the same Name, only the first one will be added to BlueTally, since the Asset ID field in BlueTally has to be unique across your account. That's why we recommend that you map the Asset ID field in BlueTally to the Serial Number field in Jamf School.
What if I've manually checked an asset out to a location in BlueTally?
If you've manually checked an asset out to a location, the integration won't be able to check it back in again and check it out to its assigned user in Jamf School. The automatic check-in and check-out sync will only work when the asset is checked out to an Employee entry.
What happens if I change the Asset Name in BlueTally?
If you've configured your integration to map the Asset Name in BlueTally to a field from Jamf School, any changes made to the Asset Name in BlueTally will automatically be overridden in the next sync by the data from Jamf School. If you did not map the Asset Name in BlueTally to any field in Jamf School, you can set the Asset Name in BlueTally without it being overridden.
What if I disable the Merge Duplicate/Existing Assets with Data from Jamf School option?
If an asset with the same Asset ID already exists in your account that's also in Jamf School, Jamf School will not merge and sync with that asset if this option is disabled.
I've enabled the Automatic Checkout feature, and I've ensured that the device is assigned to someone in Jamf School, but it's not checking out in BlueTally. How do I get it to automatically check out?
To automatically check out assets to employees, they must already be added as an Employee in BlueTally. Make sure all relevant employees are added to BlueTally under the Employees page for the automatic checkout to work.
A device is not assigned to anyone in Jamf School. What happens if I check it out to someone in BlueTally?
If you have the "When a device has its user removed in Jamf School, automatically check in the asset in BlueTally as well" option enabled in your BlueTally account settings, the asset is going to be automatically checked back in again in BlueTally in the next sync if you've manually checked it out to someone in BlueTally while it's not assigned to anyone in Jamf School. To prevent this from happening, you'll need to disable this option in your BlueTally account settings.
Can I connect multiple Jamf School tenants to my BlueTally account?
That isn't possible, unfortunately. Each BlueTally account can only have one Jamf School tenant connected to it via the integration; however, if you are using multi-tenancy, you can create a sub-tenant and connect it to a different tenant!