How EMS Exchange Room Integration (ERI) Works
EMS Exchange Room Integration syncs booking data between Exchange and EMS (Exchange-to-EMS and EMS-to-Exchange) and to create, modify, and cancel Exchange integrated bookings using additional access points (EMS Desktop Client, EMS Room Sign App, and EMS Kiosk App).
After rooms and resources have been configured for EMS Exchange Room Integration, users can add these rooms or resources to a booking, and EMS Exchange Room Integration will integrate the resource to the booking through the Microsoft® Exchange resource (room/equipment) mailbox.
EMS Exchange Room Integration also provides bi-directional syncing—Exchange-to-EMS and EMS-to-Exchange. By syncing booking data in both directions, room and resource availability is correctly maintained and displayed in Exchange calendars. Depending on your configuration and the EMS product being used (for example, EMS Room Sign App), EMS Exchange Room Integration can also keep user availability up-to-date in Exchange calendars.
The following sections provide more information about how these sync methods work:
For information on the types of booking data that can be synced between EMS and Exchange using EMS Exchange Room Integration.
Exchange-to-EMS Sync
The Exchange-to-EMS sync pushes the bookings created in native Exchange applications (such as Microsoft Outlook for PC or Mac, Outlook on the web, and Outlook Mobile) to EMS.
EMS Platform Services performs all the work for the Exchange-to-EMS side of the sync. EMS Platform Services subscribes to the Exchange room mailboxes configured in EMS. If any changes occur to a room that is linked to an Exchange mailbox—such as a meeting being created, edited, or canceled—then EMS Platform Services will be notified about the changes and will make those changes on the EMS side.
For information on the types of booking data that can be synced between Exchange and EMS using EMS Exchange Room Integration, see EMS Exchange Room Integration Interoperability Between EMS Products and Exchange.
Learn more about Exchange-to-EMS sync:
Create a Booking from a Native Exchange Application
When users create a booking in a native Exchange application, the information that can be synced with EMS is limited by the type of booking information that native Exchange applications allow. Native Exchange applications allow the following booking information to be synced:
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Subject – becomes Event Name in EMS
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Organizer – only syncs organizer if information is in EMS; will not sync attendees
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Date/Time
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Location
To complete a reservation that originated from a native Exchange application and make the reservation compatible with EMS, EMS Platform Services needs additional information that is not required in native Exchange applications. This additional information is configured as defaults in EMS Platform Services Admin Portal (see Exchange Sync Parameters for more information). When Exchange syncs with EMS, the default values selected for the Exchange Sync parameters—Reserve Status, Conflict Status, Cancel Status, Default Group—will be applied to the reservations. The following is a list of the Exchange Sync parameters:
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Reserve Status
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Conflict Status
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Cancel Status
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Default Group
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Reservation Source
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Default Organizer Mailbox
From native Exchange applications, four types of reservations can be created:
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Single meeting with single location (one day, one booking)
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Single meeting with multiple locations (one day, two or more bookings)
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Recurring meeting with single location (two or more days, one booking)
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Recurring meeting with multiple locations (two or more days, two or more bookings)
Example of Creating a Reservation with Exchange-to-EMS Sync
A native Outlook user creates a multi-location meeting. With Exchange-to-EMS sync installed and configured, EMS Platform Services creates separate bookings for each of the meeting's locations and then maps an Exchange organizer to an EMS everyday user's Exchange email address (using the value in the Email Address field in the EMS Everyday Users Configuration dialog). If the user does not exist in EMS, then EMS Platform Services will assign a default group configured for syncing from Exchange-to-EMS.
EMS Platform Services will create reservations and bookings in EMS with the following data:
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Exchange user (organizer) as the everyday user or default group (described above)
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Dates/times and location from Exchange
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Defaults configured for Exchange-to-EMS sync:
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Event type – none
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Event name – meeting name
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Group – default group
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Temp contact – organizer
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Setup type – none
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Setup count – number of attendees
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EMS Platform Services creates reservations and bookings in EMS with the Reservation Source, Reserve status, and Conflict status configured in the Exchange Sync Parameters section of the EMS Platform Services Admin Portal.
Modify a Booking from a Native Exchange Application
Users can modify the following meeting information in native Exchange applications and have the information synced and updated in EMS:
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Subject: Event name in EMS
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Date/Time
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Room
If the room is not available for the updated date/time in EMS, or if the newly selected room is not available in EMS, then a conflict status is applied to the booking. The conflict status is configured in the Exchange Sync Parameters section of the EMS Platform Services Admin Portal.
Example of Modifying a Reservation with Exchange-to-EMS Sync
A native Exchange user modifies an existing reservation from the Outlook mobile app. The user changes the reservation's date and time, the meeting name (event name), and the room. With Exchange-to-EMS sync, these changes are updated in EMS as follows:
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Date/Time: If the room is available for the updated date and time, then the booking is updated in EMS. Additionally, EMS will honor the Adjust Service Order Times Upon Booking Edit parameter if the reservation has a service order. If room is not available, or if the user has created a conflict, then a conflict status is applied to the booking. The conflict status is configured in the Exchange Sync Parameters section of the EMS Platform Services Admin Portal.
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Meeting Name – The event name is updated in EMS.
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Room – If the newly selected room is available for the updated date and time, then the booking is updated in EMS. If the room is not available, or if the user has created a conflict, then a conflict status is applied to the booking. The conflict status is configured in the Exchange Sync Parameters section of the EMS Platform Services Admin Portal.
For all the above changes—date/time, meeting name, room location—the booking and reservation history will be updated in EMS.
Cancel a Booking from a Native Exchange Application
When users cancel bookings from native Exchange applications, the information is synced, and the booking is canceled in EMS. Also, the room availability is updated and reflected in the room's Exchange calendar.
Example of Canceling a Reservation with Exchange-to-EMS Sync
A native Exchange user deletes a meeting from the calendar in the Outlook web access app. With Exchange-to-EMS sync, the meeting reservation is canceled in EMS as follows:
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The meeting's booking(s) are canceled in EMS, which makes the rooms available for future reservations.
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The reservation and booking histories are updated in EMS.
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The default cancel status is applied. The cancel status is configured in the Exchange Sync Parameters section of the EMS Platform Services Admin Portal.
Benefits and Considerations for Using Exchange-to-EMS Sync
Many types of work groups use Microsoft Outlook alone (without the EMS for Outlook add-in) to find and book meeting spaces. Users are accustomed to setting up a meeting in an Outlook or an Exchange-enabled client, inviting attendees, and then clicking on the Rooms button to locate space within their office. With EMS Exchange Room Integration, these types of users can continue to use their non-EMS processes for booking self-service spaces through Microsoft Outlook (referred to as native Outlook bookings), and organizations can capture the space utilization statistics of native Outlook bookings in EMS.
Benefits
The following types of users and organizations can benefit from the EMS Exchange Room Integration Exchange-to-EMS Sync:
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EMS customers who want to maintain existing processes for booking self-service meeting rooms through native Outlook would benefit from the Exchange-to-EMS sync functionality.
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Organizations with smaller, isolated offices with few meeting rooms or no distinct room booking workflows would benefit from the Exchange-to-EMS sync functionality.
Rather than give users in these smaller offices a new tool, the users can continue to book spaces in native Outlook applications, and the room booking information will be synced from Exchange-to-EMS.
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Organizations that have Macintosh-based work groups/employees who use Outlook for Macintosh to book self-service meeting rooms would benefit from the Exchange-to-EMS sync functionality.
The EMS Exchange Room Integration Exchange-to-EMS sync would allow users to continue using their familiar platform and tools. The Mac users could book rooms in Outlook, and the organization would be able to capture and calculate the utilization information for these rooms in EMS.
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Users with Outlook mobile app and Outlook web access would benefit from the Exchange-to-EMS sync functionality.
For example, without the EMS Exchange Room Integration Exchange-to-EMS sync, if users changed the meeting time/date in the Outlook mobile app, the meeting time/date would change for the users on their Outlook calendar; however, the time/date for the booking would not change in EMS. With the EMS Exchange Room Integration Exchange-to-EMS sync, EMS Exchange Room Integration would recognize booking edits made from the Outlook mobile app, and after EMS Exchange Room Integration syncs the edited booking, the booking in EMS would be updated.
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Users who book self-service meeting rooms on an impromptu basis, such as using a kiosk or a digital room sign that references a Microsoft Exchange calendar, would benefit from the Exchange-to-EMS sync functionality.
This type of user often books meetings at the last minute from digital room signs or kiosks. With EMS Exchange Room Integration, these last minute bookings would be synced and captured in EMS.
Considerations
The following list goes over considerations and limitations for EMS Exchange Room Integration Exchange-to-EMS Sync:
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Organizations with hundreds or thousands of self-service spaces are not good candidates for this functionality.
Native Microsoft Outlook offers no filtering capabilities; therefore, users would not be able to filter spaces as they are able to in EMS by location, capacity, type, or room features, and users would need to know the name of the space they want to reserve. In this scenario, an EMS product, such as EMS for Outlook, would provide a better user experience since users would be able to filter appropriate spaces and save their favorites for quick access.
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Organizations with spaces that require an approval are not good candidates for the Exchange-to-EMS sync functionality, as this functionality is designed for self-service meeting rooms only.
If there are spaces that require an approval workflow, the spaces would have to be managed EMS and outside of Exchange applications. This would create confusion with users because they would have to use different applications and processes to access both types of spaces.
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Organizations that want to enforce booking rules would not find EMS Exchange Room Integration Exchange-to-EMS sync a good fit.
While Exchange can provide limited booking rules, it does not provide the level of granularity that EMS provides. If your organization desires greater control on how users can book spaces, a workflow using an EMS application would be more appropriate.
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Organizations that want to allow the addition of services to a reservation would not find this functionality useful.
While EMS allows users to include service orders—such as catering, room setup, and audio-visual equipment—with their reservation, the service order feature will not be available in the self-service workflows through native Microsoft Outlook.
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Organizations that want custom information with reservations should not use the EMS Exchange Room Integration Exchange-to-EMS sync.
Self-service workflows through native Outlook do not provide the ability to specify custom information about a reservation, nor do they provide the ability to assign a billing code or chargeback information to the reservations. If you require billing or chargeback information for spaces, the EMS Exchange Room Integration Exchange-to-EMS sync is not an appropriate solution.
EMS-to-Exchange Sync
The EMS-to-Exchange sync allows users to book rooms/resources linked to an Exchange mailbox from EMS applications, and EMS will push these booking updates to Exchange. EMS Exchange Room Integration can perform an EMS-to-Exchange sync from the following EMS products:
Learn about the types of booking data that can be synced between EMS and Exchange using EMS Exchange Room Integration.
EMS Desktop Client
Reservations created in EMS Desktop Client can be synced with Exchange using EMS Exchange Room Integration. EMS Desktop Client users can create, edit, and cancel reservations that have rooms linked to Exchange mailboxes. This reservation information will then be pushed to Exchange.
Create Reservations
To assist with creating EMS Exchange Room Integration reservations in EMS Desktop Client, two options—Standard and Exchange Enabled—have been added to the Reservation Wizard. These options appear on the first screen of the Reservation Wizard above the calendar. The default selection is Standard. Any customers licensed for EMS Integration to Microsoft Exchange will have access to the Standard and Exchange Enabled options.
See Exchange-Enabled Reservations in EMS Desktop Client for more information.
Modify Reservations
Along with creating reservations, users can also modify reservations in EMS Desktop Client and have the edits pushed to Exchange. For information on the types of booking data that can be synced between EMS and Exchange, see Exchange-Enabled Reservations in EMS Desktop Client for more information.
EMS Desktop Client does not support changing a recurrence pattern during an edit. Once users have created a recurring Exchange/ERI reservation, they will not be able to add additional bookings to the reservation.
Cancel Reservations
Users can cancel reservations in EMS Desktop Client and have the updates pushed to Exchange. For information on the types of booking data that can be synced between EMS and Exchange, see Exchange-Enabled Reservations in EMS Desktop Client for more information.
EMS Room Sign App
When EMS Room Sign App is used in conjunction with EMS Exchange Room Integration, users can create and end a booking that has at least one Exchange mailbox tied to a room. These booking updates will then be pushed to Exchange, and the changes will show on the organizer's and room's Exchange calendars.
Create Reservation in the EMS Room Sign App
Extend Reservation in the EMS Room Sign App
End Reservation in the EMS Room Sign App
Auto Cancel Reservation in the EMS Room Sign App
EMS Kiosk App
You can use EMS Exchange Room Integration with the EMS Kiosk App.
With EMS Exchange Room Integration installed, EMS Kiosk App users can create, end, and cancel bookings that have rooms linked to Exchange mailboxes. These booking updates will then be pushed to Exchange, and the booking information will be reflected in the organizer's and room's Exchange calendars.
Create Reservation in the EMS Kiosk App
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Both authenticated and unauthenticated users can create single and recurring reservations from the EMS Kiosk App and have the information synced with EMS and Exchange calendars.
If the organizer's Exchange email address cannot be located (for example, the user is unauthenticated), the value in the PAM_SyncOrganizerMailbox field will be used to create the booking and display correct availability in Exchange. The PAM_SyncOrganizerMailbox value can be set via the PAMConfig.aspx page (Room Sync section) and also via the Exchange Sync parameters in the Platform Services admin UI.
If the connection to Exchange is interrupted while a user is creating an EMS Exchange Room Integration (ERI) reservation, the reservation will still be created; however, the reservation information will not be pushed to Exchange. The user will also receive an error stating that the booking was created, but there was a problem creating a meeting in the Exchange calendaring system.
End Reservation in the EMS Kiosk App
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Users can end a single booking that has an Exchange mailbox tied to the room, and the room information will be updated as follows:
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The end time of the booking will be updated in EMS and Exchange for the room/resource calendar and the organizer's calendar.
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The audit history will be updated in EMS.
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If the booking is part of a recurring reservation, only the booking that was ended will be updated in EMS and Exchange.
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Cancel Reservation in the EMS Kiosk App
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Users can cancel a single (same day) reservation or a single booking from a recurring reservation, and the cancellation will be synced in both EMS and Exchange as follows:
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The booking status and audit history will be updated in EMS.
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The booking will no longer appear in the Exchange calendar for the organizer or room.
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EMS Web App
When everyday users create a booking using an Exchange-enabled template, EMS Web App communicates with Exchange Integration Web Service (EIWS) to enable EMS Exchange Room Integration and EIWS. With EMS Exchange Room Integration, everyday users can create, edit and cancel bookings using an Exchange-enabled template and then have these booking updates pushed to Exchange. This allows organizer and room/resource availability to appear on Exchange calendars.
Learn about the types of booking updates that can sync from EMS Web App to Exchange.
Considerations for Using EMS Exchange Room Integration with EMS Web App
If you have implemented EMS Exchange Room Integration, ensure that your EMS Web App users do not uncheck the Add to Calendar/Send Invitations checkbox when creating reservations. If users uncheck the Add to Calendar/Send Invitations checkbox, the availability for the organizer and room/resource will not sync correctly with Exchange.
EMS for Outlook Add-in
With EMS Exchange Room Integration, EMS for Outlook users can create, edit, and cancel bookings with rooms/resources tied to an Exchange mailbox and have these bookings synced to both EMS and Exchange. This allows the availability of both the organizer and the room/resource to be reflected correctly in EMS and on Exchange calendars.
Learn about the types of booking updates that can sync from EMS for Outlook add-in to Exchange.
Benefits for Using EMS-to-Exchange Sync
The following are benefits of using the EMS-to-Exchange sync option of EMS Exchange Room Integration:
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Allows integration of third-party technology (e.g., video conference [VC] device or display panels) to a booking in EMS by linking to a Microsoft Exchange resource mailbox
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Automatically includes fixed-room resources in the room booking (e.g., collaboration devices) through the Microsoft Exchange resource mailboxes
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Allows integration of non-fixed resources, like Mobile Microsoft Surface Hubs, during the booking process