Troubleshooting: Person Profile Not Importing or Updates not Coming Through

There may be times when a person's profile doesn't appear on your website. Other times, you may not see an update that you made in Stanford Profiles. This guide will help you troubleshoot some of the most common root causes.
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Table of contents
Missing Profiles: Common Causes
1) The profile is already on your site, but not displayed
How to check for an existing profile
If you find the profile
2) The profile is not public
Changing visibility settings - must be done by the individual
3) Not enough time has elapsed
4) The wrong SUNet ID was used
Existing Profiles: Updates not Coming Through
Quick Recap: Troubleshooting Checklist
Still need help?
Missing Profiles: Common Causes1) The profile is already on your site, but not displayed It is possible that the profile exists on your site, but doesn't appear on the page where you would expect it. Let's start by ruling out that possibility.
How to check for an existing profileLog into your site
Go to Shortcuts ⟶ Manage Content ⟶ Manage People
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Screenshot of the Manage Content menu within the Shortcuts Menu. The 6th option, "Manage People," is highlighted to show its location in the list. Screenshot of the Manage Content menu within the Shortcuts Menu. The 6th option, "Manage People," is highlighted to show its location in the list. 
Search by first or last name. If no results appear, try searching by SUNet ID, as profiles are sometimes listed that way.
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Screenshot of the Manage People interface showing the fields by which the search can be filtered: Published, Title, Affiliation, etc.Screenshot of the Manage People interface showing the fields by which the search can be filtered: Published, Title, Affiliation, etc.
If you find the profileIf the person's profile is found via this search, open it for editing. Verify the following: 
Published: Make sure the profile is set to Publish.
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Screenshot of a person's profile page. Within the action bar under the person's name, the second item, "Edit," is outlined to demonstrate where the button to edit a profile is located. The "Publish" toggle and "Save" buttons are also highlighted to illustrate their location at the top right of the page.Screenshot of a person's profile page. Within the action bar under the person's name, the second item, "Edit," is outlined to demonstrate where the button to edit a profile is located. The "Publish" toggle and "Save" buttons are also highlighted to illustrate their location at the top right of the page.
Affiliation Tagged: Make sure at least one Affiliation checkbox is checked. If you're unsure which Affiliation should be checked, compare the profile against another one on the page where the profile should appear. For example, if the profile should appear on an graduate student page, open a profile from that page to learn which affiliation box is checked. 
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Screenshot of the editing interface of a person's profile. Below the fields for name and profile image is a list of Affiliation options. The box for "Faculty" is checked, meaning this person will appear on the faculty page.Screenshot of the editing interface of a person's profile. Below the fields for name and profile image is a list of Affiliation options. The box for "Faculty" is checked, meaning this person will appear on the faculty page.
2) The profile is not public If you've performed the search above and the profile is not on your site, check to ensure it's being imported. The most common reason a profile doesn't import is because of a sharing setting. 
Public: Only public profiles are imported to your website. 
To check the visibility settings of a profile:
Visit  https://profiles.stanford.edu . 
Do NOT log in. 
Search for the person's name. 
If the person doesn't appear in the autocomplete checkbox, their profile is not public and cannot be imported into your site (*). Ask them to make their profile public. 
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Screenshot of the Stanford Profiles page. The login button in the top right corner is shown with a yellow box around it, as well as an X over it to indicate one should not sign in. The main area of the page contains a search bar, which is highlighted in yellow to illustrate its location in the center of the page.Screenshot of the Stanford Profiles page. The login button in the top right corner is shown with a yellow box around it, as well as an X over it to indicate one should not sign in. The main area of the page contains a search bar, which is highlighted in yellow to illustrate its location in the center of the page.
(*): A very small number of intranet sites import Stanford-only profiles.
Changing visibility settings - must be done by the individualThe individual person must set their profile to public on Stanford Profiles. This is done in  StanfordYou  for faculty and staff, and  Axess  for students. 
To change settings for faculty and staff, visit  StanfordYou  and select the option to "Maintain your directory and AlertSU emergency contact information."
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Screenshot of the StanfordYou page. The third option for "Maintain your directory and AlertSU emergency contact information" is outlined to show its location midway down the page.Screenshot of the StanfordYou page. The third option for "Maintain your directory and AlertSU emergency contact information" is outlined to show its location midway down the page.
From the maintenance page, look for the Privacy settings in the rightmost column. Click "Directory preference" to get a quick overview of your settings or "All your visibility settings" to view line by line. 
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Screenshot of the "Maintain Directory and AlertSU Emergency Contact Info" page within StanfordYou. The Privacy section in the rightmost column is outlined to show its location on the page.Screenshot of the "Maintain Directory and AlertSU Emergency Contact Info" page within StanfordYou. The Privacy section in the rightmost column is outlined to show its location on the page.
From the "Directory preference" link, change the settings to "Public."
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Screenshot of the Maintain Directory Info section of StanfordYou. The option for Public is selected as the directory preference.Screenshot of the Maintain Directory Info section of StanfordYou. The option for Public is selected as the directory preference.
3) Not enough time has elapsedPatience: It may take 24 hours for updates to come through.  
The importer runs frequently, but updates may take 24 hours. The delay impacts profile creation, updates to sharing settings, and content updates within the profile. 
4) The wrong SUNet ID was used If your site imports profiles from a Workgroup, the correct SUNet ID must be used. When a person profile isn't imported from your workgroup onto your site, double-check that you entered their actual SUNet ID rather than an alias. 
Correct SUNet ID in the Workgroup: If your site uses workgroups to import profiles, verify that the person's correct SUNet ID was entered, NOT an alias. 
To see a person's true SUNet ID, look them up in StanfordWho. You will see a list of contact information, including SUNet ID, in the left column.
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Screenshot of a StanfordWho directory listing. The left column includes various contact information, and the area where the SUNet ID is listed is outlined to highlight its location. Screenshot of a StanfordWho directory listing. The left column includes various contact information, and the area where the SUNet ID is listed is outlined to highlight its location. 
If you're not sure whether your site uses workgroups or what those workgroups are, look back on the most recent Website Maintenance Report you received from the web team. If you're still having trouble locating that information, reach out to support.  
Existing Profiles: Updates not Coming ThroughIf changes are being made to the person's Stanford Profile, but those changes aren't being reflected on your website, it's possible the website profile isn't tied to an importer. 
To check if this is the case:
﻿ Confirm the profile in question is public⁠  by following the steps above.
Log into your website 
Open the profile page for the person in question
Click the edit tab 
Look for orange
When a person's profile is tied to Stanford Profiles, most or all fields in the editing interface are highlighted in orange. You will also notice a warning message, in orange, at the top of the page indicating that some fields cannot be edited due to being tied to an importer. 
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Collage of screenshots comparing two profiles. The top profile contains an orange warning box as described above. Several fields also have an orange background. The bottom profile lacks any orange color, indicating that all fields are available for editing.Collage of screenshots comparing two profiles. The top profile contains an orange warning box as described above. Several fields also have an orange background. The bottom profile lacks any orange color, indicating that all fields are available for editing.
Not Tied to Importer: If the edit form isn't highlighted in orange,  then the profile is no longer (or never was) tied to an importer.   
Contact support if the profile should be linked to Stanford Profiles, so we can define a path forward and avoid duplicate profiles. 
Quick Recap: Troubleshooting ChecklistHere is a quick recap of elements to troubleshooting when you're not seeing the profile or profile update you expect to see on your website:
Published: From your website, go to Manage Content and search for the profile. If found, verify that the Publish toggle is enabled. 
Affiliation Tagged: Go to Manage Content and search. If you find the profile, verify that at least one Affiliation checkbox is checked, preferably one related to the page where you expect the profile to appear. 
Public: Go to  https://profiles.stanford.edu , do NOT log in, and search for the person's name. If the profile does not appear, it is not public and cannot be imported (*). 
Patience: It may take 24 hours for updates to come through.  
Correct SUNet ID in the Workgroup: If your site uses workgroups to import profiles, verify that the person's correct SUNet ID was entered, NOT an alias. 
Not Tied to Importer?: If the edit form isn't highlighted in orange, then the profile is no longer (or never was) tied to the importer. 
Still need help? If you've tried everything, reach out to support at  hswebsupport.stanford.edu  .
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