Behaviors and limitations
The Eptura Engage Microsoft 365 integration enables users to create and manage bookings through Microsoft Outlook while keeping calendars synchronized with Eptura Engage. Because the integration relies on Microsoft Exchange and Outlook behavior, certain interfaces, configurations, and booking scenarios can affect synchronization and are subject to defined limitations.
To ensure reliable operation, it is important to understand the unsupported Exchange features and incompatibilities with Eptura Engage.
See also: Essential reading for the Microsoft 365 integration
Contents
- Behaviors and limitations when integrated with Microsoft 385 - for administrators
- Behaviors and limitations when using the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in - for end users
Behaviors and limitations when integrated with Microsoft 365
Delegate calendars
Delegates using the classic Microsoft Outlook user interface (UI) might face syncing issues, and bookings might not appear in Eptura Engage. This is a known Microsoft fault that provides an incorrect Event ID, which Microsoft is currently investigating.
To help mitigate this, the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in displays a warning message when Outlook provides an incorrect Event ID, preventing users from creating a booking that does not synchronize correctly. Users can attempt to make the booking again, or use Outlook Web Access (OWA) or the new Microsoft Outlook UI, which are unaffected by this issue.
Users are advised to make all necessary updates in the Outlook event window before opening the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in, so that the workaround is effective.
Delegates with multiple accounts using New Microsoft Outlook UI
When delegates with multiple email accounts are using the New Microsoft Outlook UI, ensure the delegate's calendar is selected as the primary calendar. This step is crucial for synchronizing delegate-created bookings accurately with Eptura Engage.
Linked rooms are not supported
The Eptura Engage Microsoft 365 integration does not yet support linked rooms. Bookings with a linked room combination are not correctly synchronized to Exchange room calendars and might cause out-of-sync issues. Do not map Exchange rooms that might be part of a linked room setup in Eptura Engage.
Blind-managed rooms are not supported
Do not map an Eptura Engage blind-managed resource to an Exchange room; otherwise users can directly invite the Exchange room via a calendar event and book the Eptura Engage resource, bypassing the blind-managed booking process.
Multi-room bookings
Up to 8 rooms are supported in a single booking.
Recurrences
- Up to 450 instances are supported for a recurring booking. When booking multiple rooms for the recurrence, each room is counted as one instance - so a 4-room daily recurrence for 100 days equals 400 instances in total.
- Infinite series from Microsoft Outlook are not supported and will be rejected.
- The Eptura Engage 'Specific' series type is not supported by Microsoft Exchange so is not synchronized. The 'Specific' series type cannot be created from Eptura Engage for any resource when the Microsoft 365 Integration is enabled, even for resources that are not mapped to Exchange.
- Monthly recurrences are only supported by Eptura Engage when the first and last recurrence dates are set.
In-progress bookings
Bookings that are in progress in Eptura Engage cannot be deleted or have their start time changed; they can only be shortened.
As Microsoft Exchange does not have restrictions when editing in-progress events, doing so might cause the bookings to become out of sync.
Attendees
- Only attendees who are marked as ‘on site’ from the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in are added as attendees in Eptura Engage and therefore added to the booking form.
- External attendees are only marked as visitors if they are set as a ‘visitor’ from the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in.
- Attendees of calendar events where the room is invited directly from the calendar event (not via the add-in), are assumed to be remotely attending and are therefore not passed to Engage or added to the booking form.
Setup and clean down (buffer) times
As Microsoft Exchange has no concept of buffer times for setup and clean down periods that extend a booking window, bookings made in an Exchange room mapped to a resource configured for setup and clean down times in Eptura Engage, can cause an out of sync state.
During these buffer times, the room will appear available in Exchange when it cannot be booked in Eptura Engage. It is strongly recommended to remove setup and clean down times, or remove Exchange rooms from the Global Address List (GAL), if they are mapped to an Eptura Engage resource with setup and clean down times configured.
Initial synchronization might trigger update notifications to attendees
When an Exchange room is mapped to an Eptura Engage resource that had no existing Exchange equipment mailbox set in Resource Admin, any bookings created from Eptura Engage that were added to the user’s Outlook calendar, must now be associated with an Exchange room calendar.
To do this, Eptura Engage adds the email address of the Exchange room as an attendee of the user’s calendar event. This triggers an update to all the attendees on the event.
In addition, existing location information stored in the calendar event for Eptura Engage-only resources might remain, if the room is subsequently mapped to an Exchange room. Manual intervention might be required by the user, to ensure that the location details are correct.
We recommend informing users about this before starting the mapping process for a room.
Initial synchronization for existing bookings not linked to an Exchange calendar event
When an Exchange room is mapped to an Eptura Engage resource, any existing bookings which are not already linked to an Exchange calendar event will have an event created in the Exchange room calendar. The initial synchronization process does not automatically create any events in Exchange user calendar.
Changes to user calendar subscriptions
Providing access to a user's calendar and then revoking it (or vice versa), might cause synchronization issues where the booking can no longer be tracked or updated in Exchange. It is recommended that a user’s calendar is subscribed for the entire lifetime of the integration.
Existing Exchange equipment mailboxes
Any equipment mailbox added to a resource in Resource Admin, must be set as a 'room' type in Exchange, to ensure they are listed on the Exchange room mapping page.
When mapping an Exchange room to an Eptura Engage resource, we recommend selecting the existing equipment mailbox added to the resource; mapping a different Exchange room might cause existing bookings to be canceled.
Calendar events where the Exchange room is the owner
Users (including admins and delegates) must not edit or decline any calendar invites directly from the Exchange room calendar.
Mandatory custom fields
Mandatory custom fields are not supported and might cause a booking to be rejected. Mandatory custom fields must be removed before implementing the Eptura Engage Microsoft 365 integration.
Invites to Exchange rooms from non-subscribed user calendars
When Eptura Engage detects an invite to an Exchange room calendar from a user's calendar that is not yet subscribed, it will attempt to automatically create a subscription to that user's calendar and then book the associated resource in Eptura Engage.
If the user's calendar cannot be subscribed for any reason, it will follow the non-subscribed user journey below.
To prevent issues with existing bookings, unsubscribed users who already have Eptura Engage bookings are prevented from subscribing: When Eptura Engage detects an invite to an Exchange room calendar from a user's calendar that is not yet subscribed, it checks for existing bookings in Engage before automatically creating a subscription to that user's calendar. If existing bookings are found, the user's calendar is not subscribed - the booking is created in Eptura Engage using the default Admin account.
Users who do not exist as a user in Eptura Engage and invite an Exchange room, also follow the non-subscribed user journey.
Non-subscribed user journey
For users whose calendars cannot be subscribed:
- The room invite creates a booking in Eptura Engage under the default Admin account.
- These bookings continue to receive updates from Exchange, ensuring synchronization.
- They cannot be edited directly in Eptura Engage but can be deleted if required.
- Only single‑day, single‑room bookings are supported.
- Recurring and multi‑room bookings are automatically declined.
To prevent issues with existing bookings, users who have bookings created via the non-subscribed user journey are prevented from subscribing.
Behaviors and limitations when using the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in
Eptura Engage Outlook add-in for Microsoft 365
Bookings created in your Outlook calendar using the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in are automatically synchronized with Eptura Engage and can be viewed and edited from the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in, Eptura Engage on the web, or the Eptura Engage mobile app.
The behavior of Eptura Engage Outlook add-in can differ slightly from the Eptura Engage web application and mobile app. Read on to learn more.
Contents
General
Default location
The default location initially set in the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in is retrieved from the user’s profile, however, subsequent changes to the defaults set in Eptura Engage Outlook add-in do not update the user’s profile in Eptura Engage. Learn more: User profile and settings
Permissions
Only meeting spaces the user has permission to book are shown in the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in search results. Learn more: User permissions
Email notifications
The Eptura Engage Microsoft 365 integration generates email notifications for the following events:
- One-time-key user registration: When a user starts the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in for the first time or after logging off, an access code is sent to the user via email.
- Automatic alternative (single instance): If the Microsoft 365 integration selects an alternative meeting space when a meeting is moved in the Outlook calendar, the organizer and attendees are notified via email.
- Automatic alternatives (recurrence): If the Microsoft 365 integration selects alternative meeting space(s) when the chosen meeting space is not available for all the dates of a recurring meeting, the organizer and attendees are notified via email.
- Booking declined: If an administrator declines a booking request, the organizer is notified via email.
- Room services email: If a meeting space providing services is booked, the meeting organizer is sent an email listing the available services and containing a direct link to request the service items from the Eptura Engage on the web.
Good to know
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Customizing emails: Emails generated by the Microsoft 365 integration cannot be customized.
- Bookings created using the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in: To avoid double bookings in the calendar created by Eptura Engage and an Outlook ICS attachment, booking confirmation emails are not sent from Eptura Engage when a successful booking is made using the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in.
- Bookings created using the Eptura Engage mobile app: When a booking is created using the Eptura Engage mobile app, a booking confirmation email is generated, but the email will not contain an ICS attachment.
- Alternative meeting spaces: While Eptura Engage does not send a booking confirmation email when a successful booking is made using the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in (see point above), Eptura Engage does send a notification if an alternative meeting space has been automatically applied to a booking, or if a booking is not able to be completed for any reason.
- Services: Email notifications about services are only sent if the booked meeting space offers additional services.
Making and editing bookings
Booking type
The default booking type (set for the group) is automatically selected and cannot be changed using the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in; however, you can change the booking type from the Eptura Engage on the web on the booking form. Learn more: Meeting space booking form
Booking types are typically used to distinguish between internal and external bookings but may be configured differently in your organization. A default booking type is set for each group.
Seating styles and setup/clean-down periods
When a meeting space is booked using the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in the default seating style for the meeting space is applied, along with the default setup and clean-down times. These options can be changed from the booking form in the Eptura Engage on the web. Learn more: Meeting space booking form
Services
When a meeting space offering services is booked, the meeting organizer is sent a Room Services email containing a link to the Eptura Engage booking form where services can be requested. Although notification periods and other rules are enforced when services are added to the booking via the booking form, rules are not enforced if a user changes an appointment directly in their calendar. Learn more: Add services
Services and multi-room bookings: An individual room services email is sent for each meeting space in the multi-room booking that offers services. Click the services link in any of the emails to open the booking form and make your selections.
Mandatory booking information
Booking information set as mandatory in the web application, such as cost codes, custom fields, attendee details, etc., is not required when making bookings using the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in.
Cost codes
Cost codes cannot be entered from the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in but they can be added to the booking through the Eptura Engage on the web.
Linked meeting spaces
Linked meeting spaces are not currently supported.
Appointments in the past
An appointment is considered ‘in the past’ as soon as the start time has begun.
- A meeting space booking cannot be added to an appointment in the past.
- If an appointment with a meeting space booking is moved from the past to a future date/time, Eptura Engage creates a new booking in the same meeting space. However, if the same meeting space is unavailable at the new time, Eptura Engage suggests an alternate meeting space matching the booking requirements. Learn more: Moving appointments
- If an appointment with a meeting space booking is moved from the future to a date/time in the past, the meeting space booking is canceled.
- If a meeting space is added to an appointment series where some instances are in the past, the meeting space is only added to future instances of the series. Instances in the series that are in the past are individually marked as ‘out of series’.
Moving appointments to new dates
If business rules are breached when an appointment is moved to a new date on an Outlook calendar, the booking is automatically canceled. The organizer is sent an email notification and the meeting space information is removed from the Outlook appointment.
Moving appointments when in progress is not recommended: We do not recommend moving bookings that are in progress. If an appointment is moved in the calendar when the meeting status is ‘in progress’, the appointment is closed and a new booking is created at the new time. Services selected on the original booking and available at the new time are created in the new booking, but booking rules might prevent some services from being created.
Deleting bookings
When a user deletes a booking from Eptura Engage, only the Engage meeting space booking and any associated Microsoft Exchange room event, are deleted; the event remains in the user's Microsoft calendar. This ensures that associated calendar events are not canceled when a meeting space is no longer required.
When the meeting organizer deletes a booking from Eptura Engage on the web, they can choose whether to delete only the Exchange room or the entire event from the Microsoft calendar.
Recurrences
When searching for a meeting space for a recurring appointment, the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in lists meeting spaces available on the first date in the series. When a meeting space is selected, it is booked on all later dates in the series if the space is available. If the meeting space is unavailable on any of the dates in the series, an alternative space is automatically selected and booked for those dates, and the corresponding instances in the series are updated. If no alternative meeting space is available for a particular date, no meeting space is booked for that instance of the series. Learn more: Recurring appointments
Unlimited recurrences are not supported by the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in:
- The Eptura Engage Outlook add-in can create recurring bookings for up to a maximum of 365 days from the first date of the series that occurs in the future. This period might be further restricted if an advanced booking period is set for the group.
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A maximum of 450 instances can be created for a recurring booking. Instances are calculated by multiplying the number of rooms by the number of occurrences in a series. Any bookings which exceed this limit will be declined.
Invite an Exchange resource
To invite an Exchange resource to make a booking in an Eptura Engage room, Eptura Engage must have a subscription to the user’s calendar. If a user (or service) invites an Exchange resource where there is no subscription, that invite is automatically declined.
Private bookings
Bookings marked as 'private' in Eptura Engage are synchronized with the user's Outlook calendar, and the corresponding Outlook calendar event is also marked as 'private'.
However, since the Outlook event is marked as private in the user's calendar, any changes to the event title are not synchronized back to Eptura Engage; we therefore recommend any changes to the title are made in the Eptura Engage booking as this will update the Outlook event.
Group types
Managed meeting spaces
- Managed meeting space bookings require approval and show as 'Pending approval' in the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in. When the booking is approved or rejected, the user is notified by email.
- Meeting spaces in Managed groups show the 'Request' button on the add-in regardless of whether the organizer has administrator access to the group (and therefore normally see the 'Book' button rather than the 'Request' button). However, when an administrator of the group clicks 'Request', the request is automatically approved and the meeting space is immediately booked.
Learn more: Book or request a meeting space
Allocated (blind-managed) meeting spaces
Allocated (blind-managed) meeting spaces are not supported by the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in and will not show in the search results.
Managing bookings
Meeting bumps
When a booking is not started within the assigned period, Eptura Engage bumps the booking and the meeting organizer is notified of the bump by email. The appointment remains in the Outlook calendar, but the meeting space is removed from the location.
Waitlist
The Eptura Engage Outlook add-in does not support waitlist bookings.
Eptura Engage mobile app
If you have subscribed to Eptura Engage via the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in you can view and edit bookings created using the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in from the Eptura Engage mobile app. Some limitations apply:
- Recurring bookings: Recurring bookings behave as single events in the Eptura Engage mobile app. Editing a single instance of a recurring booking from the Eptura Engage mobile app will update only that instance.
- Editing a booking: You can edit the booking time, date, title, and choose an alternative meeting space on the same or different floor, but only from the same location.
- Deleting a booking: Deleting a booking removes the booked meeting space from the Outlook calendar event but does not delete the actual appointment from the Outlook calendar.
- Attendees: The number and types of attendees should be managed from the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in and not the Eptura Engage mobile app.
Learn more: Eptura Engage mobile app
Synchronized bookings with Microsoft Outlook
With the Microsoft 365 integration, you can create events in users' Microsoft Outlook calendars directly from Eptura Engage on the web by selecting the 'Add to your Outlook calendar' option when creating the booking. When this option is selected and the booking saved, the availability of the Exchange room is verified - if a conflict is detected, an email notification is sent to the user and the booking is not created.
If no conflicts are detected, the booking is created; the Outlook event and Eptura Engage booking are completely in sync, giving you the flexibility to view and edit the booking details from either Outlook or Eptura Engage.
Your administrator might have enabled the option by default for your organization, which means all bookings will automatically synchronize with your Microsoft Outlook calendar. In this case, you will not see the option to add to your Outlook calendar.
Room equipment associated with the meeting space, such as Teams devices, is automatically invited when an Eptura Engage and Outlook event is linked.
Creating a booking from the booking grid for meeting spaces
Meeting space bookings created from the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in are automatically linked to the Outlook event and synchronized.
Your Microsoft Outlook must be subscribed to Eptura Engage to synchronize bookings. You can check if you have subscribed from your user profile. Learn more: Your profile and settings
FAQ
- How do I know if a booking is linked to an Outlook calendar event?
A booking linked to a Microsoft Outlook calendar event displays the Outlook icon both on the booking grid and on the 'Your bookings' list. The booking form displays a note to say, 'Linked to your Outlook calendar'.
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- How do delegates create bookings?
For delegate journeys, where the meeting needs to be placed in another user’s calendar, we recommend using the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in to book the room. This is because bookings created in Eptura Engage create a calendar event in the organizer’s Outlook calendar.
- Why don't I see the option to add a booking to my Outlook calendar?
You must have an active calendar subscription to add a booking to your Outlook calendar. If you have subscribed and still don't see the option, then your administrator might have enabled the option by default, which means you don't have to - all bookings will automatically be synchronized with your calendar. You can check if you have subscribed from your user profile. Learn more: Your profile and settings
- If I chose not to add the booking to my Outlook calendar when I created it, can I add it later?
No. The option to add a booking to an Outlook calendar is only shown when a booking is created. When the option has been set, it cannot be changed for that booking. Similarly, when a booking is linked to an Outlook event, it cannot be unlinked.
- Is the room equipment associated with the meeting space automatically invited?
Yes, an invite is sent to the equipment mailbox.
- How do I book the equipment mailbox if I did not add my booking to my Outlook calendar?
The equipment must be booked manually.
- Can we stop Teams-enabled calendar events from being created?
Eptura Engage creates a Teams-enabled Outlook calendar event by default. The Eptura Engage administrator can disable this option globally if you use another online meeting provider. Learn more: Global settings for Microsoft Outlook
- How do we invite virtual/remote attendees?
Always Invite virtual/remote attendees via the Outlook event. This is because attendees added to the Eptura Engage booking form are assumed to be attending on-site.
- How do I set the host and requestor as attendees?
The host and requestor must be manually added to the Attendee list on the booking form if they are attending on-site, as unlike other invitees, they are not automatically added.
- Is the Outlook calendar event canceled when I delete a booking from Epura Engage?
Not by default. Only the Eptura Engage meeting space booking and any associated Microsoft Exchange room event, are deleted when deleting a booking. The event remains on the Microsoft calendar and must be canceled separately if required.
However, when the event organizer deletes a booking from Eptura Engage on the web, they can choose whether to delete only the Exchange room or the entire event from the Microsoft calendar.
- Can I delete the Outlook calendar event when I delete a booking in Eptura Engage?
An option to delete the associated Outlook calendar event is displayed when the organizer deletes a booking from Eptura Engage* (the option is unchecked by default). However, this option is only visible to the organizer, not administrators, or any other user who might delete the booking in Eptura Engage.
*The option to delete the associated Outlook calendar event is not displayed when deleting a booking via the Today page. The behavior when deleting from the Today page is to keep the existing calendar event.
- When a user is deleted from Eptura Engage, are their bookings deleted from Microsoft Exchange?
When an Eptura Engage user is deleted, their future bookings are deleted from Eptura Engage to make the resources available to others. However, the associated Microsoft Exchange room events are not automatically deleted from the user's calendar. By default, only the Eptura Engage meeting space booking and the associated Microsoft Exchange room event are deleted. The event remains on the Microsoft calendar and must be canceled separately if required.
- Is an Outlook calendar event created when I make a booking directly from an Eptura or Condeco room screen?
Yes, if Eptura Engage has access to the user's Outlook calendar, then an event is automatically created when the booking is created and authenticated from a meeting room screen.
- Are bookings marked as 'private' synchronized?
Yes, bookings marked as 'private' in Eptura Engage are synchronized with the user's Outlook calendar, and the corresponding Outlook calendar event is also marked as 'private'. Note that since the Outlook event is marked as private in the user's calendar, any changes to the event title are not synchronized back to Eptura Engage, however, the title can be updated in the Eptura Engage booking and this will update the Outlook event. - What happens if there is a conflict with the Exchange room's availability?
If the selected room is not available in Exchange at the requested time, an email notification is sent to the user and the booking is not created. When an existing booking is being updated and a conflict is detected, the Exchange room is automatically removed from the Outlook event.