Realsmart paused some changes to keep your groups safe

Most nights a sync makes small changes: a few people join or leave a group. Sometimes the data in Realsmart changes so much in one go that the next sync would make a change far bigger than usual — for example, taking thousands of people out of your Google groups at once. That is nearly always a mistake: a bulk action that caught more people than intended, or an import that came in half-finished.

When that happens, Realsmart pauses that part of the sync and tells you on your dashboard. While the pause lasts, nobody is taken out of a Google group — including people who have left, who stay in their groups until it ends. New people are still added and roles still change. Google Classroom isn't covered: class rosters still follow your groups at the nightly Classroom sync.

When does it pause?

Google: when the number of group memberships your school wants in its Google groups falls, compared with what it wanted the night before, by more than a fifth and by more than 200 memberships — or falls to nothing — and Google still holds the people who dropped out. Microsoft 365: when the groups would lose more than a fifth (and more than 200) of the memberships Microsoft 365 holds. A school that has just resumed for a new year gets more room, as explained below.

What you see

A card near the top of your dashboard, headed Google group removals are paused (or Microsoft 365 group removals are paused), with:

• a line such as Google · paused since 4 Nov, 09:15;
• how many group memberships your school had before, and how many it has now;
• roughly how many memberships would be taken out of Google if the removals went ahead;
• a Not intended? note — leave it paused; nothing is removed while it is, and the pause ends by itself once the missing people or groups are back;
• a Why Realsmart pauses changes like this button, which opens this page, and — for Google — a Let removals go ahead button.

Anyone who can view sync status sees the card. It shows on the school's own dashboard, not the MAT overview — switch to the school to see it. The same pause is also written to the Logs as MEMBERSHIP REMOVAL HOLD … (see The nightly Google group sync).

Your two choices

If the change was a mistake — leave it paused. Put the missing people back in their groups in Realsmart (or undo the bulk action that removed them). Nothing is taken out of Google while you do, and the pause ends by itself at the next nightly sync once your groups are back to normal. If the change was intended and you do nothing, the pause stays in place — it doesn't run out after a few nights. It also ends by itself when your sync resumes for a new school year, or if the memberships have already gone from Google some other way.

If the change was intended — let it go ahead. Choose Let removals go ahead. A confirmation says "About N memberships will be taken out of Google groups at the next sync. Only do this if the change was intended." — confirm, and a message says "Done — the paused changes will go ahead at the next sync." The card then shows "jsmith asked for this to go ahead at 4 Nov, 14:20. It runs at the next sync." (it names the username of whoever pressed the button) and disappears within a few minutes; the removals themselves happen at the next sync, usually overnight. Who asked is recorded in the audit trail and the Logs. Only do this if you are sure: people taken out of a Google group lose access to whatever is shared with that group.

You need the Change sync, platform & API settings permission to let removals go ahead. Admins who can only view sync status see the card but not the button — it says An admin who can change sync settings can let this go ahead.

Why a pause, and not a warning afterwards?

Taking someone out of a Google group is hard to undo: they lose shared drives, calendars and mail lists straight away, and any special role they had in the group (such as Manager) is gone. Pausing first means a mistake costs nothing, and you decide.

Realsmart can see these pauses too, so if one stays in place for a while we may get in touch.

In the first few days after your sync resumes for a new school year, big changes are expected, so removals are only paused if your school would be left with no group memberships at all.

Microsoft 365

The same safety pause exists for Microsoft 365 groups, shown as Microsoft 365 group removals are paused. It ends by itself at the next sync once the missing people or groups are back in Realsmart. There's no button on this card: if the change was intended, contact Realsmart support and we will let it go ahead.

Class Teams with Assignments

If your school uses Class Teams with Assignments, the same dashboard card tells you when class Teams are waiting on something. Only class Teams are affected: accounts, groups and everything else in the Entra sync carry on. The card goes by itself at the next sync after the cause is fixed. There's no button, because the fix is on your side or in Microsoft 365:

• Class Teams are paused: Microsoft refused the Realsmart app. Microsoft turned the app down part-way through the night, a permission problem, so Realsmart stopped asking and tries again at the next sync. Check the Realsmart app has EduRoster.ReadWrite.All and Team.Create with admin consent, run Test permissions, and the card goes at the next sync.
• Class Teams are paused: the Realsmart app needs more permissions. The app registration is missing EduRoster.ReadWrite.All or Team.Create, so nothing has been made or changed. Ask whoever manages your Microsoft 365 to add them with admin consent, then run Test permissions.
• Class Teams are paused: no Education licence in your tenant. Class Teams need an active Office 365 A1, A3 or A5 licence. Check it in the Microsoft 365 admin centre, or switch class Teams off if you don't want them. If the card says Realsmart can't check your licences, the app needs Organization.Read.All.
• Class Teams are paused: Microsoft says a licence is missing. Realsmart asked for a class and Microsoft refused, because of a licence or because your tenant isn't set up for Education. It might, for example, ask for an "Education" property to be removed. Every class would get the same answer, so Realsmart stops asking until the next sync. Check your Education licence is active in the Microsoft 365 admin centre. Renaming groups won't help.
• A class couldn't get its class Team (or Some classes…). Microsoft refused those classes, usually because of their name: your tenant's naming policy blocks a word in it, or another group already has the address. The card names the classes; the others carry on. Rename the group in Realsmart and the next sync makes its class Team.
• Class Teams: Realsmart has paused removals. Your classes suddenly have far fewer people in Realsmart than Realsmart put in their class Teams, so nobody is taken out of a class Team until the missing people or groups are back. Additions still happen. If the change was intended, contact Realsmart support.

Microsoft 365 year end and leavers

These come from the settings in Microsoft Teams at year end. Everything else in the Entra sync carries on.

• Retiring groups is paused (button Let the groups be retired). Far more groups would be retired in Microsoft 365 at once than usual, which can mean groups went missing in Realsmart by accident. Put them back, or let it go ahead if they really were removed.
• Purging leavers is paused (button Let the purge go ahead). More leavers' Microsoft accounts would be purged at once than is safe for the number of accounts still in use. Their accounts stay disabled, and Realsmart keeps their records, until you put the people back or let it go ahead. Letting it go ahead covers the whole held backlog, purged over as many syncs as it takes.
• A leaver's Microsoft account was switched back on (or Some leavers' Microsoft accounts were switched back on). Someone switched the account on again in Microsoft 365, so Realsmart won't purge it and keeps the person's record. There's no button: switch it off again in Microsoft 365, or make the person active in Realsmart if they're back.
• Class Teams aren't being archived. Microsoft refused to archive some class Teams at year end, usually because a class Team has no owner left, or the Realsmart app lacks permission (add TeamSettings.ReadWrite.All). There's no button: fix the cause and the next run tries again.