Purpose
The Cortex Data Connector is a Chrome browser extension that syncs Delivery Associate records, shift schedules and delivery data from Amazon Cortex into UZIO. Once it is installed and configured it runs in the background and refreshes every 30 minutes, so nobody uploads this data by hand. Each sync pulls the driver roster, schedules, the current day's routes, breaks and stop completions. That data feeds the Cortex Time Variance screen, where you reconcile Cortex activity against UZIO punches before payroll.
Setup has two halves. You install and configure the extension on a workstation, then you set the integration's options in UZIO. Both are covered here and together take about 10 minutes. The extension install is a one-time task per workstation. The UZIO options are set once for the company.
This is an Amazon DSP-only feature. On an account that is not a Delivery Service Partner, the settings tab reads "Cortex Integration is not available for this employer."
Who can do this: users whose role includes permission to manage Time Tracking, which the Employer Administrator has by default. Without that permission the page opens read-only and its controls show the tooltip "You do not have access to this feature."
Note: The connector is a Chrome extension on a computer. There is no mobile equivalent, and nothing in this article can be done from the UZIO Mobile App.
Before you begin
- Google Chrome installed on the workstation that will run the connector.
- Permission to manage Time Tracking in UZIO, so you can copy the extension key.
- Your DSP station code(s), for example
DKO1orDTB4. - A Cortex account that stays signed in on that workstation.
Part 1: install and configure the extension
1. Download the extension package
In the Employer Portal, go to Time Tracking Settings > Cortex Integration and click Download Extension in the Browser Extension section. A compressed .zip file is saved to your Downloads folder.
[Screenshot: Time Tracking Settings > Cortex Integration page with the Download Extension button]
2. Extract the package
Locate the downloaded .zip and extract it:
- Windows: right-click the file and choose Extract All.
- macOS: double-click the file to extract it automatically.
Extraction creates a folder named cortex-data-connector-<Version>. Note where it is. You need it in step 4.
3. Open the Chrome Extensions page
In Chrome, click the three-dot menu at the top right and go to Extensions > Manage Extensions.
4. Load the unpacked extension
- On the Manage Extensions page, turn on Developer mode (toggle, top right).
- Click Load unpacked (top left).
- Select the
cortex-data-connector-<Version>folder you extracted in step 2.
The Cortex Data Connector card appears in your list of installed extensions.
[Screenshot: Chrome Extensions page with Developer mode on and the Cortex Data Connector card loaded]
5. Pin the extension to the toolbar
Click the puzzle-piece icon in the Chrome toolbar, then click the pin icon next to Cortex Data Connector. Its icon then stays visible for quick access.
6. Configure the extension
Click the pinned Cortex Data Connector icon to open the setup panel, complete the two fields below, and click Save Settings.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Extension Key | The key from Time Tracking Settings > Cortex Integration. If no key has been generated yet, that section shows "No Extension Key has been generated yet." and a Generate & Copy button. If a key already exists, the section shows Rotate and Copy instead. Use Copy, then paste the key into this field. |
| Station Codes | Your Amazon DSP station code(s) as a comma-separated list, for example DKO1, DTB4. |
[Screenshot: Cortex Data Connector setup panel showing Extension Key, Station Codes, and Save Settings]
Warning: Use Rotate only when you intend to replace the key everywhere. There is one key per company, so every workstation running the connector must be updated afterwards. UZIO asks you to confirm first: "Rotating the extension key will generate a new key for your company. If any user is currently using the browser extension with the existing key, the extension will stop working until the newly generated key is updated in the settings of the Cortex Data Connector browser extension."
Note: The setup panel also shows the current status ("Ready - auto-sync every 30 min"), manual sync buttons, a read-only Uzio API URL, and a Sync Log with the last sync time. See Reference: the setup panel below.
7. Confirm the connection
After you save, the extension is active. Syncing starts automatically within 30 minutes. Allow 30 to 40 minutes for the first full sync, then reload the Cortex Time Variance page to see your data.
Then check your dashboard for an Unmapped Delivery Associates tile and map any drivers listed there (how). Until a driver is mapped, their Cortex data does not flow into UZIO.
Part 2: set the integration options in UZIO
The rest of the Time Tracking Settings > Cortex Integration page controls what the integration does with the data it pulls. You set these once for the company. Click the edit icon next to the page title to make the fields editable, change what you need, and click Save changes.
Time variance thresholds
These three values decide what counts as a variance on the Cortex Time Variance screen. A difference within the threshold is treated as a match. A difference larger than the threshold is flagged for review.
| Field | What it compares | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|
| Clock-in variance | The UZIO clock-in time against the Cortex sign-in time | Required, 0 to 120 minutes |
| Clock-out variance | The UZIO clock-out time against the Cortex sign-out time | Required, 0 to 120 minutes |
| Break variance | The UZIO break-in and break-out times against the Cortex break-in and break-out times | Required, 0 to 120 minutes |
The default for all three is 10 minutes. Tighten them if you want small differences surfaced, or loosen them if the screen is flagging noise. Because the value is yours to set, check this page before drawing a conclusion from a green or red row.
Common mistake: Assuming the threshold is a fixed UZIO rule. It is a company setting, so two DSPs can look at the same data and see different rows flagged.
Shift settings
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Enable shift auto-sync | When selected, every shift published in Cortex for the current and future dates is created in UZIO as a Draft shift. You then review and publish it through the normal Schedule flow. Clear the checkbox to stop shift data syncing. |
| Create shift start time in UZIO | Optional. Starts the UZIO draft shift a whole number of minutes (1 to 120) before the Cortex work-block start time. |
| Create shift end time in UZIO | Optional. Ends the UZIO draft shift a whole number of minutes (1 to 120) after the Cortex work-block end time. |
The two offsets are independent, and each is measured from the Cortex time rather than from the other offset. Use them when your drivers are expected on site before the route block begins or stay after it ends.
Note: On accounts set up recently, Enable shift auto-sync starts switched off. If you expect Cortex routes on your UZIO Schedule and do not see them, check this setting first.
Warning: Cortex remains the source of truth for shifts. Changes made in Cortex sync through to UZIO automatically. A shift that is deleted in UZIO, or reassigned to a different employee in UZIO, is not recreated by the integration.
What this does not change
- Payroll still runs off your UZIO timesheet data. Cortex data is used for variance review and for draft shifts. It is not a payroll source, and no Cortex figure reaches a paycheck on its own.
- Corrections are still made on the timesheet. Fix a punch where you always fix it. See Reviewing and Correcting Your Team's Timesheets.
- Override monitoring still counts your edits. Corrections you make after reviewing a variance count towards the Delivery Associate override rate. See Manager Override Monitoring.
Reference: the setup panel
Beyond the two required fields, the connector panel provides:
- Manual sync buttons for Sync Schedules, Sync Routes & Stops and Sync Drivers & Profiles, to pull one data set immediately instead of waiting for the next 30-minute cycle.
- Reset Sync State (Full Re-sync), which clears the sync state so the next run re-pulls everything. Use it if data looks out of step.
- Settings, showing the read-only Uzio API URL, the Extension Key and the Station Codes.
- Sync Log, showing the Last sync timestamp.
Good to know
- Keep Chrome open and signed in to Cortex during the workday. If Chrome closes or the Cortex session ends, syncing pauses and resumes on its own. No data is lost.
- The extension is read-only. It never changes, deletes or pauses anything in Cortex. Your Amazon password is never stored in UZIO, because the extension reads Cortex through your own signed-in browser session. All data travels encrypted.
- More than one admin can install the extension. UZIO removes duplicate data automatically, so extra installations only add resilience.
- The settings page has a "You Should Know" panel summarising these points. Open it from the Cortex Integration page.
Expected outcome
- The Cortex Data Connector runs in the background in Chrome and syncs every 30 minutes.
- Delivery Associate profiles, schedules, routes and stops, and delivery data flow from Cortex into UZIO.
- Synced activity appears on the Cortex Time Variance screen for pre-payroll reconciliation.
- With shift auto-sync enabled, Cortex-published shifts appear on your UZIO Schedule as Draft shifts for you to publish.
Note: Delivery Associates that Cortex cannot match to a UZIO employee appear as Unmapped Delivery Associates and need a one-time manual mapping of their Transporter ID. See Cortex Time Variance.
Need help?
Contact your UZIO Customer Success Manager, or UZIO Support at support@uzio.com or +1-571-601-1752. Include your station code, the extension version shown on the Chrome Extensions page, the Last sync time from the Sync Log, and a screenshot of the error.
To stop timesheet variance data entirely, ask UZIO Support. There is no self-service control for it.
Related articles
- Reconciling Cortex and UZIO Hours (Cortex Time Variance)
- DSP on UZIO: What's Different
- Managing Shifts — publishing the draft shifts Cortex creates
- Manager Override Monitoring
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