Cohorts and rules
Group people into static rosters or dynamic, self-updating segments — and assign paths on entry.
- A dynamic cohort keeps itself up to date as people join, move teams or leave
- Assign learning paths automatically the moment someone enters a cohort
- The rule you build is exactly the query the refresh worker runs — no surprises
Static vs dynamic
A static cohort is a roster you curate by hand. A dynamic cohort is a saved query over member attributes that keeps its own membership up to date.
Building a rule
A rule is a set of conditions combined with all (every condition must match) or any (at least one). Each condition is an attribute, an operator and a value:
| Operator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| equals / not equals | exact match |
| in / not in | value is one of a comma-separated list |
| contains | a tag is present, or a substring matches |
| greater/less than, ≥, ≤ | numeric or date comparison |
| before / after | date comparison |
| exists | the attribute is present (or absent) |
Attributes include the first-class membership fields — role, team, status, tags — and anything your directory syncs into a member's profile (department, region, location, hire date). A rule that is empty or malformed matches nobody, never everybody.
Paths on entry
A dynamic cohort can assign learning paths to people as they enter it, enrolling them on the paths' courses automatically. This is how a "new support engineers" cohort can set up a 30-day onboarding plan the moment someone qualifies.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a static and a dynamic cohort?
A static cohort is an explicit roster you add people to. A dynamic cohort is a saved query over member attributes — role, team, region, tags, hire date and anything your directory syncs — and its membership updates automatically as those attributes change.
How do I write a rule?
Add one or more conditions (an attribute, an operator, a value) and choose whether a member must match all of them or any of them. For example: role equals support, and region is in IN or SG. An incomplete or invalid rule is rejected rather than quietly matching everyone.
What does 'assign paths on entry' mean?
A dynamic cohort can carry a list of learning paths. When someone enters the cohort, those paths are assigned to them and they are enrolled on the paths' courses — so onboarding a new hire into the right cohort sets up their training with no extra step.
When do dynamic cohorts refresh?
On a schedule, and on demand from the Refresh button. Each refresh re-evaluates the rule, adds the people who now match, removes the people who no longer do, and assigns paths to the new joiners.
Related guides
How people are enrolled on courses, how progress is tracked, and how readiness is measured.
ReadLive adoption, progress and readiness for your organization, built from the activity stream.
ReadAdd people, set what they can do, and organise them into teams.
Read