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Workday HCM

Workday·AE_HSc_WorkdayConnectorGuide

HRactiveWorkday tenant with HR API + Report API enabled
Transports
soap
Direction
bidirectional
Authentication
Workday Integration System User (ISU) credentials +1
Last updated
2025-09-23

Overview

The Workday connector integrates AlertEnterprise with Workday HCM for human-capital data sync — the source-of-record for Workers, organizations, and employment lifecycle events in most enterprise deployments. Provisioning is built on Workday's Human Resource API (SOAP); reconciliation is built on the Report API, which is a prerequisite for reconciliation operations.

Topology: Alert Connector Framework (ACF) drives the Alert Workday Connector, which issues SOAP/HTTPS calls into Workday's HR API and Report API endpoints. No intermediate agent — direct vendor-cloud REST/SOAP integration.

Authentication supports both Basic auth (Workday Integration System User credentials) and OAuth 2.0 client credentials, configurable per tenant. Workday's API model is service-versioned (e.g. v44.x, v45.x); the connector negotiates against the customer's exposed version.

Architecture

Composed from this connector's actors + edges. Trust zones are color-coded; trust crossings render as thicker lines.

Composing diagram — running ELK layout4 actors · 4 edges

Authentication

2 methods supported

Workday Integration System User (ISU) credentials
basic

Workday tenant requires an Integration System User account with sufficient domain security policy permissions to call the HR + Report APIs. Credentials are passed in the SOAP header per Workday's standard auth model.

Credential storage
AE connector configuration (encrypted at rest)
OAuth 2.0 client credentials
oauth2-client-credentials

Alternative auth path for Workday tenants using OAuth-protected API endpoints. Configurable per deployment.

Prerequisites

Everything that must be in place for this connector to work, with the owner who's responsible.

Workday Report API enabled

customer

Reconciliation depends on Workday's Report API. The customer's Workday tenant must have the Report API enabled, and the AE Integration System User must have permission to call the reports the connector consumes.

Workday Integration System User (ISU) account

customer

An ISU account with appropriate domain security policy permissions for HR API + Report API. Workday best practice is a dedicated ISU per integration partner.

Worker Field Mapping documentation

joint

Customer must provide field mappings between AE Worker attributes and Workday Worker XML field paths before reconciliation can begin.

Data fields

3 fields mapped between AE Guardian and the vendor system.

AE fieldVendor fieldDescriptionDirectionRequired
WorkerWorkday Worker (Employee + Contingent Worker)Worker records — employees and contingent workers. Reconciled from Workday into AE; provisioning writes user-related fields back as needed.bidirectionalyes
OrganizationWorkday Organization (Supervisory Organization, Cost Center, etc.)Organizational hierarchy. Reconciled from Workday into AE for downstream entitlement decisions.inboundno
Employment StatusWorkday Worker employment statusActive / leave / terminated lifecycle states drive AE-side provisioning decisions.inboundno

HR specifics

Sync model
Sync modes
full-load · delta
Scheduled sync
configurable
Direction
inbound
Contingent worker support
Yes
Lifecycle events
hirerehiretransferpromotionleavereturn-from-leaveterminationmanager-changelocation-change
Field mapping notes

Field mappings are defined per deployment against Workday's Worker XML schema. Customer typically provides the mapping spreadsheet; AE connector configuration translates to runtime mappings.

Bulk operations

Bulk operations are supported via Workday's Report API (returns paginated result sets). Initial-load reconciliation typically uses a full-population report.

Source materials
  • src/connectors/workday/source.pdf p7 — Chapter 2, Connector Architecture
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