LOADING BULK DATA INTO WORKDAY USING EIB

To load large amounts of data into Workday in bulk, we use Enterprise Interface Builder
integration.

https://community.workday.com/sites/default/files/file-hosting/productionapi/index.html

Steps

1. Set Up or Edit Inbound EIB Integration.

Create an EIB based on an inbound, public Workday Web Service operation.

2. From the related actions menu of the integration system for the upload, select Template
Model > Generate Spreadsheet Template.

To maintain the correct spreadsheet format, don't change the .xml file extension.

Security: Integrations: EIBs , Integration Configure, and Integration Event domains in

Integration functional area.

3. Modify a Spreadsheet Template.

To customize the template, edit the EIB template model.

4. Prepare EIB Spreadsheet.

Enter business data into the spreadsheet.

5. Launch EIB Spreadsheet Upload.

Set Up or Edit Inbound EIB Integration
Steps

1. Create or edit an EIB:

Option Description

Create an Access the Create EIB task and select Inbound.

EIB

Edit an Access the View Integration System report and select the EIB from
EIB the Integration Systemprompt folder.

Workday displays the current configuration for the EIB.

Select Enterprise Interface > Editas a related action on the EIB.

2. The ID defaults to the Name that you select. If the ID is already in use, the ID field is
blank. You can assign your own unique ID or have Workday generate an ID when you
save the interface.

3. Select Get Data and specify the retrieval method and details:

Option Description

Retrieval Select or edit the retrieval method.

Method

Retrieval Retrieval details vary depending on which retrieval method you select. There
Details are no details required for Attach File at Launch.

File Name Depending on the retrieval method, specify the name of the file to be
uploaded.
 Table 1. FTP/SSL Transport Protocol

Field Description

FTPS Address Use this format: ftpsi://x.x.x.x

To specify a port number, add it to the end of the URL. If you do not
specify a port number, Workday uses the default.

Directory (Optional) Directory names are case-sensitive. Include a leading slash (/) only
for a full path, not a relative path.

Use Passive Mode Indicates that data is always sent in passive mode. Workday doesn't support
active mode FTP.

Use Temp File Writes the output file to a temporary file with a randomly generated name.
Once the data transfer is complete, Workday automatically renames the file to
the correct output file name. Use this option to stop automatic scripts from
retrieving the file from the FTP server before the data transfer completes.

User Id, New User ID and password for authentication with the FTP server.
Password, Verify
Password

Table 2. REST Transport Protocol

Field Description

REST Endpoint Enter the host name or server address in this

format:http://www.example.com/rest/.

User Id, New User ID and password for authentication with the REST endpoint.
Password, Verify
Password
 Table 3. SFTP Transport Protocol

Field Description

SFTP Address Use this format: sftp://x.x.x.x.

To specify a port number, add it to the end of the URL. If you don't
specify a port number, Workday uses the default.

Directory (Optional) Directory names are case-sensitive. Include a leading slash (/) only
for a full path, not a relative path.

Use Temp File Writes the output file to a temporary file with a randomly generated name.
Once the data transfer is complete, Workday automatically renames the file to
the correct output file name. To stop automatic scripts from retrieving the file
from the FTP server before the data transfer completes, use this option .

Authentication Select the type of security authentication that is used by the SFTP endpoint:
Method
o User Name/Password: enter the User ID and password to log in
to the endpoint.
o SSH Authentication (Secure Shell key authentication using X.509
certificates): enter the User ID and select an SSH authentication key
pair. To create a new key pair, use the Create x509 Private Key Pair task.

Table 4. Use Existing Retrieval Method

Field Description

Use Existing Select an already-defined transport protocol.

Retrieval Method

6. Select Details and configure additional retrieval options:

Option Description

File Name Enter the file name for the file to be uploaded into Workday from an external endpoint.

Decrypt If you want to decrypt the uploaded file by using Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), select a PGP Private
Using Key Pair. To create a PGP Private Key Pair, use the Create PGP Private Key Pairtask.
Option Description

Restricted Select the target environment for this transport protocol.

To
If you leave this field empty, Workday applies the transport protocol to each environment
in which the integration runs. Each environment (Production, Sandbox, Implementation,
and so on) can have only 1 transport protocol. To avoid inadvertently uploading test data
from a non-test endpoint (or vice versa), Workday strongly recommends that you create a
separate transport for each environment, and restrict each transport to its intended
environment.

7. In the Data Format section, specify the File Type that the EIB loads and the template
model source:

 Web Service Spreadsheet Template: Select the Web Service Spreadsheet Template option
to import data into a Workday Web Service using a spreadsheet. Select a public, inbound
Workday Web Service operation from the Web Service Operation prompt. Workday
generates a spreadsheet template based on the latest version of this operation. Deprecated
Web Service operations aren't available from this prompt. You cannot import custom object
data with this template, even if the operation supports them.

 Custom Object: Select a Custom Object Spreadsheet Template option to import data into a
Custom Object. Select an active custom object definition from the Custom Object prompt.
Inactive custom objects, custom objects that use instance references, effective-dated custom
objects, and multi-instance custom objects that don't have their Reference ID set, aren't
available from this prompt.

 Predefined Template: Do not use. These have been officially retired – will return an error if
selected when configuring a new integration system.

8. Select Transform, select the Transformation Type and specify transformation details for
the integration:

Option Description

New Template Model from Automatically selected if you chose a web service operation in the
Web Service Operation previous step.

Transformation for Custom Automatically selected if you chose a custom object in the
Object previous step.

Custom Transformation Select an existing custom transformation. To create a new custom

transformation, use the Create XSLT Attachment
Transformation task.
 Option Description

Template Model Select an existing template model. Only applicable if the data
source's format is a spreadsheet template.

Delivered Transformation Do not use.

9. Select Deliver, specify a Delivery Method and select the Workday Web Service
Operation or Custom Object that defines the destination of the inbound data.

Next Steps

From the related actions menu of the integration system for the upload, select Template
Model > Generate Spreadsheet Template.

To maintain the correct spreadsheet format, don't change the .xml file extension.

Concept: EIB Template Models and Spreadsheet

Templates
To load data into Workday using Workday Web Services, Workday provides template models and
corresponding spreadsheet templates. The template model:

 Represents the columns associated with a particular Workday Web Service definition.
 Provides the basis for both generating a spreadsheet template and transforming
spreadsheet data during an upload.

Each spreadsheet template is based on a template model that defines the column information for
an upload. To simplify data entry and streamline the upload process, you can edit the template
model. Examples

 Override column values.

 Provide your own labels and cell comments.
 Reorder worksheets.
 Hide unwanted items to customize the template for a specific purpose.

You can create multiple versions of a template model for different purposes. Example: To upload
annual compensation changes into several plan types, create separate template models for base
pay, bonus plan data, and allowance plan data. Each template model hides the columns that are
not relevant to that compensation plan. Each version of a template model requires a separate
Enterprise Interface Builder (EIB) integration.

Modify a Spreadsheet Template

To meet specific objectives and make it easier for others to prepare a spreadsheet, modify the
template model's worksheets, areas, and columns.
Steps

1. Select Template Model > View as a related action on the integration system.

If the web service operation for the template model is for a business process, Workday
displays 1 template model sheet for each data-entry step of the business process.

o To hide a worksheet or area, expand the sheet, select the sheet or area, then
select Template Model Sheet > Hide or Template Model Area> Hide from the
related actions menu on the sheet or section. Workday determines if other sheets
or areas will also be hidden and asks you to confirm your selection.
o To edit allowed values for a column, select Template Model Column > Edit
Details.

When you add allowed values to a Template Model Column, the generated Excel
spreadsheet doesn't display the allowed values if the combined list of Reference
IDs for the allowed values, plus comma separators, exceeds 255 characters.

Note: Editing the Reference IDs to make them shorter can cause other
integrations to fail.

o To verify content, hide, or modify columns, select Edit Template Model

Sheet or Edit Template Model Area. As you complete the task, consider:

Option Description

Hide You can't hide required columns, unless you specify a Value Override.

Separate Type When you select this check box, each cell in the ID Value column
Column provides a drop-down list of all valid ID values.

Value Override Workday adds this value to the spreadsheet when the integration runs.

Reference ID If the EIB you create has more than 1 valid Reference ID Type, Workday
Type defaults to the mostly commonly used type, which you can change.

o To insert columns for fields that accept multiple values (such as worktags),
select Template Model Column > Maintain Additional Columnsfrom the
related actions menu of a column, then define each new worktag in the grid.

Example: You can create additional worktag columns in a financial spreadsheet

and assign multiple worktags to a single entry line.

The new columns replace the base column in the generated spreadsheet.

2. (Optional) if the web service operation is for a business process, you can change the
appearance of the template by reordering worksheets and renaming items in bulk:
 o Select Template Model > Edit from the related actions menu of the integration
system or the template model.
o Click Edit Template Model Area and enter text in the Label field to edit Excel
cell comments for an area.
o Select the Business Process tab and click Edit Business Processes for
Template Model.
b. (Optional) To generate the spreadsheet template with data:
o Select Template Model > Edit Template Model from the related actions menu of
the EIB.
o Select the Data tab.
o Select Edit Template with Data Options.
o Select the Web Service Operation that you want to use to retrieve existing data
from Workday.
o (Optional) To control which existing data is included in the spreadsheet, specify
one or more ID and ID Type pairs.
c. Select 1 of these options:

Option Description

Template Generates an empty spreadsheet based on web service operation for

Model > Generate the EIB and opens the spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel.
Spreadsheet Template

Template Generates 1 or more pre-populated spreadsheets based on the web

Model > Generate service operation and template configuration of the EIB. When your
Spreadsheet with Data files are ready for download, you can access them from the notification
link next to your sign-in name or from the My Reports task. You can
also track progress in the Process Monitor report.

If you attempt to generate a spreadsheet with data where the web

service operation returns between 60 MB and 300MB of data,
Workday splits the output across multiple spreadsheets. If the web
service operation returns more than 300 MB of data, Workday
displays an error in the Process Monitor and doesn't generate a
spreadsheet. To resolve this issue, filter your data by
selecting Edit Template with Data Options in the template
model’s Data tab.

Result
Workday displays the status of your template model:

Status Description

Created Column information for the template model does not yet exist. To generate the
column information, select Template Model > Generate Default Template Modelfrom
the related actions menu.
Status Description

Generating Workday is currently generating the default template model or a modified version of
Template Model the template model.

Complete This status displays after you generate the default template model or a modified
version of the template model.

Error The integration associated with the template model either failed or did not return the
expected results. To troubleshoot the problem, view the Integration Event by
selecting the link in the error message.

After you save the template model, Workday generates the column details. From the related
actions menu of the template model, you can edit the template model and generate an empty
spreadsheet template.

Prepare EIB Spreadsheet

Always generate a spreadsheet template in Workday for the upload.

Keep the template in its original XML Spreadsheet 2003 format. Do not save a template to any
other format.

Add only data values to the generated spreadsheet. Do not make formatting changes, introduce
hard breaks or returns, rearrange rows or columns, or add new rows and columns. Doing so can
cause the upload to fail.

You can make a limited number of spreadsheet changes by editing the template model
associated with your EIB. Example: you can override column values, provide your own labels
and cell comments, reorder worksheets, and hide unwanted items to customize the template for
a specific purpose.
Required and Default Data

 Each worksheet section, or area, indicates whether an element is optional or

required.
 Each column in the spreadsheet indicates whether a field is optional or required.
 Some fields have default values. If a field is required, and you want to use the
default value, leave the field empty in the spreadsheet. EIB inserts default values
before checking required fields for a value.
 To override a default value, enter {empty} in the spreadsheet cell.
 Use the spreadsheet key to coordinate the header information throughout the
tabs of the spreadsheet. Keep the same spreadsheet key for each row as you
add information in the subsequent tabs. The spreadsheet key is also required to
coordinate multiple child rows that roll up to the same parent row.

Data Types

 Each column in the spreadsheet indicates the data type.

  Columns with formats such as YYYY-MM-DD, Y/N, Text, or Number accept data
only in the specified format.
 Dates must always be in YYYY-MM-DD format.
 Spreadsheet cells provide basic data validation for text, date, numeric, and
currency formats only.
 To protect spreadsheet cell formatting, either enter values manually or reapply
the correct formats if you cut and paste data from another spreadsheet or report.
 For rich text fields, ensure that you enter data that is valid HTML markup.
Example: to enter Sales Goal < $4000, enter Sales Goal &lt; $4000in the
spreadsheet cell. To enter line breaks, enter <br> in the spreadsheet cell.

ID Type Columns

Spreadsheet columns with a format of Lookup must be populated with an identifier known
as a reference ID. To locate these reference IDs, access the Integration IDs report and
specify the appropriate Business Object at the prompt. Each lookup column in the
spreadsheet contains a comment that identifies the relevant business object and
reference ID type.

 For any Reference ID column, you can select the Reference ID Type from a drop-
down list. This action applies the selected Reference ID Type to all row of data in
the column.
 Columns identified as holding ID Type values enable you to select a Reference ID
Type for each row of data in the spreadsheet. Example: if you are loading
employees and contingent workers in a single EIB, you can select the appropriate
Reference ID Type for each person/row.
 If Reference ID values are empty in Workday, assign values with the Maintain
Reference IDs task.. You must assign Reference IDs before you can upload
data.

You can also assign Reference IDs using the Put Reference web service
operation, or through an EIB using this web service operation.
ID Columns

When left blank, some ID columns trigger Workday's ID generator to assign new ID
values during the upload. To find out if IDs are automatically generated, refer to the
spreadsheet comments in ID columns.
Guidelines for Spreadsheets That Launch a Business Process
Data Entry

 Most spreadsheets have separate tabs for the main business process and each
supported sub-process. Within each tab, columns of related data are grouped
into sections that correspond to the process elements.
 Workday always marks the main business process Required. Include all required
data for this process; sub-processes can include full or partial data.
 If you include data in the spreadsheet for a sub-process that is not included in the
business process configuration for the worker, Workday disregards the data.
Workday continues processing the transaction as long as the automation level is
set to Skip or Manual.
 An Optional sub-process can contain required fields (columns); if you provide
data for this sub-process, all fields are required if you set the processing level
to Automatic.
 Set a Processing Instruction value for each sub-process row in the Overview tab.
Do not leave this field blank for any row.

Automation
  The fields (columns) marked Required represent the minimum amount of data
required to automate a process or sub-process fully; depending on your setup,
additional fields can be required.
 Automatic processing triggers data validation that produces errors when no data
is provided. Set the automation level to Skip for any sub-process that is not
included in your business process configuration or for which there is no data to
update.
 If you specify full automation for a sub-process but don't provide all of the
required data, Workday defaults the data where possible. If defaulting is not
possible, Workday carries forward existing data without changes.

 If you specify full automation for any of these sub-processes but don't provide all
of the required data, Workday generates an error. Workday doesn't initiate the
inbound EIB request for that worker:
o Assign Matrix Organization
o Assign Organizations (Create Position and Edit Position templates only)
o Assign Pay Group
o Create Benefit Life Event
o Create Workday Account
o Request One-Time Payment
o Request Stock Option Grant
 If a business process is fully automated, Workday automatically
skips Approval steps. Workday continues to evaluate entry condition rules
for Integration steps, Service steps, and Action steps that initiate sub-events.
 The process history for an automated process displays only the completion step
and not the individual process steps in the Process Monitorand Integration
Events reports. Workday identifies the person who launched the process and
indicates that an external load triggered the event.

Included Employees

 You can include employees from multiple supervisory organizations in the same
spreadsheet. Workday processes each employee using the business process
configured for their supervisory organization.

The business process definition used by the EIB upload process is the same one
used when a business process is performed online.

 Each employee included in a sub-process must be included in the main process.

However, a sub-process can include all or only a portion of the employees in the
main process under these circumstances:
o For leave of absence uploads, the list of workers submitted for a sub-
process can be a subset of the workers in the main process.
o For hire, terminate, and edit position uploads, the list of workers
submitted for a sub-process does not have to match the workers in the
main process. This option is available as long as the sub-process uses
manual processing. If you want to automate the upload fully, all workers in
the spreadsheet must have identical processing requirements. If you have
data for some processes and not others, set the automation level
to Automatic for processes with data. Set the automation level to Skip for
sub-processes without data (or Manual for required sub-processes
without data). If some employees skip a sub-process and others require
an auto-process update for the same sub-process, perform separate
spreadsheet uploads.
Data Entry Guidelines and Examples
Formatting Reference IDs

Reference IDs can contain text and numbers. The fields that hold reference IDs are
formatted as Text fields to retain trailing zeros for any numbers. If the spreadsheet upload
process fails to recognize a reference ID, enable trailing zeros for the field formatting.
Example: the spreadsheet converts the ID to 345.45 by dropping the zero under these
conditions:

 the reference ID for a company insider type is 345.450

 the Company Insider Types field has a format of General

Note: To prevent XML-formatted spreadsheets from rounding numbers in Text fields, add
an apostrophe ( ' ) before the numerical value in each field.
Loading Multiple Values

To enter multiple values in a multi-select field, add rows immediately following the initial
row. Leave all fields in these rows blank except for the key fields and the fields holding
the multi-select values.

When a spreadsheet template has multiple key fields, specify values for all of the key
fields in each additional row. Any other values that you enter beyond the key fields and
the multi-select fields are ignored.
Example: the Cost Center field accepts more than one value. To add multiple cost
centers, specify only the Employee ID (key field) in the additional rows and a reference
ID for each Cost Center:

Employee ID Employee Name Company Cost Center Region

E01032 Julie Bowles 2501.21 61200 2503.42

E01032 61210

Replacing and Deleting Data

In addition to uploading new data, you can use an EIB spreadsheet to replace or delete
existing data. Inbound data automatically replaces existing values. To delete data,
enter {empty} values in spreadsheet cells. You can use any spreadsheet import
templates to delete data. However, you can only delete values
in Text, Date, Boolean, Number, and Lookup fields.

This example displays how to replace or delete position data:

 Spreadsheet Column Current Inbound Data Result
(Field) Data

Updated Position ID 388.8 {empty} No value in

field

Employee Type Regular No value entered in spreadsheet Regular

Job Profile Staff 30350 (Workday reference ID for Senior Senior

Recruiter Recruiter) Recruiter

Updating Data

Some EIB templates enable you to update an existing record in Workday. To update an
existing record, specify the Reference ID of the existing record to identify the record that
is updated on the EIB load.

This example displays how to change the staffing model for the Information Technology
department from Job Management to Position Management:

Spreadsheet Current Data Inbound Data Result

Column (Field)

Organization Name Information No value entered Information Technology

Technology in spreadsheet

Organization 2500.5 2500.5 Identifies all other entries in

Reference ID spreadsheet row as updates to
existing organization.

Job Management Y N Job Management is disabled for the

Enabled organization.

Position N Y Position Management is enabled for

Management the organization.
Enabled

After filling the spreadsheet with required data, On the Overview tab, select an option in
the Processing Instruction field to specify the level of workflow automation for the main process
and each supported sub-process. You can also enter an optional Processing Comment that
Workday adds to the business process event for each worker.
Option Description

Manual Processing Triggers review and approval workflow and includes all To Do tasks and
Notifications defined for a process or sub-process.

If you select this option for a sub-process, you can enter partial data
in the corresponding spreadsheet section and enter the remaining
information online, worker by worker.

Provide all required data for the main process, even when the
automation level for this process is Manual. Only sub-process
actions can include partial data.

Automatic Automatically completes workflow steps and bypasses To Do tasks,

Processing Notifications, and approvals for a process or sub-process.

If you select this option, enter data in all of the fields (columns)
marked Required in the related worksheet.

The fields marked Required represent the minimum amount of data

required to automate the business process fully; other fields can be
required depending on your setup.

Skip Processing Bypasses a sub-process that is either defined as optional or not included in
when Step is your business process configuration. You can't select Skip for the main
marked Optional process.

If you select Skip, don't enter any information in the worksheet for
this process.

Run Now Triggers immediate start of the business process or sub-process with
manual processing. To complete the business process before the EIB has
finished loading, use this option. Example: use this option if:

o you intend to chain together multiple EIBs

o you intend to chain together an EIB and a Studio
integration and the subsequent integration depends on all data for
the preceding integration being loaded.

Selecting this option affects the performance of your EIB load; the
load can take more time than expected.

Run Now with Triggers immediate start of the business process or sub-process with
Automatic automatic processing. To complete the business process before the EIB has
Processing finished loading, use this option. Example: use this option if:

o you intend to chain together multiple EIBs

 Option Description

o you intend to chain together an EIB and a Studio

integration and the subsequent integration depends on all data for
the preceding integration being loaded.

Selecting this option affects the performance of your EIB load; the
load can take more time than expected.

Launch EIB Spreadsheet Upload

To import spreadsheet data into Workday, launch an EIB upload. Run every EIB upload process
in a sandbox environment before uploading data into your production environment.

To troubleshoot errors before you run a full upload, select these launch options:

 Validate Only Load

 Add Errors to Attachment

Steps

1. Access the Launch / Schedule Integration task and select

the Integration, Organization, and Run Frequency from the prompts.

Usually an EIB upload is a one-time integration, not a recurring event.

1. On the Integration Criteria tab, attach the spreadsheet for the upload and specify values
for the launch parameters:
 Field/Check Value Type Value
Box

Integration Select Specify Value Select an existing file or create a new attachment.
Attachment

Load Error Limit If you set the Value Select an error limit for the upload process from 1 to 10000.
Type to Use System The process stops when it reaches the error limit. This launch
Default, the default parameter isn't available for EIBs built using web service
error limit is 25. operations that support custom objects.

Validate Only Select Specify Value Select this check box to create a trial run before performing an
Load actual upload. Workday validates the data until it reaches the
Load Error Limit (if applicable) and attaches a failure report to
the integration event. This option isn't available for EIBs built
using web service operations that support custom objects.

Add Errors to Select Specify Value Select this check box to create an attachment in the Integration
Attachment Events report. Comments are inserted in the key fields of rows
that have errors. This launch parameter isn't available for EIBs
built using Import Web Service operations. Use Errors &
Warnings Spreadsheet instead.

Errors & Select Specify Value This option is only available for EIBs based on Import Web
Warnings Service operations. Select this check box to create an Excel
Spreadsheet spreadsheet attachment in the View Background
Process report for this EIB upload process. The spreadsheet
includes only the headers and lines that have standard and
custom validation errors and warnings generated after the
Import Web Service requests are complete. Comments about
these errors and warnings are inserted in the Header Key field
of each row. If you did not populate a header's reference ID in
the spreadsheet, it is inserted in the Errors & Warnings
Spreadsheet if the header was loaded.

2. Select Schedule to run the integration later..

Result
The integration runs at the scheduled time, uploading the data as if you entered it manually.