Tableau Connector for Workday

Build 25.0.9434

Configuring a Connection

After Installing the Connector you can connect and create a Data Source for data in Workday.

Setting Up a Data Source

Complete the following steps to connect to the data:

  1. Under Connect | To a Server, click More....
  2. Select the data source called Workday by CData.
  3. Enter the information required for the connection.
  4. Click Sign In.
  5. If necessary, select a Database and Schema to discover what tables and views are available.

Using the Connection Builder

The connector makes the most common connection properties available directly in Tableau. However, it can be difficult to use if you need to use more advanced settings or need to troubleshoot connection issues. The connector includes a separate connection builder that allows you to create and test connections outside of Tableau.

There are two ways to access the connection builder:

  • On Windows, use a shortcut called Connection Builder in the Start menu, under the CData Tableau Connector for Workday folder.
  • You can also start the connection builder by going to the driver install directory and running the .jar file in the lib directory.

In the connection builder, you can set values for connection properties and click Test Connection to validate that they work. You can also use the Copy to Clipboard button to save the connection string. This connection string can be given to the Connection String option included in the connector connection window in Tableau.

Connecting to Workday

This section describes how to set the connection parameters for the four Workday APIs, and how to obtain the Tenant and BaseURL. Each service (WQL, Reports, REST, and SOAP) has its own ConnectionType, and only one connection type can be used per connection.

After you set the parameters for the desired API and have created a custom OAuth and/or Azure AD API client, you are ready to connect.

Connection Prerequisites

API Prerequisites Connection Parameters
WQL Enable WQL service
(See below) 		ConnectionType: WQL
Reports as a Service Set up catalog report
(see Fine-Tuning Data Access) 		ConnectionType: Reports
REST Automatically enabled ConnectionType: REST
SOAP Automatically enabled See Workday SOAP API, below

Obtaining the BaseURL and Tenant

To obtain the BaseURL and Tenant properties, log into Workday and search for View API Clients. On this screen, Workday displays the Workday REST API Endpoint, a URL that includes both the BaseURL and Tenant.

The format of the REST API Endpoint is: https://domain.com/<subdirectories>/mycompany, where:

  • https://domain.com (the portion of the URL before subdirectories and company name) is the BaseURL.
  • mycompany (the portion of the URL after the very last slash) is the Tenant.

For example, in the REST API endpoint https://wd3-impl-services1.workday.com/ccx/api/v1/mycompany, the BaseURL is https://wd3-impl-services1.workday.com and the Tenant is mycompany.

Enabling WQL Service

To connect through the Workday WQL API, you must first enable the WQL Service:

  1. Open Workday.
  2. In the search bar, search for View Domain.
  3. At the prompt, enter Workday Query Language.
  4. Check the Allowed Security Group Types to see if one of them includes the user you are connecting with.

Authenticating to Workday

Most Workday connections require the creation of an OAuth-based custom API Client application to authenticate. This includes enterprise installations where users connect via their Azure AD credentials. If you want to connect via SOAP, you can use Basic authentication, which doesn't require a custom OAuth application.

This section describes both methods of authentication.

OAuth

This section describes how to authenticate in an environment without SSO, using the OAuth standard. Before you can authenticate in this environment, you must first create a custom OAuth application, as described in Creating a Custom API Client Application.

Note: Because they facilitate authentication to Workday APIs, this document frequently refers to custom OAuth applications as custom API Clients.

Desktop Applications

To authenticate with the credentials for a custom OAuth application, you must get and refresh the OAuth access token. After you do that, you are ready to connect.

Get and refresh the OAuth access token:

When you connect, the connector opens Workday's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application.

After you grant permissions to the application, the connector then completes the OAuth process:

  1. The connector obtains an access token from Workday and uses it to request data.
  2. The OAuth values are saved in the path specified in OAuthSettingsLocation. These values persist across connections.

When the access token expires, the connector refreshes it automatically.

Headless Machines

If you need to log in to a resource that resides on a headless machine, you must authenticate on another device that has an internet browser. You can do this in either of the following ways:

  • Option 1: Obtain the OAuthVerifier value.
  • Option 2: Install the connector on a machine with an internet browser and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow.

After you execute either Option 1 or Option 2, configure the driver to automatically refresh the access token on the headless machine.

Option 1: Obtaining and Exchanging a Verifier Code

To obtain a verifier code, you must authenticate at the OAuth authorization URL. Do the following:

  1. Authenticate from the machine with an internet browser, and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

    Set the following properties:

  2. Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. The stored procedure returns the CallbackURL established when the custom OAuth application was registered. (See Creating a Custom API Client Application.)

    Copy this URL and paste it into a new browser tab.

  3. Log in and grant permissions to the connector. The OAuth application redirects you the redirect URI, with a parameter called code appended. Note the value of this parameter; you will need it later, to configure the OAuthVerifier connection property.

  4. Exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens. On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values:

  5. Test the connection to generate the OAuth settings file.

  6. After you re-set the following properties, you are ready to connect:

    • InitiateOAuth: REFRESH.
    • OAuthSettingsLocation: The file containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. To enable the automatic refreshing of the access token, be sure that this file gives read and write permissions to the connector.
    • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your application.
    • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your application.

Option 2: Transferring OAuth Settings

Prior to connecting on a headless machine, you must install and create a connection with the driver on a device that supports an internet browser. Set the connection properties as described above in "Desktop Applications".

After completing the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the resulting authentication values are encrypted and written to the path specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. The default filename is OAuthSettings.txt.

Test the connection to generate the OAuth settings file, then copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

To connect to data via the headless machine, set the following connection properties:

  • InitiateOAuth: REFRESH
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: The path to the OAuth settings file you copied from the machine with the browser. To enable automatic refreshing of the access token, ensure that this file gives read and write permissions to the connector.
  • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
  • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

Authenticating as a Normal User

To authenticate as a normal user in Workday, you must first create an API Client, as described in Creating a Custom API Client Application.

After you have an API client configured, set the following properties to connect using Workday credentials:

Standard OAuth User

  • ConnectionType and related properties.
  • AuthScheme: OAuth.
  • OAuthClientId: The Client ID obtained from the View API Client page.
  • OAuthClientSecret: The Client Secret obtained from the View API Client page. If you are using a public client, leave this blank.
  • Tenant: The tenant for the account.
  • BaseURL: The base URL for the REST API Endpoint in the View API Clients page.
  • OAuthAuthorizationURL: Optional but recommended. The Authorization URL in the View API Clients page.

AzureAD User

  • ConnectionType and related properties.
  • AuthScheme: AzureAD.
  • OAuthClientId: The Client ID obtained from the View API Client page.
  • Tenant: The tenant for the account.
  • BaseURL: The base URL for the REST API Endpoint in the View API Clients page.
  • SSOProperties: The Azure-specific properties used for SSO, including the AzureTenant, AzureClientId, AzureClientSecret and Resource.

Authenticating as an ISU

To authenticate as an ISU, you must first create either an API Client or an API Client for Integrations, as described in Creating a Custom API Client Application. You can create either of these clients using the JWT bearer grant type.

After you set the appropriate properties, you are ready to connect.

API Client for Integrations

API Client (JWT)

Reports and SOAP API

Connections using the Reports API and the SOAP API support all the same authentication schemes that the WQL and REST do. They also support Basic authentication, which does not require configuring a custom API client.

To use Basic authentication, set these connection parameters:

Other authentication methods are configured the same way as for the WQL and reporting services.

Next Step

See Using the Connector to create data visualizations.

Copyright (c) 2025 CData Software, Inc. - All rights reserved.
Build 25.0.9434