Connecting to Paylocity

Paylocity provides two ways to connect: via the Pay Entry API, and via the standard Paylocity API.

Before you connect, set these properties (if applicable):

• If you are using a Sandbox account, set UseSandbox to true; otherwise, false.
• If IncludeCustomFields is true, set CustomFieldsCategory to the Customfields category. The default value for this property is PayrollAndHR.

For sites that have opted-in to encryption:

• Set only one of the following encryption properties:
  • Key: The AES symmetric key (base 64 encoded) is encrypted with the Paylocity Public Key. This key is used to encrypt Paylocity content. Paylocity decrypts the AES key using RSA decryption.
    Used if the IV value is not provided.
  • IV: The AES IV (base 64 encoded) used when encrypting Paylocity. If no Key value is provided, IV is generated internally.
• If RSA encryption is enabled in your Paylocity account, set RSAPublicKey to the RSA Key associated with your Paylocity. (This property is required for executing Insert and Update statements.) If the feature is disabled, it is not required.

The Pay Entry API

The Pay Entry API is an extremely limited connection that enables users to automatically submit payroll information for individual employees, and little else. Due to the extremely limited nature of what is offered by the Pay Entry API, it does not have a seaparate schema. However, it can be enabled via the UsePayEntryAPI connection property.

The Pay Entry API is completely separate from the rest of the Paylocity API. It uses a separate Client ID and Secret, and must be explicitly requested from Paylocity for access to be granted for an account.

Note that when setting UsePayEntryAPI to true, you may only use the following stored procedures:

• CreatePayEntryImportBatch
• MergePayEntryImportBatch
• Input_TimeEntry
• available OAuth stored procedures

Attempts to use other features of the product will result in an error.

Also, the OAuthAccessToken you obtain for use with the Pay Entry API must be stored separately. This often requires you to set a different OAuthSettingsLocation when using this connection property.

Authenticating to Paylocity

Paylocity supports OAuth authentication for all connections to data, from either Pay Entry API or the standard Payloticity API. To enable this authentication from all OAuth flows, you must set AuthScheme to OAuth, and you must create a custom OAuth application.

The following subsections describe how to authenticate to Paylocity from the three most common authentication flows. For information about how to create a custom OAuth application, see Creating a Custom OAuth Application. For a complete list of connection string properties available in Paylocity, see Connection.

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:

• InitiateOAuth = GETANDREFRESH. Used to automatically get and refresh the OAuthAccessToken.
• OAuthClientId = the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
• OAuthClientSecret = the client secret that was assigned when you registered your application.
• CallbackURL = the redirect URI that was defined when you registered your application.

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

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

1. The adapter obtains an access token from Paylocity 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 adapter refreshes it automatically.

Web Applications

Authenticating via the Web requires you to create and register a custom OAuth application with Paylocity, as described in Creating a Custom OAuth Application. You can then use the adapter to get and manage the OAuth token values.

This section describes how to get and refresh the OAuth access token.

Get the OAuth access token:

1. Set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuthAccessToken:
   • OAuthClientId = the client Id in your application settings.
   • OAuthClientSecret = the client secret in your application settings.

2. Complete the OAuth exchange:
   • Navigate to the redirect URL that you specified when you created the custom OAuth application (see Creating a Custom OAuth Application). Log in and authorize the web application. You are redirected back to the callback URL.
   • Call the GetOAuthAccessToken stored procedure. Set the AuthMode input to WEB. Set the Verifier input to the code parameter in the query string of the redirect URI.

After you obtain the access and refresh tokens, you can connect to data and refresh the OAuth access token automatically.

Automatic refresh of the OAuth access token:

To have the adapter automatically refresh the OAuth access token, do the following:

1. Before connecting to data for the first time, set the following connection parameters:
   • InitiateOAuth = REFRESH.
   • OAuthClientId = the client Id in your application settings.
   • OAuthClientSecret = the client secret in your application settings.
   • OAuthAccessToken = the access token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.
   • OAuthSettingsLocation = the path where you want the adapter to save the OAuth values, which persist across connections.
2. On subsequent data connections, set the following:
   • InitiateOAuth
   • OAuthSettingsLocation

Manual refresh of the OAuth access token:

The only value needed to manually refresh the OAuth access token is the OAuth refresh token.

1. To manually refresh the OAuthAccessToken after the ExpiresIn period (returned by GetOAuthAccessToken) has elapsed, call the RefreshOAuthAccessToken stored procedure.
2. Set the following connection properties:
   • OAuthClientId = the Client Id in your application settings.
   • OAuthClientSecret = the Client Secret in your application settings.

3. Call RefreshOAuthAccessToken with OAuthRefreshToken set to the OAuth refresh token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.
4. After the new tokens have been retrieved, set the OAuthAccessToken property to the value returned by RefreshOAuthAccessToken. This opens a new connection.

Store the OAuth refresh token so that you can use it to manually refresh the OAuth access token after it has expired.

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 adapter 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:

   • InitiateOAuth = OFF.
   • OAuthClientId = the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
   • OAuthClientSecret = the client secret assigned when you registered your application.

2. Retrieve the CallbackURL you established when you registered your custom OAuth application. (See Creating a Custom OAuth Application.) Paste this URL into a new browser tab.

3. Log in and grant permissions to the adapter. 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:

   • InitiateOAuth = REFRESH.
   • OAuthVerifier = the noted verifier code (the value of the code parameter in the redirect URI).
   • OAuthSettingsLocation = persist the encrypted OAuth authentication values to the specified file.
   • OAuthClientId = the client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
   • OAuthClientSecret = the client secret in the custom OAuth application settings.

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 adapter.
   • 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 adapter.
• OAuthClientId = the client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
• OAuthClientSecret = the client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.