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Transfer Workday data using the visual workflow in the CloverDX data integration tool.
The CData JDBC Driver for Workday enables you to use the data transformation components in CloverDX (formerly CloverETL) to work with Workday as sources and destinations. In this article, you will use the JDBC Driver for Workday to set up a simple transfer into a flat file. The CData JDBC Driver for Workday enables you to use the data transformation components in CloverDX (formerly CloverETL) to work with Workday as sources and destinations. In this article, you will use the JDBC Driver for Workday to set up a simple transfer into a flat file.
About Workday Data Integration
CData provides the easiest way to access and integrate live data from Workday. Customers use CData connectivity to:
- Access the tables and datasets you create in Prism Analytics Data Catalog, working with the native Workday data hub without compromising the fidelity of your Workday system.
- Access Workday Reports-as-a-Service to surface data from departmental datasets not available from Prism and datasets larger than Prism allows.
- Access base data objects with WQL, REST, or SOAP, getting more granular, detailed access but with the potential need for Workday admins or IT to help craft queries.
Users frequently integrate Workday with analytics tools such as Tableau, Power BI, and Excel, and leverage our tools to replicate Workday data to databases or data warehouses. Access is secured at the user level, based on the authenticated user's identity and role.
For more information on configuring Workday to work with CData, refer to our Knowledge Base articles: Comprehensive Workday Connectivity through Workday WQL and Reports-as-a-Service & Workday + CData: Connection & Integration Best Practices.
Getting Started
Connect to Workday as a JDBC Data Source
- Create the connection to Workday data. In a new CloverDX graph, right-click the Connections node in the Outline pane and click Connections -> Create Connection. The Database Connection wizard is displayed.
- Click the plus icon to load a driver from a JAR. Browse to the lib subfolder of the installation directory and select the cdata.jdbc.workday.jar file.
- Enter the JDBC URL.
To connect to Workday, users need to find the Tenant and BaseURL and then select their API type.
Obtaining the BaseURL and Tenant
To obtain the BaseURL and Tenant properties, log into Workday and search for "View API Clients." On this screen, you'll find 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/subdirectories/ is the BaseURL.
- mycompany (the portion of the url after the very last slash) is the Tenant.
Using ConnectionType to Select the API
The value you use for the ConnectionType property determines which Workday API you use. See our Community Article for more information on Workday connectivity options and best practices.
API ConnectionType Value WQL WQL Reports as a Service Reports REST REST SOAP SOAP
Authentication
Your method of authentication depends on which API you are using.
- WQL, Reports as a Service, REST: Use OAuth authentication.
- SOAP: Use Basic or OAuth authentication.
See the Help documentation for more information on configuring OAuth with Workday.
Built-in Connection String Designer
For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Workday JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.
java -jar cdata.jdbc.workday.jar
Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.
A typical JDBC URL is below:
jdbc:workday:User=myuser;Password=mypassword;Tenant=mycompany_gm1;BaseURL=https://wd3-impl-services1.workday.com;ConnectionType=WQL;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH

Query Workday Data with the DBInputTable Component
- Drag a DBInputTable from the Readers selection of the Palette onto the job flow and double-click it to open the configuration editor.
- In the DB connection property, select the Workday JDBC data source from the drop-down menu.
- Enter the SQL query. For example:
SELECT Worker_Reference_WID, Legal_Name_Last_Name FROM Workers WHERE Legal_Name_Last_Name = 'Morgan'
Write the Output of the Query to a UniversalDataWriter
- Drag a UniversalDataWriter from the Writers selection onto the jobflow.
- Double-click the UniversalDataWriter to open the configuration editor and add a file URL.
- Right-click the DBInputTable and then click Extract Metadata.
- Connect the output port of the DBInputTable to the UniversalDataWriter.
- In the resulting Select Metadata menu for the UniversalDataWriter, choose the Workers table. (You can also open this menu by right-clicking the input port for the UniversalDataWriter.)
- Click Run to write to the file.
