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How to create an RPA flow for Workday Data in UiPath Studio
Use the Workday ODBC Driver to create workflows that access real-time Workday data without any coding.
UiPath is a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform with rich features and an easy-to-use UI that enables non-developers to create process automation. By using UiPath Studio, you can build an RPA program just like drawing a diagram. With the CData ODBC Driver for Workday, users can embed Workday data in the workflow.
This article walks through using the Workday ODBC Driver in UiPath Studio to create an RPA program that accesses Workday data.
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
Configure the Connection to Workday
If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.
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.
Connect UiPath Studio to Workday Data
Now you are ready to use Workday data ODBC DSN in UiPath Studio with the following steps.
- From the Start page, click Blank to create a New Project.
- Click Manage Packages then search for and install UiPath.Database.Activities.
- Navigate to the Activities and drop a Flowchart (Workflow -> Flowchart -> Flowchart) onto the process.
- Drop a database Connect activity (App Integration -> Datbase -> Connect) after the Start activity.
- Double-click the Connect activity and configure the Connection.
![]( "Configure the Connect Activity")
- Click the Connection Wizard
- Select "Microsoft ODBC Data Source"
- In Connection Properties, select your DSN (CData Workday Source) and click OK
- To store Connection info, create a variable and bind to Output in the Properties section. Choose DatabaseConnection in Output.
![]( "Bind the Connection to the Output property.")
Create an Execute Query Activity
With the connection configured, we are ready to query Workday data in our RPA.
- From the Activities navigation, select Execute Query and drop it on the Flowchart.
- Double-click the Execute Query activity and set the properties as follows:
- ExistingDbConnection: Your Connection variable
- Sql: SELECT statement like SELECT Worker_Reference_WID, Legal_Name_Last_Name FROM Workers WHERE Legal_Name_Last_Name = 'Morgan'
- DataTable: Create and use a variable with the Type System.Data.DataTable
![]( "Set the Query for the ODBC Driver.")
Create Write CSV Activity
With the Connection and Execute Query activities configured, we are ready to add a Write CSV activity to the Flowchart to replicate the Workday data.
- From the Activities navigation, select Write CSV and drop it after the Execute Query activity.
- Double-click the Write CSV activity and set the properties as follows:
- FilePath: Set to a file (new or existing) on disk (i.e.: C:\UiPath[id]-data.csv
- DataTable: Set to the DataTable variable you created earlier
Connect the Activities and Run the Flowchart
If they are not already connected, connect each Activity that you created to complete the RPA project for extracting Workday data and exporting it to CSV.
Click Run to extract Workday data and create a CSV file.
In this article, we used the CData ODBC Driver for Workday to create an automation flow that accesses Workday data in UiPath Studio. Download a free, 30-day trial of the ODBC Driver and start working with live Workday data in UiPath Studio today!
Ready to get started?
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Workday ODBC Driver
The Workday ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live data from Workday, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.
Access Workday data like you would a database - read, write, and update Workday Cash Management, Compensation, Financial Management, Payroll, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.
