1. What are the different types of Workday Integrations?

Workday offers three primary types of integrations:

• Enterprise Interface Builder (EIB): A wizard-driven tool for simple import and export of data. It’s ideal for less complex, ad-hoc, or scheduled data transfers.

• Core Connectors: Pre-built integrations for third-party systems, such as benefits providers or payroll vendors. They offer a configurable yet standardized approach to common integration needs.

• Workday Studio: A graphical, Eclipse-based development environment for building complex, custom integrations that require intricate logic, transformations, and control.

2. When would you choose Workday Studio over EIB or a Core Connector?

You would opt for Workday Studio when the integration requirements are complex and cannot be met by EIBs or Core Connectors. Key drivers for using Studio include:

• Multiple data sources and destinations.

• Complex data transformations and custom logic.

• The need for custom error handling and logging.

• Large data volumes requiring advanced performance tuning.

• The necessity for custom inbound and outbound APIs.

3. What is the Workday Integration Cloud Platform?

The Workday Integration Cloud Platform is a complete Integration Platform-as-a-Service (iPaaS) that provides the infrastructure and tools to build, deploy, and manage integrations. It includes the Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) and a suite of tools for monitoring and managing integrations.

4. Explain the difference between a Business Process and an Integration.

A Business Process in Workday is a set of automated steps that route tasks to users for review and approval to complete a business transaction (e.g., Hire, Termination). An Integration is the technical mechanism for moving data between Workday and external systems. Integrations can be triggered by steps within a business process.

5. What is an Integration System User (ISU) and why is it important?

An Integration System User (ISU) is a special Workday user account created specifically for integrations. It is not tied to an individual employee. Using an ISU is a security best practice as it allows you to assign specific, limited security permissions (via Integration Security Groups) required for an integration to run, thereby adhering to the principle of least privilege.

Enterprise Interface Builder (EIB)

EIBs are a cornerstone of straightforward data management in Workday.

6. What are the two types of EIBs?

• Outbound EIB: Used to export data from Workday.

• Inbound EIB: Used to import data into Workday.

7. Can you perform data transformations in an EIB? If so, how?

Yes, basic data transformations can be performed in an outbound EIB using a Custom Transformation. This is typically an XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations) file that you can attach to the EIB to transform the output data into a specific format (e.g., CSV, XML).

8. What are some common data sources for an outbound EIB?

Common data sources for outbound EIBs include:

• Custom Reports (most common)

• Web Services

9. How do you handle errors in an Inbound EIB?

When an Inbound EIB encounters errors, Workday generates an error file that details the issues for each record that failed to process. You can then review this file, correct the data in the source file, and resubmit the EIB with the corrected data.

10. Can you schedule an EIB to run automatically?

Yes, both Inbound and Outbound EIBs can be scheduled to run at specific times and frequencies (e.g., daily, weekly).

Core Connectors

Core Connectors simplify integrations with a wide range of third-party vendors.

11. What is a Core Connector?

A Core Connector is a pre-built, configurable integration template designed to connect Workday with specific third-party systems, such as benefits and payroll providers. They are developed and maintained by Workday.

12. What are the main advantages of using a Core Connector?

The primary advantages include:

• Faster Implementation: Significantly reduces development time as the core logic is pre-built.

• Lower Maintenance: Workday maintains the connector, including updates for new Workday releases and vendor specification changes.

• Increased Reliability: They are built and tested by Workday, ensuring a high level of quality.

13. What is a “Connector Run” in the context of Core Connectors?

A “Connector Run” is a single execution of a Core Connector integration. Each run processes data according to the configured parameters and generates output files for the vendor.

14. Can you customize the output of a Core Connector?

Yes, while the core functionality is standardized, you can customize certain aspects of the output. This is often done through Integration Attributes and by configuring the connector’s behavior in the integration setup. For more significant changes, a Field Override can sometimes be used.

15. What is the difference between Core Connector: Worker and a standard HCM connector?

Core Connector: Worker is a generic connector that can be used to export a wide range of worker data. It is highly configurable and can be adapted for various downstream systems. A standard HCM connector (e.g., for a specific benefits provider) is pre-configured to meet the specific file format and data requirements of that particular vendor.

Workday Studio

For complex integrations, Workday Studio is the tool of choice.

16. What is Workday Studio?

Workday Studio is an Eclipse-based integrated development environment (IDE) that allows developers to build sophisticated and highly custom integrations. It provides a rich set of components for building, deploying, and debugging integrations.

17. What are some of the key components in a Workday Studio Assembly?

Key components include:

• Transport In/Out: For receiving and sending data (e.g., HTTP, SFTP).

• Data Transformation (XSLT/XTT): For converting data formats.

• Workday In/Out: For invoking Workday Web Services or RaaS reports.

• Splitter/Aggregator: For processing large datasets in chunks.

• Route: For conditional logic and routing of data.

18. What is MVEL (MVFLEX Expression Language) in Workday Studio?

MVEL is a powerful expression language used within Workday Studio to access and manipulate data within an integration. It allows developers to write expressions for conditional routing, variable manipulation, and accessing message properties.

19. How do you handle errors and exceptions in Workday Studio?

Workday Studio provides robust error handling mechanisms, including:

• Try/Catch Blocks: To catch and handle specific exceptions.

• Log Component: For writing custom log messages.

• Error Handling Framework: To define global error handling strategies for an integration.

• Email Component: To send notifications on integration failure.

20. What is the purpose of the .launch file in a Workday Studio project?

The .launch file contains the configuration for deploying and launching the integration in a specific Workday tenant. It stores information such as the tenant URL, username, and launch parameters.

APIs and Web Services

APIs are fundamental to how Workday communicates with other systems.

21. What are the main types of APIs that Workday provides?

Workday provides two main types of public web service APIs:

• SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) APIs: These are the primary APIs for interacting with Workday business objects and processes.

• REST (Representational State Transfer) APIs: Workday offers a growing number of RESTful APIs, which are generally more lightweight and easier to use for certain use cases.

22. What is WSDL and why is it important for Workday SOAP APIs?

WSDL (Web Services Description Language) is an XML-based file that describes the functionality of a web service. For Workday SOAP APIs, the WSDL defines the available services, operations, and the structure of the request and response messages. It is essential for generating client code and understanding how to interact with the API.

23. Differentiate between SOAP and REST APIs in the context of Workday.

24. What is a “Get_” operation versus a “Put_” operation in the Workday SOAP API?

• A “Get_” operation is used to retrieve data from Workday (e.g., Get_Workers).

• A “Put_” operation is used to create or update data in Workday (e.g., Put_Location).

25. How do you ensure the security of data being transmitted via APIs?

Data security is ensured through:

• Authentication: Using methods like username/password with X.509 certificates or OAuth 2.0.

• Authorization: The Integration System User is granted specific security permissions to access only the necessary data and operations.

• Encryption: Using HTTPS (TLS/SSL) to encrypt data in transit.

Reporting as a Service (RaaS)

RaaS allows reports to be exposed as web services.

26. What is RaaS (Report-as-a-Service)?

RaaS allows you to expose a custom Workday report as a web service. This enables external systems to call the report and retrieve the data in a structured format like XML or JSON.

27. What are the benefits of using RaaS?

• Simplicity: It’s a quick and easy way to expose Workday data without building a full-fledged integration.

• Flexibility: The output format can be XML or JSON, making it consumable by a wide range of applications.

• Leverages Existing Reports: You can reuse existing custom reports as a data source for integrations.

28. What are the limitations of RaaS?

• Read-Only: RaaS is only for extracting data; it cannot be used to load data into Workday.

• Performance: For very large datasets, a more robust integration method like Workday Studio might be more performant.

• Limited Transformations: The data transformation capabilities are limited compared to Studio.

29. How do you enable a report as a RaaS?

You can enable a custom report as a web service by checking the “Enable as Web Service” option in the report’s “Advanced” settings.

30. What are the different output formats available for a RaaS report?

The primary output formats are XML and JSON. You can also get a simplified XML format.

Scenario-Based and Best Practices

These questions test your practical application of Workday integration knowledge.

31. A client needs to send a file of new hires to a benefits vendor every day. The file format is a simple CSV. Which integration tool would you recommend and why?

I would recommend an Outbound EIB. It is the simplest and most efficient tool for this requirement. You can create a custom report to gather the new hire data, and the EIB can be scheduled to run daily and deliver the CSV file to the vendor via SFTP.

32. You need to build an integration that pulls employee data from Workday, enriches it with data from an external database, and then sends the combined data to a third-party payroll system. The payroll system requires a specific XML format. Which tool would you use?

I would use Workday Studio. This is a complex integration that requires:

• Connecting to multiple systems (Workday and an external database).

• Complex data transformation to create the specific XML format.

• The ability to handle potential errors from either data source. EIBs and Core Connectors would not be sufficient for this level of complexity.

33. An inbound integration is failing with a large number of errors. What are your first steps to troubleshoot the issue?

My first steps would be:

1. Review the Error File: Download and analyze the error file generated by the integration to understand the specific error messages for each failed record.

2. Examine the Input File: Check the input data for formatting issues, incorrect values, or missing required fields that correspond to the errors.

3. Check Integration Configuration: Verify the configuration of the integration, including data mapping and any transformation logic.

4. Validate Business Process: Ensure that the underlying business process (if applicable) is configured correctly and that the integration has the necessary permissions.

34. What are some best practices for securing Workday integrations?

• Use an Integration System User (ISU) with the principle of least privilege.

• Employ strong authentication methods like X.509 certificates.

• Use HTTPS for all data transmissions.

• Regularly audit integration security and user access.

• Do not hardcode credentials in integration logic; use secure storage mechanisms.

35. How can you optimize the performance of a Workday integration that processes a large volume of data?

• For EIBs: Use a custom report that is filtered to only include the necessary data.

• For Workday Studio:

  • Use the Splitter/Aggregator components to process data in smaller chunks.

  • Optimize XSLT transformations for efficiency.

  • Use appropriate caching strategies.

  • Limit the fields retrieved from Workday to only those that are essential.

36. Explain the concept of “Change Detection” in Workday integrations.

Change detection is the process of identifying what data has changed since the last integration run. This is crucial for sending only incremental updates to downstream systems. This can be achieved by using a custom report with date-based filters or by leveraging Workday’s delivered change detection functionality in some connectors.

37. What are Integration Attributes and how are they used?

Integration Attributes are configurable parameters on a Core Connector or EIB that allow you to control the behavior of the integration without modifying the underlying code. They are often used to specify values that might change between different environments (e.g., SFTP credentials, file names).

38. How would you test a new Workday integration before deploying it to production?

Thorough testing involves:

• Unit Testing: Testing individual components of the integration in Workday Studio.

• End-to-End Testing: Running the integration in a sandbox or implementation tenant and verifying the output file or the data loaded into the target system.

• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Having business users validate the results of the integration to ensure it meets their requirements.

• Performance Testing: Testing with a large volume of data to ensure the integration performs efficiently.

39. Describe a situation where you had to troubleshoot a complex integration issue and how you resolved it.

Be prepared to discuss a real-world example. Structure your answer using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). For instance, describe a scenario where a payroll integration was failing due to unexpected data formats, how you debugged the XSLT transformation in Studio, and the steps you took to correct the logic, resulting in a successful payroll run.

40. What is the significance of the Workday Community for an integration developer?

The Workday Community is an invaluable resource for integration developers. It provides access to:

• Documentation: Detailed guides and reference materials for all integration tools and APIs.

• Forums: A place to ask questions and learn from other Workday professionals.

• Brainstorms: A platform to suggest and vote on new product features.

• Release Notes: Information on upcoming features and changes in new Workday releases.

41. What is the purpose of sequence generators in integrations?

A sequence generator is used to generate a unique sequence of numbers, which can be useful in integrations for creating unique identifiers for records in an output file, especially when the receiving system requires a unique key.

42. How can you handle different output file formats for different vendors using a single integration?

In Workday Studio, you can use a Route component based on a launch parameter or an integration attribute that specifies the vendor. Each route path would then lead to a different XSLT transformation to produce the vendor-specific file format.

43. What is the difference between a “Full File” and a “Changes File” integration?

• A Full File integration sends all the relevant data in each run.

• A Changes File integration only sends the data that has changed since the last successful run. This is more efficient for both Workday and the downstream system.

44. How can you re-run a failed integration from the point of failure?

The ability to restart from the point of failure depends on the integration design. For integrations that process data in batches (e.g., using a splitter in Studio), you can design the integration to log the last successfully processed batch, allowing you to manually restart from the next batch. For simpler integrations, you might need to re-run the entire process.

45. What are calculated fields and how are they used in integrations?

Calculated fields are custom fields that you can create in Workday to derive new data from existing data. They are extremely useful in integrations as they allow you to perform data manipulations and calculations within Workday before the data is even extracted, simplifying the transformation logic in the integration itself.

46. Explain the concept of an “Integration Map.”

An integration map is a high-level design document that visually represents the flow of data between Workday and other systems. It typically shows the source systems, target systems, the data being exchanged, the integration tool used, and the frequency of the integration.

47. What is the purpose of the “Transaction Log” for an integration?

The Transaction Log provides a detailed audit trail of an integration run, including start and end times, the number of records processed, any errors or warnings, and the generated output files. It is a critical tool for monitoring and troubleshooting integrations.

48. How do you handle multi-language support in Workday integrations?

For integrations that need to support multiple languages, you can use calculated fields with “Evaluate Expression” logic to return the appropriate language-specific text based on the user’s or transaction’s language preference.

49. What is the impact of a Workday biannual release on your integrations?

Workday’s biannual releases can introduce changes to business objects, APIs, and integration functionalities. It is crucial to:

• Review the Release Notes: Understand what changes might impact your integrations.

• Test in a Preview Tenant: Thoroughly test all your integrations in the release preview tenant to identify and fix any issues before the production release.

50. What are you most excited to learn about in the future of Workday Integrations?

Expressing enthusiasm for future developments shows your passion and commitment to the field. You could mention topics like:

• The expansion of Workday’s REST API offerings.

• New capabilities in Workday Studio.

• Advancements in AI and machine learning for integration monitoring and anomaly detection.

By preparing thoughtful and detailed answers to these questions, you will be well-positioned to demonstrate your comprehensive understanding of Workday Integrations and make a strong impression in your next interview.