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Use the CData API Server to Access Workday Data in Microsoft PowerPivot
Use the CData API Server to connect to live Workday data in the Power Pivot business intelligence tool.
The CData API Server enables you to use REST, OData, JSON, or Open APIs to connect to and query Workday data. The OData standard enables real-time access to the live data, and support for OData is integrated into Power Pivot. This article details how to import an OData feed of Workday data into Microsoft Excel's PowerPivot business intelligence tool.
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
Set Up the API Server
If you have not already done so, download the CData API Server. Once you have installed the API Server, follow the steps below to begin producing secure Workday OData services:
Connect to Workday
To work with Workday data from Microsoft Power Pivot, we start by creating and configuring a Workday connection. Follow the steps below to configure the API Server to connect to Workday data:
- First, navigate to the Connections page.
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Click Add Connection and then search for and select the Workday connection.
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Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Workday.
- After configuring the connection, click Save & Test to confirm a successful connection.
Configure API Server Users
Next, create a user to access your Workday data through the API Server. You can add and configure users on the Users page. Follow the steps below to configure and create a user:
- On the Users page, click Add User to open the Add User dialog.
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Next, set the Role, Username, and Privileges properties and then click Add User.
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An Authtoken is then generated for the user. You can find the Authtoken and other information for each user on the Users page:
Creating API Endpoints for Workday
Having created a user, you are ready to create API endpoints for the Workday tables:
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First, navigate to the API page and then click
Add Table
.
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Select the connection you wish to access and click Next.
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With the connection selected, create endpoints by selecting each table and then clicking Confirm.
Gather the OData Url
Having configured a connection to Workday data, created a user, and added resources to the API Server, you now have an easily accessible REST API based on the OData protocol for those resources. From the API page in API Server, you can view and copy the API Endpoints for the API:
Import Workday Tables in Power Pivot
Follow the steps below to import tables that can be refreshed on demand:
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In Excel, click Data -> Get Data -> From Other Sources -> From OData Feed
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In the OData feed connection, set the URL property to the OData Endpoint URL previously copied and click OK (e.g. "http://localhost:8080/api.rsc"):
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In the next step of the wizard, define the authentication credentials. Select Basic and then enter the credentials for a user authorized to make requests. Specify the User name and enter the user's authtoken in the Password field:
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Select the tables that you would like to import into Excel and click Load
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After selecting and loading your table(s), you should see the data appear in an Excel spreadsheet. Now, click the Power Pivot tab on the ribbon, and then select Add to Data Model.
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You can now work with your Workday data in Power Pivot.
Free Trial & More Information
If you are interested in connecting to your Workday data (or data from any of our other supported data sources) from Microsoft Power Pivot, download API Server to begin creating flexible and customizable REST, OData, JSON and Open APIs from any database or data store! As always, our world-class support team is ready to answer any questions you may have.
