Build Workday-Connected Web Apps in Servoy

Servoy is a rapid application development and deployment platform. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Workday, users can build Workday-connected apps that work with live Workday data. This article describes how to connect to Workday from Servoy and build a simple web app to display and search Workday data.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Workday data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Workday, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Workday and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations). Its built-in dynamic metadata querying lets you work with Workday data using native data types.

Connect to Workday in Servoy Developer

To build Workday-connected apps, you need to first create a data provider in Servoy Developer using the CData JDBC Driver for Workday.

1. Install the JDBC Driver.
2. Copy the JDBC Driver JAR file. (cdata.jdbc.workday.jar) to the /application_server/drivers/ directory in the installation directory for Servoy.
3. Open Servoy Developer.
4. In the Solution Explorer, right-click Database Server (under Resources) and choose "Connect to existing database" -> "empty."
   1. Name the server.
   2. Click to show the advanced server settings.

      • Set the URL, for example: jdbc:workday:User=myuser;Password=mypassword;Tenant=mycompany_gm1;BaseURL=https://wd3-impl-services1.workday.com;ConnectionType=WQL;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH

        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.

        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.
        For example, in the REST API endpoint https://wd3-impl-services1.workday.com/ccx/api/v1/mycompany, the BaseURL is https://wd3-impl-services1.workday.com and the Tenant is mycompany.

        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.

      • Select the Driver class you just copied, for example, cdata.jdbc.workday.WorkdayDriver

Build a Workday-Connected Web App

Once you have configured the connection to Workday in the Servoy Developer resources, you are ready to build apps with access to live Workday data.

Create a New Solution

1. In the Server Explorer, right-click "All solutions" and select "Create new solution."
2. Name the solution.
3. Select the checkbox to include the "search" module.
4. Click "Finish."

Create a New Form

Right-click "Forms" and select "Create new form."

1. Name the form.
2. Select a Datasource.
3. Set the type (e.g., Simple) and click "Finish."

Add a Data Grid to the Form

1. Drag a Data Grid component (from Servoy NG-Grids) onto the form.

2. Drag a column component onto the Data Grid and set the "dataprovider" property for each column component to a column from the Workday "table" (e.g., Worker_Reference_WID from the Workers table).

   Continue adding columns as desired.

Add Searching to the App

Note that the "svySearch" extension is required to add search functionality (included by default when you create a new solution). If you did not add the extension when you created the solution or you are modifying an existing solution, you can add the search module by right-clicking Modules (in the solution) and selecting "Add Module." Select "svySearch" and click "OK."

1. Drag a Text Field component onto the Form.
2. Right-click the Form and select "Open in Script Editor."
3. Create a new variable (JavaScript) to hold the search value:

   var searchText = '';
   

4. Back on the Form, in the Text Field properties:
   1. Set the "dataprovider" property to the Form variable you just created.
   2. Double-click to add a method for the onAction event.
   3. Click to create the method in "Form," name the method (e.g., onEnter), and click "Create private."
   4. Click "OK & Show."
5. Add the following JavaScript to the JavaScript file to use the Servoy framework to implement searching bound data based on the text in the Text Field:

   var search = scopes.svySearch.createSimpleSearch(foundset).setSearchText(searchText);
   search.setSearchAllColumns();
   search.loadRecords(foundset);
   

Save and Launch the App

Save the form and JavaScript file, then click Run -> Launch NGClient to start the web app.

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for Workday and start building Workday-connected apps with Servoy. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.