Query Paylocity Data in MySQL Workbench

MySQL Workbench allows users to administer MySQL environments and gain better visibility into databases. When paired with CData Connect (on-premise or Connect Server), you get live access to Paylocity data as if it were a MySQL database. This article shows how to create a virtual database for Paylocity in Connect and work with live Paylocity data in MySQL Workbench.

Create a Virtual MySQL Database for Paylocity Data

CData Connect uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources and generate APIs.

1. Login to Connect and click Connections.
2. Select "Paylocity" from Available Data Sources.
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Paylocity.

   Set the following to establish a connection to Paylocity:

   • RSAPublicKey: Set this to the RSA Key associated with your Paylocity, if the RSA Encryption is enabled in the Paylocity account.

     This property is required for executing Insert and Update statements, and it is not required if the feature is disabled.

   • UseSandbox: Set to true if you are using sandbox account.
   • CustomFieldsCategory: Set this to the Customfields category. This is required when IncludeCustomFields is set to true. The default value for this property is PayrollAndHR.
   • Key: The AES symmetric key(base 64 encoded) encrypted with the Paylocity Public Key. It is the key used to encrypt the content.

     Paylocity will decrypt the AES key using RSA decryption.
     It is an optional property if the IV value not provided, The driver will generate a key internally.

   • IV: The AES IV (base 64 encoded) used when encrypting the content. It is an optional property if the Key value not provided, The driver will generate an IV internally.

   Connect Using OAuth Authentication

   You must use OAuth to authenticate with Paylocity. OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with Paylocity using the browser. For more information, refer to the OAuth section in the Help documentation.

   The Pay Entry API

   The Pay Entry API is completely separate from the rest of the Paylocity API. It uses a separate Client ID and Secret, and must be explicitly requested from Paylocity for access to be granted for an account. The Pay Entry API allows you to automatically submit payroll information for individual employees, and little else. Due to the extremely limited nature of what is offered by the Pay Entry API, we have elected not to give it a separate schema, but it may be enabled via the UsePayEntryAPI connection property.

   Please be aware that when setting UsePayEntryAPI to true, you may only use the CreatePayEntryImportBatch & MergePayEntryImportBatchgtable stored procedures, the InputTimeEntry table, and the OAuth stored procedures. Attempts to use other features of the product will result in an error. You must also store your OAuthAccessToken separately, which often means setting a different OAuthSettingsLocation when using this connection property.

4. Click Save Changes
5. Click Privileges -> Add and add the new user (or an existing user) with the appropriate permissions.

With the virtual database created, you are ready to connect to Paylocity from MySQL Workbench.

Query Paylocity from MySQL Workbench

The steps below outline connecting to the virtual Paylocity database in Connect from MySQL Workbench and issuing basic queries to work with live Paylocity data.

Connect to Paylocity through Connect

1. In MySQL Workbench, click to add a new MySQL connection.
2. Name the connection (CData Connect).
3. Set the Hostname, Port, and Username parameters to connect to the SQL Gateway.
4. Click Store in Vault to set and store the password.
5. Click Test Connection to ensure the connection is configured properly and click OK.

Query Paylocity Data

1. Open the connection you just created (CData Connect).
2. Click File -> New Query Tab.
3. Write a SQL query to retrieve Paylocity data, like SELECT * FROM paylocitydb.Employee;

With access to live Paylocity data from MySQL Workbench, you can easily query and update Paylocity, just like you would a MySQL database. Request a demo of the CData Connect and start working with Paylocity just like a MySQL database today.