Element451Integrations Guide

Functional Overview

Updated Article

How does it work?#

The Workday integration sends student application data from Element451 to Workday.

The standard Workday integration flow is primarily Element451 → Workday. When a sync is triggered, Element451 reads the configured student/application data, prepares it for Workday, and creates the appropriate Workday application using Workday’s Admissions SOAP Web Service.

After the data is synced to workday, there is a small delay and then a few key identifiers are fetched and saved back into Element from Workday:

  • Workday ID (Student Reference ID)
  • School Email

Sync Configuration#

The standard setup is unidirectional syncing:

  • Element451 → Workday

In this model, Element451 is the system where the application record is collected and prepared, and Workday is the receiving SIS system.  The only data written back into Element from Workday is the Workday ID (Student Reference ID) and School email address of the student once generated.

Element451 → Workday#

This sync process sends data from Element451 to Workday.

The standard Workday integration sync performs three high-level steps:

  1. reads the Workday configuration
  2. exports the student/application data from Element451
  3. creates the Workday application and returns any newly created Workday identifiers

How the Sync Is Triggered#

By default, the integration is initiated through the following sequence:

  1. A label—Element451 to Workday - Trigger Sync—is applied to a contact record.
  2. This label triggers the rule Element451 -> Workday Sync.
  3. The rule calls the webhook Element451 to Workday Sync(), which starts the integration process.

If you are finding data isn’t syncing as expected, you should reach out to Live Support (How to Work with Live Support (Managed Integrations)).

Element451 Delivered Functionality#

The following components are included in the standard Element → Workday integration flow:

Label: Element451 to Workday - Trigger Sync#

  • This label is used to manually trigger a sync for a contact.
  • Once the sync begins, the label is automatically removed, allowing it to be reused for future syncs.

Rule: Element451 → Workday Sync#

  • This rule is triggered when the Element451 to Workday - Trigger Sync label is added.
  • Partners can add additional triggers to automate syncing. Common examples include:
    • Decision release
  • When triggered, the rule:
    • Calls the Element451 to Workday Sync() webhook
    • Removes the trigger label (if present) to allow future reuse

Webhook: Element451 to Workday Sync()#

  • Webhooks are used to send automated notifications to external systems.
  • In this case, the webhook sends the Element451 record ID to the integration process to begin syncing.
  • This webhook is pre-configured and does not require modification.

Integration Process#

  • The integration runs in a cloud-hosted environment managed by Element451.
  • During processing, the system:
    • Extracts data from Element451
    • Transforms it into the format required by Workday
    • Checks if the student already exists in Workday.
      • It first attempts to seedetermine whether the student already exists in Workday using the following:
        • First Name
        • Last Name
        • Date of Birth
      • If it finds more than one match, it logs an error and exits.
    • Checks to make sure Element has an application for the record (if not, it errors and exits).
    • Makes sure the Element application has a status on it that is configured to allow it to send to Workday.
    • Translates any Element451 values into appropriate Workday values.
    • Sends the record to the appropriate Workday Admissions SOAP service to create the application.

Data Sources and Translation Tables#

Workday integrations depend on translation tables and reference values.

Values selected in Element often need to map to Workday-specific identifiers before they can be sent successfully. These mappings may include partner-specific Workday values for terms, campuses, programs, residency values, and other required Workday references.

Important Guidelines#

For any data source or field value that is integrated with Workday:

  • do not add new values in Element without confirming the corresponding Workday value exists
  • do not remove values that may be used by the integration
  • confirm new values with Element451 before UAT or go-live
  • request translation updates when Workday reference values change

If a value exists in Element but does not have a matching Workday translation, the sync may fail or the affected application field may not be sent correctly.

Translation Tables Built:#

The standard supported translation tables can include:

  • Campuses
  • Terms
  • Degrees
  • Educational Institutions