Concept: Unified Supplier Integration

The Unified Supplier Integration (USI) framework enables real-time data synchronization between Workday and Workday Strategic Sourcing (WSS).

USI provides an integration solution for customers who do not have a pre-existing supplier onboarding integration and replaces the legacy supplier connector for existing customers

After you enable USI, you can’t revert to the legacy integration.

The Integration System User (ISU) used for Unified Supplier Integration has view and modify access but you can’t sign in to the Workday UI or access supplier data. This restriction exists because the ISU has no associated email account or system user.

USI provides:

Real-time validation of supplier data.

Automatic data syncing when you change supplier data in either Workday or WSS

Data Synchronization Details

Workday synchronizes the supplier data automatically and initiates synchronization for on-demand resources, such as payee bank account or address fields, when any supplier record is opened in WSS or when a supplier-related change occurs in Workday.

USI supports only bidirectional data synchronization when you change supplier data in either Workday or WSS.

Supplier data that synchronizes automatically from Workday to WSS:

Address usage.

Payment terms.

Payment types.

Phone device type.

Supplier categories

Supplier classifications (limited to the Diversity category).

Supplier contact types (limited to the Supplier usage).

Supplier groups.

Shipping Terms

Shipping Methods

Data that Workday synchronizes on demand and caches for 15 minutes:

Address fields.

Bank account fields.

Workday doesn’t support automatic data syncing for basic supplier connector customers. You must enable the unified supplier onboarding form and synchronize all fields.

Workday does not sync Basic Supplier to WSS.

The USI transaction logs provide a detailed history of data exchanges from Workday to WSS.

Once WSS marks a supplier as Approved and syncs the record to Workday, the sourcing manager can’t edit the standard fields on the supplier record in WSS.

When a supplier record has a business process in progress in Workday, you can’t edit supplier contacts in WSS

Synchronization Errors

The

Supplier Synchronization Errors

task displays the latest synchronization errors. The task does not show previously resolved errors.

When you correct a synchronization error, Workday updates the record in WSS. If the correction is successful, Workday automatically removes the error from the

Supplier Synchronization Errors

task. Workday sends notifications for new errors based on the schedule in the

Opt In

tab. Any user with access to the

Supplier Sync Errors

task receives these notifications until you resolve the errors.

For supplier synchronization, the errors appear in a table directly on the

Synchronize Supplier

tab in the

Configure Unified Supplier Integration

task.

Supplier Linking and Business Processes

Unified Supplier Integration supports linking suppliers that exist in both Workday Strategic Sourcing (WSS) and Workday using the WSS Data Importer.. Supplier linking requires a supplier record to include the Workday

Supplier ID

in the

External ID

field and to have an Approved
status. A scheduled nightly process completes the linking.

You can't relink a supplier that is already linked.

If you have a business process condition to route suppliers coming from WSS, we recommend this configuration for the Supplier Event business
process.

Recommended Configuration:

Source External Field or Condition Rule: Created By

Relational Operator: In selection list

Comparison Type: Value specified in this filter

Comparison Value: Spend API Client Configuration - Integration User

Custom Validations

Workday initiates critical custom validations you configure for the supplier business object when either:

A buyer marks a supplier as Approved
.

An existing, synced supplier updates an onboarding form.

To prevent blocking a supplier going to Workday, ensure that you configure critical custom validations only for fields available in WSS.