SAP SuccessFactors
Visier can retrieve data through this connector if the following requirements are met.
For more information about:
- The data that is retrieved through this connector, see the Connector Definitions.
- The data gaps, limitations, and performance expectations of the connector, see SAP SuccessFactors Data Coverage and Performance.
Prerequisites
- Create an integration user in SAP SuccessFactors.
Integration user
Create an integration user in your source system and assign it the appropriate security access so that Visier can retrieve your source data through this user.
Access |
Description |
---|---|
Employee Central Effective Dated Entities |
Personal Information: Personal Information Actions, First Name, Last Name, Gender Addresses: Address Information Actions, Edit Link Job Information: Job Information Actions, Position, Position Entry Date, Time In Position, Division, Department, jobInfo_seq-number, jobInfo_event-reason |
Recruiting Permissions |
OData API Application Export OData API Application Audit Export OData API Candidate Export OData API Job Requisition Export OData API Job Offer Export |
Employee Data |
Employee Profile: Date Of Birth View, Date of Position View, Department View, Division View, Email HR Information: Biographical Information Employment Details: Hire Date View, Termination Date |
Employee Central API |
Employee Central Foundation OData API (read-only) Employee Central HRIS OData API (read-only) Employee Central Foundation OData API (editable) |
Manage Documents |
Admin Access to Forms OData API (Include Deleted forms in Forms ODATA API) Admin Access to Talent Rating OData API |
Manage System Properties |
Picklist Management and Picklists Mappings Set Up |
Manage User |
Employee Export Data Access: User |
Metadata Framework |
Admin access to MDF OData API. This permission is only required if you want to use snapshot pagination to retrieve data. For more information, see Snapshot pagination. |
Manage Integration Tools |
Allow Admin to Access OData API through Basic Authentication. This permission is not required if the integration user is authenticating through OAuth 2.0. For more information, see OAuth 2.0 Authentication. |
Note: Admin Access to MDF OData API is required to retrieve data for Currency, Compensation Payout, and Performance Rating. Without this permission, Visier cannot retrieve Currency, Compensation Payout, and Performance Rating from SAP SuccessFactors.
Connector credentials
SuccessFactors supports the following methods for authentication:
- Basic (username and password)
- OAuth 2.0 (key and certificate)
Note: We recommend that you use OAuth 2.0 for authentication because SuccessFactors is ending its support for Basic Authentication. It will be deleted November 20, 2026.
Basic authentication
You need to provide the following credentials to Visier so that we can retrieve data from your source system. To provide your credentials in Visier, see Set Up Data Connectors.
Credential |
Description |
Example |
---|---|---|
Domain name |
The API server for your SAP SuccessFactors data center. To find your API server, see List of SAP SuccessFactors API Servers. |
https://api17.sapsf.com/ |
Username |
The integration user’s username. |
IntegrationUser |
Password |
The integration user’s password. |
Password1234 |
Company ID |
Your company’s unique ID in SAP SuccessFactors. |
SFCPART001119 |
OAuth 2.0 Authentication
SuccessFactors requires Visier to be configured as an OAuth 2.0 client application.
Generate the X.509 Certificate
To authenticate with SuccessFactors over OAuth 2.0, you must generate an X.509 certificate. We recommend that you use openssl to generate the certificate. However, any tool that can generate a valid X.509 certificate and private key will work.
Note: We do not support encrypted X.509 certificates so you cannot use the certificate that is generated by SAP SuccessFactors.
Use the following code to generate a pair of public/private keys which can be used to authenticate.
openssl req -keyout private.pem -out public.pem -x509 -sha256 -nodes -newkey rsa:2048
The following files should be generated and are required for configuration:
- private.pem: The private X.509 key
- public.pem: the public X.509 certificate
Register Visier as a client application in SuccessFactors
In the SuccessFactors Admin Center, go to Manage OAuth2 Client Applications, and click Register a new application.
Enter the following information:
- Application Name: Visier
- Application URL: http://visier.com
- X.509 Certificate: Paste the public X.509 certificated that you generated previously.
Note: Copy the API Key that is provided after you register the application.
Create Connector Credentials in Visier
You need to provide the following credentials to Visier so that we can retrieve data from your source system.
Note: Select the Use OAuth option when creating the connector credentials.
Credential |
Description |
Example |
---|---|---|
Domain name |
The API server for your SAP SuccessFactors data center. To find your API server, see List of SAP SuccessFactors API Servers. |
https://api17.sapsf.com/ |
Username |
The integration user’s username. |
IntegrationUser |
Customer API Key |
The API key from SuccessFactors OAuth 2.0 configuration. |
|
Private X509 Key |
The private portion of the generated X.509 certificate. |
|
Public X509 Certificate |
The public portion of the generated X.509 certificate. |
|
Company ID |
Your company’s unique ID in SAP SuccessFactors. |
SFCPART001119 |
How the connector loads data
Initially, data connectors retrieve a full history for each subject to generate an initial history of events. In each subsequent data retrieval, each connector handles the data load differently.
- Full load: All data from the source system is loaded into Visier.
- Delta load: Only changed data is loaded into Visier. A delta load may take either the entire history or a specific number of years of history for each changed record.
- Snapshot load: All data at a particular point in time. A snapshot load does not contain historical records or show changes over time.
- Partial load: A subset of data is loaded into Visier.
After the initial load, this connector only retrieves data for changed records. For changed records, this connector retrieves the record's full history. You can configure how many years of history is retrieved.
Snapshot pagination
By default, the SuccessFactors connector uses snapshot pagination to retrieve data. At the start of the data extraction process, a snapshot of the full list of record IDs is captured. Filters are applied and then the data set is ordered. The snapshot is stored on the server and reused in subsequent extraction jobs. Snapshot pagination enhances data consistency and optimizes the performance of complex queries, especially when handling large data volumes.
To enable snapshot pagination for your integration user, do one of the following:
- Grant Admin access to the MDF OData API.
-
Enable snapshot-based pagination for specific MDF OData APIs in Admin Center > Manage Data > Object Configuration.
Note: All API users can use snapshot-based pagination to query the OData APIs, but this configuration does not extend to child objects.
SuccessFactors enforces strict rate limits on snapshot pagination to safeguard against misuse and performance degradation. Under typical data extraction scenarios, this should not pose any problems. However, if you need to cancel an extraction mid-process while the connector is actively retrieving data, SuccessFactors may impose a 30-minute timeout on the integration user, preventing further requests during that period. For more information, see Access Limits for Snapshot-Based Pagination.
Additionally, avoid using the same integration user to run multiple SuccessFactors connector jobs simultaneously for the same tenant, as this may trigger rate limiting on the account.