Set up the Workday–OpenSesame integration

Use the integration with Workday for convenient, time-saving tools to add new training. OpenSesame integrations provide courses and select metadata directly to a learning platform—no need for manual downloads and uploads.

This guide explains how to set up the integration, use an OpenSesame List to send courses, and then locate the courses in Workday. The example license type is an OpenSesame Plus subscription.

1. Requirements
2. Create SSO SP and attributes for OpenSesame
3. Generate and send IdP details
4. Upload OpenSesame's IdP details
5. Configure elements in Workday
6. Set up the integration
7. Confirm reporting is active
8. Send courses using Lists
9. Locate the courses within Workday
10. Additional information

1. Requirements

Eligibility

To use this integration, your organization must qualify for an OpenSesame Customer Success Manager (CSM) and an OpenSesame Implementation Specialist.

Work with an OpenSesame Implementation Specialist to set up your integration. If you are not yet in touch with one, contact your OpenSesame CSM or Account Executive.

What you need

1. A Single Sign-On (SSO) identity provider (IdP) already in use.
2. An internal IT partner who can assist with setup and confirm that the IdP meets OpenSesame's SSO requirements.
3. A subscription to Workday’s Cloud Connect for Learning. To use skills data for OpenSesame courses, you must also have Workday Skills Cloud.

2. Create SSO SP and attributes for OpenSesame

Add OpenSesame as a service provider (SP) in your IdP, with SP-initiated authentication enabled and IdP-initiated authentication disabled.

Note: Depending on your IdP, you may need metadata from OpenSesame to create the SP. If this applies, let your OpenSesame Implementation Specialist know. And if you are testing the integration in multiple Workday environments, such as a sandbox, each environment needs its own SP for OpenSesame.

When OpenSesame exists in your IdP, create two custom SAML attributes within that SP:

1. A unique and persistent “studentId” attribute. 
   • The attribute already in use for the Workday username must be the “studentId” for OpenSesame.
2. A combined first and last name attribute (optional). 
   • This attribute allows the use of reporting available in OpenSesame. We suggest calling it “studentFullName”.
   • If you don’t create this attribute, learner names do not appear in OpenSesame.

After you create the custom attributes, proceed to the next step.
 

3. Generate and send IdP details

Now that OpenSesame exists in your IdP, generate an IdP Metadata XML file or URL. Share it with your OpenSesame Implementation Specialist and mention the names of the custom attributes.

The OpenSesame team uses this information to set up the OpenSesame half of the SAML SSO connection. Next, your Implementation Specialist shares OpenSesame’s unique Service Provider (SP) Metadata XML. 
 

4. Upload OpenSesame's IdP details

Upload OpenSesame’s SP Metadata XML to your IdP, then set up the second half of the SAML SSO connection. (If you already uploaded this XML during Step 2, skip this step.)
 

5. Configure elements in Workday

In Workday, configure the following for OpenSesame:

1. An Integration System User (ISU). 
2. An Integration System Security Group (ISSG) and its domain permissions.
3. A Learning Topic.

To access the following guides, log in to the Workday Community.

• Create an ISU and ISSG.
• Create a Learning Topic.

6. Set up the integration

Now that you’ve set up SSO and an ISU, ISSG, and Learning Topic for OpenSesame, log in to your Workday instance with Learning Administrator privileges.

Use the search bar to select the task Configure Cloud Connect for Learning.

Select OpenSesame as the Content Provider, then OK.

On the next page, called Set Up Content and Content Provider, select the Integration System User (ISU) you created for OpenSesame. 

• If you use Workday Skills Cloud, to include skills data for OpenSesame courses, select Import External Vendor Skills. (For details about where skills appear in Workday, see the Additional information.)
• The Opt-Out of Synonymous Skills setting is rarely used. It blocks close matches (for example, “self-motivation” would not match “self-motivate”) and imports fewer skills.

All other items are optional. Select Next.

On the Manage Content Catalog page, set the Default Learning Topic you created for OpenSesame. Topic mapping is optional. Select Next.

On the Manage Credentials page, copy all four credentials and share them with your OpenSesame Implementation Specialist. The OpenSesame team uses this information to set up completion reporting. (Again, if you’re testing the integration in multiple Workday environments, such as a sandbox, each environment needs its own credentials.)

Note: Do not regenerate credentials unless your Implementation Specialist asks you to. Regenerating them invalidates earlier ones, which may break the integration until the OpenSesame team updates it with the new credentials.

After you share your credentials, select Next.

The Conclusion page summarizes everything configured in this step. Select OK. 

The integration is now active!

7. Confirm reporting is active

If you use Workday’s reporting, before any courses are completed, confirm with your OpenSesame Implementation Specialist that reporting is active. Historical completion data is not sent retroactively.

8. Send courses using Lists

When your OpenSesame integration and reporting are active, you can send courses to Workday. 

We strongly recommend starting with one or two OpenSesame courses and launching them in Workday to confirm everything operates as expected. Without the SAML SSO connection, for example, learners can’t launch courses.

• Follow the steps in How to send courses to a learning platform using a List, then return to this guide.

To review or remove courses after sending them, visit the My Courses dashboard.

9. Locate the courses within Workday

Workday’s retrieval happens immediately, however imports may take up to 1 hour to index in search. (In a sandbox instance, indexing may take up to 6 hours.)

When the indexing finishes, courses are visible to learners—no additional steps required!

To find all content imported from OpenSesame, use the Browse Learning Content report and filter by Content Provider.

If you change course selections in OpenSesame or a publisher updates metadata for a selected course, those changes are sent to Workday and appear when indexing is complete.

If you remove a course from the OpenSesame side or it is retired by the publisher, after the next reindex:

• The course automatically deactivates in Workday.
• It no longer appears in Workday’s search results. (You can still see inactive courses via the Manage Learning Content report.) 
• It still appears in an established learner’s transcript.
• Learners can’t relaunch it.

In addition to the reporting available in Workday, reporting appears in your OpenSesame administrator account as soon as learners start launching OpenSesame courses. In the account menu, find Dashboard or Insights then select Activity Report. As mentioned in Step 2, learner names only appear in OpenSesame if configured.
 

10. Additional information

Metadata

The following metadata fields are shared via the Workday–OpenSesame integration:

• Title
• Course description
• Thumbnail image URL
• Accessibility standards
• Accreditation and hours (if applicable)
• Available languages
• Date updated (appears as Date Added in Workday)
• Duration
• Learning objectives
• Publisher name (appended to the description)
• Tags (OpenSesame categories)
• Skills (if Workday Skills Cloud is enabled)

Any metadata changes that happen on the OpenSesame side appear in Workday within 1 or 2 hours.

Delivery methods and learner identification

Different elearning standards and platforms often identify learners in different ways. If you deliver courses to the same learners through multiple methods, each learner could occupy multiple seats. This duplication would also affect reporting.

This integration uses SSO to identify each learner, assign or confirm a seat license, and track course completions.

• Do not download course packages or AICC launch URLs in addition to sending packages to your learning platform. Downloaded packages and AICC URLs do not use SSO.
• You can use Quick Launch Links.

If you are unsure, ask your OpenSesame Implementation Specialist and test for duplication before sharing courses with learners.

Workday Skills Cloud

If Workday Skills Cloud is enabled, skills from OpenSesame map to the Workday skills taxonomy. Workday updates Skills Cloud every 3 months, and OpenSesame re-evaluates the mapping every 6 months.

Where OpenSesame skills appear depends on which modules are enabled in your Workday instance, such as:

Workday Learning

A Skills filter appears on the Browse Learning Content page.

On course pages, skills appear in Skills in This Course.

Career Hub

If a learner enters Skill Interests, relevant courses are recommended in Suggestions for You > Learn Something New.

Embedded recommendations

Where Workday is configured to suggest training or mention skills—such as in career goals, development pathways, performance evaluations, skill gaps, the Manager Insights Hub, or the Talent Marketplace—relevant OpenSesame courses may appear. 

For more information about Workday Skills, see Workday’s Workday Skills Cloud overview or their ebook Putting Your Skills Strategy into Action.
 

Retaking courses

This integration lets learners take a course again and earn a new completion.

In Workday, learners who have finished a course can select View Content Again on the course page.

This opens two options.

• Retake Course - Sets the course status to Not Started. 
• View Content Again - Opens the course at the learner’s last saved point.

After this, the learner selects Launch Course to continue. A Take this course again notice appears. 

• Review previously completed course - Opens the course at the learner’s last saved point.
• Take again - Starts a new registration and restarts the course from the beginning. The new completion appears in OpenSesame Insights and Workday reporting.

To ask questions about this option or turn it off, contact your OpenSesame Implementation Specialist.

Resources

• For information on managing course content after it’s imported into Workday, see Workday’s documentation or reach out to your Workday contacts for assistance.
• For integration questions, reach out to your OpenSesame Implementation Specialist or contact OpenSesame Support at support@opensesame.com.