SAP Success Factors API Essential Guide

What type of API does SAP Success Factors provide?

SAP SuccessFactors primarily uses OData (Open Data Protocol) as its API type. Here are the key points about SAP SuccessFactors APIs:

API Type

• SAP SuccessFactors primarily uses OData APIs.

Key Points

• OData is a REST-based protocol for querying and updating data.
• It provides a standardized way to build and consume RESTful APIs.
• SuccessFactors exposes its data and functionality through OData endpoints.

Advantages of OData

• Standardized approach for building RESTful APIs
• Supports querying, filtering, and updating data
• Allows for efficient data retrieval and manipulation
• Widely supported across various platforms and tools

Other API Types

• While OData is the primary API type, SuccessFactors may also offer some REST APIs for specific functionalities.
• SOAP APIs are generally not used in modern SuccessFactors integrations.

Best Practices

• Use the official SAP SuccessFactors OData API documentation for integration.
• Leverage OData query options for efficient data retrieval.
• Follow SAP's recommended authentication and security practices when accessing the APIs.

In summary, SAP SuccessFactors primarily uses OData as its API type, providing a standardized and efficient way to access and manipulate data in the system.

Does the SAP Success Factors API have webhooks?

SAP SuccessFactors does have webhook functionality, but it is implemented through a feature called Intelligent Services rather than a dedicated webhook API. The Intelligent Services feature allows you to subscribe to certain events in SuccessFactors and send data to external systems when those events occur.

To set up webhooks, you need to configure an Intelligent Services event in the SuccessFactors Integration Center. You can subscribe to events like "Employee Hire", and when configuring the integration, you specify REST as the destination type and JSON as the format.

The types of events you can subscribe to are limited to what's provided in the standard Intelligent Services - custom webhook events are not possible. Some examples of events you can subscribe to include Employee Hire (when a new employee is added) and other employee lifecycle events.

The webhook integration allows you to send employee data to external systems when events occur. However, there is no direct API to programmatically create webhook subscriptions - they need to be configured through the SuccessFactors UI.

Rate Limits and other limitations

Based on the search results provided, here are the key points regarding API rate limits for SAP SuccessFactors:

API Rate Limit Details

• There is no hard-coded limit on the number of API calls that can be made to SAP SuccessFactors.

• However, SAP recommends following some best practices to avoid overloading the servers:

  • A maximum of 10 concurrent requests/threads per client is recommended.

  • Multithreading should only be used for editing single records.

  • Multithreading should not be used for queries/read operations, massive upserts, or $batch operations.

Key Considerations

• While there is no strict limit, excessive API calls could potentially impact system performance or availability.

• The recommendations are aimed at preventing server overloads and ensuring high availability for all clients.

• SAP is planning to introduce rate limiting on SuccessFactors APIs, with an announcement made in the 1H 2022 release and planned rollout starting in 2H 2022.

Best Practices

• Follow SAP's recommendation of a maximum 10 concurrent requests per client.

• Avoid excessive multithreading, especially for read operations and batch calls.

• Monitor your API usage and optimize calls where possible to stay within reasonable limits.

• Stay updated on any changes to rate limiting policies, as SAP has announced plans to implement them.

In summary, while SAP SuccessFactors does not currently enforce strict API rate limits, they do provide recommendations to ensure optimal system performance. Developers should follow these best practices and be prepared for potential rate limiting implementation in the future.

Latest API Version

Based on the search results provided, I cannot determine the most recent version of the SAP SuccessFactors API with certainty. The search results do not contain specific information about API versions or release dates. However, I can provide some general information about SAP SuccessFactors APIs:

1. SAP SuccessFactors offers OData APIs for various modules and functionalities.

2. The APIs are organized into different packages, such as Employee Central, which likely correspond to different modules or areas of functionality within SAP SuccessFactors.

3. SAP provides a Business Accelerator Hub where developers can access and explore the available APIs for SAP SuccessFactors.

Key Points to Consider:

• SAP regularly updates its products and APIs, so the most recent version may change over time.
• To get the most up-to-date information on the latest API version, it's recommended to:
  • Check the official SAP SuccessFactors documentation
  • Visit the SAP Business Accelerator Hub for the latest API listings
  • Consult with SAP support or your SAP representative

Best Practices:

• Always use the most recent stable version of the API for new implementations.
• Keep track of SAP's release notes and announcements for updates to the SuccessFactors API.
• Regularly review your API usage to ensure compatibility with the latest versions and take advantage of new features or improvements.

To get the most accurate and current information about the latest version of the SAP SuccessFactors API, I recommend visiting the official SAP SuccessFactors documentation or contacting SAP support directly.

How to get a SAP Success Factors developer account and API Keys?

To get a developer account for SAP SuccessFactors and create an API integration, here are the key steps:

1. Obtain a SuccessFactors demo/trial account

• You need to be a certified SAP partner to request a demo system.
• To become a partner, you can check the "How to Become a Partner" guide from SAP.

2. Set up API access

Once you have a SuccessFactors account:

1. Enable SFAPI usage for your company instance (usually done during initial implementation).

2. Create an SFAPI user in SuccessFactors with the required permissions:

   • Manage Integration Tools > Access to Integration Service Registration Center UI
   • Admin Center > Manage Permission Roles > Access to X.509 Certificate Mapping

3. Generate OAuth credentials:

   • Go to Admin Center > Tools > Manage OAuth2 Client Applications
   • Register a new client application
   • Generate an X.509 certificate
   • Save the Client ID and Client Secret

4. Find your API Server URL, Username, and Company ID

3. API Documentation

• SAP provides API documentation on the SAP API Business Hub.
• You can discover and test SuccessFactors APIs there.

4. Create the integration

• Use the SAP Integration Suite to build integrations.
• For simpler use cases, you can use the SuccessFactors built-in Integration Center.

What can you do with the SAP Success Factors API?

Based on the search results provided, here is a list of data models that can be interacted with using the SAP SuccessFactors API, along with what is possible for each:

Employee Data Models

• PerPersonal

  • Retrieve employee information such as first and last names, gender, etc.

• EmpJob

  • Get department, location, and business unit information for employees

Performance Management Data Models

• FormHeader
  • Retrieve employee ratings for performance reviews
  • Filter ratings by form template type (e.g. "review")

Organizational Data Models

• Department

  • Filter and analyze employee data by department

• Location

  • Filter and analyze employee data by location

• Business Unit

  • Filter and analyze employee data by business unit

Talent Management Data Models

• ContinuousFeedback
  • Interact with continuous feedback data (specific capabilities not detailed)

General Capabilities

• Create calculated columns and custom fields
• Combine data from multiple entities/tables
• Apply filters, sorts, and selects on expanded properties
• Perform full text search
• Execute recursive queries
• Use user-defined functions in predicates
• Retrieve delta changes (only changes since last query)

Data Modeling

• Add semantic information to entities
• Expose entities directly or combine/refine/enrich them
• Create graphical, drag-and-drop views
• Build SQL-based views
• Develop multi-dimensional and semantically rich analytical models

It's important to note that the specific capabilities for each data model may vary depending on the implementation of each SAP SuccessFactors module. The API documentation should be consulted for detailed information on the operations supported for each entity.