XP-Hub: payroll and HR integration for time and attendance
XP-Hub is the XperienceHR integration platform. It connects XperienceHR with any payroll or HR system, in both directions and in any format (JSON, SFTP, REST API). People data comes in from the HR system, and approved hours, overtime, premiums, absence and working days go out to each payroll provider.
Workday, SAP and ADP integrations · Payroll integration via XP-Hub · 15 years powering global payroll
Who owns which data, and how does it sync?
The HR system owns people data, XperienceHR owns time records, absence and approvals, and the payroll system owns pay calculation. Each flow runs on an agreed cadence, typically daily for HR data and per payroll run for approved time.
| Data | System of record | Direction | Typical cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employees, contracts, organisation | HR system | Into XperienceHR | Daily full snapshot plus changes, or per Workday PECI run |
| Approved leave held in the HR system | HR system | Into XperienceHR | Scheduled, agreed during implementation |
| Raw punches from gates and third-party clocks | Device system | Into XperienceHR | Per file transfer over SFTP |
| Time records, absence and approvals | XperienceHR | Out to payroll | Per payroll run, on a schedule or on demand |
| Pay calculation and payment | Payroll system | Not exchanged | Payroll calculates amounts from units |
Records are matched on the employee identifier carried in the HR feed, which single sign-on can also use. Incoming records are validated and mismatches are reported back to the source. Batch and real-time synchronisation are both supported, and the cadence for each flow is agreed during implementation.
Payroll data objects
Payroll receives approved units on its own pay codes, one file per payroll run, with corrections as delta records.
| Object | Content | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hours by type | Regular, night and public-holiday hours | On each provider's pay codes |
| Overtime | Hours or day units | Approved overtime only |
| Premiums and allowances | Shift premiums; call-out, standby and acting units | Premiums follow the shift actually worked |
| Absence | Days, half days or hours per type | Paid and unpaid absence on separate pay codes |
| Working days | Actual, total and calendar working days | Separate file, for basic-salary proration |
| Delta records | Only the corrected records | Delivered periods stay frozen |
One file is delivered per payroll run, including overtime and off-cycle runs. A multinational with several payroll providers manages one integration layer, because XP-Hub serves multiple payroll endpoints.
Which methods and formats does XP-Hub support?
XP-Hub connects any payroll or HR system in both directions, in any format (JSON, SFTP, REST API), and reads Workday PECI files.
| Method | Typical use |
|---|---|
| REST API with OAuth 2.0 | Systems that expose or consume APIs; documentation provided during implementation |
| SFTP file exchange | JSON or CSV files on a schedule, with SSH-key authentication per environment |
| Middleware | Where an integration platform already sits between HR and payroll |
| Workday PECI | Inbound Workday worker changes |
Flows run on a schedule per pay period or on demand. Mappings between the XperienceHR data model and each target format are set up during implementation.
Validation, monitoring and security
Every integration run is validated against a schema and logged, and delivery to payroll can be blocked on discrepancies.
- Schema validation on inbound and outbound data, so incomplete records are caught before they reach time records or payroll.
- Mismatch reports on incoming HR data, sent back to the source.
- Run logs for each integration run. A run that fails, for example on an unreachable SFTP folder, is marked failed, and the run log shows the reason.
- Pre-delivery reconciliation in the payroll engine, which can block delivery on discrepancies.
- Security: OAuth 2.0 machine-to-machine authentication with a tenant-scoped technical user, encrypted connections, rate limiting and optional IP allow-listing.
Which systems does XP-Hub connect?
XP-Hub connects Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, payroll systems such as ADP, and clocks and access gates.
- Workday: worker changes arrive through Workday PECI files.
- SAP SuccessFactors: employee and organisation data from Employee Central.
- Payroll systems: approved units by API or file on each provider’s pay codes; ADP is one example.
- Clocks and access gates: raw punches by file over SFTP.
Frequently asked questions about XP-Hub
XP-Hub is the XperienceHR integration platform. It connects XperienceHR with any payroll or HR system, in both directions and in any format (JSON, SFTP, REST API).
The HR system remains the system of record for employees, contracts and organisation. XperienceHR owns time records, absence and approvals.
HR data typically arrives daily as a full snapshot plus changes. Approved time goes to payroll per payroll run. Batch and real-time synchronisation are both supported.
On the employee identifier carried in the HR feed, agreed during implementation.
No. XP-Hub is one integration layer serving multiple payroll endpoints, each in its own format.
Integration review
An integration review maps the HR system, the payroll providers and a sample of each expected file or API against the data objects above. Requests go through the Discuss your integration button at the top of this page.