Collect Workday User Activity logs
This document explains how to ingest Workday User Activity logs to Google Security Operations using Google Cloud Storage V2.
Workday is a cloud-based human capital management (HCM) and finance platform that generates user activity, authentication, and security audit logs. The User Activity Logging REST API provides programmatic access to these logs.
Before you begin
Make sure you have the following prerequisites:
- A Google SecOps instance
- A GCP project with Cloud Storage API enabled
- Permissions to create and manage GCS buckets
- Permissions to manage IAM policies on GCS buckets
- Permissions to create Cloud Run services, Pub/Sub topics, and Cloud Scheduler jobs
- Privileged access to Workday with Security Administrator or equivalent permissions
- User Activity Logging enabled in your Workday tenant
Create Google Cloud Storage bucket
- Go to the Google Cloud Console.
- Select your project or create a new one.
- In the navigation menu, go to Cloud Storage > Buckets.
- Click Create bucket.
Provide the following configuration details:
Setting Value Name your bucket Enter a globally unique name (for example, workday-activity-logs)Location type Choose based on your needs (Region, Dual-region, Multi-region) Location Select the location (for example, us-central1)Storage class Standard (recommended for frequently accessed logs) Access control Uniform (recommended) Protection tools Optional: Enable object versioning or retention policy Click Create.
Collect Workday API credentials
Enable User Activity Logging
- Sign in to your Workday tenant as a Security Administrator.
- In the Workday search bar, search for and open the Edit Tenant Setup - System task.
- In the Security section, select the Enable User Activity Logging checkbox.
Click OK to save the changes.
Create Integration System User (ISU)
- In the Workday search bar, search for Create Integration System User.
- Enter a User Name (for example,
ISU_SIEM_Export) and a strong Password. - Clear the Require New Password at Next Sign In checkbox.
- Click OK.
- Search for Create Security Group and create an Integration System Security Group (Unconstrained).
- Add the ISU (
ISU_SIEM_Export) to this security group. - Search for View Domain and locate the User Activity Logging domain. Grant Get access to the ISU security group for this domain.
- Search for Activate Pending Security Policy Changes and activate the changes.
Register API client for OAuth
- In the Workday search bar, search for Register API Client for Integrations.
- Enter a Client Name (for example,
SIEM_OAuth_Client). - Select the Non-Expiring Refresh Tokens option.
- Add the scope: System (or the scope required for User Activity Logging API).
- Click OK.
- Copy and save the following details in a secure location:
- Client ID: The API client identifier.
- Client Secret: The API client secret.
- Search for Manage Refresh Tokens for Integrations.
- Select the ISU account (
ISU_SIEM_Export). - Generate a new refresh token for the API client.
- Copy and save the Refresh Token.
Determine tenant URL
The API endpoint is based on your Workday tenant. The format is:
| Component | Value |
|---|---|
| Token endpoint | https://HOST/ccx/oauth2/TENANT/token |
| Activity Logging API | https://HOST/ccx/api/privacy/v1/TENANT/activityLogging |
Verify permissions
To verify the ISU has the required permissions:
- Sign in to Workday as a Security Administrator.
- Search for View Integration System User and select the ISU (
ISU_SIEM_Export). - Verify the user is a member of the security group with Get access to the User Activity Logging domain.
- If access is missing, update the security group and activate pending security policy changes.
Test API access
Test your credentials before proceeding with the integration:
# Replace with your actual credentials CLIENT_ID="your-client-id" CLIENT_SECRET="your-client-secret" REFRESH_TOKEN="your-refresh-token" HOST="your-workday-host" TENANT="your-tenant" # Get OAuth access token TOKEN=$(curl -s -X POST "https://${HOST}/ccx/oauth2/${TENANT}/token" \ -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \ -d "grant_type=refresh_token&client_id=${CLIENT_ID}&client_secret=${CLIENT_SECRET}&refresh_token=${REFRESH_TOKEN}" \ | jq -r '.access_token') # Test API access curl -v -H "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \ "https://${HOST}/ccx/api/privacy/v1/${TENANT}/activityLogging?from=2024-01-01T00:00:00Z&to=2024-01-01T01:00:00Z"
Create service account for Cloud Run function
The Cloud Run function needs a service account with permissions to write to GCS bucket and be invoked by Pub/Sub.
Create service account
- In the GCP Console, go to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
- Click Create Service Account.
- Provide the following configuration details:
- Service account name: Enter
workday-activity-collector-sa. - Service account description: Enter
Service account for Cloud Run function to collect Workday User Activity logs.
- Service account name: Enter
- Click Create and Continue.
- In the Grant this service account access to project section, add the following roles:
- Click Select a role.
- Search for and select Storage Object Admin.
- Click + Add another role.
- Search for and select Cloud Run Invoker.
- Click + Add another role.
- Search for and select Cloud Functions Invoker.
- Click Continue.
- Click Done.
These roles are required for: - Storage Object Admin: Write logs to GCS bucket and manage state files - Cloud Run Invoker: Allow Pub/Sub to invoke the function - Cloud Functions Invoker: Allow function invocation
Grant IAM permissions on GCS bucket
Grant the service account write permissions on the GCS bucket:
- Go to Cloud Storage > Buckets.
- Click your bucket name (for example,
workday-activity-logs). - Go to the Permissions tab.
- Click Grant access.
- Provide the following configuration details:
- Add principals: Enter the service account email (for example,
workday-activity-collector-sa@your-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com). - Assign roles: Select Storage Object Admin.
- Add principals: Enter the service account email (for example,
- Click Save.
Create Pub/Sub topic
Create a Pub/Sub topic that Cloud Scheduler will publish to and the Cloud Run function will subscribe to.
- In the GCP Console, go to Pub/Sub > Topics.
- Click Create topic.
- Provide the following configuration details:
- Topic ID: Enter
workday-activity-trigger. - Leave other settings as default.
- Topic ID: Enter
- Click Create.
Create Cloud Run function to collect logs
The Cloud Run function will be triggered by Pub/Sub messages from Cloud Scheduler to fetch logs from Workday User Activity Logging API and write them to GCS.
- In the GCP Console, go to Cloud Run.
- Click Create service.
- Select Function (use an inline editor to create a function).
In the Configure section, provide the following configuration details:
Setting Value Service name workday-activity-collectorRegion Select region matching your GCS bucket (for example, us-central1)Runtime Select Python 3.12 or later In the Trigger (optional) section:
- Click + Add trigger.
- Select Cloud Pub/Sub.
- In Select a Cloud Pub/Sub topic, choose the topic
workday-activity-trigger. - Click Save.
In the Authentication section:
- Select Require authentication.
- Check Identity and Access Management (IAM).
Scroll down and expand Containers, Networking, Security.
Go to the Security tab:
- Service account: Select the service account
workday-activity-collector-sa.
- Service account: Select the service account
Go to the Containers tab:
- Click Variables & Secrets.
- Click + Add variable for each environment variable:
Variable Name Example Value Description GCS_BUCKETworkday-activity-logsGCS bucket name GCS_PREFIXworkdayPrefix for log files STATE_KEYworkday/state.jsonState file path WORKDAY_HOSTyour-workday-hostWorkday hostname WORKDAY_TENANTyour-tenantWorkday tenant name CLIENT_IDyour-client-idOAuth client ID CLIENT_SECRETyour-client-secretOAuth client secret REFRESH_TOKENyour-refresh-tokenOAuth refresh token MAX_RECORDS10000Max records per run PAGE_SIZE100Records per page LOOKBACK_HOURS24Initial lookback period Scroll down in the Variables & Secrets tab to Requests:
- Request timeout: Enter
600seconds (10 minutes).
- Request timeout: Enter
Go to the Settings tab in Containers:
- In the Resources section:
- Memory: Select 512 MiB or higher.
- CPU: Select 1.
- In the Resources section:
In the Revision scaling section:
- Minimum number of instances: Enter
0. - Maximum number of instances: Enter
100(or adjust based on expected load).
- Minimum number of instances: Enter
Click Create.
Wait for the service to be created (1-2 minutes).
After the service is created, the inline code editor will open automatically.
Add function code
- Enter main in Function entry point.
In the inline code editor, create two files:
- First file: main.py:
import functions_framework from google.cloud import storage import json import os import urllib3 from datetime import datetime, timezone, timedelta import time # Initialize HTTP client with timeouts http = urllib3.PoolManager( timeout=urllib3.Timeout(connect=5.0, read=30.0), retries=False, ) # Initialize Storage client storage_client = storage.Client() # Environment variables GCS_BUCKET = os.environ.get('GCS_BUCKET') GCS_PREFIX = os.environ.get('GCS_PREFIX', 'workday') STATE_KEY = os.environ.get('STATE_KEY', 'workday/state.json') WORKDAY_HOST = os.environ.get('WORKDAY_HOST', '') WORKDAY_TENANT = os.environ.get('WORKDAY_TENANT', '') CLIENT_ID = os.environ.get('CLIENT_ID', '') CLIENT_SECRET = os.environ.get('CLIENT_SECRET', '') REFRESH_TOKEN = os.environ.get('REFRESH_TOKEN', '') MAX_RECORDS = int(os.environ.get('MAX_RECORDS', '10000')) PAGE_SIZE = int(os.environ.get('PAGE_SIZE', '100')) LOOKBACK_HOURS = int(os.environ.get('LOOKBACK_HOURS', '24')) def parse_datetime(value: str) -> datetime: """Parse ISO datetime string to datetime object.""" if value.endswith("Z"): value = value[:-1] + "+00:00" return datetime.fromisoformat(value) def get_token(): """Get OAuth 2.0 access token using refresh token flow.""" token_url = f"https://{WORKDAY_HOST}/ccx/oauth2/{WORKDAY_TENANT}/token" body = f"grant_type=refresh_token&client_id={CLIENT_ID}&client_secret={CLIENT_SECRET}&refresh_token={REFRESH_TOKEN}" headers = { 'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded', 'Accept': 'application/json' } backoff = 1.0 max_retries = 3 for attempt in range(max_retries): response = http.request('POST', token_url, body=body.encode('utf-8'), headers=headers) if response.status == 429: retry_after = int(response.headers.get('Retry-After', str(int(backoff)))) print(f"Rate limited (429) on token request. Retrying after {retry_after}s...") time.sleep(retry_after) backoff = min(backoff * 2, 30.0) continue if response.status != 200: raise RuntimeError(f"Failed to get access token: {response.status} - {response.data.decode('utf-8')}") data = json.loads(response.data.decode('utf-8')) return data['access_token'] raise RuntimeError(f"Failed to get token after {max_retries} retries due to rate limiting") @functions_framework.cloud_event def main(cloud_event): """ Cloud Run function triggered by Pub/Sub to fetch Workday User Activity logs and write to GCS. Args: cloud_event: CloudEvent object containing Pub/Sub message """ if not all([GCS_BUCKET, WORKDAY_HOST, WORKDAY_TENANT, CLIENT_ID, CLIENT_SECRET, REFRESH_TOKEN]): print('Error: Missing required environment variables') return try: bucket = storage_client.bucket(GCS_BUCKET) # Load state state = load_state(bucket, STATE_KEY) # Determine time window now = datetime.now(timezone.utc) last_time = None if isinstance(state, dict) and state.get("last_event_time"): try: last_time = parse_datetime(state["last_event_time"]) last_time = last_time - timedelta(minutes=2) except Exception as e: print(f"Warning: Could not parse last_event_time: {e}") if last_time is None: last_time = now - timedelta(hours=LOOKBACK_HOURS) print(f"Fetching logs from {last_time.isoformat()} to {now.isoformat()}") # Get access token token = get_token() # Fetch logs records, newest_event_time = fetch_logs( token=token, start_time=last_time, end_time=now, page_size=PAGE_SIZE, max_records=MAX_RECORDS, ) if not records: print("No new log records found.") save_state(bucket, STATE_KEY, now.isoformat()) return # Write to GCS as NDJSON timestamp = now.strftime('%Y%m%d_%H%M%S') object_key = f"{GCS_PREFIX}/logs_{timestamp}.ndjson" blob = bucket.blob(object_key) ndjson = '\n'.join([json.dumps(record, ensure_ascii=False) for record in records]) + '\n' blob.upload_from_string(ndjson, content_type='application/x-ndjson') print(f"Wrote {len(records)} records to gs://{GCS_BUCKET}/{object_key}") if newest_event_time: save_state(bucket, STATE_KEY, newest_event_time) else: save_state(bucket, STATE_KEY, now.isoformat()) print(f"Successfully processed {len(records)} records") except Exception as e: print(f'Error processing logs: {str(e)}') raise def load_state(bucket, key): """Load state from GCS.""" try: blob = bucket.blob(key) if blob.exists(): state_data = blob.download_as_text() return json.loads(state_data) except Exception as e: print(f"Warning: Could not load state: {e}") return {} def save_state(bucket, key, last_event_time_iso: str): """Save the last event timestamp to GCS state file.""" try: state = {'last_event_time': last_event_time_iso} blob = bucket.blob(key) blob.upload_from_string( json.dumps(state, indent=2), content_type='application/json' ) print(f"Saved state: last_event_time={last_event_time_iso}") except Exception as e: print(f"Warning: Could not save state: {e}") def fetch_logs(token: str, start_time: datetime, end_time: datetime, page_size: int, max_records: int): """ Fetch user activity logs from Workday Activity Logging API with pagination and rate limiting. Args: token: OAuth 2.0 access token start_time: Start time for log query end_time: End time for log query page_size: Number of records per page max_records: Maximum total records to fetch Returns: Tuple of (records list, newest_event_time ISO string) """ base_url = f"https://{WORKDAY_HOST}/ccx/api/privacy/v1/{WORKDAY_TENANT}/activityLogging" headers = { 'Authorization': f'Bearer {token}', 'Accept': 'application/json', 'User-Agent': 'GoogleSecOps-WorkdayCollector/1.0' } records = [] newest_time = None page_num = 0 backoff = 1.0 offset = 0 from_iso = start_time.strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ') to_iso = end_time.strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ') while True: page_num += 1 if len(records) >= max_records: print(f"Reached max_records limit ({max_records})") break current_limit = min(page_size, max_records - len(records)) url = f"{base_url}?from={from_iso}&to={to_iso}&limit={current_limit}&offset={offset}" try: response = http.request('GET', url, headers=headers) if response.status == 429: retry_after = int(response.headers.get('Retry-After', str(int(backoff)))) print(f"Rate limited (429). Retrying after {retry_after}s...") time.sleep(retry_after) backoff = min(backoff * 2, 30.0) continue backoff = 1.0 if response.status != 200: print(f"HTTP Error: {response.status}") response_text = response.data.decode('utf-8') print(f"Response body: {response_text}") return [], None data = json.loads(response.data.decode('utf-8')) page_results = data.get('data', []) if not page_results: print(f"No more results (empty page)") break print(f"Page {page_num}: Retrieved {len(page_results)} events") records.extend(page_results) # Track newest event time for event in page_results: try: event_time = event.get('requestTime') or event.get('systemAccount', {}).get('signOnDateTime') if event_time: if newest_time is None or parse_datetime(event_time) > parse_datetime(newest_time): newest_time = event_time except Exception as e: print(f"Warning: Could not parse event time: {e}") # Check pagination total = data.get('total', 0) if offset + len(page_results) >= total: print(f"Reached end of results (offset={offset + len(page_results)}, total={total})") break offset += len(page_results) except Exception as e: print(f"Error fetching logs: {e}") return [], None print(f"Retrieved {len(records)} total records from {page_num} pages") return records, newest_timeSecond file: requirements.txt:
functions-framework==3.* google-cloud-storage==2.* urllib3>=2.0.0
Click Deploy to save and deploy the function.
Wait for deployment to complete (2-3 minutes).
Create Cloud Scheduler job
Cloud Scheduler will publish messages to the Pub/Sub topic at regular intervals, triggering the Cloud Run function.
- In the GCP Console, go to Cloud Scheduler.
- Click Create Job.
Provide the following configuration details:
Setting Value Name workday-activity-collector-hourlyRegion Select same region as Cloud Run function Frequency 0 * * * *(every hour, on the hour)Timezone Select timezone (UTC recommended) Target type Pub/Sub Topic Select the topic workday-activity-triggerMessage body {}(empty JSON object)Click Create.
Schedule frequency options
Choose frequency based on log volume and latency requirements:
| Frequency | Cron Expression | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Every 5 minutes | */5 * * * * |
High-volume, low-latency |
| Every 15 minutes | */15 * * * * |
Medium volume |
| Every hour | 0 * * * * |
Standard (recommended) |
| Every 6 hours | 0 */6 * * * |
Low volume, batch processing |
| Daily | 0 0 * * * |
Historical data collection |
Test the integration
- In the Cloud Scheduler console, find your job (
workday-activity-collector-hourly). - Click Force run to trigger manually.
- Wait a few seconds and go to Cloud Run > Services > workday-activity-collector > Logs.
Verify the function executed successfully. Look for:
Fetching logs from YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS+00:00 to YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS+00:00 Page 1: Retrieved X events Wrote X records to gs://workday-activity-logs/workday/logs_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.ndjson Successfully processed X recordsCheck the GCS bucket (
workday-activity-logs) to confirm logs were written.
If you see errors in the logs:
- HTTP 401: Check OAuth credentials in environment variables
- HTTP 403: Verify ISU has required permissions for User Activity Logging domain
- HTTP 429: Rate limiting - function will automatically retry with backoff
- Failed to get access token: Verify
WORKDAY_HOST,WORKDAY_TENANT,CLIENT_ID,CLIENT_SECRET, andREFRESH_TOKENare correct
Configure a feed in Google SecOps to ingest Workday User Activity logs
- Go to SIEM Settings > Feeds.
- Click Add New Feed.
- Click Configure a single feed.
- In the Feed name field, enter a name for the feed (for example,
Workday User Activity Logs). - Select Google Cloud Storage V2 as the Source type.
- Select Workday User Activity as the Log type.
Click Get Service Account. A unique service account email will be displayed, for example:
chronicle-12345678@chronicle-gcp-prod.iam.gserviceaccount.comCopy this email address. You will use it in the next step.
Click Next.
Specify values for the following input parameters:
Storage bucket URL: Enter the GCS bucket URI with the prefix path:
gs://workday-activity-logs/workday/- Replace:
workday-activity-logs: Your GCS bucket name.workday: Optional prefix/folder path where logs are stored (leave empty for root).
- Replace:
Source deletion option: Select the deletion option according to your preference:
- Never: Never deletes any files after transfers (recommended for testing).
- Delete transferred files: Deletes files after successful transfer.
Delete transferred files and empty directories: Deletes files and empty directories after successful transfer.
Maximum File Age: Include files modified in the last number of days (default is 180 days).
Asset namespace: The asset namespace.
Ingestion labels: The label to be applied to the events from this feed.
Click Next.
Review your new feed configuration in the Finalize screen, and then click Submit.
Grant IAM permissions to the Google SecOps service account
The Google SecOps service account needs Storage Object Viewer role on your GCS bucket.
- Go to Cloud Storage > Buckets.
- Click your bucket name (
workday-activity-logs). - Go to the Permissions tab.
- Click Grant access.
- Provide the following configuration details:
- Add principals: Paste the Google SecOps service account email.
- Assign roles: Select Storage Object Viewer.
Click Save.
UDM mapping table
| Log Field | UDM Mapping | Logic |
|---|---|---|
| data, EVP_NME, EVPMINUS1_NME, Pay_Rate_type, Signon_Day_of_the_Week, Tenant_Access_Read_Only, Sign-on_Time, UI_Client_Type, Signoff_Time, Request_Originator, SAML_Identity_Provider, Worker_Type_for_Signon_Worker, Worker_Active_for_Signon_Worker, AccountLocked_Disabled_or_Expired, Created_Moment, Current_OMS_Version, ElapsedTime_Minutes, Failed_Sign_On, Authentication_Type, Operating_System, Hire_Date_for_Signon_Worker, Job_Family_for_Signon_Worker, Device_is_Trusted, Signon_Hour_of_Day, Signon_IP_Address | additional.fields | Merged with labels created from these fields |
| event_type | metadata.event_type | Value copied directly |
| tenant, status_code | metadata.product_event_type | Value from tenant, set to status_code if status_code == "Terminated" |
| taskId | metadata.product_log_id | Value copied directly |
| metadata.product_name | Set to "WORKDAY_USER_ACTIVITY" | |
| metadata.vendor_name | Set to "WORKDAY_USER_ACTIVITY" | |
| User_Agent | network.http.parsed_user_agent | Converted to parseduseragent then renamed |
| userAgent, Browser_Type, User_Agent | network.http.user_agent | Value from userAgent, then set to Browser_Type if not empty, then set to User_Agent if not empty |
| sessionId, Session_ID | network.session_id | Value from sessionId, then set to Session_ID if not empty |
| Client_TLS_Version | network.tls.version | Value copied directly |
| Worker | principal.asset.hostname | Value copied directly |
| ipAddress, Signon_IP_Address | principal.asset.ip | Merged from ipAddress if not empty, else from IP extracted from Signon_IP_Address |
| manager_name, Worker | principal.hostname | Value from manager_name if not empty, else from Worker if not empty |
| ipAddress, Signon_IP_Address | principal.ip | Merged from ipAddress if not empty, else from IP extracted from Signon_IP_Address |
| User_Credentials, Signon_Worker, Supervisory_Organization_of_Signon_Worker, Workday_Account_Sign_On, System_Account | principal.user.attribute.labels | Merged with labels created from these fields |
| manager_id | principal.user.userid | Value copied directly |
| Position, Active_Session, Authentication_Failure_Message, Forgotten_Password_Reset_Request, Invalid_Credentials, Is_Device_Managed, MFA_Exempt, Password_Changed | security_result.detection_fields | Merged with labels created from these fields |
| taskDisplayName | security_result.summary | Value copied directly |
| hostname | target.hostname | Value copied directly |
| CITY_NME, Location | target.location.city | Value from CITY_NME, then set to Location if not empty |
| COUNTRY_NME, Location_Country_for_Signon_Worker | target.location.country_or_region | Value from COUNTRY_NME, then set to Location_Country_for_Signon_Worker if not empty |
| STATE_NME, Location_State | target.location.state | Value from STATE_NME, then set to Location_State if not empty |
| Exempt, Browser_Type, Class_of_Instance | target.resource.attribute.labels | Merged with labels created from these fields |
| deviceType, Device_Type | target.resource.resource_subtype | Value from deviceType if matches regex, else from Device_Type if matches regex |
| deviceType, Device_Type | target.resource.type | Set to "DEVICE" if deviceType or Device_Type matches regex |
| BUSINESSGROUP_NME | target.user.department | Value copied directly |
| EMAIL_NME | target.user.email_addresses | Value copied directly |
| EMPLOYEE_ID, Employee_ID | target.user.employee_id | Value from EMPLOYEE_ID, then set to Employee_ID if not empty |
| FIRST_NME | target.user.first_name | Value copied directly |
| EMPLOYEE_TYPE | target.user.group_identifiers | Value copied directly |
| LAST_NME | target.user.last_name | Value copied directly |
| title, JOBTITLE_NME | target.user.title | Value from title if extracted from target.descriptor, then set to JOBTITLE_NME |
| target.id | target.user.userid | Value copied directly |
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