As an integration developer working with Workday, you are tasked with transforming the output of an Enterprise Interface Builder (EIB) that calls the Get_Job_Profiles web service operation. The provided XML shows the response from this operation, and you need to write XSLT to select the value of the element where the wd:type attribute equals "Job_Profile_ID." The root template of your XSLT matches on and applies templates to . Within this template, you use the element to extract the value. Let’s analyze the XML structure, the requirement, and each option to determine the correct XPath syntax.
Understanding the XML and Requirement
The XML snippet provided is a SOAP response from the Get_Job_Profiles web service operation in Workday, using the namespace xmlns:wd="urn:com.workday/bsvc" and version wd:version="v43.0". Key elements relevant to the question include:
It contains , which includes elements.
Within , there is , which contains multiple elements, each with a wd:type attribute:
The task is to select the value of the element where wd:type="Job_Profile_ID" (e.g., "Senior_Benefits_Analyst") using XPath within an XSLT template that matches . The element outputs the value of the selected node, so you need the correct XPath path from the context to the specific element with the wd:type attribute value "Job_Profile_ID."
Analysis of Options
Let’s evaluate each option based on the XML structure and XPath syntax rules:
Option A: wd:Job_Profile_Reference/wd:ID/wd:type='Job_Profile_ID'
This XPath attempts to navigate from wd:Job_Profile_Reference to wd:ID, then to wd:type='Job_Profile_ID'. However, there are several issues:
wd:type='Job_Profile_ID' is not valid XPath syntax. In XPath, to filter based on an attribute value, you use the attribute selector [@attribute='value'], not a direct comparison like wd:type='Job_Profile_ID'.
wd:type is an attribute of , not a child element or node. This syntax would not select the element itself but would be interpreted as trying to match a nonexistent child node or property, resulting in an error or no match.
Option B: wd:Job_Profile_Reference/wd:ID/@wd:type='Job_Profile_ID'
This XPath navigates to wd:Job_Profile_Reference/wd:ID and then selects the @wd:type attribute, comparing it to "Job_Profile_ID" with =@wd:type='Job_Profile_ID'. However:
The =@wd:type='Job_Profile_ID' syntax is invalid in XPath. To filter based on an attribute value, you use [@wd:type='Job_Profile_ID'] as a predicate, not an equality comparison in this form.
This XPath would select the wd:type attribute itself (e.g., the string "Job_Profile_ID"), not the value of the element. Since expects a node or element value, selecting an attribute directly would not yield the desired "Senior_Benefits_Analyst" value.
Option C: wd:Job_Profile_Reference/wd:ID[@wd:type='Job_Profile_ID']
This XPath navigates from wd:Job_Profile_Reference to wd:ID and uses the predicate [@wd:type='Job_Profile_ID'] to filter for elements where the wd:type attribute equals "Job_Profile_ID."
Option D: wd:Job_Profile_Reference/wd:ID/[@wd:type='Job_Profile_ID']
This XPath is similar to Option C but includes an extra forward slash before the predicate: wd:ID/[@wd:type='Job_Profile_ID']. In XPath, predicates like [@attribute='value'] are used directly after the node name (e.g., wd:ID[@wd:type='Job_Profile_ID']), not separated by a slash. The extra slash is syntactically incorrect and would result in an error or no match, as it implies navigating to a child node that doesn’t exist.
Why Option C is Correct
Option C, wd:Job_Profile_Reference/wd:ID[@wd:type='Job_Profile_ID'], is the correct XPath syntax because:
It starts from the context node (as the template matches this element) and navigates to , using the predicate [@wd:type='Job_Profile_ID'] to filter for the element with wd:type="Job_Profile_ID".
It correctly selects the value "Senior_Benefits_Analyst," which is the content of the element where wd:type="Job_Profile_ID".
It uses standard XPath syntax for attribute-based filtering, aligning with Workday’s XSLT implementation for web service responses.
When used with , it outputs the required value, fulfilling the question’s requirement.
Practical Example in XSLT
Here’s how this might look in your XSLT:
This would output "Senior_Benefits_Analyst" for the element with wd:type="Job_Profile_ID" in the XML.
Verification with Workday Documentation
The Workday Pro Integrations Study Guide and SOAP API Reference (available via Workday Community) detail the structure of the Get_Job_Profiles response and how to use XPath in XSLT for transformations. The XML structure shows containing elements with wd:type attributes, and the guide emphasizes using predicates like [@wd:type='value'] to filter based on attributes. This is a standard practice for navigating Workday web service responses.
Workday Pro Integrations Study Guide References
Section: XSLT Transformations in EIBs – Describes using XSLT to transform web service responses, including selecting elements with XPath and attribute predicates.
Section: Workday Web Services – Details the Get_Job_Profiles operation and its XML output structure, including and with wd:type attributes.
Section: XPath Syntax – Explains how to use predicates like [@wd:type='Job_Profile_ID'] for attribute-based filtering in Workday XSLT.
Workday Community SOAP API Reference – Provides examples of XPath navigation for Workday web service responses, including attribute selection.
Option C is the verified answer, as it correctly selects the value with wd:type="Job_Profile_ID" using the appropriate XPath syntax within the template context.
