When creating an ISU, what should you do to ensure the user only authenticates via...

When creating an Integration System User (ISU) in Workday, the goal is often to ensure that the user is restricted to performing tasks via web services (e.g., API calls or integrations) and cannot log into the Workday user interface (UI). This is a critical security measure to limit the ISU’s access to only what is necessary for integration purposes, adhering to the principle of least privilege. Let’s evaluate each option provided in the question to determine the correct approach based on Workday’s functionality and best practices as outlined in official documentation and the Workday Pro Integrations program.

Option A: Choose a constrained security group.In Workday, security groups define the permissions and access levels for users, including ISUs. There are two types of Integration System Security Groups (ISSGs): constrained and unconstrained. A constrained ISSG limits access to specific organizations or data scopes, while an unconstrained ISSG provides broader access across the tenant. While choosing a constrained security group can enhance security by limiting the scope of data the ISU can access, it does not directly control whether the ISU authenticates via web services or the UI. The type of security group affects data access permissions, not the authentication method or UI access. Therefore, this option does not address the requirement of ensuring authentication only via web services.

Option B: Select the Do Not Allow UI Sessions checkbox.When creating an ISU in Workday, the "Create Integration System User" task presents an option labeled "Do Not Allow UI Sessions." Selecting this checkbox explicitly prevents the ISU from logging into the Workday UI using its credentials. This setting ensures that the ISU can only authenticate and operate through programmatic means, such as web service calls (e.g., SOAP or REST APIs), which is precisely the intent of the question. This is a standard security practice recommended by Workday to isolate integration activities from interactive user sessions, reducing the risk of misuse or unauthorized access through the UI. This option directly aligns with the requirement and is the correct answer.

Option C: Update the session timeout minutes.The "Session Timeout Minutes" field in the ISU creation task determines how long an ISU’s session remains active before it expires. By default, this is set to 0, meaning the session does not expire, which is suitable for integrations that require continuous operation without interruption. Updating this value (e.g., setting it to a specific number of minutes) would cause the session to time out after that period, potentially disrupting long-running integrations. However, this setting pertains to session duration, not the method of authentication or whether UI access is allowed. It does not prevent the ISU from logging into the UI or ensure that authentication occurs only via web services, making this option irrelevant to the question.

Option D: Generate a random password.Generating a random password for the ISU is a good security practice to ensure the credentials are strong and not easily guessable. However, the password itself does not dictate how the ISU authenticates or whether it can access the UI. A random password enhances security but does not inherently restrict the ISU to web service authentication. Without selecting "Do Not Allow UI Sessions," the ISU could still log into the UI with that password, assuming no other restrictions are applied. Thus, this option does not fulfill the requirement of ensuring authentication only via web services.

Why Option B is Correct

The "Do Not Allow UI Sessions" checkbox is a specific configuration in the ISU setup process that directly enforces the restriction of authentication to web services. This setting is part of Workday’s security framework for integrations, ensuring that ISUs—designed as non-human accounts for programmatic access—cannot be used interactively. This aligns with Workday’s best practices for securing integrations, as outlined in the Workday Pro Integrations Study Guide and related documentation. For example, when an ISU is created with this checkbox selected, any attempt to log into the Workday UI with its credentials will fail, while web service requests (e.g., via SOAP or REST APIs) will succeed, assuming proper permissions are granted via an ISSG.

Practical Application

To implement this in Workday:

Log into your Workday tenant with administrative privileges.

Search for and select the "Create Integration System User" task.

Enter a username and password for the ISU.

Check the "Do Not Allow UI Sessions" checkbox.

Leave "Session Timeout Minutes" at 0 (default) to avoid session expiration during integrations.

Save the ISU and assign it to an appropriate ISSG (constrained or unconstrained, depending on the integration’s needs).

This configuration ensures the ISU is locked to web service authentication, meeting the question’s objective.

Verification with Workday Documentation

The Workday Pro Integrations Study Guide emphasizes securing ISUs by restricting them to integration-specific tasks. The "Do Not Allow UI Sessions" option is highlighted as a key control for preventing UI access, ensuring that ISUs operate solely through web services. This is also consistent with broader Workday security training materials, such as those available on Workday Community, which stress isolating integration accounts from human user activities.

Workday Pro Integrations Study Guide References

Section: Integration Security Fundamentals– Discusses the role of ISUs and the importance of restricting their access to programmatic interactions.

Section: Configuring Integration System Users– Details the "Create Integration System User" task, including the "Do Not Allow UI Sessions" checkbox as a security control.

Section: Best Practices for Integration Security– Recommends using this setting to enforce least privilege and protect the tenant from unauthorized UI access by integration accounts.