XML definition

The XML definition contains all mapping, grouping, and formatting directives that are required for the export process. Once the XML definition text block is completed, the text block is added to the Payroll Export Task Detail page through the XML field. You can have many Payroll Export Task definitions, one for each payroll system interface.

For example, if a company uses two payroll systems , for the east and west regions, then two Payroll Export Task definitions are needed since two XML definitions are required.

In the XML definition, there are three main blocks:

  • data
  • logic
  • format

In the data block, you can define the fields that are required in the export process. The data block defines the fields to be exported, the fields to be mapped, and the external fields to be mapped to.

In the logic block, all the mapping logic is defined. In addition, you can specify data processing directives, such as grouping records by certain fields. There is no limit on the number of mapping rules to apply to the export. Each record is processed sequentially though each mapping rule until a match is found. The logic block is flexible to implement wild cards and catch-all cases in the mapping rules.

Finally, the format block defines the format of the export file. The format block has grouping and text formatting capabilities. See Payroll Export XML tag reference.

Note:  The implementation team can modify functionality in the Standard Payroll Export Interface through the Java class plug-in. We do not recommend this customization. This customization should be used only if absolutely necessary. See Using the Payroll Export Java class plug-in.
Note: When attempting to filter specific values from the XML definition file, be aware that value matching is done on strings. To match date and numeric fields to filter, your entry must match the format and precision of the value, as the value is stored in the database