Payroll Export
Export time and absence data to file-based payroll formats and supported API integrations
Overview
Z8 supports both file exports and selected API-based payroll integrations. The exact behavior depends on the target system.
Use Settings -> Payroll Export to configure export targets, store org-specific credentials, maintain wage type mappings, and start exports for a selected period.
Use Settings -> Export Operations to monitor export failures, upcoming scheduled runs, and recent payroll, audit, and scheduled export activity across the organization.
Export Operations Cockpit
The export operations cockpit is the operational overview for export-related work. It is designed for monitoring and triage rather than setup.
From Settings -> Export Operations, org admins can:
- review the latest payroll, audit, and scheduled export issues in one place
- see which scheduled exports are due next
- confirm the most recent payroll export and audit pack completion times
- jump directly to Payroll Export, Scheduled Exports, or Audit Export for detailed configuration and history
Use the cockpit to spot failures quickly, then return to Settings -> Payroll Export when you need to change connector configuration, wage type mappings, or run exports manually.
Supported Export Targets
- DATEV, Lexware, Sage for downloadable file exports
- Personio for API-based attendance and absence sync where configured
- SAP SuccessFactors for tenant-specific API export workflows where configured
- Workday for API-based attendance and absence export, with rollout caveats documented below
Connector maturity differs
Do not assume every payroll target has identical capabilities. Validate each connector against your payroll process before relying on it operationally.
File-Based Exports
DATEV, Lexware, and Sage are configured as downloadable exports.
DATEV
Use the DATEV tab to save your client and consultant numbers, choose the personnel number strategy, and control whether zero-hour rows are included.
DATEV exports generate CSV files compatible with DATEV Lohn & Gehalt using semicolon delimiters, UTF-8 encoding, Windows line endings, and wage-type based rows.
Lexware
Use the Lexware tab to choose the personnel number strategy, zero-hour behavior, and whether hours or hourly-rate columns should be included.
Lexware exports generate semicolon-delimited CSV files with the Lexware-specific decimal and wage-type format.
Sage
Use the Sage tab to choose the personnel number strategy, zero-hour behavior, and whether you need the DATEV-compatible or Sage-native output format.
Personio
Personio is an API-based export path for attendance and absence sync.
Setup
- Open Settings -> Payroll Export -> Personio.
- Enter the Personio Client ID and API Secret from your Personio API credentials.
- Save the credentials.
- Configure employee matching and other export options.
- Use Test Connection before your first live run.
Credentials are stored securely as organization-scoped secrets in Z8.
Export Behavior
When you start a Personio export, Z8 matches employees with the configured strategy and attempts to push attendance periods and approved absences. Each record is tracked individually so you can review synced, failed, and skipped results.
SAP SuccessFactors
SAP SuccessFactors supports tenant-specific API export workflows where configured.
Setup
- Open Settings -> Payroll Export -> SAP SuccessFactors.
- Enter your instance URL and company ID.
- Save the OAuth client credentials.
- Choose the employee matching strategy.
- Configure SuccessFactors-specific time type codes in your wage type mappings.
- Use Test Connection before your first export run.
Credentials are stored securely as organization-scoped secrets in Z8.
Export Behavior
Configured exports transform work periods and approved absences into the target SuccessFactors payloads. Review failed or skipped rows after each run, especially when employee matching or time type mappings are still being tuned.
Workday
Workday is an API-based export target for attendance and absence records.
Setup
- Open Settings -> Payroll Export -> Workday.
- Enter the Workday hostname and tenant ID.
- Save the OAuth client credentials and optional scope.
- Choose the employee matching strategy.
- Use Test Connection to validate the tenant and credentials before running exports.
Workday credentials are stored securely as organization-scoped secrets in Z8.
Export Behavior
When you start a Workday export, Z8 authenticates against your tenant, matches workers by employee number or email, then attempts to create attendance and absence records through Workday payroll input endpoints.
As with the other API-based connectors, you should still review failed and skipped rows after each run, especially while employee matching and tenant-specific rollout details are being tuned.
Workday Status
Workday should be treated as a live export path, not as a validation-only placeholder. The main rollout caveats are tenant-specific configuration, worker matching, and export readiness in your own Workday environment.
Validate before production use
Workday exports post through live API endpoints. Run a controlled test with your payroll and Workday teams first so you can confirm worker matching, permissions, and payload expectations in your tenant.
Wage Type Mappings
Use the Wage Types tab to map Z8 work categories, absence categories, and special categories to payroll-specific codes.
Each mapping can carry different codes per export target, which lets one organization maintain DATEV, Lexware, Sage, and SuccessFactors mappings without duplicating categories.
Review mappings before every first export for a new target, especially when absences or overtime should be represented differently across systems.
Running Exports
- Open Settings -> Payroll Export -> Export.
- Choose the date range.
- Optionally filter by employees, teams, or projects.
- Start the export.
Small exports may finish immediately. Larger exports can continue in the background and appear in History with status tracking and retry visibility.
If your organization also uses recurring export delivery, review Settings -> Export Operations or Settings -> Scheduled Exports after each change so you can confirm the next automated run still has a valid target and configuration.
Best Practices
- Verify employee numbers before enabling any connector that depends on ID matching.
- Configure wage type mappings for both work and absence categories before your first real export.
- Test each target with a small date range first.
- Review failed and skipped rows after every API-based export.
- Test Workday with a small controlled period before broader production use.