SuccessFactors via Intelligent Services to publish new hire data to SAP Advanced Event Mesh

[cooperwalsh]

Real-Time HR Workflows - Event Enabling SuccessFactors with Intelligent Services &

SAP Advanced Event Mesh – A Step-by-Step Guide

Modern enterprise systems thrive on real-time data movement. SAP SuccessFactors, a leading HR platform, can emit business events — such as employee hires, terminations, or updates — that downstream systems need to react to.

In this blog, we demonstrate how to integrate SAP SuccessFactors with SAP Advanced Event Mesh (AEM) to publish real-time events.

Beyond event publication, we show how AEM routes these events to SAP Build Process Automation (SBPA) and other downstream consumers for automated processing and orchestration of business workflows.

The goal is to enable an event-driven enterprise, where systems react immediately to HR changes, ensuring faster decision-making, streamlined workflows, and improved agility.

Prerequisites

To follow this guide, ensure you have:

• SAP SuccessFactors system access with:
• Integration Center enabled.
• Administrative permissions (e.g., Integration Developer or Administrator).
• SAP BTP Subaccount with:
• SAP Advanced Event Mesh (Enterprise Messaging) service instance.
• Ability to create Service Keys
• SAP Build Process Automation (SBPA) tenant (optional but recommended) configured to consume events.
• Basic knowledge of:
• SAP SuccessFactors Integration Center.
• Event-driven architecture concepts.
• SAP BTP Cockpit operations.

Note: At the time of writing, native eventing from SuccessFactors was limited. SAP has since introduced the Cloud Application Event Hub which allows for native event publishing from SuccessFactors. However, in this blog Intelligent Services in SuccessFactors is leveraged to publish data to SAP Advanced Event Mesh.

• For reference, you can learn more about SAP’s Cloud Application Event Hub here:
  SAP Help: Cloud Application Event Hub & here.

Modern HR Integration: Event-Driven Architecture for SuccessFactors

This diagram illustrates a modern event-driven integration architecture for SuccessFactors, focused on automating the Hire-to-Retire process using SAP Intelligent Services, SAP BTP Advanced Event Mesh (AEM).

In this blog, we walk through a step-by-step guide to publishing SuccessFactors events—such as New Hire or Job Change—via Intelligent Services to Advanced Event Mesh. From there, we demonstrate how AEM can trigger downstream actions, such as launching a workflow in SAP Build Process Automation.

While the blog focuses on technical implementation between SuccessFactors, AEM, and BPA, the architecture also shows additional systems that benefit from the same real-time event stream, including:

• Identity Management: Automatically create user accounts
• Payroll & Benefits: Ensure timely processing (e.g., SAP Payroll, ADP)
• IT Service Management: Generate service tickets and provision equipment
• Facilities & Security: Provision office space, access credentials, and badges

By event-enabling SuccessFactors, enterprises can eliminate delays and manual handoffs across HR, IT, Facilities, and Finance—unlocking a scalable, decoupled, and responsive enterprise integration pattern.

Step 1: Accessing the Integration Center in SAP SuccessFactors

• From the SAP SuccessFactors Home page, the user initiates a search for “Integration” using the global search bar at the top of the screen.
• The search results show several options; the user selects Integration Center from the dropdown list.

Purpose: Integration Center is the key tool within SuccessFactors for creating, managing, and monitoring outbound integrations, including event-based and scheduled data flows to external systems like SAP Advanced Event Mesh.

Note: Administrative access rights (e.g., Integration Administrator role) are typically required to access and configure integrations.

Step 2: Creating a New Event-Based Integration

• In Integration Center, click My Integrations.
• Click the + Create button to initiate a new integration.
• Select:
• Trigger Type: Intelligent Services
• Source Type: SuccessFactors
• Destination Type: REST
• Format: JSON
• Click Create to continue.

Purpose: Sets up the framework to send data from SuccessFactors to an external system using REST API.

Note: Choose the appropriate Intelligent Service HR event depending on your use case (e.g., Employee Hire, Termination).

Step 3: Defining Integration Properties

• Enter an Integration Name and Description.
• Enable Read Access Logging (for audit purposes).
• Click Next to proceed.

Purpose: Defining properties ensures clarity and audit readiness for the integration created.

Note: Use meaningful names and descriptions for easier tracking later.

Step 4: Mapping Fields for the Outbound Event Payload

• Click the + button to add output fields.
• Use the field picker or navigate associations (e.g., userNav) to select related fields like Employee ID, Name, etc.

Purpose: Determines what data is included in the event sent externally.

Note: Be selective to avoid large payloads and protect sensitive information.

Step 5: Configuring the Advanced Event Mesh, REST Destination

• On the Destination Settings page:
• Enter a Connection Name.
• Specify the REST API URL where events will be sent.
• Choose Authentication Type of Basic Authentication.
• Select HTTP Method: POST.

Purpose: Defines the endpoint and method for event delivery.

Note: Ensure the destination URL is accessible externally and correctly secured.

Step 6: Finalizing and Saving the Integration

• Review the final integration mapping and destination configuration.
• Click Save.
• Optionally, choose to navigate to Intelligent Services Center for activating or linking the integration to an Intelligent Services Event.

Purpose: Saves the integration so it can be tested, activated, or monitored.

Note: You may require additional permissions to publish or activate integrations.

Step 7: Navigate to New Hire Event

In this step, we have focused on the "Employee Hire" event. This event is raised by SuccessFactors when a new employee record is created and assigned a start date in Employee Central.

Step 8: Add Integration to New Hire Event

This screenshot shows a step in configuring an event in SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central to post to Advanced Event Mesh when the Employee Hire event is raised. Here's a description of the step:

1. Navigate to Event Monitoring: In the Admin Center, go to "Employee Central: Employee Hire" and select the "Event Monitoring" section. This displays the event setup interface.
2. Set Up Event Details:
• Source Integration: Configured as "Integration Center" with the integration name "New Hire Event-Driven Integration".
• Source Integration (EmpJob REST Output AEM): Configured as "Integration Center" with the integration "EmpJob REST Output AEM".
• Timing: Set to "When event is published" for all.
3. Select Integration: On the right panel, under "Event Connector", the "Integration" option is highlighted (as shown in the red box). This indicates that you are connecting the event to an integration process, such as the "New Hire Event-Driven Integration" listed in the flow.

This step involves setting up a flow in SuccessFactors to trigger integrations (e.g., for benefits or job data) when a new hire event is published, ensuring automated processes are initiated.

Step 9: Create Supporting Queues for Event Distribution

In this step we prepare our broker for our new hire event distribution.  In this scenario we will trigger a custom workflow process in SAP Build Process Automation when a employee is hired in the state of California.  To set the foundation for this in SAP Advanced Event Mesh we have created two queues.   To create the queues go into your advanced event mesh service, select your broker, then select the Open Broker Manager button.  In the broker manager navigate to queues and then create two queues.

• The first queue is created to capture the new hire events published from SuccessFactors, we create the employee/new_hire/Created/v1 queue and have it capturing events posted on that topic endpoint
• The second queue is created to capture new hire in the state of california, we will use this queue later to trigger the new hire workflow for employees hired in California.  The queue is listening to events published on the topic employee/new_hire/Created/v1/California

Step 10:  Configure Integration Suite to communicate with Advanced Event Mesh

Once we have configred the queues in Advanced Event Mesh we then need to prepare our Integration Suite service to communicate with Advanced Event Mesh.  In Integration Suite navigate to the monitoring tab for Integrations and APIs.  In the monitoring page scroll down and select the Security Material tile under the Manage Security Section.  In the Security Material page select create and then select the user credentials option.  In the pop up window give name to your security object and then provide the username and password to you via connect tab in step 5.

Step 11.  Create Integration Flow Trigger

Once we have saved our security material we can now create an Integration flow, for this ingreation flow we will use the native Advanced Event Mesh adapter in Integration Suite.   We will first drag the sender adapter in to intitiate this integration flow.  Once the sender adapter is added to the iflow, provide the hostname of the broker, the message vpn and then scroll down and provide the name for the security material you created in the previous step for basic authentication with your provided user name.  You will also need to add the queue you are posting the new hire data to from SuccessFactors to trigger this integration flow.

Step 12: Capture State Employee was hired in

In the integration flow add as the first step the integration flow add the JSON to XML format conversion function.  After that step add the content modifier function and in the exchange property tab create the variable named state, find your value of state within your payload, here we are using xpath to find state within our payload, then assign the variable value to java.lang.String.  We will use this variable in the sender adapter.

Step 13: Map Message to Cloud Event Async API format

After we assign the state value we will then create a mapping step.  In the mapping step we map the message from its orginal format into the cloud event specification.  It is important to map the payload to this format as this is the default format used by SAP’s services and it allows us to leverage the native event trigger in SAP Build Process Automation.  For more details on the cloud event specification see: https://community.sap.com/t5/application-development-and-automation-blog-posts/cloudevents-at-sap/ba...

In the message payload the key elements added here are the header fields of type, which uniquely identifies the event here I defined a custom event type as cust.ext.SF.EMPLOYEE.Created.v1, spec version, set to 1.0, source, which is set to success factors, and id which I set via a groovy function to an to a uuid value.

1. Create Sender Adapter to publish message back to Advanced Event Mesh

Once the mapping is complete we convert the payload back to json then publish the message back to advanced event mesh on the topic of employe/new_hire/Created/v1/${property.state} which will publish dynamically to the queue for the state the employee was hired in.

Step 15: Create Rest Client to post to SAP Build Process Automation Event Trigger

Save and deploy the Integration flow, then return to Advanced Event Mesh.  In Advanced Event Mesh in the broker manager we will need to create a rest delivery client to send the data to SAP Build Process Automation’s event trigger endpoint.  Here we will need to pass the oauth credentials for SAP Build Process automation, add the delivery point for SAP build process automation and add the needed headers to the message for it to be accepted by Process Automation.  For more details about connected Advanced Event Mesh with SAP Build Process Automation see: https://help.sap.com/docs/build-process-automation/sap-build-process-automation/connect-with-advance...

Step 16: Add Custom Event to SAP Build Process Automation

Once the rest client is set up and activated we will then enter into SAP Build Process Automation.  We will chose event option and create a new event.   Here we will upload the AsyncAPI specification of our event which aligns to the Cloud Event format that we mapped the message to in SAP Integration Suite.  Once the Event trigger is added we can now use it to trigger workflow in SAP Build Process Automation.

Step 17: Create Workflow started from event trigger

With the event trigger active we can now create our workflow.  For this exercise we create a very simple workflow which surfaces data from the event in an approval form.  For test purposes we name ourselves as the reciever of the workflow task then save and deploy the workflow artifact. 

Step 18: Test Scenario

Now that the set up is complete we can test the integration by adding a new employee in our successfactors system.  We can see that the new hire’s information has landed in our inbox successfully and can view the logs in successfactors and SAP Integration Suite of the processed integration artifacts.

Conclusion

By following the detailed steps outlined above, we've successfully established an event-driven integration between SAP SuccessFactors and SAP Advanced Event Mesh (AEM).

This setup enables SuccessFactors to emit real-time HR events—such as employee hires and updates—into AEM, where they can be reliably queued, monitored, and distributed to downstream systems.

By subscribing SAP Build Process Automation (SBPA) and other consuming services to these events, organizations can trigger automated workflows, orchestrate cross-functional business processes, and make faster, more intelligent decisions based on live HR data.

This event-driven architecture enhances agility, improves scalability, and ensures critical business processes respond instantly to changes across the enterprise.

Next steps to extend this foundation include:

• Adding advanced filtering and routing logic in AEM
• Implementing error handling and retry mechanisms for event consumers
• Expanding integrations to other SAP and non-SAP applications

With the right governance and monitoring in place, this architecture sets the stage for unlocking the full potential of a real-time, event-driven enterprise.

Blog Authors: 

Sumeet Koshal - Solace 

Director of EDA Solutions North America 

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Cooper Walsh - SAP

Sr. Solutions Advisor - SAP BTP

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