Data Viewer
The Data Viewer in the PaySuite application provides a schema-centric view of the data foundation. From a single page, you can browse standard and custom entities and enums defined in the platform, inspect their fields, and review the data stored in each one.
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The Data Viewer is available under Workbench > Data Management > Data Viewer. Access to Workbench depends on your role within the platform.
Users with the Configuration, Support, Data Foundation Admin, Compensation Admin, and Global Compensation Admin professional roles have access to the feature.
Page overview
The Data Viewer page is built around the following elements:
Two summary tiles at the top of the page that show how many Entities and Enums exist in the data foundation.
The Search field, where you can find a data type by name. This feature supports partial matches, so entering only a fragment of the name is enough to surface the items you are looking for. For instance, entering "Comp" returns results such as CompensationElement, CompensationHistory, or ContractedCompensation.
The Type drop-down list, which allows you to limit the list to entities or enums, or choose both.
The Entity category drop-down list for filtering between Standard or Custom items, or selecting All.
The Export button in the upper-right corner, if data export has been enabled. See Exporting data below.
The paginated data type list itself, which includes the Name, Type (Entity or Enum), and Entity category (Standard or Custom) of each item.
The following figure illustrates the Data Viewer page:
Data Viewer page
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Custom entities are defined under Workbench > Data Management > Field Management > Custom Entities. Once created, they appear in the Data Viewer together with the standard entities and can be inspected the same way.
Viewing entity or enum details
Clicking the name of an entity/enum in the list opens its detail view. The detail view displays all the fields of the chosen entity/enum in a tabular layout, where each row corresponds to a record stored in the platform and each column – to the respective field.
The entity/enum detail view includes the following elements:
An entity/enum drop-down list at the top of the page, which displays the entity/enum you are currently viewing and lets you switch to a different one without leaving the detail view.
The Filters button, used to narrow the records shown in the table by attribute values.
The Refresh data button, which reloads the table with the latest data.
The Back to list button in the upper-right corner, which takes you back to the main Data Viewer page.
The Export button in the upper-right corner, if data export has been enabled. See Exporting data below.
The data grid, which lists the records of the selected entity/enum together with their field values.
If the entity/enum contains many fields or records, you can scroll horizontally and vertically to see the full content. The pagination below the grid enables convenient navigation.
The image below presents the detail view for the Absence entity:
Entity's detail view
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Please note that the grid is governed by user permissions, so it only contains records you have access to. If you are not authorized to see a given entity, the table appears empty or the entity is hidden from the main list altogether.
Filtering records within an entity or enum
To filter the records displayed in the detail view:
Click Filters above the data grid.
In the Select fields and values window, choose a criterion from the Criterion drop-down list, for example AbsenceType or EffectiveRangeStartDate.
Set an Operator, for instance Equal to, and provide a Value.
Click Apply.
In the grid, you will see only the records matching your criteria.
You can add more conditions to refine the view by clicking + Add condition in the window, and clear them all with the Clear filters button.
Sorting records
The data grid can be reordered by any column. Click a column header to sort the records in ascending order; click the same header again to reverse the order to descending. This works alongside any filters you have applied, so you can reorder the view at the same time.
Switching between entities or enums
There are two ways to move from one entity/enum to another:
Return to the main list by clicking Back to list above the data grid, and then choose a different entity/enum.
Open the entity/enum drop-down list at the top of the detail view and select a different entity/enum directly.
Exporting data
You can export data from the Data Viewer to CSV files. This simplifies verifying what data was stored after ingestion, comparing it with the original source file, or preparing data for updates and re-ingestion. Entities and enums can be exported from both the list and detail views, and the export reflects the data visible to you based on your current access scope and applied filters.
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Data export must first be enabled by the Support role in the Data foundation export section of Workbench > Data Management > Data Settings. When disabled, export options are not shown anywhere in the Data Viewer. Refer to Data Settings for details.
Exporting from the main list
To export one or more entities or enums from the main Data Viewer list, proceed as follows:
Check the box next to one or more entities or enums in the list. A selection bar appears above the list, showing the number of items selected, together with Select all [n] items and Unselect all links.
Click Export in the upper-right corner of the page. The button is disabled until at least one item is selected.
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In the Export data window, review the number of selected items and select an export type.
Two export types are available: Snapshot (Default) and History. Snapshot exports the current state of the data as displayed in the Data Viewer. History exports the historical revisions of the data within a date range that you define.
When you select History, the window also shows a Date range picker where you enter a start and end date for the revisions you want to export. Both dates are required before you can continue. You can type each date directly, or click the field to open a calendar, choose the start and end dates from it, and Apply to confirm, as shown in the following picture:
Selecting a date range using the calendar
Click Export to continue, or Cancel to close the window without exporting.
Exporting from an entity or enum's detail view
You can also export data from within an entity or enum's detail view. This exports the records currently displayed there, including any filters you have applied, rather than a selection of items. The same Export button and Export data window are used, but the window instead states how many elements from that entity or enum will be included.
Providing a password
If password protection for data export is enabled in Data Settings, a second Export data window opens after you click Export, asking you to define a password to download the file. If password protection is disabled, this step is skipped and the export starts immediately.
Enter a password that meets all of the following requirements:
Minimum length: 5 characters
Maximum length: 15 characters
At least one uppercase letter included
At least one lowercase letter included
At least one number included
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The export is filtered based on your access permissions. It only contains the worker data you are authorized to view.
Click Download once the password meets all requirements, or Cancel to close the window without exporting.
Completing the export
Once you confirm the export type (and, if applicable, provide a password), a Preparing your download window opens while the file is generated in the background. This window closes automatically once the file is ready, and your browser starts the download without further action on your part. A confirmation message appears once the file has downloaded successfully. If the export or the download fails, you will see an error message instead, so you can try again.
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Only one export can run at a time. If you start a new export while another one is still being prepared, you will be asked to wait for it to finish first.
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For more information about data integration into PaySuite, please see Introduction to Data Foundation and other articles from the Data foundation section of our Knowledge Base.
For a people-centric view of worker data that complements the Data Viewer, see the Workers view article.