Dayforce + Nectar Integration

Connect Dayforce (formerly Ceridian) to Nectar and keep your employee directory synchronized across every location, shift, and department.

Overview

Dayforce manages payroll, HR, and workforce data for organizations with complex, distributed teams. Nectar uses that data to keep recognition and communication programs accurate across every site. New hires get access automatically, managers and departments stay current, and terminated employees are deactivated, so frontline and office teams are on the same page without anyone maintaining a second list.

Ideal for:

• Mid-market and enterprise organizations running HR and payroll in Dayforce
• Multi-location and frontline employers that need accurate location data
• IT and HRIS teams who prefer a scheduled file feed they control
• People teams that want recognition and comms targeted by location and department

How It Works

Nectar reads employee data from Dayforce and uses it to create, update, and deactivate Nectar accounts. Data flows one way, from Dayforce into Nectar, so Dayforce stays your single source of truth.

What data syncs

• First name, preferred first name, and last name
• Work email (personal email is used only if no work email exists)
• Employee ID
• Job title and department
• Manager
• Office location and country
• Hire date and birthday
• Phone number
• Employment status (active or terminated)

Every field has a job inside Nectar. Manager relationships assign manager roles and Team Insights automatically. Hire dates and birthdays drive work anniversary and birthday celebrations in Nectar Recognition. Departments and locations power analytics filters, Group Give, and audience targeting in Nectar Comms, Nectar Engage, and Nectar Flows. Hire dates and work anniversaries can also trigger Nectar Flows, and manager relationships assign reviewers in Nectar Perform and build the org view in Nectar Signals. Country keeps the rewards catalog relevant for each employee, and phone numbers enable SMS delivery in Nectar Comms.

Sync behavior

• API connection: syncs automatically every day, with an on-demand Sync & Import option
• SFTP connection: runs each time Dayforce delivers a file; most teams schedule a daily delivery early on weekday mornings
• Either way, new hires are added, profile changes carry over, and terminated employees are deactivated

New users are created quietly by default. When you are ready to launch, turn on "Send Nectar platform email invitations to new users" so every future hire gets an invite automatically.

Authentication method

For the API connection, a Dayforce administrator provides a Company ID and the username and password of a Dayforce integration user with read access to employee records. For SFTP, Dayforce Integration Studio sends a scheduled outbound file authenticated with an SSH key. API connections are read-only, and Nectar never asks for or stores your Dayforce login credentials. SFTP files are encrypted in transit over SSH, and the private key never leaves your systems.

Where users interact

Admins connect, monitor, and pause the integration in Nectar under Workspace Settings, then Integrations. Employees never touch it: they just find an accurate profile, the right manager, and their teammates already in Nectar when they log in.

Key Features + Benefits

• Automatic provisioning: new hires in Dayforce get Nectar accounts without a manual upload
• Always-current profiles: title, department, manager, and location changes flow into Nectar
• Automated offboarding: terminated employees are deactivated, not deleted, so access ends and records stay intact
• Your choice of connection: connect through Dayforce's API for the fastest setup, or a scheduled SFTP report for full control over every field
• Celebrations on autopilot: birthdays and work anniversaries are recognized automatically from synced dates
• Controlled launch: accounts are created quietly, and invitations go out only when you turn them on
• Selective sync: choose exactly which departments and employee types are included

Setup and Implementation

Setting up the Dayforce integration follows four steps: Connect, Authorize, Map, and Enable. Your Nectar Customer Success Manager guides you through each one.

High-level setup steps

1. Connect: In Nectar, go to Workspace Settings, then Integrations, and choose either the HRIS API connection (Connect HRIS) or HRIS SFTP Sync (Connect SFTP).
2. Authorize: Search for Dayforce and enter your Dayforce Company ID and integration user credentials, or, for SFTP, add the public SSH key from Dayforce Integration Studio.
3. Map: For the API, choose the departments and employee types to include. For SFTP, build Dayforce Integration Studio, using an outbound integration with a Dayforce report as the source using Nectar's template columns.
4. Enable: Run your first import, confirm your users, schedule ongoing syncs, and turn on invitations when you are ready to launch.

Requirements

• A Dayforce integration user with read access to employee data (API), or access to Dayforce Integration Studio (SFTP)
• Nectar admin access

Estimated setup time

The API connection takes under 30 minutes once your Dayforce integration user is ready. An SFTP feed built in Integration Studio typically takes a few weeks, because Dayforce uses separate test and production environments.

Your integration should never delay your launch. If the connection is not live yet, Nectar's Bulk Upload loads your employees from a spreadsheet so you can launch on schedule and switch to the automated sync when it is ready.

Detailed, step-by-step instructions are available in the Nectar Help Center.

Use Cases

• Provision new hires across every location without a manual upload
• Target Nectar Comms announcements to specific sites, departments, or shifts
• Keep manager relationships accurate for Team Insights and Nectar Perform reviews
• Celebrate service anniversaries for long-tenured frontline employees automatically
• Deactivate departing employees as soon as Dayforce reflects the change

Security & Compliance

Nectar protects employee data at every step of the Dayforce connection.

• Read-only API access through a SOC 2 Type II audited integration partner, or SSH key-authenticated SFTP
• Nectar never stores your Dayforce login credentials, and SFTP private keys never leave your systems
• Data is encrypted in transit
• Nectar only uses the profile fields listed above and never syncs compensation, bank details, or benefits elections
• Only Nectar admins can connect, pause, or remove the integration
• Nectar maintains a SOC 2 Type II report, audited annually, with security documentation available in the Nectar Trust Center

Learn more on the Nectar Security page and in the Nectar Trust Center.

Support & Resources

• Nectar Help Center
• How to sync employee data with Nectar using SFTP
• How to monitor and manage your HRIS SFTP sync
• Bulk upload users (to launch before your sync is live)
• Nectar Trust Center
• Email Nectar Support at [email protected], or contact your Customer Success Manager