Active Directory
Connect Dayforce to Active Directory
Turn Dayforce hires, changes and departures into account updates in Active Directory. Follow the setup steps, preview changes with a dry run, then go live.
Dayforce record
08:02:14
Jonas Weber
50117
- Business Title
- Software Engineer
- Department
- Engineering
- Location
- Austin
- Manager
- D. Okafor
- Hire Date
- Nov 10, 2026
- Employment Status
- Pre-Start
Active Directory
eng-austin
- accountOU=Engineering,OU=Staff
- sAMAccountNamejonas.weber
- mailjonas.weber@northwind.com
- titleSoftware Engineer
- managerD. Okafor
- memberOfEng-All
- memberOfVPN-Austin
2.3s
- Dayforce fields mapped
- 12
- Steps to go live
- 9
- Employee records stored in our cloud
- 0
Joiners, movers and leavers
How Dayforce updates Active Directory
HR updates Dayforce. ezOnboard updates accounts based on your rules.
Joiner
An account before day one
A New Hire form sets the hire date and Pre-Start status in Dayforce.
- Account created in the role’s OU, disabled until the start date
- Name, email and attributes set from Dayforce
- Department and site groups added
- Account enabled on the start date; password change required at first sign-in
Mover
Access for the new role
A business title, department, location or manager changes in Dayforce’s Work screens.
- Title, department, office and manager updated
- Account moved to the OU your rules specify
- Groups added and removed to match the new role
Leaver
Offboarding on schedule
A Terminate an Employee form sets a termination date in Dayforce.
- Account disabled on the termination date, never deleted
- Groups removed and the account moved to the disabled OU
- Mail forwarded and licenses recovered with connected Exchange and Microsoft 365 services
Before you start
What to have ready
Work with a Dayforce admin and a directory admin to complete the setup.
- In Dayforce
- Dayforce System Admin access to create a role and a user
- A business email or employee number for each person in Dayforce to match them to their account
- In Active Directory
- A domain-joined server running Windows Server 2019 or later
- A group managed service account or service account to run the agent
- Outbound HTTPS to the HR system and ezOnboard; no inbound access required
- OUs for staff accounts, disabled accounts and the groups ezOnboard will manage
Step by step
Set up Dayforce with Active Directory
Start in Dayforce and on your server. Then finish in the ezOnboard portal with our implementation team.
01
Dayforce
Create a Web Services role for ezOnboard
System Admin → Roles → Features
ezOnboard reads Dayforce’s web services through a dedicated user. Its default role controls access. Create a role named ezOnboard with the permissions below.
On the Features tab, expand HCM Anywhere and select Web Services and Read Data only. On Authorizations, grant Can Read to the entities below. Under Web Services Field-Level Access → RESTful Services → Human Resources → Employee, select the listed field groups. Choose Save, then Refresh.
- Features: HCM Anywhere › Web Services, with Read Data
- Authorizations: Can Read for Employee Personal Information, Employee Contact Information, Employee Status Information and Employee Work Assignment
- Field-level access: XRefCode, HireDate, PersonContact, EmployeeWorkAssignment, EmployeeManager and the employment status group
Role features. Select Web Services and Read Data only, then Save and Refresh.
02
Dayforce
Create an integration user
System Admin → User → Properties
Create a user for ezOnboard and set ezOnboard as its default role. Choose a password that meets the role’s policy. On Location Access, add your company-level location to include every employee.
Save the username and password securely. Note your client namespace: the Company value on the Dayforce sign-in page. You’ll need all three in step 5.
User properties. Make the ezOnboard role the default role and add the company-level location.
03
Your server
Install the ezOnboard agent
The agent runs as a Windows service on a domain-joined server with Windows Server 2019 or later. It connects to Dayforce and ezOnboard over outbound HTTPS. No inbound firewall rules are needed.
Download the signed MSI and enrollment bundle from the portal. Save the install code. The portal shows it only once. Run the MSI, enter the code and choose a service account, preferably a group managed service account. The installer checks the domain connection, LDAP access, outbound access and clock before making changes.
Installer screen with the setup requirements.
04
Active Directory
Delegate the OUs the agent will manage
Run the installer’s delegation script once as a domain administrator. It lets the agent’s service account create, update and disable accounts only in the OUs you choose. The agent doesn’t need Domain Admin rights.
Include the OUs for staff accounts, disabled accounts and managed groups. The agent blocks changes outside these OUs, even if a rule requests them.
PS C:\> & 'C:\ProgramData\ezOnboard\northwind\ou-delegation.ps1' Delegated NORTHWIND\svc-ezonboard$ on OU=Staff,DC=northwind,DC=com Delegated NORTHWIND\svc-ezonboard$ on OU=Disabled,DC=northwind,DC=com Delegated NORTHWIND\svc-ezonboard$ on OU=Groups,DC=northwind,DC=com DoneRun the installer’s delegation script once on a domain controller.
05
ezOnboard portal
Add Dayforce as an HR source
In the portal, add Dayforce as an HR source using the user name, password and client namespace. Your credentials are encrypted with your organization’s key and sent to your agent. The agent reads Dayforce from your network. Nobody at ezOnboard can read the credentials.
Choose a field to match people across both systems, usually work email or employee ID. The agent checks Dayforce every five minutes and catches up on any missed changes.
HR source. Your agent uses these credentials to read Dayforce.
06
ezOnboard portal
Map Dayforce fields to Active Directory attributes
Choose which Dayforce fields update each directory attribute. Start with the defaults below, add custom fields or combine values. For example, build a display name from first and last names, format a job title or look up an office address by site.
Blank Dayforce fields leave directory values unchanged unless you configure the mapping to clear them.
Field mapping. See the full list of defaults below.
07
ezOnboard portal
Set rules for accounts, OUs and groups
Rules define who gets an account, which OU it belongs in, how it’s named and which groups it joins. They also control offboarding. Use Dayforce fields, such as department and site, to make those choices.
Our implementation team helps you write the rules. With approvals enabled, your team must approve each rule change before the agent uses it.
Rules page with the placement rule open.
08
ezOnboard portal
Preview changes with a dry run
Run a dry run for your whole workforce. The agent matches Dayforce records to existing accounts by employee ID, then work email, and previews changes without applying them. If two accounts match one person, that action stops for review.
Review the planned changes and the rules behind them in the portal. Adjust your rules and repeat the dry run until the results match your expectations.
Dry run. No changes are applied while dry run is on.
09
ezOnboard portal
Go live
Turn off dry run to apply changes. If a run would disable or move more accounts than your safety limits allow, it stops and alerts your team before making changes. We review the first runs with you.
HR continues working in Dayforce. Your rules handle new accounts, updates and offboarding on schedule. Get alerts by email, in the portal or by webhook when a run stops, the HR feed stops updating or the agent stops reporting. An inactive feed never triggers offboarding.
Reports with account activity, tickets avoided and agent uptime.
Field mapping
Dayforce fields and Active Directory attributes
Start with these defaults and adjust any mapping. Dates and lifecycle status control when accounts are created, enabled or disabled.
| Dayforce field | Active Directory attribute | How it’s used |
|---|---|---|
| First NamePersonal › Contact Information | givenName | Sets the first name at account creation and keeps it up to date. |
| Last NamePersonal › Contact Information | sn | Keeps the last name up to date. Also updates the logon name if your naming rule uses it. |
| Common NamePersonal › Contact Information | displayName | Uses the common name for the display name and email. Uses the first name if blank. |
| Business EmailPersonal › Contact Information | mail, userPrincipalName | Sets the email address and sign-in name. A mail rule can also generate them from the person’s name. |
| Employee NumberEmployment › Employment Settings | employeeID | Added to new accounts and used first to match existing accounts. |
| Business TitleWork › Work Assignments | title | Keeps the job title up to date and sets groups based on your rules. Uses the job assignment if blank. |
| DepartmentWork › Work Assignments | department | Keeps the department up to date from the primary work assignment. Rules can use it to choose account placement and groups. |
| LocationWork › Work Assignments | physicalDeliveryOfficeName | Keeps the office up to date. A lookup table can also fill in the street, city and country. |
| ManagerWork › Management Assignments | manager | Links to the manager’s account to keep approvals and org charts in sync with Dayforce. |
| Hire DateEmployment › Employment Settings › Key Information | userAccountControl | Sets when the account is created and enabled. You choose how many days before the hire date to create it. |
| Employment StatusEmployment › Employment Settings › Employment Status | userAccountControl | Active keeps the account enabled. Terminated disables it when no other record keeps the person active. |
| Termination DateEmployment › Employment Settings › Key Information | userAccountControl | Sets the date for disabling the account and starting offboarding. Your rules set the time. |
Frequently asked questions
- Does ezOnboard write to Dayforce?
- No. ezOnboard only reads Dayforce. Use Read Data and Can Read permissions. Leave write features unselected and make any corrections in Dayforce.
- Which Dayforce permissions does the user need?
- The user’s default role needs Web Services with Read Data, Can Read for the listed employee information, and field-level access to Employee. Add the company-level location to the user’s location access.
- Do we need Dayforce’s Entra ID integration or SCIM?
- No. ezOnboard reads Dayforce’s API and uses your rules to manage accounts in Active Directory or Entra ID. Its agent runs on your network and can also manage Exchange.
- Do we need a server for the agent?
- Yes. Use a domain-joined Windows Server with LDAP access to a domain controller and outbound HTTPS to Dayforce and ezOnboard. The agent needs no inbound firewall rules or Domain Admin rights. The delegation script grants access only to the OUs it manages.
- How quickly does a Dayforce change reach Active Directory?
- The agent checks Dayforce every five minutes and usually applies changes within seconds of finding them. Scheduled changes follow your rules: accounts are created before the start date, enabled on that date and disabled on the termination date at the time you choose.
- How does Dayforce trigger offboarding in Active Directory?
- On the termination date, the account is disabled, removed from its groups and moved to your disabled-accounts OU. It is never deleted. With Exchange and Microsoft 365 connected, your rules also schedule mail forwarding and license recovery. Every step is recorded for audit.
- Where does our employee data go?
- The agent reads Dayforce and updates Active Directory from your server. Names, emails and HR records stay on your network, where your team can view them on a local status page. The portal receives events with pseudonymous IDs, the rule used and the result.
- Can ezOnboard also connect Dayforce to Entra ID?
- Yes. One agent and one set of rules can manage Active Directory, Entra ID and Exchange from Dayforce. For accounts synced from Active Directory, the agent updates the on-premises account and assigns licenses and mailboxes in the cloud.
Get a demo
See Dayforce connected to Active Directory
Get a demo for your Dayforce and Active Directory setup. For questions, email sales@ezonboard.io.