LinkedIn Learning and SuccessFactors Deep Integration Guide

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What this Document Tells You

The following steps outline the SuccessFactors OCN and LinkedIn Learning integration process:

linkedin-learning-successfactors-integration-flow-chart

SuccessFactors Deep Integration Functionality

Authentication: SAML SSO Identity Provider

Reporting: OCN

Content Discovery: Automated Catalog Sync (All languages)

Requirements:

The LinkedIn Learning and SuccessFactors deep integration configuration involves the following requirements:

  • An active SuccessFactors LMS instance with BizX suite

  • An active LinkedIn Learning account

  • Admin access to LinkedIn Learning

  • Admin privileges to your SuccessFactors LMS instance

Integration Overview

Check out our overview of SuccessFactors' integration benefits and capabilities.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

During the initial configuration, you can configure LinkedIn Learning and SuccessFactors to establish a secure SAML single sign-on (SSO) connection that ensures seamless and secure access to content. SSO authentication reduces friction for users and administrators by eliminating the need for manual user registration. SSO ensures that learners spend more of their time watching content and less of their time trying to remember usernames and passwords.

Automated Content Catalog Sync

The LinkedIn Learning library contains thousands of courses. Courses are added at a rate of 25-30 courses per week at no extra cost. Traditionally, the administrator of a content discovery platform manually uploads new content on a regular interval. However, the SuccessFactors deep integration uses LinkedIn Learning APIs to dynamically refresh the content library daily. This method ensures new LinkedIn Learning content is available within 24 hours of its release.

LinkedIn Learning connects to SuccessFactors OCN APIs, so LMS admins do not have to manually upload new content packages at regular intervals. After initial setup, LinkedIn Learning uses OCN APIs to dynamically refresh the content library on an automated basis. This ensures new LinkedIn Learning content is available to learners within 24 hours of release. All content titles and descriptions are aggregated and indexed to accommodate keyword searches and support efficient discoverability. SuccessFactors supports automatic syncing of All languages content libraries.

Configuration

Enabling SAML SSO

LinkedIn Learning and SuccessFactors can be configured to establish a SAML single sign-on (SSO) connection to ensure seamless and secure access to content. You have two configuration options:

  • Connect to your organization’s identity management solution (Recommended) – If your organization has a centrally-managed identity management solution like Azure AD, Okta, or ADFS, you can configure it to authenticate users into SuccessFactors and LinkedIn Learning. Your IdP must be configured to send the SuccessFactors unique user identifier (also known as BizX UserID) to LinkedIn Learning and SuccessFactors. If user IDs aren’t the same between the two systems, learner activity tracking will not work. To learn more about identifying your SuccessFactors BizX UserID, see the "Identifying your BizX UserID" section in the Appendix. To pursue this option, contact your dedicated LinkedIn Learning Technical Consultant.

  • Connect directly to SuccessFactors BizX SAML IdP – LinkedIn Learning and SuccessFactors can be configured to establish a SAML single sign-on (SSO) connection. See the "Configuring SAML SSO via SuccessFactors" section of the Appendix.

SuccessFactors API Configuration

For LinkedIn Learning to push new content and learner progress into SuccessFactors LMS, a system user must be provisioned, and API access must be granted. In this section, we will review the steps required to authorize communication between the two systems.

Before proceeding, ensure you have configured and enabled SSO for your LinkedIn Learning account. If you enable content syncing before completing the SSO configuration, course launches will fail.

Create OCN Admin Role

To create an OCN admin profile in SuccessFactors, take the following steps:

  1. Log in to the SuccessFactors Learning Administration environment and go to System Administration > Security > Role Management.

  2. Click Add New.

    successfactors-add-new-admin-role-screen

  3. In the Role ID field, enter "OCN_ADMIN".

  4. Click Add.

    successfactors-add-ocn-admin-role-screen

  5. Select Permissions, then click the link under Add Permissions to the Role.

    successfactors-role-permissions-screen

  6. Under Add Permissions to Roles, enable Learning Activities, Search, and People Management.

    successfactors-add-admin-role-permissions-screen:

  7. Set Status Restriction to "Active" for each activity under Permission Restrictions:

    • Add Item

    • Add Item Libraries

    • Edit Item

    • Edit item Libraries

    • Edit Item Finance

    • Edit Item Cost/Price

    • Edit Item Custom Fields

    • Edit Item State

    • Open Content Network Import

    • View Item

    • View Item Libraries

    • View Item Finance

    • View Item Cost/Price

    • View Item Custom Fields

    • Search User

    • Add History Record

  8. Click Apply Changes.

    successfactors-add-role-permissions-screen

Create System Admin User

To create a system admin user in SuccessFactors, take the following steps:

  1. Log in to the SuccessFactors Learning Administration environment and go to System Administration > Security > Administrators.

  2. In the upper right-hand corner of the screen, click Add New.

  3. In the Admin ID field, enter "LILADMIN".

  4. Enter a new password in the password fields.

  5. Click Add.

    successfactors-add-system-admin-screen

  6. Select the Assigned Roles tab. If this integration is your first SuccessFactors instance, click Edit.

  7. In the Role ID field, enter "OCN_ADMIN", then click Add.

    successfactors-add-admin-user-screen

  8. Select the Summary tab.

  9. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Generate a new Client Secret. Save the client secret to your clipboard or desktop for later reference.

    successfactors-content-sync-complete-screen

Important

Do not copy the hashed secret value. The client secret should not contain dollar signs or any special characters.

Obtaining your SuccessFactors Client ID

To obtain your SuccessFactors client ID, take the following steps:

  1. Log in to the SAP SuccessFactors administration for your tenant and go to System Administration > Configuration.

  2. Select OAuth Token Server.

  3. Save the Client ID value to copy into your LinkedIn Learning settings. (You use this value in the "Configure LinkedIn Learning OCN Settings" section below).

successfactors-obtain-client-id-screen

OCN Property File

To configure the OCN property file, take the following steps:

  1. In the SuccessFactors Learning Administration navigation menu, select System Administration > Configuration > System Configuration.

  2. Find the Open Content Network option in the configuration file and select the Edit (pen) icon.

    successfactors-ocn-file-config-screen

  3. Scroll to the bottom of the configuration file.

  4. Copy and paste the values below into the configuration file:

    providers[LINKEDINLEARNING].enabled=true

    providers[LINKEDINLEARNING].name=LinkedIn Learning

    providers[LINKEDINLEARNING].label=label.u.ProviderLinkedInLearning

    providers[LINKEDINLEARNING].baseLaunchUrl=<https://www.linkedin.com/learning>

    providers[LINKEDINLEARNING].pricingModel=

  5. If LinkedIn Learning is your first OCN integration, enter the three additional parameters. To find the possible values, follow the click paths below:

    • defaultValues.itemType[default]: References > Learning Activities > Item Types > Do a blank search > choose the necessary item type and add it to the value parameter in the OCN property file.

    • defaultValues.itemCompletionStatus[default]: References > Manage Users Learning > Completion Status > Do a blank search > choose the necessary item completion and add it to the value parameter in the OCN property file.

    • defaultValues.domainID[default]: System Admin > Security > Security Domains > Do a blank search > choose the default domain where the item would be created and add it to the parameter in the OCN property file.

    These values vary per SuccessFactors deployment. LinkedIn cannot provide guidance regarding which values you should use. If you have questions, direct them to SuccessFactors support.

    For reference, here is a sample configuration:

    #Domain group defaultValues.domainID[default]=LIL

    #This configuration sets the item type. defaultValues.itemType[default]=Course

    #This configuration sets the item completion status. defaultValues.itemCompletionStatus[default]=CRSE-C

  6. Click Apply Changes.

OCN Content Synchronization Automatic Process

To automate the OCN content sync process, take the following steps:

  1. In the SuccessFactors Learning Administration navigation menu, select System Administration > Automatic Processes.

  2. Select Open Content Network Content Synchronization.

  3. Select the Schedule This Process check box.

  4. Select the Daily radio button.

  5. In the Time of Day field, specify a time outside of peak usage hours.

  6. Click Apply Changes.

    successfactors-auto-ocn-content-sync-screen

Create a LinkedIn Learning Label

To create a LinkedIn Learning label, take the following steps:

  1. In the SuccessFactors Learning Administration navigation menu, select References > Manage Labels > Labels.

  2. Click Add New.

  3. In Label Type, enter "LABEL" and click Next.

    successfactors-new-lil-label-screen

  4. In Label ID, type "ProviderLinkedInLearning".

  5. In Description, type "LinkedIn Learning Label".

  6. In Use By drop down, select "Both".

  7. Select Assign to All Locales.

  8. Click Add.

    successfactors-label-configuration-screen

  9. Select the Locales tab.

  10. To add a locale to the LinkedIn Learning label, enter the locale (i.e., "Japanese") in the Active Locale ID field and "LinkedIn Learning" in the Label Value field, then click Add.

  11. For each Active Locale ID, enter "LinkedIn Learning" (if the Label Value field is not already populated).

  12. Click Apply Changes.

    successfactors-create-label-screen

  13. To verify the label, within the Learning Administration menu, visit Content > Open Content Network and confirm the list of content providers includes LinkedIn Learning (LINKEDINLEARNING). If you see null (LINKEDINLEARNING) confirm the label ID created in this section matches the providers[LINKEDINLEARNING]label value provided in your OCN property file.

Configure LinkedIn Learning OCN Settings

To configure LinkedIn Learning OCN settings, take the following steps:

  1. In your LinkedIn Learning account, if you are not already in the Admin screen, select Go to Admin > Me > Integrate.

    linkedin-learning-integrate-navigation-screen

  2. In the side menu, select Configure reporting integrations.

  3. Expand the Configure SuccessFactors (OCN) section.

  4. Click Add integration. The Add SuccessFactors (OCN) integration screen appears.

    linkedin-learning-add-ocn-integration-screen

  5. In the user type drop down, there are three options:

    • ID – SAML SSO IdP configured unique user ID (UUID) value for your account. You should select this value if you are using SuccessFactors as your SAML IdP. If you’re using a 3rd Party SSO IdP, you should only select this option once you’ve confirmed your IdP is configured to send the same SSO UUID value to SuccessFactors and LinkedIn Learning. Unless a LinkedIn Learning Technical Consultant explicitly recommends an alternate option, select this value.

    • Username – SAML SSO custom attribute used solely for communication with external systems. You should select this value if you are using a third party SAML IdP that is configured to send the SuccessFactors UUID value as “username” in the SAML SSO payload.

    • Email – A user’s work email address value. You should select this value if you are using email as your UUID in both LinkedIn Learning and SuccessFactors.

  6. In the OCN Server field enter your SuccessFactors host name.

    Note

    Server names differ for new and legacy customers. Example: for new customers, the OCN server name follows this format: examplecompany.successfactors.com; for legacy customers, the OCN server name follows this format: examplecompanyname.plateau.com.

  7. In the OAuth Client ID and OAuth Secret fields enter the values copied from the "Create System Admin User" and "Obtaining your SuccessFactors Client ID" sections.

    Important

    Copy SuccessFactor’s Client Secret value into the OAuth Secret field in the LinkedIn Learning configuration interface. The value should be alphanumeric and should not include dollar signs or special characters.

  8. In the Admin User ID field, enter the value "LILADMIN".

    Note

    The initial content import takes several hours to complete. After the initial import completes, future content imports take place daily in a fraction of the original time. Once the import process completes, we strongly recommend you run another process to associate the content with a library, category, or course length of duration. A monthly audit allows you to continue to import new titles into your LMS and remove corresponding titles from the library when LinkedIn Learning courses retire.

  9. To begin the content import, click Enable and Sync Content.

    linkedin-learning-ocn-content-sync-completed-screen

  10. Once the sync is complete and you are ready to make courses available to learners, you can import the content individually or in bulk.

Appendix

Troubleshooting Course Completions

For a completion to be sent back to SuccessFactors, the following conditions must be true:

  • The learner’s SuccessFactors BizX ID must match the LinkedIn Learning user type value.

  • The completed course must be imported into SuccessFactors catalog.

  • The learner must complete a course in full. You can verify the learner has completed the course in LinkedIn Learning by selecting Home > Me > In Progress > Learning History and confirming the “Completed on” date.

    successfactors-course-completions

If the three above conditions are met, provide your dedicated technical consultant with the following information to further investigate:

  • The user’s SuccessFactors BizX UserID. To learn more about identifying BizX UserIDs see the "Identifying your BizX UserID" section below.

  • The user’s LinkedIn Learning Employee ID (SSO ID).

  • The name of the completed course and the date on which it the learner completed it.

Identifying your BizX UserID

If you opt to connect your organization’s identity management solution to LinkedIn Learning, you must configure it to send the SuccessFactors unique user identifier (also known as "BizX ID") to LinkedIn Learning so LinkedIn Learning can communicate course completions back to SuccessFactors. This section describes how to identify your BizX ID.

To identify your BizX ID, take the following steps:

  1. In the SuccessFactors Learning Administration navigation menu, select People > Users.

  2. Click Search, then click Download Search Results. The file downloads to your computer.

  3. Open the CSV file.

  4. The “User ID” column contains your BizX ID; send this value to LinkedIn Learning via your third-party SAML IdP. To ensure the correct value is released in the SAML attribute statement, share examples of this value with the administrator of your SAML IdP.

successfactors-identify-bizx-id-screen

Managing SuccessFactors Locales

In SuccessFactors LMS, course titles and descriptions only appear in the locale to which they are populated. If your LinkedIn Learning subscription includes access to multiple languages and locales, you may notice some LinkedIn Learning content appears in search results without a title and description. This error indicates the locale in which locale you are searching does not match the locale of the LinkedIn Learning content. LinkedIn has no control over how SuccessFactors displays content metadata in the LMS. To request title and description locale defaults, submit a case for the SuccessFactors support team.

successfactors-manage-locales-screen

Configuring SAML SSO via SuccessFactors

In this section, we review how to establish a SAML SSO directly with SuccessFactors (BizX) IdP. SuccessFactors does not provide any basic profile information (like a learner’s first name and last name), which can complicate reporting in LinkedIn Learning. You should only pursue this option if your organization does not have a third-party SSO provider or a LinkedIn Learning Technical consultant recommends it.

Caution

Use SuccessFactors as an SSO identity provider only if you have no other available option.

Generating Identity Provider Metadata

To generate IdP metadata in SuccessFactors, take the following steps:

  1. In the SuccessFactors Learning Administration navigation menu, select System Administration > Configuration > System Configuration.

  2. Find the BizX option in the configuration file and select View (magnifying glass) icon.

    successfactors-bizx-property-file-screen

  3. Within the property file, scroll down to the SAML Single Sign On section.

  4. Find the metadataProviders.IDP1.value entry. The value should look like the following sample URL:

    https://performancemanager[numericvariable].successfactors.[variable-depending-on-global-region]/idp/samlmetadata?company=[company_id]

    successfactors-saml-metadata-screen

  5. Visit the above URL to download the identity provider XML file.

Configuring an SSO Service Provider

To configure an SSO provider in LinkedIn Learning, take the following steps:

  1. In your LinkedIn Learning account, if you are not already in the Admin screen, select Go to Admin > Me > Authenticate.

    linkedin-learning-landing-page-authentication-screen

  2. In the Configure single sign-on section, click Add new SSO.

    linkedin-learning-add-consumer-service-screen

  3. Select your SSO method (in this case, "SAML").

    linkedin-learning-add-sso-screen

  4. In the Authenticate users with SAML SSO screen, select the Identity provider settings tab, then click Load and copy information from fields.

  5. Click Download file.

    linkedin-learning-add-assertion-consumer-service-screen

  6. To open a communication with the SuccessFactors team, create a support ticket and copy and paste the SSO configuration values from the LinkedIn Learning interface into the template below.

    SuccessFactors Support,

    My organization would like to integrate with LinkedIn Learning via the Open Content Network. To complete the single sign-on setup, a new authorized SP assertion consumer service needs to be configured in your back-end provisioning settings. Below you will find the relevant details provided by LinkedIn Learning for the assertion consumer service configuration:

    Assertion Consumer Service (ACS) URL: <insert-your-linkedin-learning-acs-url> Certificate: <insert-your-linkedin-learning-x509-certificate>

  7. Once SuccessFactors support has configured a new assertion consumer service, return to the Authenticate users with SAML SSO screen and click Next.

  8. Select the "Upload XML file" radio button, then click Upload XML file and navigate to the downloaded metadata file, select it and click Open.

    linkedin-learning-assertion-consumer-service-screen

  9. In SuccessFactors, select Save SSO configuration > Activate SSO configuration > I’m ready.

  10. In the LinkedIn Learning SSO settings tab, under SAML Request Binding, select "HTTP-Post".

  11. Under Include Assertion Consumer Service URL, select “Yes”, then click Save.

    linkedin-learning-sso-settings-screen

  12. In the Configure single sign-on screen, set the connection to "Active".

  13. In the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, click the "More Options" icon (...) and select "Edit".

    linkedin-learning-sso-active-edit-screen

  14. Toggle Automatically assign licenses to "On", then click Save.

    linkedin-learning-auto-assign-licenses-screen

Verify the SSO Configuration

To verify the success of your SSO configuration, take the following steps:

  1. If you are not already in the Admin screen, select Go to Admin > Me > Authenticate.

  2. In the browser address bar, copy the account ID value. In the example below the account ID is “123456”.

    https://www.linkedin.com/enterprise/accountcenter/settings?account=123456

  3. Construct a SSO URL for testing by pasting the account ID value from the last step into the URL below.

    https://www.linkedin.com/checkpoint/enterprise/login/[account-ID]?application=learning

  4. Copy and paste the SSO URL into your web browser and provide your SuccessFactors credentials when prompted.

Congratulations! Your learners now can access LinkedIn Learning content and reporting via their SuccessFactors OCN instance.

If SSO authentication is working as expected, you will be redirected to LinkedIn Learning. If applicable, you may be prompted to login with your LinkedIn credentials before being redirected to the course page.

Support

Please review additional resources on SuccessFactors integration.

Questions

For LinkedIn Learning configuration questions, reach out to your dedicated Customer Success Manager.

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