Integrate LinkedIn Learning courses with SuccessFactors Learning (LMS)

This blog gives a detailed technical overview on how to integrate LinkedIn learning content into SuccessFactors Learning so that users can seamlessly access the LinkedIn online contents from within SF Learning page itself.

Benefits of Integrating LinkedIn Learning with SF Learning

• Allow learners to easily access LinkedIn Learning content from within SF LMS
• Track learner progress through course progress and completion data.
• Seamlessly authenticate users and provide secure access to LinkedIn Learning with LMS where it’s available.
• Automatically upload LinkedIn Learning content into your LMS.

This is how a LinkedIn course will look like in SF LMS when all the configurations are completed.

Prerequisite:

1. One have to purchase LinkedIn Learning licenses in order to import the courses ( paid courses) in SF Learning
2. SF Learning module is enabled.

The entire configuration can be categorized into 3 important steps

• Configuration of SAML-based single sign-on (SSO) between SF Learning and LinkedIn
• Configuration of SuccessFactors Open Content Network (OCN) for LinkedIn Learning
• Steps to import LinkedIn Learning content in SF Learning

Configuration of SAML-based single sign-on (SSO) between SF Learning and LinkedIn

During the initial configuration, LinkedIn Learning and SuccessFactors can be configured to establish
a SAML single sign-on (SSO) connection to ensure seamless and secure access to content. SSO
authentication reduces friction for users and administrators by eliminating the need for manual user
registration.

There are two configuration options:

1.Connect to your organization’s identity management solution

If your organization has a centrally managed identity management solution like Azure AD, Okta, ADFS etc, it can be configured to authenticate users into SuccessFactors and LinkedIn Learning.

Your IdP MUST be configured to send the SuccessFactors unique user identifier to LinkedIn Learning. If user IDs aren’t the same between the two systems, learner activity tracking will not work.

2.Connect directly to SuccessFactors BizX SAML IdP

LinkedIn Learning and SuccessFactors can be configured to establish a SAML single sign-on (SSO) connection. In this blog I’ll cover the 2nd configuration option (I have not explored the 1st option yet)

Connect LinkedIn directly to SuccessFactors BizX SAML IdP

To establish a connection with your SuccessFactors instance, we need to load SF identity provider (IdP) metadata into LinkedIn Learning. The metadata includes SSO configuration information such as entity ID, endpoints, and signing certificate. It has 2 steps:-

Step 1: Generating Identity Provider Metadata

1. In the SuccessFactors navigation menu, select Admin Tools. ( Please note: one must have Learning admin access).
2. In the Administration Tools section, select Learning then Learning Administration.
3. In the SuccessFactors navigation menu, select System Admin.
4. In left menu, select Configuration . Then select System Configuration.
5. Find the BizX option in the configuration file and select View (magnifying glass and paper icon).
6. Within the property file, scroll down to the SAML Single Sign On section.
7. Find the metadataProviders.IDP1.value entry. The value should look like the sample URL below:

https://performancemanager<numeric variable>.successfactors.<variable depending on global region>/idp/samlmetadata?company=<company_id>

System Admin->Configuration

System Configuration->BIZX

metadataProviders.IDP1.value

Step 2: Setup Assertion Consumer Service

1) In the LinkedIn Learning admin navigation menu, select Settings then Global Settings.

2) In the Global Settings section, select the Single Sign-On (SSO) drop down.

3) In the Configure your Identity provider SSO settings section, select OR Click Here to load and copy individual fields from the form .

4) To open dialog with SuccessFactors team, create a support ticket and copy & 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>

5) Once SuccessFactors support has configured a new assertion consumer service ( SF ticket will confirm that), return to the LinkedIn Learning SSO settings ( Configure the LinkedIn service provider SSO settings)

Click on “Click Here” to manually input the following values

a) Issuer String or Entity ID: (https://<SF URL>/sf/idp/SAML2/company/<CompanyID>)

e.g. https://performancemanager4.successfactors.com/sf/idp/SAML2/company/XYZ

( performancemanager4.successfactors.com = SF URL XYZ= Company id)

b) IdP redirect endpoint: (https://<SF URL>/sf/idp/SAML2/SSO/POST/company/<CompanyID>)

e.g. https://performancemanager4.successfactors.com/sf/idp/SAML2/SSO/POST/company/XYZ

(performancemanager4.successfactors.com = SF URL XYZ= Company id)

c) X.509 Public certificate: Certificate can be downloaded from SAML Metadata file, link of SAML metadata:

(https:// <SF URL>/idp/samlmetadata?company=<CompanyID> )

e.g. https://performancemanager4.successfactors.com/idp/samlmetadata?company=XYZ

(performancemanager4.successfactors.com = SF URL XYZ= Company id)

Alternatively one can navigate to this path to get specific metadata link for SF learning instance and download metadata file from  Learning Administration -> System Admin -> Configuration -> System Configuration -> BizX Configuration :

6) Select Save SSO configuration then Activate SSO configuration then I’m ready .

7) In the SAML Request Binding section, enable select HTTP-Post .

8) In the Include Assertion Consumer Service URL section, enable select Yes .

9) In the automatically assign licenses section, enable the toggle.

Once the configuration is done, follow the below steps to verify the SSO Connection:-

1) In the LinkedIn Learning navigation menu, select Settings then Global Settings.

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.

5) 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.

One should be getting the below screen ( momentarily) before going straight into SF landing page, this means SSO has kicked off.

I’ve explained the next part of the configuration ( mentioned below) in Integrate LinkedIn Learning courses with SuccessFactors Learning (LMS)- Part 2 blog

2)Configuration of SuccessFactors Open Content Network (OCN) for LinkedIn Learning
3)Steps to import LinkedIn Learning content in SF Learning