While not required since the Finch Sandbox is a full-featured testing solution, provider sandboxes allow you to test Finch’s ability to connect to an external system via Finch, modify data directly in that system, and see those changes reflected in API calls to Finch. This can be extremely valuable in the early days of testing to ensure that Finch functions as you expect it to.

Assisted functionality is not supported in the Provider Sandbox.

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Connecting to a Provider Sandbox

You can connect to a provider test environment in two ways:

  1. Configure Finch Connect with the sandbox=provider parameter set. With this setting, you can connect to any of the provider sandboxes which Finch supports.

  2. Select your Sandbox application in the Finch Dashboard. Under the “Provider Sandbox” tab, click on “Launch Finch Connect”. The Finch Connect modal displayed will function exactly as if the sandbox parameter were set to provider. Note that in this scenario, Finch will perform the access token exchange step for you and provide you directly with an access token. You should copy this token and use it for your resulting API requests.

Because these are external provider connections, Finch allows a maximum of 5 active provider sandbox connections per application.

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Demo Accounts

Some providers support sandbox environments which allow you to create companies, add and modify employees, and often even run payroll, enabling you to understand the true behavior of the system in a safe environment. Finch supports connecting to several of these sandboxes via your Sandbox application.

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Gusto

Complete the following steps to connect to Gusto’s sandbox environment:

  1. Sign up for a developer account. If you already have a developer acccount from following the Gusto integration setup instructions, you may skip this step.

  2. Under the “Demo Companies” tab, select “Create demo company”.

  3. Once this company is created, you will be provided with a set of credentials. You may log in to this sandbox company at https://app.gusto-demo.com/login. This will allow you to view the company and make any modifications you wish to test various scenarios.

  4. To connect to this company via Finch, follow the steps outlined above to configure Finch Connect to display provider sandboxes, select Gusto, and input the credentials into Gusto’s OAuth flow. Upon successfull completion of Connect, you will have a working Gusto sandbox connection!

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Deel

Complete the following steps to connect to Deel’s sandbox environment. See the Deel developer docs for information on Deel sandbox limitations.

  1. Sign up for a demo account. You may fill in any dummy information in the signup forms, including a dummy company name and tax ID.

  2. To connect to this company via Finch, follow the steps outlined above to configure Finch Connect to display provider sandboxes, select Deel, and input your Deel credentials into Deel’s OAuth flow.

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Square

Complete the following steps to connect to Square’s sandbox environment. See the Square developer docs for information on Square sandbox limitations.

  1. Sign up for a free Square developer account.

  2. Before going through the OAuth flow in Finch Connect, log in to your Square developer account at developer.squareup.com. Click “Open” next to the sandbox test account you wish to connect to. You must have this account open in another window in order for the OAuth flow to work properly

  3. Use the OAuth flow in Finch Connect to connect your new account.

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Trial Accounts

Though not all employment systems offer the test environments described above, many offer self-serve trial accounts. The difference is that these accounts are not in a separate sandbox environment and are meant to eventually convert into real production accounts. However, for testing purposes they can function in much the same way as provider sandbox accounts. Finch also supports connecting to these trial accounts via your Sandbox application. Note that many of these trial accounts are only offered for a limited period of time, so testing should be performed within that trial period.

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Bamboo HR

Sign up for a free Bamboo HR demo account and follow the instructions in Finch Connect to connect your account.

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Bob

To get a test account for Bob, fill out an application and accept Bob’s Terms and Conditions. In the notes section, let them know you are a Finch customer and are looking for a test instance.

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Sage

Sign up for a free Sage account. Follow the instructions in Finch Connect to create an API token for your Sage account. Make sure to hit “Start Fresh” at the top of the page before following the instructions to obtain an API token. Otherwise, the Integrations tab will not be present under Settings

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Personio

Sign up for a Personio partner trial and follow the instructions to create an account. Once you have an account, follow the instructions in Finch Connect to generate an API token for your Personio account.

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Humaans

Sign up for a free Humaans account. Follow the instructions in Finch Connect to create an API token for your Humaans account.

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Checkpoint + Next Step

After completing this step, you will have tested your application thoroughly with mock data from the sandbox and any live providers you set up. You are now ready to connect employers in bulk. Therefore, since you will be managing multiple connections simultaneously, you must make sure to store the connection’s access token properly. This reduces the risk of sensative employer data being exposed.

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