Incorta Data Apps for Workday: How Pre-Built Models Slash Extraction Time

Workday is a powerful cloud-based ERP and HCM platform, but extracting and analyzing its data presents unique challenges. Unlike traditional databases, where you can query tables directly, Workday operates on a complex object model accessible only through APIs. This complexity often leads to prolonged data projects (12-24 months), segmented views of business data, and significant manual effort.

Incorta’s Workday Data Applications address these challenges head-on, helping organizations deploy analytics faster, while maintaining high-fidelity data and Workday’s security framework.

‍

What are common challenges when working with Workday data?

‍

1. Complex Object Model

‍
Workday’s data is structured as nested business objects (e.g., an Employee object contains Address, which itself has sub-objects like City or PostalCode). Extracting this data requires navigating API calls, not SQL queries.

‍

2. Slow, Manual Extractions

Workday lacks native bulk extraction tools. Traditional methods like SOAP/WQL APIs are slow and have a 1-million-row limit per call, forcing workarounds for large datasets.

‍

3. Integration Barriers

Combining Workday data with external sources (e.g., Salesforce, Excel) is cumbersome. Workday’s Prism integration tool is limited in transformation capabilities.

‍

4. Security and Prompts

Data extraction requires precise prompts/filters (e.g., CompanyID, Year). Missing these triggers API errors, adding complexity.

‍

‍

How Incorta connects to Workday

Incorta leverages the CData Workday Connector to bridge Workday’s APIs with Incorta’s analytics engine. The connector supports:

• Connection Types:
  
  • WQL API (recommended): Faster, supports OAuth 2.0, and flattens multi-valued XML columns (e.g., Journal Lines embedded in a Journal object).
  • SOAP API: Legacy, slower, no OAuth support.
  • RaaS (Report-as-a-Service): Pulls pre-built Workday reports but isn’t used in Incorta’s Data Apps due to scalability limits.
    
    
• Key Features:
  
  • SQL Compliance: Use IN, UNION, and string/math functions in extraction queries.
  • Incremental Loads: Avoid full extracts after initial loads.
  • Parallel Paging: Splits large requests into parallel calls to bypass the 1M-row limit.

Overcoming Workday data extraction challenges with Incorta

‍

Handling Large Workday Datasets:

For initial full loads, split extractions by time ranges (e.g., Year IN (2023, 2024)) or business dimensions (e.g., CompanyID). Merge datasets in Incorta post-extraction.

Flattening Nested Objects:

WQL automatically flattens XML/JSON columns (e.g., Journal Lines), while SOAP requires manual parsing in Incorta.

‍

‍Prompt Management:

Each Workday data source requires specific prompts (e.g., CompanyID). The CData connector allows filtering during extraction:
sql
SELECT * FROM Workday_Journal 

WHERE EntryDate >= '2023-01-01' AND CompanyID IN (1001, 1002)

‍

‍

Workday Data Applications: Functional Coverage

‍

Incorta’s pre-built Data Apps for Workday Adaptive Planning accelerate analytics for:

‍

Human Capital Management (HCM)

• Workforce Analytics: Headcount, turnover, diversity (gender, age, location).
  Sample Metric: Turnover % = (Terminated Count / Active Headcount) * 100
• Compensation: Salary trends, pay equity, comp ratios.
  Sample Dashboard: Salary distribution by job profile/age band.
• Absence & Time Tracking: Leave trends, overtime hours, project cost by role.

Financials

• General Ledger: Trial balance, journal entry tracking.
• Payables/Receivables: Aging reports, supplier/customer overdue balances.
  Sample Query: Top 10 Suppliers by Avg Payment Days

‍

‍

Customer Example: Pegasus Logistics

Pegasus combined Workday Financials with logistics data in Incorta to:

• Achieve near-real-time data refreshes.
• Enable drill-down from KPIs to transaction details in Power BI.
• Reduce manual effort by 60%.

‍

Implementation Notes

1. Prerequisites:
   
   • CData Workday Connector license.
   • Workday API credentials (OAuth 2.0 for WQL).
2. Optimization Tips:
   
   • Use WQL over SOAP for performance.
   • Schedule incremental refreshes to avoid full extracts.
   • For large historical loads, split by year/company.
3. Limitations:
   
   • Avoid REST API for bulk extracts.
   • RaaS is only suitable for small, report-based integrations.
     
     

Incorta’s Data Apps for Workday turn a historically complex integration into a streamlined analytics pipeline. By combining CData’s robust connector with Incorta’s no-code transformations, organizations can unlock their Workday data in days, with no compromises on fidelity or security.

To learn more: 

• Explore Incorta’s Data Apps
• Learn more about the Incorta + Workday partnership
• Contact us to test extractions with your Workday instance.

‍