Three tools you didn't know you can use with Workday

Workday's HRIS tool has dramatically evolved since its inception. It is now less of a system and more like a development platform. Consequently, extending its functionality is no longer a convenient option for unique circumstances, but should be considered a mainstay of your HRIS ecosystem. Workday provides tools like EIBs and Workday Extend and Studio and Orchestrations and Business Processes to facilitate customizing Workday to your own needs. But there are more tools that you can use than just what Workday provides. Here are three that you might not have considered.

1. Chrome Extensions

   Browser extensions are often overlooked in many other applications as well, so it's no surprise that Workday customers rarely consider them for extending what Workday can do. Given the fact that Chrome Extensions are really just hidden web pages running JavaScript, the power they have to interact with Workday's API or even elements on the screen, introduces many options for automating tedious tasks, simplifying Business Process navigation, or even analyzing form data.

   
   

2. Selenium

   Every Workday customer has been there at one time or another: a large amount of data needs to be modified, and there's not an EIB for it. A large number of events need to be triggered or downloaded, but they all have to be touched one at a time. A new BP has to be regression tested... for 15 different scenarios. Selenium is one of the more well-known browser automation tools, but it's often overlooked for its ability to take the pain out of manually interacting with Workday's web pages.

   
   

3. Python

   Workday customers know about the Workday Web Services API, and many of them know that it finds its most compatible companion in Workday Studio. The WWS API gives ready access to an enormous amount of data from your tenant and tremendous functionality to operate on your tenant. But this web service is not limited to Studio. It is a public API, and it is a standard SOAP and REST implementation. This means that many other systems that understand SOAP and REST protocols can also interact with it just as effectively. Python happens to be my personal favorite scripting language, so I often use it when I need to implement a feature that is difficult to do in Studio, or would be less readable, or would be more difficult to add to source control in Studio. Python (and other languages) provide an industry-standard way to interact with Workday's Public API.

If your fingers are aching from making the same clicks over and over, or if you're testing a new process, or if you have an especially tricky data problem, let me know. Let's find out how I can help.

Matthew Hurley

Workday Integration Consultant

matthew.hurley77@gmail.com