What is Workday Extend? Features, Benefits & Use Cases

ERP Cloud Training Online Author

Mar 08, 2025 |

Discover Workday Extend’s features, benefits, & use cases. Learn how it enhances automation, security, and scalability for seamless business operation

Introduction

Workday Extend is a very popular and powerful tool that is well-designed to enhance the capabilities of Workday’s core applications. It allows several businesses to build, deploy, & manage personalized applications that work seamlessly within the extensive Workday ecosystem.

With the help of Workday Extend, business organizations can easily streamline their workflows and costs. All these effectively automate repetitive tasks, & create customized solutions well-tailored to their unique requirements.

By leveraging the security framework of Workday and the various built-in tools, several progressive businesses can extend Workday functionalities while ensuring the protection of data and compliance.

In this blog, we will explore the features, benefits, real-world use cases, & future trends of Workday Extend.

What is Meant by Workday Extend?

Workday Extend is a dynamic platform that enables several business organizations to develop & integrate applications within the infrastructure of Workday.

These particular applications help businesses to efficiently address specific challenges, improve their operational efficiency & automate several repetitive operations without relying on the external software offered by a third party.

Workday Extend is strategically designed for business enterprises that require additional functionalities beyond what the core applications of Workday provide.

Workday Extend leverages the user interface, security, & business process framework of Workday ensuring seamless integration. Several companies can create applications for finance, human resources, compliance & more using Workday Extend.

Workday Extend eliminates the requirement for complex external integrations. This reduces the IT workload & ensures a very consistent data flow across different departments.

Workday Extend accelerates app development in the following ways:

1. Extend and improve the data object model – Workday Extend rapidly generates new data objects & business processes in Workday and is protected with the same security & trust Workday brings in. In this case, we can take the example of a global retail company which wanted a way for tracking employee certifications for compliance and safety across multiple locations. With the help of Workday Extend, they managed to build a Certification Management app that:

• Successfully created custom data objects to safely store the certification details like dates of expiration, issuing authorities, & reminders of renewal.

• Integrated all the data in an organized manner seamlessly with the HR system of Workday, ensuring the right level of compliance and tracking was automated.

• Ensured data integrity and security, as all the sensitive information were well-protected by the security model of Workday.

2. Orchestrate all the processes everywhere – Workday Extend’s drag-and-drop tool defines maps, logic, & loops with data, & performs path-breaking transformations so that you are completely optimized. Let us take an example of a healthcare company which is willing to automate shift assignments. A large healthcare provider used Workday Extend to develop an efficient Shift Management Application that automated doctor and nurse shift assignments. The app:

• Used drag-and-drop tools that define the logic of complex shift allocation.

• Integrated with time tracking and payroll in order to adhere to the prevailing laws and ensure compliance.

• Automatically assigned certain shifts that are based on overtime rules, availability, & needs of patients.

By following the above approach, it reduced manual errors, improved patient care, optimized staffing, and reduced overtime costs.

3. Innovate on a trusted platform – Workday Extend apply the same security and audit controls to what you build, keeping your data accurate and secure while adhering to governance. Let us take an example of a financial services firm willing to automate expense approvals. A financial institution necessarily requires a more secure way to handle the expense approval app that:

• Followed the compliance standards and security of Workday, ensuring financial data was completely protected.

• Integrated directly with Workday Financial Management. It eliminates the need for any kind of external tool.

• Provided audit trials for every approval. It reduced risks of fraud. This resulted in faster approvals as well as reduced risks of compliance, without compromising security.

4. Reduce ongoing maintenance – The logic, data and user interface of your apps remain update-safe from one Workday release to another. So, no refactoring or recording is required. Let us take an instance of a global manufacturing company requiring a custom leave management system well-tailored to adhere to the regional labor laws. They developed a Leave Tracker App with the help of Workday Extend that:

• Well-adapted to Workday updates and requires no such additional maintenance.

• Allowed their employees to easily request as well as track leave balances based on the rules of the region.

• Managed to provide real-time reports to managers without any kind of intervention by the internal IT team. This helped the organization’s HR teams to reduce support requests and ensure desired compliance with local leave policies.

5. Deploy apps on a large or even global scale – With the help of Workday Extend, you can seamlessly deploy your developed apps across your global workforce & proactively monitor their performance. For instance, multinational tech firms developing an internal training portal with the help of Workday Extend strategically. They used the app to:

• Deliver personalized training recommendations that are based on the role of the employee, skill level, as well as the location.

• This app can be deployed across thousands of employees worldwide without the requirement of local IT teams to maintain the separate versions.

• Integrated with the Learning module of Workday, providing a seamless user experience. As a result, employees had better access to upskilling opportunities and improved workforce retention and engagement.

Why Use Workday Extend?

Businesses use Workday Extend to solve industry-specific challenges, enhance automation, & improve employee experience. Following are the key reasons why business organizations adopt Workday Extend:

• Personalization – Build applications that serve the specific needs of businesses.

• Integration – Seamlessly connect with the existing features of Workday without disrupting the workflows.

• Security – It ensures protection of data with the robust framework of security efficiency.

• Automation – It considerably reduces manual tasks & errors and increases overall efficiency.

• Cost-Efficiency – It reduces costs that are associated with third-party software & maintenance.

• Scalability – Workday Extend optimally grow & adapt applications as business needs change from time to time.

Key Capabilities of Workday Extend

Custom App Development:

Workday Extend enables companies to build applications that are specifically personalized to meet the requirements of the business. These particular apps seamlessly integrate with Workday’s platform & can be used for finance, HR, or compliance-related tasks.

Seamless Integration:

Unlike traditional third-party integrations, Workday Extend applications function natively within Workday. This specifically means reduced data silos, better performance, & enhanced reporting capabilities.

Role-based Access Control:

Applications that are built on Workday Extend inherit the robust security policies of Workday, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access all sensitive data.

Security of Data & Compliance:

With the help of Workday Extend, several business organizations can easily comply with industry standards & regulations while, at the same time, maintaining the integrity of data.

Prebuilt Connectors:

Workday Extend never fails to provide ready-to-use connectors, enabling rapid implementation & reducing the time of development.

Low-Code or No-Code Development:

Workday Extend includes no-code & low-code tools. This allows non-technical users to create as well as modify applications very efficiently.

You will receive the following package when opt to use Workday Extend:

• App Components – User Interface (UI), Data, Security, Logic and AI Gateway

• AI Capabilities – Developer Copilot, Generative AI-Extend, Workday AI Gateway, Natively Use AWS AI Services

• Developer Tools – Development Environments, Code & Visual Authoring, Lifecycle Management, Logging & Monitoring

• Developer Experience – Developer Community, DevCon & Knowledge Sharing Events, Tutorials & Docs, App Gallery & Catalog Support

How Does Workday Extend Work?

Workday Extend works following the below-mentioned steps:

1. Defining the Needs of a Concerned Business – You need to identify areas where the core applications of Workday need major enhancements.

2. Develop Personalized Applications –Use the tools of Workday Extend to build and deploy applications.

3. Integrate with Workday – You always need to ensure a seamless exchange of data & user experience.

4. Test & Optimize – You ought to conduct testing before the deployment in order to ensure that the app functions properly and with complete security.

5. Deploy & Monitor – After following the above steps, you will finally launch the application & track its performance for its continuous improvement.

Steps Necessary to Get Started with Workday Extend

1. Assess the Requirements of Business – Firstly, determine the necessary areas that require additional features.

2. Receive Access to Workday Extend – Work with Workday in order to enable Extend for your business organization.

3. Use Development Tools – In this step, you have to use Workday Extend’s options of no-code & low-code.

4. Test Your Applications – You ought to conduct rigorous testing before you finally launch any application.

5. Deploy & Train Users- Roll out the application finally and provide adequate training for employees.

6. Monitor & Update – Finally, you have to review regularly and improve the applications that are based on the feedback of the users.

Challenges & Solutions with Workday Extend

*Challenge – Limited Knowledge of Development

Solution – Workday Extend provides low-code and no-code options for the purpose of app development. Thus, it is easier for non-technical users.

*Challenge – Issues of Integration

Solution – Workday Extend offers prebuilt connectors & seamless API integration in order to minimize the various technical challenges.

*Challenge – Compliance & Security

Solution – Applications that are built on Workday Extends inherit the security protocols of Workday Extend, ensuring the protection of data.

Real-World Workday Extend Use Cases

Following are the Workday Extend examples:

1. Setting Up Automation in Regards to Employee Onboarding – Several companies use Workday Extend in order to streamline newer processes of hiring by automating submissions of documents and approvals. For instance, a retail company used Workday Extend to build an onboarding app that specifically:

• Automated the submission of contracts, tax forms, & ID verification.

• Sent auto-reminders to HR and managers for approval of various things.

• Reduced manual paperwork to a large extent and this speeded up the process of hiring considerably.

2. Expense Reimbursement Management – Personalized applications simplify the requests of reimbursement & approvals within Workday. For example, a consulting firm developed a custom expense reimbursement app that:

• Automated approval workflows and reduced processing time.

• Allowed employees to scan receipts as well as submit claims directly to Workday.

• Integrated seamlessly with payroll for the purpose of faster reimbursements.

3. Tracking of Compliance – Business organizations develop applications that can be used to monitor & ensure adherence to various prevailing regulations within the industry. For instance, a healthcare provider company created a compliance tracking tool for the purposes of:

• Monitoring employee training renewals and certifications.

• Sending alerts when legal documents or licenses are just about to expire.

• Ensuring the right level of compliance with government regulations without the need of manual tracking.

4. Customization of Payroll – Businesses extend functionalities of payroll to include specific incentive or tax calculations. For example, a global software company efficiently used Workday Extend to optimally enhance their payroll by:

• Automating the calculations related to performance-based bonuses.

• Adding custom tax deductions for remote employees in various regions.

• Reducing payroll errors as well as manual adjustments.

5. Surveys of Employee Engagement – HR teams create certain engagement tools that are helpful to gather the desired feedback & improve the overall workplace culture. For instance, a tech start-up strategized to build a pulse survey app within Workday to:

• Easily collect all the anonymous employee feedback on job satisfaction.

• Generate real-time engagement reports for HR.

• Improve the policies related to the workplace based on the collected data-driven insights.

6. Custom Learning Modules – Companies develop learning & development tools that provide employees with personalized training programs. For example, a multinational corporation developed a very useful training portal that:

• Seamlessly provided AI-driven course recommendations that are based on the job roles.

• Allowed the employee to easily track their progress of learning.

• Integrated this training portal with Workday Learning for the seamless tracking of certification.

Future of Workday Extend

Workday Extend still continues to evolve, with newer features & integrations always enhancing its capabilities. This platform is expected to include the following:

• AI-Powered Automation – Improved automation is practised with the help of artificial intelligence.

• More Useful Prebuilt Apps – A growing library of several ready-to-use applications is being developed.

• Enhanced Features of Security – Advanced security updates are being installed to protect data.

• Better Developer Tools – Improved no-code or low-code options are being introduced for faster application development.

• More Industry-Specific Solutions – Tailored applications for different industries, including finance, healthcare, & retail.

How ERP Cloud Training Can Help

ERP Cloud Training offers several expert-led courses on Workday Extend, and Workday Training, as well as related topics. Our specially designed Workday Extend Training programs facilitate businesses as well as professionals to:

• Learn the full capabilities of Workday Extend.

• Build & deploy custom applications effectively.

• Optimize the usage of Workday for fetching better business outcomes.

• Stay updated on the latest developments of Workday Extend.

• Reduce overall dependency on external software by leveraging the in-house Workday Extend applications.

Categories: : Workday Training