AI and Machine Learning in Workday Extend: The Future of Enterprise Applications
Abstract
Workday Extend provides a robust
platform for building custom finance and people applications, leveraging a
unified data source and security model. By utilizing thousands of publicly
available REST and SOAP APIs, developers can quickly create solutions that
integrate seamlessly with existing Workday applications. The platform further
supports the integration of Workday's latest AI innovations, enhancing the
capabilities of applications and improving the user experience.
Combining Workday Journeys and Workday Prism Analytics, Workday Extend
optimizes both the user and data experience. Mobile-enabled apps ensure an
"always-on" experience, while app templates, packaged solutions and
approved service partners streamline development. The Workday Extend app
catalog provides templates for various use cases, including charitable
donations, tuition reimbursement, commuting options, project forecasting and
employee recognition. This flexibility enables organizations to effectively
scale their solutions.
The increasing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning
(ML) into enterprise applications is transforming business operations. Workday
Extend leverages AI and ML technologies to optimize business processes, improve
decision-making and enable automation at scale. This paper explores the role of
AI and ML in shaping the future of enterprise applications within the Workday
Extend ecosystem. It discusses the potential benefits, challenges and use cases
of these technologies in business workflows and presents a vision of how these
innovations will influence the future of enterprise solutions.
Keywords: AI, Machine learning, Workday extend, Enterprise applications,
Automation, Decision-making, Business transformation, JSON, REST, Cloud computing,
Prism analytics.
1. Introduction
Workday Extend is an advanced
platform that empowers organizations to create custom applications designed to
integrate seamlessly with Workday’s cloud-based ecosystem. Offering a flexible
development environment, Workday Extend enables businesses to tailor their
applications to meet unique operational requirements, enhancing both efficiency
and user experience.
At the core of Workday Extend functionality is its wide range of REST
(Representational State Transfer) APIs, which facilitate secure and efficient
data exchange between Workday and external systems. These APIs allow
applications to interact with Workday’s core features and extend its
capabilities, making it possible to build innovative, customized solutions that
enhance business processes.
The integration capabilities
provided by Workday Extend open significant opportunities for organizations to
optimize their human resources, finance and operational workflows. Companies
can leverage Workday Extend to automate manual processes, build custom
reporting tools and integrate third-party applications, all while ensuring that
the custom applications fit within the Workday ecosystem. As enterprises face
increasing demand for scalable, efficient and personalized solutions, Workday
Extend provides a robust platform that allows them to stay agile and
competitive in the rapidly changing business environment.
With the rise of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies, enterprise
applications are evolving to deliver deeper insights, predictive capabilities
and greater automation. Workday Extend is uniquely positioned to integrate AI
and ML, enabling organizations to develop intelligent applications that
optimize operations and improve decision-making. By embedding AI and ML
capabilities into Workday Extend applications organizations can automate
routine tasks, uncover hidden data patterns and make more accurate predictions-transforming
how they manage and utilize enterprise data.
Workday Extend is the ideal solution for creating custom applications related
to people and finance, empowering organizations to innovate and adapt to
evolving business needs. Companies worldwide are leveraging Workday Extend to
support innovative initiatives, respond swiftly to unexpected events and
streamline their IT systems. By using Workday Extend, you can build tailored
solutions that address your specific people and finance requirements while
responsibly incorporating the latest AI capabilities within the platform.
With Workday Extend, you can build
with confidence, relying on a single, trusted source for data and a unified
security model. Developers can create unique finance and people apps quickly by
leveraging thousands of publicly available REST and SOAP APIs, ensuring
seamless integration with existing Workday applications. Additionally, the
platform allows the integration of Workday’s latest AI innovations, further
enhancing application capabilities. By combining Workday Journeys and Workday
Prism Analytics, Workday Extend improves both the user and data experience.
Mobile-enabled apps provide an "always-on" experience, ensuring users
have access to critical information whenever needed. To accelerate development,
Workday Extend offers app templates, packaged solutions and access to approved
service partners. The app catalog includes templates for various use cases,
such as charitable donations, tuition reimbursement, commuting options, project
forecasting and employee recognition. Regardless of where you are on your
Workday Extend journey, flexible offerings are available to help you get
started and scale your solutions effectively.
The goal of this paper is to explore how AI and ML technologies are shaping the
future of Workday Extend. By examining the integration of these advanced
technologies within the Workday platform, we will discuss the potential
benefits, challenges and strategic advantages they offer organizations. This
paper will highlight the role of AI and ML in enhancing Workday Extend ability
to drive innovation, streamline operations and deliver data-driven insights
tailored to the specific needs of businesses. As organizations seek to harness
the full potential of AI and ML, Workday Extend presents a powerful environment
for creating custom applications that integrate intelligent automation and
analytics into the Workday ecosystem (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Application
Lifecycle in Extend.
2. The Role of AI and ML in Enterprise Applications
2.1. Artificial intelligence
and machine learning in business contexts
AI refers to the simulation of
human intelligence processes by machines, while ML is a subset of AI that
allows systems to automatically improve their performance through experience
without being explicitly programmed. Together, AI and ML have the potential to
solve complex problems, predict future outcomes and enhance automation.
In the context of enterprise applications, AI and ML can significantly improve
business operations by enabling the automation of tasks such as data analysis,
anomaly detection and workflow optimization. AI-powered systems can learn from
historical data and provide actionable insights, which help organizations make
more informed decisions. For example, in Workday Extend, AI and ML can be used
to predict staffing needs, optimize resource allocation and improve financial
forecasting.
2.2. Benefits of AI and ML integration
Integrating AI and ML into Workday
Extend can offer the following benefits.
2.2.1. Automation of routine tasks: Repetitive and time-consuming tasks,
such as data entry and processing, can be automated through Workday Extend,
significantly reducing human error and allowing employees to focus on more
strategic, value-added work. Workday Extend includes the App Builder, a no-code
and low-code, browser-based tool designed to help organizations rapidly and
confidently build new capabilities, apps and solutions. As a core component of
Workday Extend, the App Builder simplifies the application development process
with its visual approach, enabling both business and IT teams to collaborate
effectively. This intuitive tool allows companies to create customized
solutions that meet their unique needs, while extending the functionality of
their Workday applications without the need for extensive coding expertise. By
leveraging Workday Extend App Builder organizations can foster innovation,
enhance agility and streamline business operations.
2.2.2. Enhanced decision making: AI
algorithms can analyze large datasets to identify patterns and trends, offering
valuable insights for decision-makers.
2.2.3. Predictive analytics: Machine learning models can forecast trends
such as employee turnover, sales projections or market behavior, enabling
businesses to take proactive measures.
Extend meet your business needs by building new capabilities directly within
the Workday platform. Workday Extend allows you to seamlessly integrate custom
applications, leveraging trusted Workday data and processes to create tailored
solutions. With the ability to add new functionality directly within the
Workday user interface, you can enhance and expand your system without
disrupting existing workflows. Additionally, the platform's no-code tooling
enables faster collaboration and development, empowering teams to innovate and
deploy solutions efficiently while maintaining alignment with your core Workday
environment.
2.2.4. Personalized user experiences: AI can provide tailored
experiences for users by customizing workflows and interfaces based on
individual preferences and behaviors.
2.2.5. Scalability: AI and machine learning models can scale alongside
business operations, ensuring that enterprise applications remain efficient and
effective as the volume of data and complexity of processes grow. Workday
Extend enables seamless integration of these models, ensuring that they evolve
in line with business demands. The platform’s robust security and trust
framework provides continuous protection, allowing organizations to securely
leverage Workday’s data and processes. By inheriting and extending Workday's
proven security model, custom applications built on Workday Extend maintain
high standards of security and compliance. Always-on auditability ensures full
visibility into user activities and system changes, while the platform’s
regular updates keep applications secure and up to date. Additionally, the
Workday AI gateway empowers developers to integrate responsible AI features
into applications, promoting ethical AI use.
Workday Extend also facilitates the
scalable interconnection of systems, enabling businesses to automate and
orchestrate workflows with ease. The platform supports the creation and
publication of APIs, enabling smooth data exchange between Workday and external
systems. Real-time connections are established, ensuring accurate and timely
data flow across platforms. As business needs grow, Workday Extend allows
organizations to scale with confidence, handling increasing data volumes and
complexity without compromising performance or security.
3. Use Cases of AI and ML in Workday Extend
Workday Extend apps seamlessly
integrate with core components and innovations within the Workday architecture,
ensuring they are built on a solid, reliable foundation. By leveraging
Workday’s advanced features and infrastructure, these custom applications
maintain consistency, scalability and security while enhancing business
functionality (Figure 2).
Figure 2:
Workday Extend apps leverage core components.
With Workday Extend, business
experts can collaborate with IT to confidently build custom applications that
integrate seamlessly with existing Workday Financial Management, Workday HCM
and Workday Student applications. The Workday Extend app builder, with its low-
and no-code capabilities, allows you to create apps through an intuitive,
visual interface that requires little to no coding. These apps will share the
same user experience as Workday, ensuring smooth adoption across your
organization. With Workday Extend, you can address your unique business needs,
whether it’s boosting employee engagement, optimizing financial processes or
consolidating your application experiences. The platform ensures that new apps
maintain the familiar Workday look and feel, helping users focus on their tasks
without unnecessary friction. Additionally, Workday Extend upholds strong
security and governance standards, as the same login and security controls
apply to any new apps you build, keeping your sensitive data protected and
secure.
3.1. Payroll and human capital management
(HCM)
In Workday Extend, AI and ML can
transform the Human Capital Management (HCM) process. For instance, machine
learning algorithms can help identify patterns in employee behavior, such as
performance trends, compensation effectiveness and retention risk. By analyzing
this data, HR teams can make more informed decisions regarding promotions,
compensation adjustments and talent management strategies. Some use cases
related to HR Systems.
3.1.1. COVID-19 health assessment app: The COVID-19 Health Assessment
App was developed for a healthcare client to enhance employee experience by
enabling self-assessments of symptoms and health status before entering the
workplace. This proactive measure helps prevent the spread of COVID-19 within
the organization. Additionally, the app saved the client money by eliminating
the need to purchase a third-party vendor application, providing a
cost-effective solution.
3.1.2. Annual promotion cycle app: Designed
for a commercial real estate client, the Annual Promotion Cycle App streamlines
the promotion nomination process for managers. The app allows managers to
submit nominations for promotions, supported by relevant data, which are then
reviewed by the vice president. This app reduces manual workload by two weeks,
optimizing the promotion cycle and creating a more efficient workflow for the
organization (Figure 3).
With Workday Extend, HCM developers can quickly create custom apps that
seamlessly integrate and run within your existing Workday Human Capital
Management (HCM), Workday Financial Management and Workday Student
applications. This enables you to enhance and extend the functionality of your
current Workday environment, meeting your specific business needs while
maintaining the integrity and continuity of your existing systems.
3.2. Financial planning and analysis
Integrating AI and machine learning
(ML) into Workday Extend has the potential to revolutionize Financial Planning
and Analysis (FP&A) by enhancing accuracy and decision-making.
Predictive analytics powered by AI can more accurately forecast key financial
metrics such as revenue, expenses and cash flow, enabling finance teams to plan
with greater precision. Additionally, machine learning models can uncover
hidden correlations between financial variables, providing deeper insights that
might otherwise be overlooked. This allows finance teams to make more informed
predictions and optimize budget allocations, ultimately improving financial
outcomes. By selecting Workday to deliver people and finance benefits, your
organization has already begun its transformation journey (Figure 4).
As businesses encounter competitive, regional, regulatory and other unique
challenges, the need to develop new capabilities is inevitable. The critical
questions then become: how can you extend Workday rapidly and confidently while
ensuring these extensions remain adaptable? And how can your organization
effectively maintain these extensions and collaborate with IT to achieve
strategic goals? Addressing these questions is vital for organizations that
seek to maximize the value of Workday and maintain success in a dynamic and
evolving business environment.
Figure 4: Financials Applications Build using Workday Extend.
3.3. Supply chain optimization
AI-powered algorithms can analyze
supply chain data to identify inefficiencies, predict demand fluctuations and
optimize inventory management. By using Workday Extend as a platform for these
integrations, businesses can ensure that their supply chain processes are more
agile and responsive to market conditions.
3.4. Contract management
By leveraging advanced AI
capabilities, including generative AI and data insights orchestrate streamlines
the contract requisition initiation process within your Vendor Management
System (VMS), resulting in significantly reduced cycle times. With Orchestrate,
procurement teams can automate supplier sourcing and supplier management through
seamless communication with stakeholders, making the entire process more
efficient and effective. Additionally orchestrate accelerates contract
management by automating the selection of contract templates, minimizing
administrative tasks and expediting approval workflows. By optimizing these
processes orchestrate enhances operational efficiency, reduces manual errors
and lowers risks, empowering procurement professionals to focus on strategic
tasks while improving overall performance.
4. Challenges in Implementing AI and ML in Workday Extend
While the potential benefits of AI
and ML are clear, implementing these technologies in Workday Extend is not
without its challenges. Some key obstacles include:
4.1. Data quality and integration
AI and ML models require
high-quality, well-organized data to function effectively. Ensuring that the
data within Workday Extend is accurate and consistent is critical for the
success of any AI-driven initiative.
4.2. Skill gaps
The complexity of AI and ML
algorithms means that organizations need specialized talent to develop, deploy
and maintain these models.
4.3. Scalability
As business data grows, ensuring
that AI and ML models continue to scale effectively can be challenging,
especially in an enterprise setting.
4.4. Security and privacy concerns
The use of AI and ML can introduce
new security and privacy risks, particularly in industries that handle
sensitive information.
5. The
Future of AI and ML in Workday Extend
As AI and machine learning (ML)
continue to evolve, the future of Workday Extend looks increasingly promising.
With advancements in deep learning, natural language processing (NLP) and
autonomous systems, Workday Extend has the potential to become even more
intelligent and responsive to user needs. Future developments may include
AI-powered decision support, which will guide users through complex business
scenarios with advanced insights. Self-learning systems could enable AI models
to continually improve and adapt based on real-time data and outcomes, ensuring
that the platform becomes more effective over time. Additionally, intelligent
automation could lead to fully automated workflows, where AI and ML manage
tasks end-to-end without the need for human intervention.
By embracing these cutting-edge technologies, Workday Extend will remain at the
forefront of transforming enterprise applications, helping businesses create
smarter, more efficient processes. Developers will continue to benefit from the
power of AI through the Workday AI gateway, enabling faster development and
innovation with high-quality financial and HR data. Moreover, with access to
top technologies from AWS, such as Lambda, S3 storage, Event Bridge and
advanced AI and ML services, Workday Extend will further enhance the
capabilities of its custom applications, setting the stage for future growth
and success.
6. Conclusion
AI and Machine Learning (ML) are
set to revolutionize the future of enterprise applications and Workday Extend
is well-positioned to integrate these transformative technologies into everyday
business workflows. By enabling automation, enhancing decision-making and
enabling predictive analytics, AI and ML offer immense potential to improve
efficiency and optimize business processes. However, overcoming challenges such
as data quality, skill gaps and scalability will be critical to realizing the
full benefits of these technologies. As AI and ML continue to evolve, Workday
Extend stands at the forefront, providing a platform to shape the future of
intelligent enterprise applications.
In conclusion, Workday Extend
offers a powerful and strategic pathway for organizations to innovate and
streamline application development through a low-code approach. For
institutions like ours, with limited resources, this approach allows us to
expand Workday's functionality without overloading our development teams. The
simplicity and consistency of Workday Extend tools, such as the App Builder,
enable us to create applications that integrate seamlessly with Workday’s user
interface and security protocols, while minimizing reliance on external
systems. This ensures that our applications remain scalable and are always
aligned with Workday’s updates.
While some complex customizations
may require expert collaboration, the transition to Workday Extend offers
significant improvements in application, data and security management.
Leveraging this platform enables us to address the specific needs of our
community-like the Major/Minor Declaration and Academic Plan app-while ensuring
that as Workday evolves, our solutions will transition smoothly to native
Workday functionalities. The move toward a low-code framework not only enhances
our organizational agility but also promotes the sustainability of our
development efforts, ensuring that we can continue to innovate efficiently with
minimal resources. Workday Extend represents a game-changing tool, empowering
our institution to remain flexible, efficient and responsive to the
ever-evolving needs of our community in a rapidly changing technological
landscape.
7. References
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Pattnaik, Sougata Ray, Raghu Raman, “Applications of artificial intelligence
and machine learning in the financial services industry: A bibliometric review”,
2024;10:e23492.
- https://www.workday.com/en-us/products/platform-product-extensions/overview.html
- Jayaram A, Singal S. “An enterprise
resource management model for business intelligence, data mining and predictive
analytics”, 2017.
- Garg S, Sinha S, Kar AK, Mani M. “A review of machine learning applications in human resource management”, 2021.
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