ERP Workday Overview
Workday is a cloud-native ERP platform primarily focused on human capital management (HCM), financial management, planning, and analytics. Unlike traditional ERP systems that cover a broader manufacturing and supply chain scope (like SAP or Oracle), Workday concentrates on people-centric and financial processes within a business.
A few notes:
Workday centralizes much of its data through business processes, often integrating HCM, Payroll, and Finance workflows more tightly than Oracle or SAP.
SAP distinguishes between OM (Organizational Management) and PA (Personnel Administration) modules for HR data.
Oracle has more modularized tables across Fusion HCM or E-Business Suite.
OPINION: Time and payroll-related tables in SAP and Oracle tend to be more fragmented compared to Workday’s more unified structures.
Scope of Workday ERP
- Focus on employees and related GL finance.
- Cloud native Enterprise Solution.
- Can complement other ERPs e.g., Oracle ERP, SAP including S/4Hana
Core Modules
- Human Capital Management (HCM) – Workforce lifecycle, talent, compensation, and workforce planning.
- Recruiting – End-to-end candidate tracking and talent acquisition.
- Payroll – Global and local payroll processing with compliance integration.
- Time Tracking – Real-time entry and approval integrated with payroll and workforce planning.
- Financial Management – General ledger, accounts payable/receivable, assets, procurement, and reporting.
- Planning – Business and workforce planning, scenario modeling, and forecasting.
- Analytics and Reporting – Real-time insights with dashboards, KPIs, and audit-ready data trails.
Optional Add-Ons
- Learning Management System (LMS)
- Project Management & Project Billing
- Grants Management (for Education/Research institutions)
- Inventory and Procurement (Extended Supply Chain)
Scope of Workday ERP
- Focus on employees and related GL finance.
- Cloud native Enterprise Solution.
- Can complement other ERPs e.g., Oracle ERP, SAP including S/4Hana
Core Modules
- Human Capital Management (HCM) – Workforce lifecycle, talent, compensation, and workforce planning.
- Recruiting – End-to-end candidate tracking and talent acquisition.
- Payroll – Global and local payroll processing with compliance integration.
- Time Tracking – Real-time entry and approval integrated with payroll and workforce planning.
- Financial Management – General ledger, accounts payable/receivable, assets, procurement, and reporting.
- Planning – Business and workforce planning, scenario modeling, and forecasting.
- Analytics and Reporting – Real-time insights with dashboards, KPIs, and audit-ready data trails.
Optional Add-Ons
- Learning Management System (LMS)
- Project Management & Project Billing
- Grants Management (for Education/Research institutions)
- Inventory and Procurement (Extended Supply Chain)
Key Features
- Cloud-native architecture with regular updates
- Mobile and web access with role-based security
- Integration capabilities via Workday Studio, REST/SOAP APIs
- Compliance-ready workflows (GDPR, SOC, ISO)
| Domain | Core Data Object | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Organization | Company | Legal entities for financial and reporting purposes |
| Cost Center | Tracks costs for departments, projects, or functions | |
| Supervisory Organization | Hierarchies for management and staffing structures | |
| Location | Physical or virtual places of work | |
| Business Unit | Logical or operational divisions | |
| Worker / People | Worker | Central object for employees, contingent workers, and pre-hires |
| Position | A job slot that can be filled or vacant | |
| Job Profile | Describes the role's attributes: title, responsibilities, requirements | |
| Compensation Plan | Framework for salary, bonus, and allowance structures | |
| Time Profile | Defines work hours, schedules, and holidays | |
| Finance | Ledger Account | Used for general ledger postings |
| Spend Category | Classification for expenses (e.g., travel, supplies) | |
| Revenue Category | Classification for income | |
| Customer / Supplier | External business parties (for AR/AP) | |
| Journal | Records of financial transactions | |
| Payroll / Time | Pay Group | Groups employees for payroll processing |
| Earning / Deduction Codes | Represents types of pay and deductions | |
| Time Entry | Records worked hours, absences, and shifts | |
| Security / Access | Domain Security Policy | Defines access rights to data and actions |
| Role | Represents job responsibilities tied to security groups |
Musings on Workday ⊆ Oracle and SAP{Workday functionality is a subset of SAP and Oracle}
| Workday Data Object | Category | Business Process | Workday Module | Oracle ERP Equivalent | SAP Equivalent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Worker | Master | Hire, Terminate, Transfer | HCM | Employee (HR_EMPLOYEES) | PERNR (Personnel Number) |
| 1 | Job Profile | Reference | Job Requisition, Staffing | HCM | Job (HR_JOBS) | Job (T513), Job Classification |
| 2 | Position | Master | Create/Change Position | HCM | Position (HR_POSITIONS) | Position (HRP1000) |
| 3 | Supervisory Org | Reference | Organizational Assignment | HCM | Department/Org Unit | Org Unit (HRP1000, HRP1001) |
| 4 | Compensation Plan | Reference | Offer, Promotion | Compensation | Salary Basis / Grade Ladder | IT0008, Pay Scale Group |
| 5 | Compensation Package | Master | Compensation Event | Compensation | Compensation Plan | IT0014, IT0015 |
| 6 | Location | Reference | Hire, Assignment | Core HCM | Location (HR_LOCATIONS) | Location (T778L) |
| 7 | Cost Center | Reference | Financial Reporting | HCM / Financials | GL Code / Cost Center | KOSTL (Cost Center in CO) |
| 8 | Time Entry | Transaction | Time Tracking | Time Tracking | Timecard | CATSDB |
| 9 | Absence Request | Transaction | Leave of Absence | Absence Mgmt | Absence Entry (HR_LEAVE) | IT2001/IT2002 |
| 10 | Payroll Input | Transaction | Payroll Run | Payroll | Element Entry | IT0008, IT0014, IT0015 |
| 11 | Benefit Elections | Transaction | Open Enrollment | Benefits | Benefits Enrollment | IT0167, IT0168 |
| 12 | Organization Assignment | Transaction | Transfers, Changes | Core HCM | Assignment | IT0001 |
| 13 | Business Title | Reference | Display Info | Core HCM | Job Title | IT0001/PA0001 |
| 14 | Recruiting Requisition | Master | Talent Acquisition | Recruiting | Job Requisition | E-Recruitment Requisition |
| 15 | Candidate | Transaction | Interview, Offer | Recruiting | Candidate Record | HRRCF_CANDIDATE |
| 16 | Supplier | Master | Procurement | Procurement | Supplier (AP_SUPPLIERS) | Vendor (LFA1, LFB1) |
| 17 | Purchase Order | Transaction | Purchase Goods/Services | Procurement | PO Header & Lines | EKKO, EKPO |
| 18 | Invoice | Transaction | Accounts Payable | Financials | AP Invoice | BKPF, BSEG |
| 19 | Customer | Master | Sales & Billing | Customer Accounts | Customer (HZ_PARTIES) | KNA1 |
| 20 | Sales Order | Transaction | Sell Products | Order Mgmt | Order Entry (OE_ORDER_HEADERS_ALL) | VBAK, VBAP |
| 21 | Asset | Master | Track, Depreciate | Financials | FA Asset (FA_ASSETS) | ANLA, ANLB |
| 22 | Journal | Transaction | Financial Postings | Financial Accounting | GL Journal Entry | BKPF, BSEG |
| 23 | Ledger | Reference | Chart of Accounts | Financial Accounting | Primary Ledger | FI Ledger, Leading Ledger (0L) |
| 24 | Project | Master | Project Mgmt, Tracking | Projects | Project (PA_PROJECTS_ALL) | CJ01, PROJ Table |
| 25 | Grant | Master | Sponsored Projects | Grants Mgmt | Sponsored Projects (Grants) | GMGRANT |