5 Ways to Solve 90% of your Workday® Problems
The inner workings of Workday’s logic can often seem opaque and inconsistent across modules. While it is true that Workday sometimes employs different configuration methods and tasks for different modules - particularly split around Financials and HCM - there is one reliable data model that can help unwind delicate problems and get to the bottom of how the Workday brain is operating.
At Makse Group we pride ourselves on training clients to employ the same troubleshooting methods we use to become more familiar with their Workday environment. In our experience the following five methods are tried and true for solving the majority of Workday issues.
Refer to the Administrator Guide on Community
This may seem obvious, but after the first few weeks in Workday, many people forget about the documentation that exists on Community. Every task, business process, module (and so much more) is at least referenced in the Administrator Guide, and often provides context that can lead to “aha” moments.
In addition to Step-by-Step guides for configuration, the guide also has:
Required security groups to access tasks
Considerations when configuring
FAQ sections
Reference material on confusing topics
Conceptual articles that place a module or process in the larger context of the system.
These tools can lead you to some hidden piece of configuration or security you may never have found otherwise.
Test it out!
As you read through Workday documentation, follow along in a test tenant. The documentation might omit a field or only briefly mention a portion that is causing you trouble but seeing the screens for yourself can lead to clarity. If you find something strange or a blocker when you test, that can be an ideal search on Community, which is discussed in the next…
Searching Smarter not Harder with Workday Community
Think outside the box when searching, Rising Conference Sessions, Articles, Contributed Solutions and Next Level Videos hold a goldmine - from just what you are looking for to something you hadn’t even considered - and help set you in the right direction.
Aside from the Administrator Guide, Workday Community has many other wonderful resources. Unfortunately, Community is not Google: it can be a challenge to find what you are looking for.
That said, utilize the filters on the left-hand side of the search page to look at topics independently. Don’t be afraid to try different combinations of words in the search bar. Start by looking at submitted questions – a lot of times the answer, or very helpful information, can be found in comments or replies – with the same keywords.
Next Level Videos can be very helpful when learning a new module. These videos focus on an array of FIN and HCM topics and they include demos as well as how-to guides. Just search “Next Level” on Community.
Check the Security
Ever hit a wall on a piece of configuration and you know it’s not you but you can’t get past it? This may be because of a security issue, they can turn up in strange places.
Key indicators of security problems:
A field appears, but there are no values in the dropdown
You can access a report, but fields are blank or columns are altogether missing
You can access a matrix report, but the rollups show “0”
Documentation says you should see something but when followed instructions you do not
One of the most helpful tools to identify which domain you need access to is the “View Security for Securable Items” report. If you type in the name of a task, report, or field - and get nothing - this report will show the domain that controls access to that object. Warning, sometimes this report “doesn’t tell the whole story” and says, “Tenant Non-Configurable”. In that case you may have to search domains by the functional area and try to identify which domain is controlling the access through the “Secured Item” list.
There is also the “Compare Security of Two Workers” report. If one user can do or see a certain thing and you need a second user to have the same access, with this report you can compare the differences in their assigned roles and user-based security groups to narrow the list of potential gaps in security.
Additionally, you can use the report “Compare Permissions of Two Security Groups” to find the difference between groups that are assigned to the user.
Fixing security is 80% skill and 20% intuition, you may have to try a few things before you get it just right. Be sure to document as you go and backtrack unnecessary changes and always try to assign an existing role or user-based security group where possible rather than changing the domains on a security group. And lastly, make sure the domains you need are Enabled, and you have activated your security policy changes.
Report Fields and Values
This report is invaluable when trying to write or fix complex calculated fields or reports. Most objects and instances in a tenant will have a related action “Reporting” and a task called “Reports Fields and Values”. This report will show you every field on that business object, and the value populated for the instance you are looking at.
This report can be helpful when trying to identify which of the 12 Address fields holds the data you are looking for. If you have a long chain of calculated fields that don’t seem to be working, this is a great way to find the break in the chain. Run the report and the filter for the fields you have built to see which one’s are populated and if there are any empty values.
This is certainly not an exhaustive list for solving each and every one of your Workday problems, there will be issues you come across that these tips may not solve, but I hope at the very least this provides you with a foundation for troubleshooting.
Workday is constantly evolving and in order to maintain relevance in our profession or at your company we believe it is important to continuously apply yourself and invest in learning and growth.
