Workday RaaS Explained: Reporting as a Service - A Complete Guide

In today’s fast-paced business world, easy access to up-to-date information is more important than ever. Workday’s Reporting as a Service (RaaS) makes it much easier for teams to pull the data they need and connect it with other systems. In this post, we’ll break down how Workday RaaS works, how to set it up, tips for getting the most out of it, and some common challenges you might run into along the way.

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What is Workday RaaS?

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Workday RaaS lets you turn your custom reports into web services that can be accessed from outside Workday. Once you set up an advanced custom report, you can pull the data in different formats—like XML, JSON, or CSV—using simple REST endpoints. This makes it much easier to connect Workday with other tools or systems, so your data is always accessible when you need it. 

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Setting Up a Workday RaaS Report

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To start using RaaS, follow these core steps:

1. Create an Advanced Custom Report:
   
   • Navigate to the "Create Custom Report" task in the Workday search bar.
   • Set the report type to "Advanced" and select the appropriate data source (e.g., "All Active Employees"). 

This screen displays the setup for creating an Advanced Custom Report in Workday. The report type is set to "Advanced," the web service option is enabled, and the data source is selected as "All Active Employees" to prepare the report for RaaS integration.

2. Enable as Web Service:

There are two ways to enable a report as a web service in Workday:

• ‍First, during the creation of a new advanced report, you can check the "Enable As Web Service" checkbox on the initial setup screen, as shown above.‍
• Second, after the report is created, you can navigate to the Advanced tab, where you can enable Web Service and select the appropriate Web Service API version alongside the Web Service Option.

In the Advanced tab of a Workday custom report, the "Enable As Web Service" option is selected, the Web Service API Version is set to v45.0, and the Namespace field is automatically filled based on the report name to enable external access.

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3. Define Report Fields and Prompts:

• Add the necessary fields to the report, ensuring they align with the data requirements of the consuming system.

The Columns tab of the custom report in Workday contains key fields such as Legal Name, Employee ID, Location, and Email Address, each paired with an XML alias to support structured data output for external systems.

• To filter data by Supervisory Organization, set a filter on Sup Org and choose "Prompt the user for value" as the comparison type.

In the Filter tab of a Workday report, filters are set on Supervisory Organization and Hire Date, with the comparison type configured to prompt the user for input during report execution.

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Incorporate prompts to filter data dynamically during report execution. Check the ‘’Populate Undefined Prompt Defaults’’ checkbox to automatically populate the Supervisory Organization.

The Prompts tab in Workday’s custom report setup includes runtime prompts for Supervisory Organization and Hire Date, allowing users to input values at execution time for dynamic data filtering.

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4. Configure Security and Sharing:

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Assign the report to an Integration System User (ISU) with appropriate security group memberships. To save a report, click OK.

The Share tab of the Workday custom report grants access to an Integration System User (ISU) named “ISU-Get-Workers,” showing how the report can be shared safely with users who need it for system integration.

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Note: Ensure the ISU has access to the report and the underlying data sources.

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5. Where to Find URLs:

• To view the web service URLs for your report, go to the report and click on Related Actions. From the dropdown menu, navigate to Web Service and then select View URLs.

Edit the Custom Report screen in Workday with the Related Actions menu, where the Web Service section is expanded to access the “View URLs” option for getting report endpoint links.

• After clicking on View URLs, a prompt will appear asking to enter the Supervisory Organization, Starting and Ending Hire date.

The ‘’View URLs Web Service’’ prompt in Workday asks for inputs like Supervisory Organization and hire date range, allowing users to filter the report before generating URLs.

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After clicking "OK," the system navigates to the "View URLs Web Service" page, which lists various export format options. Users can retrieve report data in formats like Workday XML, Simple XML, CSV, RSS, GData, and JSON.

The ‘’View URLs Web Service page’’ in Workday lists multiple export format options like Workday XML, Simple XML, CSV, RSS, GData, and JSON, generated based on the report parameters entered earlier.

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Each format is presented as a clickable link, allowing easy and flexible data extraction for integration or reporting purposes. Here’s how the URLs appear, as shown below.

The screen lists several Workday web service URLs for a custom report, each offering a different output format, such as XML, CSV, and JSON, for external data access.

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Integration Capabilities

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Workday RaaS reports are easy to connect with different external systems, making automated data flows and integrations much simpler.

• RESTful Access: You can access these reports through RESTful endpoints, so other tools can pull data using regular HTTP requests. 

The endpoints let you use query parameters for report prompts, which means you can fetch exactly the data you need when you need it. 

• Data Formats: RaaS supports several data formats—like XML, JSON, and CSV—so it fits a variety of integration needs.
• Integration with ETL Tools: ETL tools such as SnapLogic and Workato even have built-in connectors for Workday RaaS, which makes it easier to move and transform your data for analytics or reporting. 

Best Practices

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To get the most out of Workday RaaS, keep these tips in mind:

• Limit Data Volume: Try to design your reports so they only pull the data you actually need. This helps keep response times fast and makes everything run more smoothly.
• Implement Error Handling: Make sure your integrations can handle errors in a way that doesn’t break your workflow. Good error handling helps keep everything reliable.
• Monitor Performance: Keep an eye on how long your reports take to run. If things start to slow down, look at your filters and prompts to see what can be improved. 
• Secure Access: Only let approved users and systems access your RaaS endpoints. This is key for keeping your data safe and staying compliant.

Potential Challenges

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While Workday RaaS comes with plenty of advantages, there are a few challenges to watch out for:

• Lack of Pagination: RaaS doesn’t support pagination, so if you’re dealing with large datasets, your responses can get pretty big. You can manage this by adding filters or breaking up your reports into smaller chunks. 
• Security Configuration Complexity: Setting up the right security groups and permissions for Integration System Users (ISUs) can be a bit complex, so it’s important to plan carefully and test everything. 
• Data Freshness: Make sure your reports are scheduled or triggered as needed so the data that external systems receive is always current. 

Conclusion

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Workday RaaS gives organizations an easy way to access and share data, which helps teams make better decisions and keep operations running smoothly. By learning how to set it up, integrate it with other systems, and follow best practices, you can make the most of RaaS and strengthen your overall data strategy.

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Want to make your Workday data reporting more secure and context-aware? Book a demo to see how Reco helps monitor sensitive data, detect risks, and automate compliance across Workday and beyond.