Workday is introducing its own Workday Data Cloud. This is a new data layer designed to help organizations extract value from their HR and financial data. The Workday Data Cloud can be directly linked to existing third-party analytics and data clouds via zero-copy.
More and more organizations are using the term Data Cloud. For some parties, it is a completely new database, while for others it is a new API layer that can be used for communication. At Workday, the latter seems to be the case. The purpose of the Data Cloud is to provide third parties, or third-party AI solutions, with better access to HR and Finance data.
Partnerships with Data Clouds
Workday has announced several partnerships with other data clouds. This will allow HR and finance data to be used effectively by third parties in the future. The first partnerships are with Snowflake, Databricks, and Salesforce, all of which have zero-copy integration with Workday Data Cloud. This gives customers a direct link to the data without copying it to other clouds. The tools from Snowflake, Databricks, and Salesforce can immediately start working with core HR and financial data.
For example, a retailer can now combine Workday data about employees with Snowflake data about store performance. These kinds of combinations help organizations understand which teams generate the most sales and why. Finance teams can combine Workday’s financial information with market and risk data in Databricks for real-time forecasting and scenario planning.
Workday Data Cloud Components
Workday Data Lake provides secure access to a controlled catalog of Workday objects from various modules. These include HCM, Recruiting, Payroll, Learning, and Financial Management.
Workday Data Connect enables a bidirectional zero-copy connection to share data between Workday and platforms such as Snowflake, Databricks, and Salesforce Data Cloud via an Apache Iceberg connection. This makes HR and financial data accessible in external platforms, while customer and market data is loaded into Workday without duplication.
Workday Live Data Query provides direct SQL access to Workday’s core business data. This gives customers access to the information they need in minutes rather than months. This accelerates advanced analytics and AI model development.
Workday Prism extends Workday’s data integration to support incoming zero-copy queries from external platforms, while maintaining Workday’s governance and security standards.
A large data cloud
Ultimately, all data clouds can be tied together to create one large data cloud. Christian Kleinerman of Snowflake describes this collaboration as “a big step forward” in how companies can leverage their most valuable asset: their data. Stephen Orban of Databricks emphasizes that customers consistently ask for practical ways to realize the benefits of data and AI within their businesses.
Narinder Singh of Salesforce argues that in the “agentic era,” companies need a unified operational vision, with Workday providing access to comprehensive HR, finance, and CRM data.
Availability
Workday Data Cloud will be available to early adopters in the first half of 2026, with general availability later that year.
Also read: Workday Build: New developer platform for AI solutions