Create and configure a Workday tool – Applaud Support

Create a Workday tool from discovered services to make a Workday capability available to an AI assistant or workflow.

For example, you can create a Request time-off tool within an Absence Management operation. The tool can collect the required information, submit the request to Workday, and return the result to the assistant.

Before you start

Step 1: Create the tool

Workday tool authoring follows the standard Agent Tools flow:

Connect → Discover → Refine → Test

After you discover a service:

Select the operation you want to use.
After you select an operation, Applaud creates a starting tool configuration that you can refine.

Step 2: Refine the tool

Refine the generated tool to control how the assistant uses it and what information it sends to and receives from Workday.

Configure the tool details

Essentials

Tool title: Use a short, descriptive name, such as Request time off.
Risk level: Set the appropriate level for the action. Actions that change Workday data should reflect the risk of that change.
Tool name: Use a unique name for the tool, such as request_time_off.
Tool description: Explain what the tool does and when the assistant should use it. Be specific enough to distinguish it from similar tools.
Activity message: Add a short message that explains what the assistant is doing, such as "Submitting time off for {firstName}."
Categories: Add relevant categories if required, such as Time & Workforce.

Tip: A good description helps the assistant choose the right tool. For example, a Request time off tool should clearly distinguish itself from a tool that only checks a leave balance.

Configure inputs and request mapping

In Request, decide which information the assistant needs to collect and map it to the corresponding Workday request fields.

For a time-off request, inputs might include:

Input	Purpose
Time-off type	The type of leave being requested.
Start date	The first day of the request.
End date	The last day of the request.
Reason or comment	An optional explanation for the request.

Map each required Workday field to an appropriate source:

Context: Use information already available from the conversation or signed-in user, such as the worker.
Agent-provided: Use information collected from the person during the conversation.
Fixed: Use a value that should always be sent with the request.
Internal variables: Use values needed by the request but not intended to be collected directly from the person, such as an ID returned by a lookup.

Note: All required Workday fields must have a valid mapping before you can save the tool.

Configure conditions and interactions

Use Conditions when the assistant needs to collect information or perform a lookup before completing the request.

For example, a time-off request might:

Ask for the time-off type if it hasn't been provided.
Look up the available time-off types.
Ask for the start and end dates.
Require all mandatory information before submitting the request.
Use the signed-in worker's identity instead of asking the person for an employee ID.

This allows a Workday tool to support a guided, multi-turn conversation rather than requiring the person to provide every value in a single message.

Configure the response

Configure the response so the assistant receives the information it needs to continue the conversation.

For an action such as a time-off request, the response might include:

Confirmation or reference information.
The dates submitted.
The request status, such as submitted or pending approval.

Use Shape a tool response to remove unnecessary Workday response data and return only the information the assistant needs.

Test the tool

Before making the tool available, test it with representative values.

Open Test.
Enter sample values for the required inputs.
Run the test.
Review the Run trace to check the request, lookups, and response.
Fix any mapping or condition issues.
Run the test again.

Check that the tool:

Collects the required information.
Sends the correct values to Workday.
Returns useful information to the assistant.
Displays an appropriate activity message.
Handles errors appropriately.

Step 3: Activate and attach the tool

When the tool works as expected:

Save the tool.
Set the tool to Active.
Attach it to the AI assistant, case agent, or workflow that needs the capability.

The same Workday tool can be reused wherever it's supported. You don't need to create a separate tool for each assistant or workflow.

What the employee might experience

Employee:
I'd like next Friday off.

Assistant:
What type of time off would you like to request?

Employee:
Annual leave.

Assistant:
You'd like to request annual leave for Friday, May 15. Should I submit this request?

Employee:
Yes.

Assistant:
Submitting your time-off request...

The tool sends the completed request to Workday, and the assistant confirms the result.

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