Your guide to upgrading from Prism Analytics to Data Cloud.
This guide walks through what changes, what to expect, and how to get started if you're considering the move from Prism to Data Cloud.
Why upgrade to Workday Data Cloud.
Even with real investment in modern data and AI platforms, enterprise data can be hard to use across the organization — kept behind custom integrations and ETL pipelines, duplicated across systems, and disconnected from where analytics and AI actually happen. That's the challenge Workday Data Cloud is built to solve. Prism has always been Workday's engine for bringing external data into Workday — ingesting, transforming, and enriching it so HR and Finance teams can self-serve the insights they need. That hasn't changed, and it isn't going away: when your team needs to own and manage that data directly, Prism remains the right approach. Prism isn't being replaced — it's enhanced.
This reflects a deliberate evolution in Workday's data strategy — from unidirectional, where Prism was our offering to ingest external data into Workday, to a strategic bi-directional ecosystem, augmented with the latest innovations in the data industry through open standards, like Apache Iceberg. Rather than choosing between copying everything into Workday or leaving data unmanaged outside it, you now have a real choice — the right access pattern for each use case, no matter where your data lives, who's using it, or which tool they consume it with. Prism and zero-copy access are complementary patterns, not competing ones, and this is an intentional new choice for you to make.
Key benefits of upgrading.
- Bi-directional, zero-copy access: Reach data where it already lives, and let external tools reach your Workday data too — without copying it in either direction.
- Live Data Query: Real-time SQL access to your Workday data, so BI tools and AI agents always work with data that's current to the minute.
- Future-proofing for AI workloads: As agents and AI tools become part of how your organization works, Data Cloud gives them a governed, direct path to your enterprise data — without waiting on new pipelines to be built.
Your Prism investment is safe.
Upgrading to Workday Data Cloud Professional means no migration, no rebuilding, and no downtime for what you've already built in Prism. And because every connection — including AI agents querying through SQL — runs through Workday's existing security model, the same governance and permissions that protect your data today travel with it wherever it's accessed.
What stays the same, and what's new.
Workday Data Cloud comes in two packages — Professional and Core. Professional includes everything Prism Analytics already does today, plus the new capabilities below; it's where your existing Prism investment lives. Core is a lighter package for simpler, single-source needs (more on choosing between them below). If you upgrade to Workday Data Cloud Professional, everything you've already built in Prism keeps working — no migration, no rebuilding, no downtime. On top of that, you gain new capabilities:
- Outbound access: your existing Prism datasets can now be reached directly by tools like AWS, Databricks, Google Cloud, Salesforce, and Snowflake — without extracting or copying data out of Workday. Full availability of existing Prism datasets through this path reaches General Availability in 27R1.
- Inbound access: access data already sitting in AWS, Databricks, Google Cloud, Salesforce, or Snowflake in place, without importing it into Workday first.
- Live Data Query: real-time SQL access to your live Workday data, so BI tools (like Power BI and Tableau) and AI agents work with data that's current to the minute.
- Continued innovation: Data Cloud's roadmap includes ongoing investment beyond these capabilities — including a semantic layer that helps AI agents understand your organization's own terms and definitions, not just raw data. Your account team can share the latest on what's available today versus what's still ahead.
The bottom line.
Data Cloud doesn't replace what you've built in Prism — it extends its reach. Currently, Prism offers a uni-directional access pattern whereas Workday Data Cloud offers a bi-directional zero copy access pattern.
Choosing your path: Core or Professional.
Workday Data Cloud comes in two packages. Which one fits depends mainly on how you use Prism today.
|
Workday Data Cloud Professional | Workday Data Cloud Core |
|---|---|---|
| Best For: | Customers with existing Prism pipelines and datasets, or enterprise-scale analytics and AI use cases. |
Simpler, lighter-weight use cases and customers just getting started with Data Cloud. |
| Data Preparation | Full Prism Analytics capabilities — ingest, join, and transform data in Workday. |
No data preparation capabilities; external platform data is ready to be consumed in Workday. |
| Your Existing Prism Datasets | Carry over completely, with no rebuilding required. |
Not included — Core does not include Prism Analytics capabilities. |
| AI Agents & Semantic Layer | Included. | Not included. |
If you've already built Prism pipelines or published datasets.
Workday Data Cloud Professional is the right path. It's the only package that carries your existing Prism work forward automatically.
Is my organization eligible?
Most existing Workday Prism customers are eligible to upgrade. A few things to know:
- Data Cloud is in Early Adopter (EA) now, with General Availability targeted for 26R2 (October 2026).
- If you're an existing Prism customer already on Workday's public cloud, you're already eligible today.
- If your environment isn't yet on the public cloud, you can still move forward — purchasing Data Cloud includes a fast-tracked path to public cloud migration, which is typically much faster than the standard migration queue.
- Workday Data Cloud is available across industries, segments, and geographies.
- Financial data, Workday Student, and Adaptive Planning reach General Availability in 27R1. In the meantime, Student and Adaptive Planning data can be loaded into Prism and made available through Data Cloud once Prism data reaches the Data Lake (Early Adopter in 26R2).
How the upgrade works.
If you're already on Workday's public cloud:
Talk to your Workday Account Team about upgrading at your next renewal, or mid-term if you're ready now.
Review pricing, entitlements, and Flex Credits for your organization with your account team, and sign the Data Cloud order form — completing your transition to Workday's Universal MSA (uMSA) at the same time, if you haven't already.
Your existing Prism Data Sources, pipelines, and published datasets remain completely intact through the move — nothing needs to be rebuilt.
Once active, you can begin exposing existing Prism datasets to external BI tools and AI agents, and using Live Data Query for real-time access.
If you're not yet on the public cloud:
As part of purchasing Workday Data Cloud, you'll complete a Public Cloud Migration agreement.
Workday opens a migration case and creates an implementation tenant — a copy of your production environment — typically within about two weeks.
You'll commit to migrating your production environment within roughly six months, a significantly faster timeline than the standard migration queue, which can otherwise extend into 2027 or 2028.
Your account team will walk you through exactly what this looks like for your organization. Throughout the process, Workday's Customer Care team manages the technical migration case behind the scenes, so you're kept informed at each step without having to coordinate it yourself.
What this means for pricing.
Workday Data Cloud uses a hybrid pricing model: a base platform fee that includes generous usage entitlements, plus Flex Credits that let you pay only for usage beyond those entitlements as you scale — for example, sharing data outbound to partner platforms.
- Two packages are available: Workday Data Cloud Core and Workday Data Cloud Professional.
- Flex Credits are Workday's shared currency for platform innovation — the same credits also apply to other Workday AI and platform capabilities.
- Entitlements bundled into your platform fee cover a generous baseline of usage — including data preparation and outbound sharing — scaled to your organization's size. Flex Credits only come into play once you go beyond that baseline, so most customers won't need to think about them day to day.
- No cost to get started: Usage is only counted in production, and sandbox testing is free.
For specific numbers:
Pricing and entitlement levels depend on your organization's size and current contract, and upgrade timing and incentives can vary. Your Workday Account Team can walk you through exact pricing, any applicable upgrade terms, and how this affects your current agreement.
Frequently asked questions.
Will my existing Prism pipelines and datasets still work?
Yes, with Workday Data Cloud Professional. With Workday Data Cloud Professional, everything you've already built continues to work with no downtime, and you immediately gain the ability to expose it to external tools and agents. Although, if you have Prism pipelines and move to Workday Data Cloud Core, you will lose your pipelines.
What happens to my ability to join datasets, transform and define canonical datasets that serve as source of truth definitions?
All the capabilities in Prism that enable you to Join and Transform data, to create a single source of truth definitions, such as Total Compensation, Total Headcount, Spend Insights etc, are available in Workday Data Cloud Pro. You will continue to have access to Interactive Data Preparation, Full Lineage, One Click Audit capabilities and ability to operationalize and manage Published Datasets.
Do we still need our other integration and ETL tools?
For data access and analytics use cases, Data Cloud removes the need for many pipelines and middleware. Traditional system-to-system integrations — for example, Workday to a benefits provider — continue to use standard integration frameworks and aren't replaced by Data Cloud. Your data stack can coexist: anything you choose to keep in another platform stays exactly where it is. Customers have the power of Choice. They can either build their Data products in Workday or other systems that they already use. Data Cloud makes it easier to access data in a governed manner.
Is this a totally new concept, or does it build on standards we already use?
Data Cloud's zero-copy access is built on Apache Iceberg, an open, widely adopted data lake standard, plus a live SQL/JDBC connection for real-time queries — so it fits into the tools and platforms you already use, like Snowflake, Databricks, Power BI, and Tableau.
What if we're not on Workday's public cloud yet?
You can still move forward. Purchasing Data Cloud includes a fast-tracked migration path to the public cloud, on a much faster timeline than the standard migration queue.
Can Data Cloud query data we keep in our own warehouse or data lake?
Yes. This is called zero-copy inbound access, and it works with AWS, Databricks, Google Cloud, Salesforce, and Snowflake — Workday can query that data in place without importing it first.
Who is responsible for securing our data once it's accessed by a partner platform?
Workday governs access using your existing Workday security model, so data can only be queried by authorized users. Once data is accessed by a partner platform, security within that platform becomes that platform's responsibility — but because nothing is duplicated, there's one authoritative, governed source rather than copies to secure across multiple systems.
Roadmap at a glance.
Milestone
Early Adopter (EA)
General Availability - HR / Talent data
General Availability - Finance data, Payroll, and Adaptive/Student (native)
Existing Prism datasets available in the Workday Data Lake
Timing
Available now
26R2 (targeted October 2026)
27R1
Early Adopter in 26R2, General Availability in 27R1
Timelines reflect current targets and may shift — your Account Team can confirm the latest dates for your contract.
Visit the Workday Data Cloud Community page.