What Is Workday Build—and What Does It Mean for Extend Developers?

Workday made a big announcement at Rising: Workday Build, a unifi

ed platform designed to bring together the tools, data, and intelligence developers need to create the future of enterprise apps. While the hype around AI and agent-based workflows grabbed headlines, Build is much more than marketing. It represents a real evolution of the developer experience, and for those of us already working with Workday Extend, it’s a clear signal: 

The era of building faster, smarter, and more collaboratively inside Workday has officially begun!  

So… what exactly is Workday Build, and how does it change life for Extend developers? 

Let’s dig in. 

What is Workday Build? 

At its core, Workday Build is the unified development platform that combines: 

• App creation (via Extend) 

• Workflow orchestration 

• Agent development 

• AI Copilot assistance 

• DevOps lifecycle tools 

  
  

It consolidates Workday’s previously siloed tools into a single, connected experience, enabling developers to build, test, deploy, and maintain custom functionality all in one place. 

If you’ve ever thought, “Why can’t we manage Extend, orchestrations, and agents from one dashboard?”, Build is Workday’s answer. 

What It Includes 

1. Extend (Evolved) 

Workday Build is still built on Extend at its foundation. You can continue to create custom pages, forms, integrations, and apps that interact with Workday data—all within the same security model and UI. 

But now, Extend apps are surfaced more easily (via Journeys, homepage cards, and profile groups), and development gets a major boost from AI-driven Copilot features. 

2. Agent Development Tools 

Workday’s Flowise Agent Builder lets you build and manage custom AI agents that interact with users and systems on your behalf. These agents can: 

• Be embedded into Workday pages 

• Interact with Extend apps 

• Take action or surface data in context 

And they can now be registered using Microsoft Entra Agent ID, enabling secure identity and cross-platform workflows. That’s enterprise-grade agent architecture, baked right into the Workday platform. 

3. Orchestration (Reimagined) 

The orchestration builder now includes: 

• Conversational app-building 

• Autocomplete 

• Real-time error detection 

• Reusable tenant configuration 

• Local disk sync (for Pro users) 

This removes much of the friction developers faced when building custom workflows across Workday modules or data sources. Instead of jumping between documentation and static logic builders, developers can now converse with the platform itself to build flows faster and more accurately. 

4. AI Copilot 

Workday Build’s AI Copilot is one of the platform’s biggest upgrades. It acts like a developer assistant that helps you: 

• Write WQL from natural language 

• Generate validation scripts 

• Auto-suggest code snippets 

• Fix and explain errors in real time 

• Prototype apps from scratch based on user prompts 

This isn’t “AI hype.” It’s Workday-native AI trained on Workday’s architecture, logic, and syntax, making it a massive time-saver for both new and veteran developers. 

5. Dev Lifecycle & Source Control 

Workday Build introduces a source-driven development model with lifecycle management tools like: 

• Source control 

• Dev/test/prod workspace structure 

• Deployment tracking 

This gives larger orgs and dev teams better collaboration, governance, and visibility into what’s running, where, and why. 

What This Means for Extend Developers 

For developers already building on Workday Extend, Workday Build is more evolution than revolution, but it removes friction and unlocks opportunity. 

Here’s what it changes: 

• Everything is connected: No more switching between Extend, orchestration, and other tools. One place. One login. One experience. 

• Faster time to value: Copilot reduces dev time. Agent tools reduce scope creep. Orchestration is easier to prototype. 

• Stronger app lifecycle management: Build supports long-term app health with better visibility, maintenance, and retirement options. 

• Deeper enterprise integration: With Microsoft Entra, Extend apps and agents can securely collaborate across platforms. 

Nimbeely’s POV 

As a team building Extend apps every day, we’re excited about Workday Build—not just because it makes our jobs easier, but because it opens the door for bolder, more integrated apps than ever before. 

We can prototype faster. We can build workflows that include humans, agents, and apps. We can help our clients scale smarter, not just extend functionality, but transform how they work. 

Ready to Build Smarter? 

If you're looking to: 

• Modernize your Extend apps 

• Explore agent-based workflows 

• Tap into Workday Copilot for app development  Let’s talk. 

We're booking brain dates, demos, and consults at Workday Rising EMEA or any time on our website at www.nimbeely.com. 

Book a 1:1 Meeting with our Nimbeely team!  info@nimbeely.com