Proxy access in Workday

I was recently catching up with some former work colleagues who now work in a company that uses Workday.  They were not aware of the proxy functionality in Workday, so I put together a little info, maybe helpful for someone else too. 

What is the 'Proxy' functionality in Workday?

• It allows certain users to switch over to *acting as* another user (without having to log in as another user).
• It is only valid in non-production environments--you configure the ones where you want to use it.
• It allows you to set boundaries--which users who can use it, who they can/cannot log in as, etc.
• It's been available since 22 or 23 (off the top of my head)

 

Why use proxy?

• For those in the trenches having to test out/approve functionality, this is a huge time saver.  
• In particular, it saves you the hassle of having to create accounts, reset passwords, log in again, etc. plus the added risk of having those floating around.

How do you use it?

1. Log in as normal.  If you are a user with this access, then go to the 'Start Proxy' menu and choose who you'd like to proxy in as.  Here, Logan will proxy in and act as Steve:

2.  Test out whatever functionality you want.  You'll see whatever Steve has access to see.  Note the 'on behalf of' in the corner in case you forget who you're logging in as.

3.  Once you're done, access the 'Stop Proxy' menu, Confirm and hit OK.

4. There you go, you're back to your original access.

What is the configuration behind this functionality?

 

Here you go. 

• Choose which non-production environments where you'd like to enable this functionality.
• Choose any exceptions (CEO, VP's etc?)
• Choose the user groups who can proxy.
• Choose which user populations can be used for proxy testing.  This one is helpful if you have certain restricted groups, such as a European Works Council heavy country that you'd like to exclude.  As well, you might want to only enable a certain sub-population if you're just rolling out a piece of functionality to a certain population.

How do I know what Proxy functionality is currently enabled?

 

Run the report:

Overall:

• I like this functionality a lot, I think WD got this one right 'out of the box,' instead of drip-feeding us a little preview functionality and then enhancing over 5-6 versions.
• This is a huge time saver for people doing testing, enabling you to really see what a user sees without going through all the account creation jazz.
• It's simple to run/stop and use.  Full points on the usability front here.
• I haven't talked to my friends in compliance on this one, so no comments there.  I suspect that's why WD keeps it out of the Production environment, to minimize the risk on that front.