Claude Desktop connects to Workday through the CData MCP Server for Workday using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

When you launch Claude, it automatically detects MCP connections registered during setup. These connections are created and saved using the MCP Configuration Tool, which is installed with the MCP Server.

Each saved connection is recognized by Claude and can be referenced by name when asking questions.

Installing Claude

Claude Desktop is a standalone application that enables natural language querying across supported data sources using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

To connect to Workday via MCP, you first need to install the Claude Desktop application.

You can download the latest version from the official Claude Download Page.

After installing Claude Desktop, you can configure your MCP connection using the CData MCP Driver for Workday.

How Claude Uses the Server

When you ask Claude a question, it launches the corresponding MCP Server connection, reads the available tool descriptions provided by the connector, and generates a secure query in the background.

There is no need to write SQL or teach Claude how to query your data. Each tool is self-describing, and Claude consumes those descriptions to determine how to retrieve the right information.

Example Prompts

After setup, you can ask Claude natural-language questions like:

• "Who recently had a job change in the last 30 days, and what was the new title or position?"
• "Which employees are enrolled in allowance plans under WQL guidelines?"
• "What bonus plans are active this quarter, and who are the participants?"
• "What are the top-level organizations in our Workday tenant, and who leads each one?"
• "Which workers have submitted ad hoc time transactions for projects in the last 2 weeks?"
• "What configuration changes have been made to the onboarding process this month?"
• "What are the criteria used for approving change requests related to compensation?"
• "List expense reports that are pending approval, along with their total amounts."
• "Show the home contact information for all remote employees."
• "What payments were made to contractors in the last 60 days, and for which projects?"

Claude securely executes the query using the MCP Server and responds using the live results from Workday.