Setup Considerations: Name Configuration by Country

You can use this topic to help make decisions when planning your configuration and use of names by country. It explains:

Why to set it up.

How it fits into the rest of Workday.

Downstream impacts and cross-product interactions.

Security requirements and business process configurations.

Questions and limitations to consider before implementation.

Refer to detailed task instructions for full configuration details.

What It Is

Workday enables you to control how your tenant collects name data at the country level, so you can:

Hide or require name components, such as prefixes or middle names, or make them optional.

Select basic configuration options for countries with local script.

Control the behavior of name components you define for specific countries.

Business Benefits

Name configuration by country enables you to:

Only collect name data relevant for your company.

Improve the user experience by reducing data entry confusion, which improves data accuracy and worker efficiency.

Use Cases

Hiding optional name components, such as middle name, prefix, and suffix, so you collect only name data that meets your business needs.

Enforcing local names for workers who only have a local name, giving you more control over your name data.

Questions to Consider

Question	Considerations
What is the recommended option to require local script?	We recommend you use the Local Script required option to collect a minimum set of local script name components and other name components on the Maintain Name Components by Country task. Otherwise, you can use the Western Script required option to collect a minimum set of Western script name components and any local script name components you select.
Why do you want to override required local script or Western script name components?	An administrator without knowledge of a local script might need to add a person's name for a country with local script names. You can select the Enable Western Script check box option on the Maintain Name Components by Country task. When you do this, Workday displays a check box on name tasks that the administrator can select to enter a name in Western script instead. Enabling Western script makes it required and makes local script not required for a particular name.
What does the Enable Enter Western Script check box option do?	This option: Makes the Enable Western Script check box available on name tasks. Gives you the flexibility to make Western script or local script required, depending on if you select the check box. When you select it, Western script name component fields become available for edit.
What happens if name data exists on a component that you want to hide?	When you modify a name configuration, your selections on the Maintain Name Components by Country task can impact the name data you collect and save after you edit it. Example: When you collect middle names but hide them later, Middle Name is no longer collected when a user makes a change to their name.
When you make Western script names optional for a country, what is the default option for those names?	Those name configurations are set by default to the Enable Western Script check box option.
When you require Western script names for a country, what is the default option for those names?	Those name configurations are set by default to the Western Script required option.
Does the Maintain Name Components by Country task control how names display in your tenant?	No. This task only controls collection of names; it doesn't affect how names display. Access the Name Formats for Country report to view how names are set up for display.

Recommendations

Workday recommends that you require the same name components for both web services and the user interface, especially when you want web services to initiate business process approvals. When you set web services and the user interface to require different name components, you risk bringing incomplete data into your tenant.

In addition, when web services trigger approvals, the user interface requirements apply and approvers must enter any missing data. If you do need a web service to bring in different name data, we recommend that you set up web services to autocomplete and bypass approvals.

Requirements

You must use Workday Web Services v.33 or higher for name configuration changes that you make on the

Name Components

and Recruiting Name Components
tabs of the

Maintain Name Components by Country

task to take effect.

Limitations

No impact.

Tenant Setup

No impact.

Security

The Set Up: Contact Info, IDs, and Personal Data
domain in the Contact Information functional area enables you to configure name components.

Business Processes

No impact.

Reporting

Access the

Name Components

tab on the

View Country

report or the

View Name Components by Country

report to see country name configurations.

Integrations

Hiding or requiring name components can impact your integrations. Setting up names in your tenant without properly assessing how it works with your integrations might cause them to fail. We recommend that you test your name configuration with your integrations before you set up names in your Production tenant.

The Core Connector: Worker integration supports worker personal data, including name data. See: Concept: Core Connector: Worker Integration Data Mapping.

Connections and Touchpoints

Names touch all functional areas in Workday. Access the

Name Components

tab on the

Maintain Name Components by Country

task to configure names, except for recruiting. To configure names for Workday Recruiting, access the

Recruiting Name Components

tab on the

Maintain Name Components by Country

task.

Workday offers a Touchpoints Kit with resources to help you understand configuration relationships in your tenant. Learn more about the Workday Touchpoints Kit on Workday Community.