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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2026-08-07
Blend External Data with Workday Data

Blend External Data with Workday Data

Use Prism Data Management to transform and aggregate data from your external tables (and optionally Workday tables) into an analysis-ready dataset.
  1. Create a Derived Dataset.
    1. Access the Prism Data Catalog report.
    2. Select
      + Create
      Derived Dataset
      .
    3. Select one or more source tables or datasets that contain the measures and dimensions you want to analyze.
      Example: A Workday dataset and an external table.
    4. Enter a meaningful
      Dataset Name
       that clearly describes the content and purpose of the dataset.
    5. Select
      Save
       to open the dataset in the
      Edit Dataset Transformations
       page.
  2. Join Workday and external data.
    1. On the
      Edit Dataset Transformations
       page, in the top panel, select
      Add Stage
      Join
      .
    2. In the
      Primary Pipeline
      , keep your main table or dataset (Example: Workday data).
    3. In the
      Select a Pipeline
       dropdown list, click
      Add Another Pipeline
       and select the external table from your
      External Catalog
      .
    4. Use business keys (Examples: Worker IDs, transaction IDs, cost center IDs) to define the join.
    5. (Optional) Use Copilot suggestions to identify high-confidence field pairs and confirm the ones you want to use.
    6. Select an appropriate
      Join Type
       (Example:
      Inner Join
       when you only want records that exist in both sources).
    7. In
      Select Fields
      , include only the fields that are relevant to your analysis.
  3. Create calculated fields.
    To prepare your measures for analysis:
    1. On the
      Edit Dataset Transformations
       page, select
      Add Field
      .
    2. Use the
      Prism Copilot Expression Builder
       to:
      • Standardize numeric measures (Examples: Convert text to numeric, or normalize to a common currency or unit).
      • Derive business metrics (such as totals, ratios, flags, or categories).
      • Clean or format text and date fields into more report-friendly values.
    3. Give each calculated field a clear, business-friendly name.
    4. Select
      Save
       in the upper-right corner to save the updated dataset definition.
  4. Reshape and aggregate the data.
    Depending on your reporting needs, you may want to reshape or pre-aggregate the data:
    • Use stages such as
      Unpivot
       or
      Pivot
       to restructure multiple related measures into a format that is easier to slice and compare.
    • Use
      Aggregate
       or Grouping-style transformations to pre-roll up data at a useful grain (Examples: By worker, cost center, time period, or product).
    After making changes, use the preview pane to confirm that:
    • The key dimensions (Examples: Organizations, dates, entities) appear as expected.
    • The measures are in the correct format and at the correct level of detail.
  5. Publish the dataset.
    When you are satisfied with the structure and contents of the dataset:
    1. From the
      View Dataset Details
       page, select
      Quick Actions
      Publish
      .
    2. Select
      Submit
       to start the publish operation.
    3. Use the
      Refresh
       icon to update the status until the publishing operation is complete and shows as Published.
The published dataset is now ready to be used as a data source in:
  • Custom Reports
  • Dashboards
  • Discovery Board Visualizations
  • WQL Queries