Week 2 of 8
Tenants and refresh
Most broken Workday tests are broken by the tenant, not the configuration. Production holds live data. Sandbox is a copy of production for building and testing. Sandbox Preview is a copy with the next release turned on. Implementation tenants are for deployments, data loads and end-to-end testing.
Each refreshes differently. Sandbox is refreshed from production at the weekly service update unless you request an exemption in time. Sandbox Preview refreshes automatically only at each release window, and once it has, you cannot restore or roll it back.
This week: write down what each tenant is for and when it resets
- List every tenant you have, what it is used for, who owns it and how it is refreshed. Implementation tenants refresh only on request.
- Find out your exemption deadline. One university’s published rule is 8 hours before the weekly service update for its data center.
- Never keep test data or configuration only in Sandbox. If it matters, script it, load it with an EIB, or move it with Object Transporter.
- Write a post-refresh checklist: re-point outbound integrations, reload test data, re-apply masking, check the Adaptive Planning connection.
- Before the next Sandbox Preview refresh, save a baseline from production: report outputs, integration files, the last payroll results.
Number of the week
2 per year
automatic Sandbox Preview refreshes from production, one for each release window. Restores or rollbacks are not possible afterwards.
Source: Workday @ NSHE, 2026R2 Important Information (2026)Use this week
- Workday EIB & Integration Test Tracker →
Includes a 10-step post-refresh checklist so no tenant sends real data to a live vendor.
- Test Schedule & Cycle Calendar →
Put refreshes and freeze periods on the same calendar as your test cycles.
- Workday Tenants and Tools (Workday Education) →
Workday’s own description of each tenant type and the tools that support testing.
Next week: if you are deploying, the test strategy every Workday test plan should inherit from.
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