Workday Glossary

A guide to Workday Terms and Icons

Workday Terms

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Academic

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
AY in which Third Year Review occurs	Academic Review Date	This is a field in the Academic Appointment Data Report. As an example, if the date displayed is 9/1/2025, this means that the Third Year Review must be completed during the 25-26 AY.
Date by which a TT faculty must achieve tenure	Tenure Probationary End Date	This is a field in the Academic Appointment Data Report. e.g., If the date shows as 6/30/2029, this is the date by which tenure must be achieved.

Accounts Payable

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
Supplier Invoice	Supplier Invoice	A bill received from a vendor for products or services.

Benefits

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
Qualifying Life Event	Benefit Event	A life or change that allows an employee to change benefit elections (e.g., marriage, birth) outside the open enrollment period.

Budgets

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
1-time Adjustment (BD04 or BD06)	1-time Budget Adjustment	A 1-time budget amendment is a non-recurring change to a budget, used to increase or decrease funds for a specific purpose or period without affecting the ongoing base budget.
Account Code	Ledger Account	Ledger accounts are used to track and classify financial activity at a summarized level. Revenue categories and spend categories roll up to ledger accounts for reporting and analysis.
Account Pool	Ledger Account Summary	This is the level at which Business Units allocate their budget and where transactions will budget check at this level to confirm availability of funds. The Ledger Account Summary is a hierarchy that aggregates individual ledger accounts and related spend categories. Examples include Other Major Operating, Equipment & Supplies, Utilities, etc.
Base Adjustment (BD02)	Base Budget Adjustment	A budget amendment that permanently reallocates funding in the approved base budget from one PPGG to another PPGG or account summary within a single PPGG.
Commitments	Obligation	A fully approved purchase order that commits funds for future payment.
Expense Account Code	Spend Category	A classification that indicates the type of expense and determines where the transaction will be posted. Spend categories roll up to ledger accounts and summaries, which are used for budgeting and/or financial reporting. Examples of spend categories include one-day travel, office supplies, and professional services.
Fund Type	Fund	In Workday, a fund is a classification that identifies the source of financial resources and their purpose. Funds are used to track and report transactions separately, ensuring that revenues and expenses are applied according to restrictions, requirements, or organizational policies. Examples include operating funds, grant funds, and endowment funds.
Index	Driver Worktags - PPGG (Program, Project, Gift, Grant)	A driver worktag (such as Project, Program, Grant, or Gift) determines how a financial transaction is coded. It drives the string of financial ledger values by automatically populating the appropriate fund, cost center, and function, ensuring the transaction is classified and reported correctly.
N/A	Commitments	Pre-authorizations of spend, such as requisitions that are pending approval.
Organization Code - Level 7 (Department)	Cost Center	Identifies a unit where payroll, expenses, revenue, and budget are tracked. Each cost center has a manager who approves financial transactions.
Program	Function	A classification that indicates the financial statement reporting category of expenses (e.g., research, instruction).
Revenue Account Code	Revenue Category	A classification that indicates the type of revenue and determines where the transaction will be posted. Revenue categories roll up to ledger accounts and summaries, which are used for budgeting and/or financial reporting. Examples of revenue categories include UG tuition, facility rental revenue, and athletic ticket sales.

Compensation

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
Off Cycle	On Demand Payment	An off cycle payment that replaces, or is issued in addition to, a worker's on cycle pay. A payment made outside the regular payroll cycle.
One-Time Payment	One-Time Payments	A single, non-recurring payment such as a bonus or stipend.
Payroll ID (BW = Salary or BH = Hourly)	Pay Rate Type	Defines whether the worker is paid a salary or a certain amount per unit of time, for example, hourly or weekly. Defined by country and associated with job profiles and, by extension, with employees in that job profile. Identifies whether compensation is based on a fixed salary or hourly wage.

Cross-Functional

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
Banner Modules	Functional Areas	Grouping of tasks, reports, and objects. (e.g., the HCM solution includes functional areas such as Benefits, Talent & Performance, Absence and Manager/Employee self-service). Each of Workday's solutions (like HCM and Financials) is grouped into distinct functional areas.
Location	Location	A physical worksite or place of business operations or where a fixed asset resides. Location is also intended to be applied as a worktag associated with certain revenue categories - (ex: facility rental revenue)
N/A	Security Role	A group with specific responsibilities and permissions. Determines what users can see and do in Workday. Roles include "Employee," "Manager," and custom roles specific to NJIT.
Workflow	Business Process	A sequence of one or more tasks that accomplishes a desired business objective (ex. hiring an employee, paying an invoice).

Expenses

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
Pre-Approval (Chrome River)	Spend Authorization	A pre-approval process for future business expenses, typically travel, allowing employees to request and get approval for estimated costs (like flights, hotels, meals) before incurring them, ensuring funds are available and policies are followed.
Expense Report	Expense Report	Used to account for reimbursement for business expenses, expenses charged to a NJIT Credit card, and Anthony Travel Ghost Card / CTA Transactions.
Expense Tile	Expense Item	The field in the expense report that identifies the type of expense incurred.
Allocation (Chrome River)	PPGG	A driver worktag (such as Project, Program, Grant, or Gift) determines how a financial transaction is coded. It drives the string of financial ledger values by automatically populating the appropriate fund, cost center, and function, ensuring the transaction is classified and reported correctly.
N/A	Business Purpose	Used to categorize the reason for the expense (e.g., scholarly vs. non-scholarly travel), identify who the expense is for (faculty, staff, or student), and indicate how the expense was incurred (e.g., NJIT credit card) in Workday.
Business Purpose/Description	Memo	Header Memo - A clear and detailed explanation of the expense. This should explain who, what, when, where, and why the expense is being incurred. The description should provide enough context for approvers and auditors to understand the business need without additional follow-up. Expense Line Memo - A detailed description of the expense item.
Date of Purchase	Expense Date	Expense Date equals the purchase/receipt date.
Approval Routing	Business Process	The structured workflow that controls how a transaction moves through the system - from creation to final approval - based on defined rules, roles, and conditions.

Finance

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
Chart of Accounts	Foundation Data Model (FDM)	A structured framework that organizes financial data for reporting and analysis. A collection of worktags, showing classifications and sub-classifications that are affected by the financial transactions of the university. The financial data model serves as the chart of accounts for Workday. It consists of the data elements that are attached to financial transactions when they are entered or generated, allowing the university to retrieve data for reporting.

General Accounting

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
Bank Code	Bank Account	The account where payments are deposited.
Chart	Company	In Workday, a company is a legal or financial entity within the university, often tied to a unique tax ID. It is used to manage and report financial transactions, assets, liabilities, and equity separately, providing the legal and reporting structure for accounting and financial statements. Examples include the University, Foundation, and NJII.
Depreciable Asset	Depreciable Asset	A purchased item with value that decreases over time, such as equipment.
Internal Chargebacks	Internal Service Deliveries	Transfer of costs between internal departments for shared services.
Journal Entries/Reclass	Accounting Adjustment	Corrects or reclassifies costs on settled transactions (like expense reports or supplier invoices) by changing worktags, spend categories, or budget dates. This can now be done by business offices; those with the Business Manager Specialist security role; no longer will need a form emailed to General Accounting.
Pooled Gift	Pooled Gift	A fund made up of multiple gifts combined for a common purpose.

General

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
Banner Instance	Workday Tenant	Production and test environments for Banner application and other connected systems. Now we have PROD, PPRD, TEST, DEVL, CONV, TRNG. Workday will have Production, Sandbox and Sandbox Preview.
Crosswalk	N/A	Files and programs that ensure that our Banner legacy data maps or links correctly to the corresponding values in Workday.

Human Resources

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
N/A	Job Family Group	Job Family Groups are high-level categories (like "IST" or "Finance") that house multiple related Job Families (e.g., "HR Services," "Payroll"), which in turn contain specific Job Profiles (e.g., "HR Generalist") that describe actual positions.
Banner Self Service	Employee Self Service and Employee as Self	A system that enables employees to access/change their personal data housed in their employer's system of record.
Human Resources	Human Capital Management (HCM)	A set of practices related to people resource management. A system for managing people-related processes such as hiring, pay, and professional devleopment.
Position Class	Job Profile	Defines generic features and characteristics—such as company insider type, pay rate type, and competencies and proficiencies—of a job and of a position that uses that profile. Job profiles are the most specific element in the job catalog: job profiles make up job families, which make up job family groups. Describes the responsibilities, pay structure, and skills associated with a job.
Separation	Termination (Voluntary or Involuntary)	The process of ending employment, whether initiatied by the employee or the institution.
Title	Business Title	The functional title used publicly or internally, such as "Project Manager."
Employer	Company	The legal entity within the university responsible for employment and payroll.

Payroll

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
Direct Deposit	Payment Elections	The method selected to receive payments, such as through a bank account.
Garnishment	Withholding Order	A court-ordered deduction from wages to pay off debts.
Garnishment Payee	Deduction Recipient	The individual or entity receiving a garnishment deduction.
Labor Distribution Assignment	Payroll Costing Allocation	Assigned accounting codes that charge payroll expenses to the general ledger.
Pay Stub	Pay Slip	Official wage statement provided by employers detailing earnings, deductions, taxes, gross and net pay.
Payment Elections	Payment Elections	Preferences selected for receiving payments (e.g., bank transfer, direct deposit).
Payroll ID (BW = Salary or BH = Hourly)	Pay Rate Type	Identifies whether compensation is based on a salary or hourly rate.
Recast	Payroll Accounting Adjustment	A correction or modification to the PPGG identified on the payroll accounting entries after payroll has been processed - moving payroll expenses from one PPGG to another. These adjustments are typically used to fix errors, reallocate costs, or update financial records to ensure accuracy in payroll-related accounting.

Procurement

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
Buyer or Browser	Requester (or Requisitioner)	An individual responsible for purchasing goods or services on behalf of the university. The only true "Buyers" will be Procurement services staff in Workday. All others will be Requesters (Requisitioners).
Supplier/Vendor	Supplier	An entity separate from the university that provides goods or services to the university. AKA "Vendor."

Recruiting

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
Onboarding	Onboarding in Workday	The process for introducing and orienting new employees to systems, policies, and procedures in Workday.
Agency Hire (not paid by NJIT)	Contingent Worker	Non-employee working at the university who is not eligible for benefits. A worker hired for a determined amount of time often paid by an outside agency.
Reclassification	Job Change	An employer-initiated change to job specifications, significant in nature often resulting in a change in title and responsibilities.

Time Tracking and Absence

What we call it now	In Workday, we call it	Definition
Taking vacation, leave or sick time	Time Off	System used to request and track vacation, sick leave, and other time away from work.
Tracking or entering time	Time Tracking	Recording and submitting hours worked.

Workday Icons

Icon	Meaning	Use
	Home Page	Select this icon from the left-hand side navigation menu to access the Workday home page
	NJIT Logo	Click this icon to navigate back to the Workday home page.
	Customize Navigation	Select this icon from the left-hand side navigation menu to customize the menu including creating apps and shortcuts
	Notifications	Select this icon from the upper right-hand corner of the screen to view your notifications
	Tasks	Select this icon from the upper right-hand corner of the screen to view your tasks
	Profile	Select this icon from the upper right-hand corner of the screen to view your profile and manage your account
	Dropdown	Click this icon to expand a dropdown list from which you can choose an item
	Calendar View	Click this icon to open calendar view and select a date
	Related Actions	Click this icon to open a menu of actions you can take/places you can go related to the page, report, or topic you are currently viewing

Please note, this glossary is a work in progress and will continuously be updated.