Workday Rising 2026 is officially around the corner. Bringing together more than 30,000 in-person and digital attendees across 400+ sessions, the event promises deep dives into platform capabilities for HR, finance, and IT. Keynote speakers Aneel Bhusri, Gerrit Kazmaier, and Joel Hellermark will take center stage to present Workday’s core theme for the year: Agentic HR and Agentic Finance.

While market announcements often focus on vision, system administrators and functional leads need to understand operational reality. Here is what to expect from the keynotes, what features are on our radar, and what critical questions you should ask in technical breakouts.

What to Expect: Our Predictions for the Roadmap

Beyond high-level keynotes, session tracks at Rising 2026 will reveal how new tools fit into existing tenant architectures. Based on recent release trends, we expect significant technical updates in several key areas:

  • Developer Agent and Workday Build: Look for extensions of recent release capabilities, specifically around AI-assisted application creation in Workday Extend and Developer Site tools.
  • Agent Governance & Infrastructure: As Workday introduces Model Context Protocol (MCP) access and “Agent Passport” frameworks, expect detail on how permissions, access boundaries, and audit logging will be enforced.
  • Data Foundations (Prism & Data Cloud): Updates centered on optimizing ingestion pipelines and blending external data to feed intelligence models.
  • Orchestration and Pricing Models: Clarification on how complex integrations within Workday Orchestrate interact with Flex Credits and platform consumption models.
  • 2027R1 Early Look: Early technical previews outlining core platform architecture shifts planned for next year’s releases.

Four Operational Questions Every Admin Should Ask

When attending breakout sessions or speaking with product managers at the Expo, shift the focus from what a feature does to how it is managed. Keep these practical questions in your notes:

  1. Security & Identity: Which new AI capabilities or agents require dedicated Integration System Users (ISUs), custom security groups, or domain policy overrides?
  2. Consumption & Licensing: How do these capabilities impact existing SKUs, licensing structures, or Flex Credit consumption?
  3. Auditability & Testing: What audit trails track automated agent actions, and how will these features behave during standard release regression cycles?
  4. Release Timeline: Which demonstrated features are General Availability (GA) today versus early adopter previews or future roadmap items?

Conclusion: Getting the Most Out of Rising

Workday Rising is a powerful event for mapping out your technical roadmap. If you are arriving early, consider attending the Customer Sharing movement‘s Share-a-thon on Sunday—it is a great place to start building connections, exchange real-world tenant insights, and network with fellow admins before the main conference starts.

Throughout the week, maximize your time by balancing high-level executive keynotes with hands-on labs where you can interact directly with new configurations. Prioritize sessions that address your immediate architecture challenges, and don’t hesitate to ask product teams for concrete implementation details.

Connecting with Teamup9

Navigating new platform capabilities requires an agile approach to tenant architecture, integration setup, and technical governance. If you are attending Rising in Las Vegas, the Teamup9 team would love to connect. Whether you want to discuss your platform strategy over coffee or review session takeaways, we are here to support your team.

Heading to the conference? Reach out to schedule a meeting with our team, and stay tuned for our November issue of Workday Admin Edge, where we will break down what actually got announced and what it means for your tenant.