Start with the account model
Customer Central uses a separate account model. Workday identifies three account types: Customer Central Security Administrator, Customer Central Administrator, and Customer Central User. A single account cannot hold multiple Customer Central roles, so role planning comes before access work.
The Customer Central Security Administrator handles security-related administration. The Customer Central Administrator creates and manages Customer Central User accounts. Customer Central Users are the people who use the tenant and its available tools. Workday’s setup guidance also recommends backup administrator coverage so the tenant is not dependent on one person.
Create the required administrator coverage
The preconfigured wd-tenantowner account is used for the initial setup of the required administrator accounts. Workday’s current guidance says that the wd-tenantowner account deactivates automatically after 60 days, so the permanent administrator accounts should be established within that window.
Use the Security Administrator role for security settings, password support, and the controls that restrict certain tooling access. Use the Central Administrator role for managing Customer Central users and tenant access. Create a Customer Central User only where a person needs to work in Customer Central and does not already have the administrator account needed for their work.
Check the role before moving to tenant access
An active account alone does not grant a person access to an implementation, sandbox, or production tenant. Tenant access is managed separately, and access in Customer Central does not override the security that exists in the connected tenant.
Before assigning tooling, confirm the account type, the person’s intended responsibility, and whether their account name needs to match accounts in source and target tenants for Object Transporter work. That simple check prevents a role setup from being mistaken for tenant-level authorization.
For the current product guidance, see Workday’s Customer Central setup guidance.
