Introduction
Navigational search is built for speed. Instead of browsing through Workday to find a colleague's profile or track down a specific report, just type what you're looking for in Sana and go directly there. Results are returned based on what you have permission to see in Workday, so you always get relevant, accurate results.
How to Use Navigational Search
Navigational search works in two places within Sana:
Chat bar — Start typing in the Sana chat bar and matching results appear instantly in a dropdown. Type at least 3 characters to trigger results. People appear above Tasks & Reports, with up to 5 results shown per type.
In-chat — Ask the Sana agent for a specific person, task, or report and it will return clickable results rather than a conversational response. Up to 4 results are shown by default, with the option to expand and see more.
Sana automatically detects whether your query is navigational (e.g., finding a specific person) or informational (e.g., asking a question about someone) and responds accordingly.
Tip: Add context to your query in Chat — for example, "report named Betty" or "task called Budget Review" — to ensure your intended result type is returned.
What You Can Search
Navigational search covers two types of Workday content:
People — Search by name, job title, location, supervisory organization name, email, or employee ID. Results show key details and link directly to their Workday profile.
Tasks & Reports — Search by display name to find and open any Workday task or report you have access to.
Note: Navigational search currently covers Workday entities only. Third-party sources like SharePoint and Google Docs are not yet supported.
Privacy & Access
Navigational search respects your existing Workday permissions. You will only see people, tasks, and reports you already have access to in Workday. No additional setup is required — once the Workday integration is active, navigational search is available automatically.
FAQ
Q: What's the difference between navigational search and chatting with Sana?
A: Navigational search is like a directory — it's designed to find and jump to a specific item fast. The Sana agent handles broader questions and tasks, like "What's on my to-do list?" or "Summarize my time off balance." Sana automatically uses the right mode based on how you phrase your question.
Q: Why aren't results appearing as I type?
A: Make sure you've typed at least 3 characters. If results still don't appear, the item may not exist within your Workday permissions, or there may be no matches for your query.
Q: Why does searching a name return people instead of a report?
A: Sana infers intent from your query. A name on its own is assumed to be a person search. Add context to your query — like "report named [name]" — to search for a task or report instead.
Q: Why can't I find a specific person?
A: Results are based on your Workday security settings. If you don't have permission to view someone in Workday, they won't appear in Sana either. Also, results shown directly in the search bar only include active Workers. To find terminated workers, try Chat.
Q: What's coming next?
A: The team is working on semantic search, support for multiple result types in a single query, profile photos in People results, and linking to third-party sources like SharePoint and Google Docs.