Workday (WDAY) 10-K31 Mar 142014 FY Annual reportFinancial data

Company Profile

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Billions, except Share data in Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Feb. 28, 2014	Jul. 31, 2013
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]	'	'	'
Document Type	'10-K	'	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'	'
Document Period End Date	31-Jan-14	'	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2014	'	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'FY	'	'
Trading Symbol	'WDAY	'	'
Entity Registrant Name	'Workday, Inc.	'	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0001327811	'	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--01-31	'	'
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	'Yes	'	'
Entity Current Reporting Status	'Yes	'	'
Entity Voluntary Filers	'No	'	'
Entity Filer Category	'Large Accelerated Filer	'	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	184	'
Entity Public Float	'	'	$4.50

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
Current assets:	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$581,326	$84,158
Marketable securities	1,305,253	706,181
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $783 and $613	92,184	67,437
Deferred costs	16,446	9,816
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	28,449	16,710
Total current assets	2,023,658	884,302
Property and equipment, net	77,664	44,585
Deferred costs, noncurrent	20,797	18,575
Goodwill and acquisition related intangible assets, net	8,488	8,488
Other assets	45,658	3,130
Total assets	2,176,265	959,080
Current liabilities:	'	'
Accounts payable	6,212	2,665
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	17,999	13,558
Accrued compensation	55,620	27,203
Capital leases	9,377	12,008
Unearned revenue	332,682	199,340
Total current liabilities	421,890	254,774
Convertible senior notes, net	468,412	'
Capital leases, noncurrent	3,589	12,972
Unearned revenue, noncurrent	80,883	85,920
Other liabilities	14,274	13,131
Total liabilities	989,048	366,797
Commitments and contingencies (Note 10)	'	'
Stockholders' equity:	'	'
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 10 million shares authorized as of January 31, 2014 and January 31, 2013; no shares issued and outstanding as of January 31, 2014	'	'
Additional paid-in capital	1,761,156	993,933
Accumulated other comprehensive income	269	68
Accumulated deficit	-574,389	-401,880
Total stockholders' equity	1,187,217	592,283
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	2,176,265	959,080
Class A Common Stock [Member]	'	'
Stockholders' equity:	'	'
Common stock, value	90	26
Class B Common Stock [Member]	'	'
Stockholders' equity:	'	'
Common stock, value	$91	$136

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets_Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
Net of allowance for doubtful accounts	$783	$613
Preferred stock, par value	$0.00	$0.00
Preferred stock, shares authorized	10,000,000	10,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Class A Common Stock [Member]	'	'
Common stock, par or stated value per share	$0.00	$0.00
Common stock, shares authorized	750,000,000	750,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	91,000,000	26,000,000
Common stock, shares outstanding	91,000,000	26,000,000
Class B Common Stock [Member]	'	'
Common stock, par or stated value per share	$0.00	$0.00
Common stock, shares authorized	240,000,000	240,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	92,000,000	140,000,000
Common stock, shares outstanding	92,000,000	140,000,000
Shares subject to repurchase	2,000,000	3,000,000

Consolidated_Statements_of_Ope

Consolidated Statements of Operations (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014		Jan. 31, 2013		Jan. 31, 2012
Revenues:	'		'		'
Subscription services	$354,169		$190,320		$88,634
Professional services	114,769		83,337		45,793
Total revenues	468,938		273,657		134,427
Costs and expenses:	'		'		'
Costs of subscription services	69,195	[1]	39,251	[1]	22,342	[1]
Costs of professional services	107,615	[1]	77,284	[1]	43,026	[1]
Product development	182,116	[1]	102,665	[1]	62,014	[1]
Sales and marketing	197,373	[1]	123,440	[1]	70,356	[1]
General and administrative	65,921	[1]	48,880	[1]	15,133	[1]
Total costs and expenses	622,220	[1]	391,520	[1]	212,871	[1]
Operating loss	-153,282		-117,863		-78,444
Other expense, net	-17,549		-1,203		-1,018
Loss before provision for income taxes	-170,831		-119,066		-79,462
Provision for income taxes	1,678		124		167
Net loss	-172,509		-119,190		-79,629
Accretion of redeemable convertible preferred stock	'		-568		-342
Net loss attributable to Class A and Class B common stockholders	($172,509)		($119,758)		($79,971)
Net loss per share attributable to Class A and Class B common stockholders, basic and diluted	($1.01)		($1.62)		($2.71)
Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share attributable to Class A and Class B common stockholders	171,297		74,011		29,478

[1]	Costs and expenses include share-based compensation expenses as follows: Year Ended January 31, 2014 2013 2012 Costs of subscription services $ 2,408 $ 601 $ 230 Costs of professional services 4,818 1,312 398 Product development 21,644 3,528 1,124 Sales and marketing 12,131 2,717 839 General and administrative 20,850 7,170 1,591

Consolidated_Statements_of_Ope1

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Parenthetical) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Costs of subscription services [Member]	'	'	'
Allocated share-based compensation expense	$2,408	$601	$230
Costs of professional services [Member]	'	'	'
Allocated share-based compensation expense	4,818	1,312	398
Product development [Member]	'	'	'
Allocated share-based compensation expense	21,644	3,528	1,124
Sales and marketing [Member]	'	'	'
Allocated share-based compensation expense	12,131	2,717	839
General and administrative [Member]	'	'	'
Allocated share-based compensation expense	$20,850	$7,170	$1,591

Consolidated_Statements_of_Com

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]	'	'	'
Net loss	($172,509)	($119,190)	($79,629)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:	'	'	'
Changes in foreign currency translation adjustment	-72	-4	9
Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale investments	273	69	-11
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:	201	65	-2
Comprehensive loss	($172,308)	($119,125)	($79,631)

Consolidated_Statements_of_Cas

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Cash flows from operating activities:	'	'	'
Net loss	($172,509)	($119,190)	($79,629)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:	'	'	'
Depreciation and amortization	34,695	17,722	9,319
Share-based compensation expenses	61,851	15,328	4,182
Amortization of deferred costs	12,219	11,368	7,099
Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs	14,395	'	'
Donation of common stock to Workday Foundation	'	11,250	'
Other	678	56	60
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:	'	'	'
Accounts receivable	-25,037	-12,970	-39,025
Deferred costs	-21,071	-17,153	-12,036
Prepaid expenses and other assets	-25,876	-9,877	-4,909
Accounts payable	3,547	-65	2,195
Accrued expense and other liabilities	35,066	17,582	9,260
Unearned revenue	128,305	97,163	89,710
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	46,263	11,214	-13,774
Cash flows from investing activities:	'	'	'
Purchases of marketable securities	-1,587,240	-765,797	-63,282
Maturities of marketable securities	983,242	111,577	13,086
Purchases of property and equipment	-60,725	-15,898	-4,999
Purchase of cost method investment	-2,000	'	-1,000
Purchase of other intangible assets	-15,000	'	'
Other	-910	'	'
Net cash used in investing activities	-682,633	-670,118	-56,195
Cash flows from financing activities:	'	'	'
Proceeds from initial public offering, net of issuance costs	'	684,620	'
Proceeds from follow-on offering, net of issuance costs	592,241	'	'
Proceeds from borrowings on convertible senior notes, net of issuance costs	584,291	'	'
Proceeds from issuance of warrants	92,708	'	'
Purchase of convertible senior notes hedges	-143,729	'	'
Proceeds from issuance of common stock from employee equity plans	23,692	10,370	6,265
Proceeds from issuance of redeemable convertible preferred stock, net of issuance costs	'	'	95,009
Principal payments on capital lease obligations	-12,129	-9,453	-4,296
Other	-3,464	'	'
Net cash provided by financing activities	1,133,610	685,537	96,978
Effect of exchange rate changes	-72	-4	8
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents	497,168	26,629	27,017
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of period	84,158	57,529	30,512
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period	581,326	84,158	57,529
Supplemental cash flow data:	'	'	'
Cash paid for interest	4,886	1,315	898
Non-cash investing and financing activities:	'	'	'
Property and equipment acquired under capital leases	115	18,717	15,983
Accretion of redeemable convertible preferred stock	'	568	342
Vesting of early exercised stock options	3,043	2,447	395
Purchases of property and equipment, accrued but not paid	$1,613	'	'

Consolidated_Statements_of_Red

Consolidated Statements of Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock and Stockholders' Equity (Deficit) (USD $)	Total	Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock [Member]	Convertible Preferred Stock [Member]	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]	Accumulated Deficit [Member]
In Thousands, except Share data	Total	Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock [Member]	Convertible Preferred Stock [Member]	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]	Accumulated Deficit [Member]
Balances at Jan. 31, 2011	($102,707)	$75,555	$68	$27	$99,344	$5	($202,151)
Balances, shares at Jan. 31, 2011	'	22,954,545	67,586,395	28,065,481	'	'	'
Initial public offering, net of issuance costs	'	95,009	'	'	'	'	'
Initial public offering, net of issuance costs, Shares	'	7,435,149	'	'	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock under employee equity plans	2,542	'	'	6	2,536	'	'
Issuance of common stock under employee equity plans, Shares	'	'	'	7,758,894	'	'	'
Vesting of early exercised stock options	395	'	'	'	395	'	'
Grant of restricted stock award	'	'	'	100,000	'	'	'
Share-based compensation	4,182	'	'	'	4,182	'	'
Accretion of redeemable convertible preferred stock issuance costs	-342	342	'	'	'	'	-342
Other comprehensive income	-2	'	'	'	'	-2	'
Net loss	-79,629	'	'	'	'	'	-79,629
Balances at Jan. 31, 2012	-175,561	170,906	68	33	106,457	3	-282,122
Balances, shares at Jan. 31, 2012	'	30,389,694	67,586,395	35,924,375	'	'	'
Initial public offering, net of issuance costs	684,620	'	'	26	684,594	'	'
Initial public offering, net of issuance costs, Shares	'	'	'	26,162,500	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock under employee equity plans	2,419	'	'	3	2,416	'	'
Issuance of common stock under employee equity plans, Shares	'	'	'	4,621,908	'	'	'
Vesting of early exercised stock options	2,447	'	'	2	2,445	'	'
Grant of restricted stock awards	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Grant of restricted stock award	'	'	'	1,240,000	'	'	'
Share-based compensation	15,328	'	'	'	15,328	'	'
Conversion of preferred stock to common stock	171,473	-171,474	-68	98	171,443	'	'
Conversion of preferred stock to common stock, Shares	'	-30,389,694	-67,586,395	97,976,089	'	'	'
Donation of shares to Workday Foundation	11,250	'	'	'	11,250	'	'
Donation of shares to Workday Foundation, Shares	'	'	'	500,000	'	'	'
Accretion of redeemable convertible preferred stock issuance costs	-568	568	'	'	'	'	-568
Other comprehensive income	65	'	'	'	'	65	'
Net loss	-119,190	'	'	'	'	'	-119,190
Balances at Jan. 31, 2013	592,283	'	'	162	993,933	68	-401,880
Balances, shares at Jan. 31, 2013	'	'	'	166,424,872	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock under employee equity plans	23,692	'	'	10	23,682	'	'
Issuance of common stock under employee equity plans, Shares	'	'	'	8,689,384	'	'	'
Follow-on offering, net of issuance costs	592,241	'	'	7	592,234	'	'
Follow-on offering, net of issuance costs, Shares	'	'	'	6,900,000	'	'	'
Vesting of early exercised stock options	3,043	'	'	1	3,042	'	'
Vested restricted stock units net	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Vested restricted stock units net, shares	'	'	'	41,775	'	'	'
Shares withheld for tax withholding on vesting of restricted stock	-3,806	'	'	'	-3,806	'	'
Share-based compensation	61,851	'	'	'	61,851	'	'
Exercise of warrants, value	1	'	'	1	'	'	'
Exercise of warrants, shares	'	'	'	1,350,000	'	'	'
Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation	342	'	'	'	342	'	'
Purchase of convertible senior notes hedges	-143,729	'	'	'	-143,729	'	'
Issuance of warrants	92,708	'	'	'	92,708	'	'
Equity component of convertible senior notes	140,899	'	'	'	140,899	'	'
Other comprehensive income	201	'	'	'	'	201	'
Net loss	-172,509	'	'	'	'	'	-172,509
Balances at Jan. 31, 2014	$1,187,217	'	'	$181	$1,761,156	$269	($574,389)
Balances, shares at Jan. 31, 2014	'	'	'	183,406,031	'	'	'

Overview_and_Basis_of_Presenta

Overview and Basis of Presentation	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Overview and Basis of Presentation	'
	Note 1.	Overview and Basis of Presentation
	Company and Background
	Workday provides enterprise cloud applications for human capital management (HCM), payroll, financial management and analytics. We offer innovative and adaptable technology focused on the consumer Internet experience and cloud delivery model. Our applications are designed for global enterprises to manage complex and dynamic operating environments. We provide our customers highly adaptable, accessible and reliable applications to manage critical business functions that enable them to optimize their financial and human capital resources. We were originally incorporated in March 2005 in Nevada and in June 2012, we reincorporated in Delaware.
	Fiscal Year
	Our fiscal year ends on January 31. References to fiscal 2014, for example, refer to the year ended January 31, 2014.
	Basis of Presentation
	These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The consolidated financial statements include the results of Workday, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries.
	For the consolidated statements of operations for the years ended January 31, 2013 and 2012, to conform to the current year’s presentation, we separated Revenues into Subscription services revenues and Professional services revenues and Costs of revenues to Costs of subscription services and Costs of professional services. This change had no impact on Total revenues or Total costs and expenses. In addition, for the consolidated statements of operations we renamed Research and development to Product development. Product development includes all costs related to research and development activities.
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates include, but are not limited to, the determination of the relative selling prices for our services, the recoverability of deferred commissions and certain assumptions used in the valuation of equity awards. Actual results could differ from those estimates and such differences could be material to our consolidated financial position and results of operations.
	Segment information
	We operate in one operating segment, cloud applications. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources and assessing performance. Our chief operating decision maker allocates resources and assesses performance based upon discrete financial information at the consolidated level. Since we operate in one operating segment, all required financial segment information can be found in the consolidated financial statements.

Summary_of_Significant_Account

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	'
	Note 2.	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
	Revenue Recognition
	We derive our revenues primarily from subscription services fees and from professional services fees, including training. We sell subscriptions to our cloud applications through contracts that are generally three years in length. Our arrangements do not contain general rights of return. Our subscription contracts do not provide customers with the right to take possession of the software supporting the applications and, as a result, are accounted for as service contracts.
	We commence revenue recognition for our cloud applications and professional services when all of the following criteria are met:

		•	There is persuasive evidence of an arrangement;

		•	The service has been or is being provided to the customer;

		•	Collection of the fees is reasonably assured; and

		•	The amount of fees to be paid by the customer is fixed or determinable.
	Subscription Services Revenues
	Subscription services revenues are recognized ratably over the contractual term of the arrangement beginning on the date that our service is made available to the customer, assuming all revenue recognition criteria have been met.
	Professional Services Revenues
	Professional services revenues are generally recognized as the services are rendered for time and materials contracts, or on a proportional performance basis for fixed price contracts. The majority of our professional services contracts are on a time and materials basis. Training revenues are recognized as the services are rendered.
	Multiple Deliverable Arrangements
	For arrangements with multiple deliverables, we evaluate whether the individual deliverables qualify as separate units of accounting. In order to treat deliverables in a multiple deliverable arrangement as separate units of accounting, the deliverables must have standalone value upon delivery. If the deliverables have standalone value upon delivery, we account for each deliverable separately and revenue is recognized for the respective deliverables as they are delivered. If one or more of the deliverables does not have standalone value upon delivery, the deliverables that do not have standalone value are generally combined with the final deliverable within the arrangement and treated as a single unit of accounting. Revenue for arrangements treated as a single unit of accounting is generally recognized over the subscription services period, which is considered the final deliverable.
	Subscription services contracts have standalone value as we sell the subscriptions separately. In determining whether professional services can be accounted for separately from subscription services, we consider the availability of the professional services from other vendors, the nature of our professional services and whether we sell our applications to new customers without professional services. As of January 31, 2012, we did not have standalone value for the professional services related to the deployment of our financial management application. This was due to the fact that we had historically performed the majority of these services to support our customers’ deployments of this application. In fiscal 2013, we determined that we had established standalone value for the deployment services related to our financial management application. This was primarily due to the growing number of partners that were trained and certified to perform these deployment services, the successful completion of a significant deployment engagement by a firm in our professional services ecosystem and the sale of several financial management cloud application subscription arrangements to customers without our deployment services. Because we established standalone value for our deployment services related to our financial management application in fiscal 2013, such service arrangements entered into after February 1, 2012 are being accounted for separately from subscription services.

	When multiple deliverables included in an arrangement are separable into different units of accounting, the arrangement consideration is allocated to the identified separate units of accounting based on their relative selling price. Multiple deliverable arrangements accounting guidance provides a hierarchy to use when determining the relative selling price for each unit of accounting. Vendor-specific objective evidence (VSOE) of selling price, based on the price at which the item is regularly sold by the vendor on a standalone basis, should be used if it exists. If VSOE of selling price is not available, third-party evidence (TPE) of selling price is used to establish the selling price if it exists. VSOE and TPE do not currently exist for any of our deliverables. Accordingly, for arrangements with multiple deliverables that can be separated into different units of accounting, we allocate the arrangement fee to the separate units of accounting based on our best estimate of selling price. The amount of arrangement fee allocated is limited by contingent revenues, if any.
	We determine our best estimate of selling price for our deliverables based on our overall pricing objectives, taking into consideration market conditions and entity-specific factors. We evaluate our best estimate of selling price by reviewing historical data related to sales of our deliverables, including comparing the percentages of our contract prices to our list prices. We also consider several other data points in our evaluation, including the size of our arrangements, the cloud applications sold, customer demographics and the numbers and types of users within our arrangements.
	Costs of Subscription Services
	Costs of subscription services primarily consist of costs related to providing our cloud applications, compensation and other employee-related expenses for data center staff, payments to outside service providers, data center and networking expenses and depreciation expenses.
	Costs of Professional Services
	Costs of professional services primarily consist of costs related to providing deployment services, optimization services and training and include compensation and other employee-related expenses for professional services staff, costs of subcontractors and travel.
	Cash and Cash Equivalents
	Cash and cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less. Our cash equivalents generally consist of investments in U.S. treasury securities, U.S. agency obligations, money market funds and commercial paper. Cash and cash equivalents are stated at fair value.
	Marketable Securities
	Our marketable securities consist of U.S. agency obligations, U.S. treasury securities, commercial paper, money market funds, U.S. corporate securities, and certificates of deposit. We classify our marketable securities as available-for-sale at the time of purchase and reevaluate such classification as of each balance sheet date. We may sell these securities at any time for use in current operations or for other purposes, such as consideration for acquisitions, even if they have not yet reached maturity. As a result, we classify our investments, including securities with maturities beyond twelve months as current assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. All marketable securities are recorded at their estimated fair value. Unrealized gains and losses for available-for-sale securities are recorded in other comprehensive income (loss). We evaluate our investments to assess whether those with unrealized loss positions are other-than-temporarily impaired. We consider impairments to be other than temporary if they are related to deterioration in credit risk or if it is likely we will sell the securities before the recovery of their cost basis. Realized gains and losses and declines in value judged to be other-than-temporary are determined based on the specific identification method and are reported in other expense, net in the consolidated statements of operations.

	Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
	Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount, net of allowances for doubtful accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on our assessment of the collectability of accounts. We regularly review the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts by considering the age of each outstanding invoice and the collection history of each customer to determine the appropriate amount of our allowance. Accounts receivable deemed uncollectable are charged against the allowance for doubtful accounts when identified. For all periods presented, the allowance for doubtful accounts activity was not significant.
	Deferred Commissions
	Deferred commissions earned by our sales force that can be associated specifically with a non-cancelable cloud application services contract. Direct sales commissions are deferred when earned and amortized over the same period that revenues are recognized for the related non-cancelable cloud application services contract. The commission payments are paid in full after the customer has paid for its first year of service.
	Amortization of deferred commissions is included in sales and marketing in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
	Property and Equipment
	Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is recorded using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the lease term.
	Goodwill and Acquisition-Related Intangible Assets
	We determine and allocate the purchase price of an acquired company to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the business combination date. Intangible assets with a finite life are amortized over their estimated useful lives. Goodwill is tested for impairment at least annually, and more frequently upon the occurrence of certain events. We completed our annual impairment test in our fourth quarter, which did not result in any impairment of the goodwill balance.
	Unearned Revenue
	Unearned revenue primarily consists of customer billings in advance of revenues being recognized from our cloud applications contracts. We generally invoice our customers for our cloud applications contracts in annual or multi-year installments. Our typical payment terms provide that customers pay a portion of the total arrangement fee within 30 days of the contract date. Unearned revenue also includes certain deferred professional services fees that are accounted for as a single unit of accounting with cloud applications fees and are recognized as revenues over the same period as the related cloud applications contract. Unearned revenue that is anticipated to be recognized during the succeeding 12-month period is recorded as current unearned revenue and the remaining portion is recorded as noncurrent.
	Convertible Senior Notes
	In June 2013, we issued 0.75% convertible senior notes due July 15, 2018 (2018 Notes) with a principal amount of $350.0 million. Concurrently, we issued 1.50% convertible senior notes due July 15, 2020 (2020 Notes) with a principal amount of $250.0 million (together with the 2018 Notes, referred to as Notes). In accounting for the Notes, we separated them into liability and equity components. The carrying amount of the liability component was calculated by measuring the fair value of a similar liability that does not have an associated convertible feature. The carrying amount of the equity component representing the conversion option was determined by deducting the fair value of the liability component from the par value of the Notes as a whole. This difference represents a debt discount that is amortized to interest expense over the terms of the Notes. The equity component is not remeasured as long as it continues to meet the conditions for equity classification. In accounting for the issuance costs related to the Notes, we allocated the total amount incurred to the liability and equity components. Issuance costs attributable to the liability components are being amortized to expense over the respective terms of the Notes, and issuance costs attributable to the equity components were netted with the respective equity component in additional paid-in capital.
	Advertising Expenses
	Advertising is expensed as incurred. Advertising expense was $8.7 million, $6.5 million and $3.9 million for fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
	Share-Based Compensation
	All share-based compensation to employees is measured based on the grant-date fair value of the awards and recognized in our consolidated statements of operations over the period during which the employee is required to perform services in exchange for the award (generally the vesting period of the award). We estimate the fair value of stock options granted using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. For restricted stock awards and units, fair value is based on the closing price of our common stock on the grant date. Compensation expense is recognized over the vesting period of the applicable award using the straight-line method.
	Compensation expense for non-employee stock options is calculated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and is recorded as the options vest. Non-employee options subject to vesting are required to be periodically revalued over their service period, which is generally the same as the vesting period.
	Income Taxes
	We record a provision for income taxes for the anticipated tax consequences of the reported results of operations using the asset and liability method. Under this method, we recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities, as well as for operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the tax rates that are expected to apply to taxable income for the years in which those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. We record a valuation allowance to reduce our deferred tax assets to the net amount that we believe is more likely than not to be realized.
	We recognize tax benefits from uncertain tax positions only if we believe that it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities based on the technical merits of the position. Although we believe that we have adequately reserved for our uncertain tax positions, we can provide no assurance that the final tax outcome of these matters will not be materially different. As we expand internationally, we will face increased complexity in determining the appropriate tax jurisdictions for revenue and expense items, our unrecognized tax benefits will likely increase in the future. We make adjustments to these reserves when facts and circumstances change, such as the closing of a tax audit or the refinement of an estimate. To the extent that the final tax outcome of these matters is different than the amounts recorded, such differences will affect the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made and could have a material impact on our financial condition and operating results. The provision for income taxes includes the effects of any accruals that we believe are appropriate, as well as the related net interest and penalties.
	Warranties and Indemnification
	Our cloud applications are generally warranted to perform materially in accordance with our online help documentation under normal use and circumstances. Additionally, our contracts generally include provisions for indemnifying customers against liabilities if our cloud applications contracts infringe a third party’s intellectual property rights, and we may also incur liabilities if we breach the security and/or confidentiality obligations in our contracts. To date, we have not incurred any material costs, and we have not accrued any liabilities in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, as a result of these obligations. We have entered into service-level agreements with a majority of our customers warranting defined levels of uptime reliability and performance and permitting those customers to receive credits or refunds for prepaid amounts related to unused subscription services or to terminate their agreements in the event that we fail to meet those levels. To date, we have not experienced any significant failures to meet defined levels of reliability and performance as a result of those agreements and, as a result, we have not accrued any liabilities related to these agreements in the consolidated financial statements.
	Foreign Currency Exchange
	The functional currency for certain of our foreign subsidiaries is the U.S. dollar, while others use local currencies as their functional currency. Adjustments resulting from translating foreign functional currency financial statements into U.S. dollars for those entities that do not have U.S. dollars as their functional currency are recorded as part of a separate component of the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are included in the consolidated statements of operations for the period. All assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate on the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rate during the period. Equity transactions are translated using historical exchange rates.
	Concentrations of Risk and Significant Customers
	Our financial instruments that are exposed to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities and accounts receivable. Our deposits exceed federally insured limits.
	No single customer represented over 10% of accounts receivable in the consolidated financial statements as of January 31, 2014 or 2013. No single customer represented over 10% of total revenues for any of the periods in the consolidated financial statements.
	In order to reduce the risk of down time of our enterprise cloud applications, we have established data centers in various geographic regions. We have internal procedures to restore services in the event of disaster at one of our current data center facilities. We serve our customers and users from data center facilities operated by third parties, located in Ashburn, Virginia; Lithia Springs, Georgia; Portland, Oregon; Dublin, Ireland; and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Even with these procedures for disaster recovery in place, our cloud applications could be significantly interrupted during the implementation of the procedures to restore services.
	In addition, we rely on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which provides a distributed computing infrastructure platform for business operations, to operate certain aspects of our services, including our big data analytics application, and certain environments for development testing, training and sales demonstrations. Any disruption of or interference with our use of AWS would impact our operations.
	Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
	In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-02, Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. The standard requires entities to present information about reclassification adjustments from accumulated other comprehensive income in their financial statements or footnotes. The guidance is effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2012. We adopted this new guidance on February 1, 2013 and it did not have an impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Marketable_Securities

Marketable Securities	12 Months Ended
Marketable Securities	Jan. 31, 2014
Cash And Cash Equivalents [Abstract]	'
Marketable Securities	'
	Note 3.	Marketable Securities
	At January 31, 2014, marketable securities consisted of the following (in thousands):


			Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized			Aggregate
			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value
	U.S. agency obligations		$	1,125,170	$	334	$	(50	)	$	1,125,454
	U.S. treasury securities			536,747		88		(47	)		536,788
	Commercial paper			62,997		—		—			62,997
	U.S. corporate securities			11,771		6		—			11,777
	Money market funds			90,159		—		—			90,159

			$	1,826,844	$	428	$	(97	)	$	1,827,175

	Included in cash and cash equivalents			521,956		3		(37	)		521,922

	Included in marketable securities		$	1,304,888	$	425	$	(60	)	$	1,305,253

	At January 31, 2013, marketable securities consisted of the following (in thousands):


			Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized			Aggregate
			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value
	U.S. agency obligations		$	614,171	$	64	$	(11	)	$	614,224
	U.S. treasury securities			65,174		5		—			65,179
	Commercial paper			64,538		1		—			64,539
	Certificates of deposit			250		—		—			250
	U.S. corporate securities			8,128		—		(1	)		8,127
	Money market funds			17,395		—		—			17,395

			$	769,656	$	70	$	(12	)	$	769,714

	Included in cash and cash equivalents		$	63,533	$	—	$	—		$	63,533

	Included in marketable securities		$	706,123	$	70	$	(12	)	$	706,181

	We do not believe the unrealized losses represent other-than-temporary impairments based on our evaluation of available evidence, which includes our intent to hold these investments to maturity as of January 31, 2014. All marketable securities held as of January 31, 2014 have not been in a continuous unrealized loss position for more than 12 months. There were no sales of available-for-sale securities during any of the periods presented. As of January 31, 2014, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaling $1.6 billion had maturity dates within one year. Marketable securities on the consolidated balance sheets consist of securities with original or remaining maturities at the time of purchase of greater than three months and the remainder of the securities is reflected in cash and cash equivalents.

Deferred_Costs

Deferred Costs	12 Months Ended
Deferred Costs	Jan. 31, 2014
Text Block [Abstract]	'
Deferred Costs	'
	Note 4.	Deferred Costs
	Deferred costs consisted of the following (in thousands):


			January 31,
			2014		2013
	Current:
	Deferred professional service costs		$	3,555	$	1,654
	Deferred sales commissions			12,891		8,162

	Total		$	16,446	$	9,816

	Noncurrent:
	Deferred professional service costs		$	4,357	$	6,843
	Deferred sales commissions			16,440		11,732

	Total		$	20,797	$	18,575

Property_and_Equipment

Property and Equipment	12 Months Ended
Property and Equipment	Jan. 31, 2014
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]	'
Property and Equipment	'
	Note 5.	Property and Equipment
	Property and equipment consisted of the following (in thousands):


			January 31,
			2014			2013
	Computers, equipment and software		$	75,867		$	28,770
	Computers, equipment and software acquired under capital leases			38,912			39,300
	Furniture and fixtures			7,782			4,689
	Leasehold improvements			15,885			6,581

				138,446			79,340
	Less accumulated depreciation and amortization			(60,782	)		(34,755	)

	Property and equipment, net		$	77,664		$	44,585

	Depreciation expense was $29.3 million, $15.9 million and $8.9 million for fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. These amounts include depreciation of assets recorded under capital leases of $12.3 million, $10.2 million and $4.3 million for fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Goodwill_and_Acquisition_Relat

Goodwill and Acquisition Related Intangible Assets, Net	12 Months Ended
Goodwill and Acquisition Related Intangible Assets, Net	Jan. 31, 2014
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Goodwill and Acquisition Related Intangible Assets, Net	'
	Note 6.	Goodwill and Acquisition Related Intangible Assets, Net
	In February 2008, we acquired Cape Clear, an enterprise software company. Our goodwill and a portion of our intangible assets are attributed to this acquisition. The intangible assets related to the acquisition were fully amortized as of January 31, 2013.
	Goodwill and acquisition related intangible assets consisted of the following (in thousands):


			January 31,
			2014 and 2013
	Acquired purchased technology		$	600
	Customer relationship assets			338

				938
	Less accumulated amortization			(938	)

	Acquisition related intangible assets, net			—
	Goodwill			8,488

	Goodwill and acquisition related intangible assets,		$	8,488
	net		$	8,488

Other_Assets

Other Assets	12 Months Ended
Other Assets	Jan. 31, 2014
Deferred Costs Capitalized Prepaid And Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Other Assets	'
	Note 7.	Other Assets
	Other assets consisted of the following (in thousands):


			January 31,
			2014		2013
	Issuance cost of convertible senior notes		$	10,625	$	—
	Acquired land leasehold interest, net			9,991		—
	Technology patents, net			4,865		—
	Others			20,177		3,130

	Total		$	45,658	$	3,130

	In January 2014, Workday acquired a 95-year lease for a 6.9 acre parcel of land adjacent to our existing Pleasanton, California leased facilities. The lease affords us the opportunity to develop office space for employees in Pleasanton, California. We paid $10.0 million to acquire the lease and $1.5 million in prepaid rent through December 31, 2020. If construction does not commence by June 30, 2015, we will be required to make additional payments to the lessor, ranging from $0.2 million to $1.0 million based on the length of the delay. The $10.0 million purchase price of this lease was recorded in other assets on the consolidated balance sheet. In addition, in fiscal 2014, we signed an agreement to acquire a portfolio of patents for $5.0 million with weighted-average useful remaining lives of 6 years.
	As of January 31, 2014, our future estimated amortization expense related to the acquired leasehold interest and patents are as follows (in thousands):


	2015		$	1,028
	2016			1,027
	2017			1,027
	2018			889
	2019			520
	Thereafter			10,365

	Total		$	14,856

Fair_Value_Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	12 Months Ended
Fair Value Measurements	Jan. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Fair Value Measurements	'
	Note 8.	Fair Value Measurements
	We measure our financial assets and liabilities at fair value at each reporting period using a fair value hierarchy that requires that we maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. A financial instrument’s classification within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Three levels of inputs may be used to measure fair value:
	Level 1 — Observable inputs that reflect quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.
	Level 2 — Include other inputs that are directly or indirectly observable in the marketplace.
	Level 3 — Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity.
	Financial assets
	We value our marketable securities using quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets when available. If we are unable to value our marketable securities using quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets, we value our investments using independent pricing vendors’ reports that utilize quoted market prices for comparable instruments. We validate, on a sample basis, the derived prices provided by the independent pricing vendors by comparing their assessment of the fair values of our investments against the fair values of the portfolio balances of another third-party professional’s pricing service. To date, all of our marketable securities can be valued using one of these two methodologies.
	Based on our valuation of our marketable securities, we concluded that they are classified in either Level 1 or Level 2 and we have no financial assets or liabilities measured using Level 3 inputs. The following tables present information about our assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis using the above input categories (in thousands):


			Fair Value Measurements as of
			January 31, 2014
	Description		Level 1		Level 2		Total
	U.S. agency obligations		$	—	$	1,125,454	$	1,125,454
	U.S. treasury securities			536,788		—		536,788
	Commercial paper			—		62,997		62,997
	U.S. corporate securities			—		11,777		11,777
	Money market funds			90,159		—		90,159

			$	626,947	$	1,200,228	$	1,827,175

	Included in cash and cash equivalents						$	521,922

	Included in marketable securities						$	1,305,253


			Fair Value Measurements as of
			January 31, 2013
	Description		Level 1		Level 2		Total
	U.S. agency obligations		$	—	$	614,224	$	614,224
	U.S. treasury securities			65,179		—		65,179
	Commercial paper			—		64,539		64,539
	Certificates of deposit			—		250		250
	U.S. corporate securities			—		8,127		8,127
	Money market funds			17,395		—		17,395

			$	82,574	$	687,140	$	769,714

	Included in cash and cash equivalents						$	63,533

	Included in marketable securities						$	706,181

	Financial liabilities
	The carrying amounts and estimated fair values of financial instruments not recorded at fair value are as follows (in thousands):


			January 31, 2014
			Carrying		Estimated
			Amount		Fair Value
	0.75% Convertible senior notes		$	281,359	$	434,875
	1.50% Convertible senior notes			187,053		319,219
	The estimated fair value of the convertible senior notes, which we have classified as Level 2 financial instruments, was determined based on the quoted bid price of the convertible senior notes in an over-the-counter market on January 31, 2014.

	Based on the closing price of our common stock of $89.54 on January 31, 2014, the if-converted value of the 0.75% convertible senior notes and the if-converted value of the 1.50% convertible senior notes were more than their respective principal amounts.

Convertible_Senior_Notes

Convertible Senior Notes	12 Months Ended
Convertible Senior Notes	Jan. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Convertible Senior Notes	'
	Note 9.	Convertible Senior Notes
	Convertible Senior Notes
	In June 2013, we issued 0.75% convertible senior notes due July 15, 2018 (2018 Notes) with a principal amount of $350.0 million. The 2018 Notes are unsecured, unsubordinated obligations, and interest is payable in cash in arrears at a fixed rate of 0.75% on January 15 and July 15 of each year, beginning on January 15, 2014. The 2018 Notes mature on July 15, 2018 unless repurchased or converted in accordance with their terms prior to such date. We cannot redeem the 2018 Notes prior to maturity.
	Concurrently, we issued 1.50% convertible senior notes due July 15, 2020 (2020 Notes) with a principal amount of $250.0 million (together with the 2018 Notes, referred to as Notes). The 2020 Notes are unsecured, unsubordinated obligations of Workday, and interest is payable in cash in arrears at a fixed rate of 1.50% on January 15 and July 15 of each year, beginning on January 15, 2014. The 2020 Notes mature on July 15, 2020 unless repurchased or converted in accordance with their terms prior to such date. We cannot redeem the 2020 Notes prior to maturity.
	The terms of the Notes are governed by Indentures by and between us and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee (the Indentures). Upon conversion, holders of the Notes will receive cash, shares of Class A Common Stock or a combination of cash and shares of Class A Common Stock, at our election.
	For the 2018 Notes, the initial conversion rate is 12.0075 shares of Class A Common Stock per $1,000 principal amount, which is equal to an initial conversion price of approximately $83.28 per share of Class A Common Stock, subject to adjustment. Prior to the close of business on March 14, 2018, the conversion is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions as described below. For the 2020 Notes, the initial conversion rate is 12.2340 shares of Class A Common Stock per $1,000 principal amount, which is equal to an initial conversion price of approximately $81.74 per share of Class A Common Stock, subject to adjustment. Prior to the close of business on March 13, 2020, the conversion is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, as described below.
	Holders of the Notes who convert their Notes in connection with certain corporate events that constitute a make-whole fundamental change (as defined in the Indentures) are, under certain circumstances, entitled to an increase in the conversion rate. Additionally, in the event of a corporate event that constitutes a fundamental change (as defined in the Indentures), holders of the Notes may require us to repurchase all or a portion of their Notes at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes, plus any accrued and unpaid interest.
	Holders of the 2018 Notes and 2020 Notes may convert all or a portion of their Notes prior to the close of business on March 14, 2018 for the 2018 Notes and March 13, 2020 for the 2020 Notes, in multiples of $1,000 principal amount, only under the following circumstances:

		•		if the last reported sale price of Class A Common Stock for at least twenty trading days during a period of thirty consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price of the respective Notes on each applicable trading day;

		•		during the five business day period after any five consecutive trading day period in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of the respective Notes for each day of that five day consecutive trading day period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of Class A Common Stock and the conversion rate of the respective Notes on such trading day; or

		•		upon the occurrence of specified corporate events, as noted in the Indentures.

	In accounting for the issuance of the Notes, we separated each of the Notes into liability and equity components. The carrying amounts of the liability components were calculated by measuring the fair value of similar liabilities that do not have associated convertible features. The carrying amount of the equity components representing the conversion option were determined by deducting the fair value of the liability components from the par value of the respective Notes. These differences represent debt discounts that are amortized to interest expense over the respective terms of the Notes. The equity components are not remeasured as long as they continue to meet the conditions for equity classification.
	We allocated the total issuance costs incurred to the 2018 Notes and 2020 Notes on a prorated basis using the aggregate principal balances. In accounting for the issuance costs related to the 2018 Notes and 2020 Notes, we allocated the total amount of issuance costs incurred to liability and equity components. Issuance costs attributable to the liability components are being amortized to interest expense over the respective terms of the Notes, and the issuance costs attributable to the equity components were netted against the respective equity components in additional paid-in capital. For the 2018 Notes, we recorded liability issuance costs of $7.2 million and equity issuance costs of $2.0 million. Amortization expense for the liability issuance costs was $0.9 million for fiscal 2014. For the 2020 Notes, we recorded liability issuance costs of $4.7 million and equity issuance costs of $1.8 million. Amortization expense for the liability issuance costs was $0.4 million for fiscal 2014.
	The Notes consisted of the following (in thousands):


			January 31, 2014
			2018 Notes			2020 Notes
	Principal amounts:
	Principal		$	350,000		$	250,000
	Unamortized debt discount(1)			(68,641	)		(62,947	)

	Net carrying amount		$	281,359		$	187,053

	Carrying amount of the equity component(2)		$	74,892		$	66,007


	(1)	Included in the consolidated balance sheets within Convertible senior notes, net and amortized over the remaining lives of the Notes on the straight-line basis as it approximates the effective interest rate method.

	(2)	Included in the consolidated balance sheets within additional paid-in capital, net of $2.0 million and $1.8 million for the 2018 Notes and 2020 Notes, respectively, in equity issuance costs.
	As of January 31, 2014, the remaining life of the 2018 Notes and 2020 Notes is approximately 53 months and 77 months, respectively.
	The effective interest rates of the liability components of the 2018 Notes and 2020 Notes are 5.75% and 6.25%, respectively. These interest rates were based on the interest rates of similar liabilities at the time of issuance that did not have associated convertible features. The following table sets forth total interest expense recognized related to the 2018 Notes and 2020 Notes for fiscal 2014 (in thousands):


			2018 Notes			2020 Notes
	Contractual interest expense		$	1,633		$	2,333
	Interest cost related to amortization of debt issuance costs			876			420
	Interest cost related to amortization of the debt discount			8,265			4,834
	Notes Hedges
	In connection with the issuance of the 2018 Notes and 2020 Notes, we entered into convertible note hedge transactions with respect to our Class A Common Stock (Purchased Options). The Purchased Options cover, subject to anti-dilution adjustments substantially identical to those in the Notes, approximately 7.3 million shares of our Class A Common Stock and are exercisable upon conversion of the Notes. The Purchased Options have initial exercise prices that correspond to the initial conversion prices of the 2018 Notes and 2020 Notes, respectively, subject to anti-dilution adjustments substantially similar to those in the Notes. The Purchased Options will expire in 2018 for the 2018 Notes and in 2020 for the 2020 Notes, if not earlier exercised. The Purchased Options are intended to offset potential economic dilution to our Class A Common Stock upon any conversion of the Notes. The Purchased Options are separate transactions and are not part of the terms of the Notes.
	We paid an aggregate amount of $143.7 million for the Purchased Options, which is included in additional paid-in capital in the consolidated balance sheets.
	Warrants
	In connection with the issuance of the Notes, we also entered into warrant transactions to sell warrants (the Warrants) to acquire, subject to anti-dilution adjustments, up to approximately 4.2 million shares in July 2018 and 3.1 million shares in July 2020 our Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $107.96 per share. If the warrants are not exercised on their exercise dates, they will expire. If the market value per share of our Class A Common Stock exceeds the applicable exercise price of the Warrants, the Warrants will have a dilutive effect on our earnings per share assuming that we are profitable. The Warrants are separate transactions, and are not part of the terms of the Notes or the Purchased Options.
	We received aggregate proceeds of $92.7 million from the sale of the Warrants, which is recorded in additional paid-in capital in the consolidated balance sheets.

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies	Jan. 31, 2014
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Commitments and Contingencies	'
	Note 10.	Commitments and Contingencies
	Leases
	We lease office space under noncancelable operating leases in the U.S. and overseas with various expiration dates. Certain of our office leases are with an affiliate of our co-CEO, David Duffield, who is also a director and significant stockholder of Workday. In addition, we lease certain equipment and related software from an affiliate of Mr. Duffield (see Note 16) and from various third parties. The equipment lease terms contain a bargain purchase option, therefore, the leases are classified as capital leases.
	On January 30, 2014, we entered into a 95-year lease to lease a 6.9-acre parcel of vacant land, under which we paid a one-time $0.5 million transfer fee for obtaining the lease, and a prepayment of $1.5 million for base rent from commencement through December 31, 2020. Annual rent payments of $0.2 million plus increases based on increases in the consumer price index begin on January 1, 2021 and continue through the end of the lease. If construction does not commence by June 30, 2015, we will be required to make additional payments to the lessor, ranging from $0.2 million to $1.0 million based on the length of the delay. As of January 31, 2014, the future minimum lease payments by year under non-cancelable leases are as follows (in thousands):


			Capital Leases			Operating		Operating Leases
			Capital Leases			Leases		with Related Party
	2015		$	9,901		$	12,894	$	2,179
	2016			3,673			8,546		2,306
	2017			—			5,032		2,362
	2018			—			4,116		2,417
	2019			—			3,438		2,473
	Thereafter			—			25,083		10,677

				13,574			59,109		22,414
	Less amount representing interest and taxes			(608	)		—		—

				12,966		$	59,109	$	22,414

	Less current portion			9,377
	Noncurrent		$	3,589


	The facility lease agreements generally provide for rental payments on a graduated basis and for options to renew, which could increase future minimum lease payments if exercised. We recognize rent expense on a straight-line basis over the period in which we benefit from the lease and have accrued for rent expense incurred but not paid. Rent expense was $11.0 million, $5.5 million and $3.4 million for fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
	Legal Matters
	We are a party to various legal proceedings and claims which arise in the ordinary course of business. In our opinion, as of January 31, 2014, there was not at least a reasonable possibility that we had incurred a material loss, or a material loss in excess of a recorded accrual, with respect to such loss contingencies.

Common_Stock_and_Stockholders_

Common Stock and Stockholders' Equity (Deficit)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2014

Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]

Common Stock and Stockholders' Equity (Deficit)

Note 11.

Common Stock and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

Common Stock

In connection with our initial public offering in October 2012 (IPO), we amended our certificate of incorporation to provide for Class A common stock, Class B common stock and preferred stock. Upon the closing of the IPO, all shares of our then-outstanding redeemable convertible preferred stock and convertible preferred stock automatically converted into an aggregate of 98.0 million shares of Class B common stock and an aggregate of 42.1 million shares of our then-outstanding common stock converted into an equal number of Class B common stock.

In January 2014, we completed our follow-on offering, in which we issued 6.9 million shares of our Class A common stock at a public offering price of $89.00 per share. We received net proceeds of $592.2 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions of $21.2 million and other offering expenses of $0.7 million.

As of January 31, 2014, there were 91.1 million shares of Class A common stock and 92.3 million shares of Class B common stock outstanding. The rights of the holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock are identical, except with respect to voting and conversion. Each share of Class A common stock is entitled to one vote per share and each share of Class B common stock is entitled to ten votes per share. Each share of Class B common stock can be converted into a share of Class A common stock at any time at the option of the holder.

Donation to the Workday Foundation

In August 2012, with approval of the board of directors, we donated 500,000 shares of Class B common stock to the Workday Foundation. We incurred a share-based charge of $11.3 million for the value of the donated shares, which was recorded in general and administrative expense in fiscal 2013.

Common Stock Subject to Repurchase

The equity plans allow for the early exercise of stock options for certain individuals as determined by the board of directors. We have the right to purchase at the original exercise price any unvested (but issued) common shares during the repurchase period following termination of services of an employee. The consideration received for an exercise of an option is considered to be a deposit of the exercise price and the related dollar amount is recorded as a liability. The shares and liabilities are reclassified into equity as the awards vest. As of January 31, 2014 and 2013, we had $6.4 million and $9.4 million respectively, recorded in liabilities related to early exercises of stock options.

Employee Equity Plans

Our board of directors adopted the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan in August 2012 which became effective on October 10, 2012 and serves as the successor to our 2005 Stock Plan (together with the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan (EIP)). Pursuant to the terms of the EIP, the share reserve increased by 8.3 million shares on March 31, 2013. As of January 31, 2014, we had approximately 43.7 million shares of Class A common stock available for future grants under the EIP.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Our board of directors adopted the 2012 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) in August 2012, which became effective on October 10, 2012. The ESPP was approved with a reserve of 2.0 million shares of Class A common stock for future issuance under various terms provided for in the ESPP. Under the ESPP, eligible employees are granted options to purchase shares at the lower of 85% of the fair market value of the stock at the time of grant or 85% of the fair market value at the time of exercise. Options to purchase shares are generally granted twice yearly on June 1 and December 1 and exercisable on the succeeding November 30 and May 31, respectively, of each year. We commenced our first purchase period under the ESPP on June 1, 2013. As of January 31, 2014, 1.8 million shares of Class A common stock were available for issuance under the ESPP. For fiscal 2014, 189,885 shares of Class A common shares were purchased under the ESPP at a weighted-average price of $52.88 per share, resulting in cash proceeds of $10.0 million.

Stock Options

The EIP provides for the issuance of incentive and nonstatutory options to employees and non-employees. We have also issued nonstatutory options outside of the EIP. Options issued under the EIP generally are exercisable for periods not to exceed 10 years and generally vest over four or five years.

A summary of information related to stock option activity during fiscal 2014 is as follows (in millions, except share and per share data):

Outstanding

Weighted-

Aggregate

Stock

Average

Intrinsic

Options

Exercise

Value

Price

Balance as of January 31, 2013

29,856,042

3.19

1,499

Stock option grants

74,050

60.78

Stock options exercised

(8,689,384

)

1.57

Stock options canceled

(534,501

)

9.24

Balance as of January 31, 2014

20,706,207

3.93

1,773

Vested and expected to vest as of January 31, 2014

20,007,366

3.81

1,715

Exercisable as of January 31, 2014

13,978,141

2.56

1,216

The total grant-date fair value of stock options vested during fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $27.2 million, $6.6 million and $2.5 million, respectively. The total intrinsic value of the options exercised during fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $566.2 million, $69.8 million and $19.6 million, respectively. The intrinsic value is the difference between the current fair value of the stock and the exercise price of the stock option. The weighted-average remaining contractual life of vested and expected to vest options as of January 31, 2014 is approximately 6.8 years.

As of January 31, 2014, there was a total of $58.7 million in unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock options, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 3.1 years.

The options that are exercisable as of January 31, 2014 have a weighted-average remaining contractual life of approximately 6.5 years. The weighted-average remaining contractual life of outstanding options at January 31, 2014 is approximately 6.8 years.

Restricted Stock Awards

The EIP provides for the issuance of restricted stock awards to employees. Restricted stock awards generally vest over five or six years. Under the EIP, 1.0 million restricted awards of Class B common stock are outstanding with weighted average grant date fair value of $12.85, all of which are subject to forfeiture as of January 31, 2014. During fiscal 2014, 0.3 million shares of restricted stock awards vested with weighted average grant date fair value of $12.34.

As of January 31, 2014, there was a total of $12.9 million in unrecognized compensation cost related to restricted stock awards, which are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 3.8 years.

Restricted Stock Units

The EIP provides for the issuance of restricted stock units to employees. Restricted stock units issued under the 2005 Stock Plan generally vest over five years and restricted stock units issued under the EIP generally vest over four years. During fiscal 2014, we issued 3.9 million restricted stock units of Class A common stock under the EIP with a weighted average grant date fair value of $71.35.

A summary of information related to restricted stock units activity during fiscal 2014 is as follows:

Number of Shares

Weighted-Average

Grant Date Fair Value

Balance as of January 31, 2013

163,400

48.82

Restricted stock units granted

3,919,524

71.35

Restricted stock units vested

(49,275

)

52.92

Restricted stock units forfeited

(66,921

)

67.34

Balance as of January 31, 2014

3,966,728

70.72

As of January 31, 2014, there was a total of $251.0 million in unrecognized compensation cost related to restricted stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 3.5 years.

Share-Based Compensation to Employees

All share-based payments to employees are measured based on the grant date fair value of the awards and recognized in the consolidated statements of operations over the period during which the employee is required to perform services in exchange for the award (generally the vesting period of the award). We estimate the fair value of equity awards using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. We determine the assumptions for the option-pricing model as follows:

Fair Value of Common Stock

Prior to our IPO, our board of directors considered numerous objective and subjective factors to determine the fair value of our common stock at each meeting at which awards were approved. The factors included, but were not limited to: (i) contemporaneous third-party valuations of our common stock; (ii) the prices, rights, preferences and privileges of our preferred stock relative to those of our common stock; (iii) the lack of marketability of our common stock; (iv) our actual operating and financial results; (v) current business conditions and projections; and (vi) the likelihood of achieving a liquidity event, such as an IPO or sale of our company, given prevailing market conditions.

Since our IPO, we have used the market closing price for our Class A common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange.

Risk-Free Interest Rate

The weighted-average, risk-free interest rate is based on the rate for a U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issue with a term that approximates the expected life of the option grant at the date closest to the option grant date.

Expected Term

The expected term represents the period that our share-based awards are expected to be outstanding. The expected term assumptions were determined based on the vesting terms, exercise terms and contractual lives of the options.

Volatility

We determine the price volatility factor based on the historical volatility data of our peer group, as we currently do not have a sufficient trading history for our common stock.

Dividend Yield

We have not paid and do not expect to pay dividends.

Assumptions

The estimation of stock awards that will ultimately vest requires judgment, and to the extent actual results or updated estimates differ from our current estimates, such amounts will be recorded as a cumulative adjustment in the period the estimates are revised. We consider many factors when estimating expected forfeitures, including the types of awards and employee class. Actual results, and future changes in estimates, may differ substantially from our current estimates.

The assumptions used for the periods presented were as follows:

Year Ended January 31,

Stock Options

2014

2013

2012

Expected volatility

54.8% – 55.8%

54.3% – 61.1%

58.1% – 59.1%

Expected term (in years)

6.11

5 – 6.4

Risk-free interest rate

0.9% – 1.8%

0.8% – 1.0%

0.9% – 2.7%

Dividend yield

Year Ended January 31,

ESPP

2014

2013

2012

Expected volatility

27.7% – 30.4%

n/a

Expected term (in years)

0.5

n/a

Risk-free interest rate

0.10%

n/a

Dividend yield

n/a

Weighted-average grant date fair value per share

$52.88 – 68.43

n/a

Other_Expense_Net

Other Expense, Net	12 Months Ended
Other Expense, Net	Jan. 31, 2014
Other Income And Expenses [Abstract]	'
Other Expense, Net	'
	Note 12.	Other Expense, Net
	Other expense, net consisted of the following (in thousands):


			Year Ended January 31,
			2014			2013			2012
	Interest income		$	1,992		$	560		$	68
	Interest expense(1)			(19,618	)		(1,363	)		(976	)
	Other income (expense)			77			(400	)		(110	)

	Other expense, net		$	(17,549	)	$	(1,203	)	$	(1,018	)


	(1)	During fiscal 2014, interest expense includes the contractual interest expense related to the 2018 Notes and 2020 Notes, non-cash interest related to amortization of the debt discount and amortization of debt issuance costs (see Note 9).

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes	Jan. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Income Taxes	'
	Note 13.	Income Taxes
	The components of income (loss) before provision for income taxes were as follows (in thousands):


			Year Ended January 31,
			2014				2013				2012
	Domestic		$	(49,652	)		$	(119,793	)		$	(78,721	)
	Foreign			(121,179	)			727				(741	)

	Total		$	(170,831	)		$	(119,066	)		$	(79,462	)

	We did not record an income tax provision for deferred taxes for any of the periods presented because we provided a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets. The provision (benefit) for income taxes consisted of the following (in thousands):


			Year Ended January 31,
			2014				2013				2012
	Federal		$	60			$	(160	)		$	60
	State			178				42				38
	Foreign			1,440				242				69

	Total		$	1,678			$	124			$	167

	The items accounting for the difference between income taxes computed at the federal statutory income tax rate and the provision for income taxes consisted of the following:


			Year Ended January 31,
			2014				2013				2012
	Federal statutory rate			35	%			35	%			35	%
	Effect of:
	Foreign income at other than U.S. rates			(25.4	)			0.3				(0.3	)
	Intercompany transactions			(36.8	)			—				—
	Research tax credits			12.7				—				—
	State taxes, net of federal benefit			1.9				5				5.2
	Changes in valuation allowance			16.1				(37.8	)			(38.7	)
	Stock Compensation			(3.9	)			(2.4	)			(1.1	)
	Other			(0.6	)			(0.2	)			(0.3	)

				(1.0	)%			(0.1	)%			(0.2	)%


	As a result of our history of net operating losses, the current federal and current state provision (benefit) for income taxes relates to accruals and adjustments to the interest and penalties for uncertain tax positions and state minimum and capital based income taxes. Current foreign income taxes are associated with our non-U.S. operations.
	We had unrecorded excess stock option tax benefits of $157.0 million as of January 31, 2014. These amounts will be credited to additional paid-in capital when such amounts reduce cash taxes payable.
	Significant components of our deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows (in thousands):


			January 31,				January 31,
			2014				2013
	Deferred tax assets:
	Unearned revenue		$	26,079			$	28,346
	Other reserves and accruals			16,751				11,960
	Federal net operating loss carryforwards			82,006				87,222
	State and foreign net operating loss carryforwards			23,221				22,888
	Property and equipment			11,753				6,196
	Share-based compensation			12,092				3,797
	Research and development credits			21,763				—
	Other			2,642				138

				196,307				160,547
	Valuation allowance			(130,462	)			(158,003	)

	Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance			65,845				2,544
	Deferred tax liabilities:
	Intercompany transactions			(61,701	)			—
Other prepaid assets			(4,144	)			(2,544	)

			(65,845	)			(2,544	)

Net deferred tax assets		$	—			$	—

As a result of continuing losses, we have determined that it is more likely than not that we will not realize the benefits of the deferred tax assets and therefore we have recorded a valuation allowance to reduce the carrying value of the deferred tax assets to zero. As a result, the valuation allowance on our net deferred tax assets decreased by $27.5 million and increased by $41.4 million during fiscal 2014 and 2013, respectively.
As of January 31, 2014, we had approximately $672.6 million of federal, $487.7 million of state and $75.6 million of foreign net operating loss carryforwards available to offset future taxable income. If not utilized, the federal and state net operating loss carryforwards expire in varying amounts between the years 2015 and 2034. The foreign net operating losses do not expire and may be carried forward indefinitely.
The net operating losses include no amounts relating to the excess tax benefit of stock option exercises, which when realized will be recorded as a credit to additional paid-in capital. We also had approximately $19.5 million of federal and $18.2 million of California research and development tax credit carryforwards as of January 31, 2014. The federal credits expire in varying amounts between the years 2025 and 2034. The California research credits do not expire and may be carried forward indefinitely.
Our ability to utilize the net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards in the future may be subject to substantial restrictions in the event of past or future ownership changes as defined in Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and similar state tax law.

We consider all undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiaries to be permanently invested in foreign operations unless such earnings are subject to federal income taxes. Undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiaries amounted to approximately $0.1 million at January 31, 2014. Accordingly, no deferred tax liabilities have been recorded with respect to undistributed earnings of the foreign subsidiaries. Upon repatriation of those earnings, in the form of dividends or otherwise, we would be subject to both U.S. income taxes (subject to an adjustment for foreign tax credits) and potentially withholding taxes payable to the various foreign countries. Determination of the amount of unrecognized deferred U.S. income tax liability is not practicable due to the complexities associated with its hypothetical calculation.
A reconciliation of the gross unrecognized tax benefit is as follows (in thousands):


		Year Ended January 31,
		2014				2013				2012
Unrecognized tax benefits at the beginning of the period		$	15,577			$	10,705			$	8,598
Additions for tax positions taken in prior years			1,928				1,392				—
Reductions for tax positions taken in prior years			(10,982	)			—				—
Additions for tax provisions related to the current year			70,567				3,480				2,107

Unrecognized tax benefits at the end of the period		$	77,090			$	15,577			$	10,705

Our policy is to include interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within our provision for income taxes. As of January 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 we had accrued interest of $0.6 million, $0.4 million and $0.4 million, respectively. As of January 31, 2014, we had accrued penalties of $0.8 million. As of January 31, 2013 and 2012, we had accrued penalties of $0.8 million and $1.0 million, respectively.
Included in the balance of unrecognized tax benefits at January 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 are potential benefits of $2.1 million, $1.7 million and $1.7 million, respectively, which if recognized, would affect the tax rate on earnings. We do not expect any unrecognized tax benefits to be recognized within the next 12 months.
We file federal, state and foreign income tax returns in jurisdictions with varying statutes of limitations. Due to our net operating loss carryforwards, our income tax returns generally remain subject to examination by federal and most state and foreign tax authorities. We are currently under examination by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for our 2011 tax year.

Net_loss_per_share

Net loss per share	12 Months Ended
Net loss per share	Jan. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Net loss per share	'
	Note 14.	Net loss per share
	Basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed by giving effect to all potential shares of common stock, including our outstanding stock options, outstanding warrants, common stock related to unvested early exercised stock options, common stock related to unvested restricted stock awards and convertible senior notes to the extent dilutive. Anti-dilutive securities for fiscal 2012 included our redeemable convertible preferred stock and convertible preferred stock that were both outstanding prior to our IPO. Basic and diluted net loss per share was the same for each period presented, as the inclusion of all potential common shares outstanding would have been anti-dilutive.
	The net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is allocated based on the contractual participation rights of the Class A common shares and Class B common shares as if the loss for the year has been distributed. As the liquidation and dividend rights are identical, the net loss attributable to common stockholders is allocated on a proportionate basis.

	We consider shares issued upon the early exercise of options subject to repurchase and unvested restricted stock awards to be participating securities because holders of such shares have non-forfeitable dividend rights in the event of our declaration of a dividend for common shares. In future periods, to the extent we are profitable, we will subtract earnings allocated to these participating securities from net income to determine net income attributable to common stockholders.
	The following table presents the calculation of basic and diluted net loss attributable to common stockholders per share (in thousands, except per share data):


			Year Ended January 31,
			2014						2013						2012
			Class A			Class B			Class A			Class B			Class A		Class B
	Basic and diluted net loss attributable to Class A and Class B common stockholders per share:
	Numerator:
	Allocation of distributed net loss attributable to common stockholders		$	(64,985	)	$	(107,524	)	$	(12,955	)	$	(106,803	)	$	—	$	(79,971	)
	Denominator:
	Weighted-average common shares outstanding			64,528			106,769			8,006			66,005			—		29,478
	Basic and diluted net loss per share		$	(1.01	)	$	(1.01	)	$	(1.62	)	$	(1.62	)	$	—	$	(2.71	)
	The anti-dilutive securities excluded from the weighted-average shares used to calculate the diluted net loss per common share were as follows (in thousands):


			Year Ended January 31,
			2014			2013			2012
	Shares subject to outstanding common stock options and warrants (1)			20,706			31,206			30,561
	Shares subject to repurchase			1,709			2,916			2,927
	Shares subject to unvested restricted stock awards and units			4,999			1,503			100
	Redeemable convertible preferred stock			—			—			30,390
	Convertible preferred stock			—			—			67,586
	Convertible senior notes			7,261			—			—
	Warrants related to the issuance of convertible senior notes			7,261			—			—

				41,936			35,625			131,564


	(1)	Warrants to purchase 1.4 million shares were outstanding as of January 31, 2013 and were exercised during fiscal 2014.

Geographic_Information

Geographic Information	12 Months Ended
Geographic Information	Jan. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Geographic Information	'
	Note 15.	Geographic Information
	Revenue by geography is generally based on the address of the customer as defined in our master subscription agreement. The following tables set forth revenue by geographic area (in thousands):


			Year Ended January 31,
			2014		2013		2012
	United States		$	394,564	$	226,006	$	111,574
	International			74,374		47,651		22,853

	Total		$	468,938	$	273,657	$	134,427

RelatedParty_Transactions

Related-Party Transactions	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2014
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]	'
Related-Party Transactions	'
	Note 16.	Related-Party Transactions
	In June 2010, we entered into a capital lease agreement with an affiliate of Mr. Duffield. The lease agreement provides for an equipment lease financing facility to be drawn upon for purchases of certain equipment for use in our business operations. The amounts paid under this agreement in fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012 were $2.2 million, $4.2 million and $4.6 million, respectively. The final lease payment is due in May 2014.
	We currently lease certain office space in Pleasanton, California under various lease agreements with an affiliate of Mr. Duffield. The term of the agreements is 10 years commencing in fiscal 2014 and the total rent due under the agreements was $1.3 million for fiscal 2014, and $23.7 million in total.

401k_Plan

401(k) Plan	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2014
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]	'
401(k) Plan	'
	Note 17.	401(k) Plan
	We have a qualified defined contribution plan under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code covering eligible employees. To date, we have not made any matching contributions to this plan.

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)	12 Months Ended
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)	Jan. 31, 2014
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)	'
	Note 18.	Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)
	The following tables set forth selected unaudited quarterly consolidated statements of operations data for each of the eight quarters in fiscal 2014 and 2013 (in thousands except per share data):


			Quarter ended
			January 31,			October 31,			July 31,			April 30,			January 31,			October 31,			July 31,			April 30,
			2014			2013			2013			2013			2013			2012(1)			2012			2012
	Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:
	Total revenues		$	141,866		$	127,872		$	107,555		$	91,645		$	81,519		$	72,618		$	62,702		$	56,818
	Operating loss			(47,976	)		(40,399	)		(32,283	)		(32,624	)		(30,678	)		(40,868	)		(26,360	)		(19,957	)
	Net loss			(55,982	)		(47,534	)		(35,978	)		(33,015	)		(30,944	)		(41,310	)		(26,881	)		(20,055	)
	Net loss attributable to common stockholders			(55,982	)		(47,534	)		(35,978	)		(33,015	)		(30,944	)		(41,471	)		(27,087	)		(20,256	)
	Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted			(0.32	)		(0.27	)		(0.21	)		(0.20	)		(0.19	)		(0.67	)		(0.78	)		(0.61	)

	(1)	Workday granted 500,000 shares of common stock to the Workday Foundation, resulting a one-time charge of $11.3 million, which was recorded to the General and administrative expenses line of the statement of operations.

Overview_and_Basis_of_Presenta1

Overview and Basis of Presentation (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Company and Background	'
	Company and Background
	Workday provides enterprise cloud applications for human capital management (HCM), payroll, financial management and analytics. We offer innovative and adaptable technology focused on the consumer Internet experience and cloud delivery model. Our applications are designed for global enterprises to manage complex and dynamic operating environments. We provide our customers highly adaptable, accessible and reliable applications to manage critical business functions that enable them to optimize their financial and human capital resources. We were originally incorporated in March 2005 in Nevada and in June 2012, we reincorporated in Delaware.
Fiscal Year	'
	Fiscal Year
	Our fiscal year ends on January 31. References to fiscal 2014, for example, refer to the year ended January 31, 2014.
Basis of Presentation	'
	Basis of Presentation
	These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The consolidated financial statements include the results of Workday, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries.
	For the consolidated statements of operations for the years ended January 31, 2013 and 2012, to conform to the current year’s presentation, we separated Revenues into Subscription services revenues and Professional services revenues and Costs of revenues to Costs of subscription services and Costs of professional services. This change had no impact on Total revenues or Total costs and expenses. In addition, for the consolidated statements of operations we renamed Research and development to Product development. Product development includes all costs related to research and development activities.
Use of Estimates	'
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates include, but are not limited to, the determination of the relative selling prices for our services, the recoverability of deferred commissions and certain assumptions used in the valuation of equity awards. Actual results could differ from those estimates and such differences could be material to our consolidated financial position and results of operations.
Segment information	'
	Segment information
	We operate in one operating segment, cloud applications. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources and assessing performance. Our chief operating decision maker allocates resources and assesses performance based upon discrete financial information at the consolidated level. Since we operate in one operating segment, all required financial segment information can be found in the consolidated financial statements.
Revenue Recognition	'
	Revenue Recognition
	We derive our revenues primarily from subscription services fees and from professional services fees, including training. We sell subscriptions to our cloud applications through contracts that are generally three years in length. Our arrangements do not contain general rights of return. Our subscription contracts do not provide customers with the right to take possession of the software supporting the applications and, as a result, are accounted for as service contracts.
	We commence revenue recognition for our cloud applications and professional services when all of the following criteria are met:

		•	There is persuasive evidence of an arrangement;

		•	The service has been or is being provided to the customer;

		•	Collection of the fees is reasonably assured; and

		•	The amount of fees to be paid by the customer is fixed or determinable.
	Subscription Services Revenues
	Subscription services revenues are recognized ratably over the contractual term of the arrangement beginning on the date that our service is made available to the customer, assuming all revenue recognition criteria have been met.
	Professional Services Revenues
	Professional services revenues are generally recognized as the services are rendered for time and materials contracts, or on a proportional performance basis for fixed price contracts. The majority of our professional services contracts are on a time and materials basis. Training revenues are recognized as the services are rendered.
	Multiple Deliverable Arrangements
	For arrangements with multiple deliverables, we evaluate whether the individual deliverables qualify as separate units of accounting. In order to treat deliverables in a multiple deliverable arrangement as separate units of accounting, the deliverables must have standalone value upon delivery. If the deliverables have standalone value upon delivery, we account for each deliverable separately and revenue is recognized for the respective deliverables as they are delivered. If one or more of the deliverables does not have standalone value upon delivery, the deliverables that do not have standalone value are generally combined with the final deliverable within the arrangement and treated as a single unit of accounting. Revenue for arrangements treated as a single unit of accounting is generally recognized over the subscription services period, which is considered the final deliverable.
	Subscription services contracts have standalone value as we sell the subscriptions separately. In determining whether professional services can be accounted for separately from subscription services, we consider the availability of the professional services from other vendors, the nature of our professional services and whether we sell our applications to new customers without professional services. As of January 31, 2012, we did not have standalone value for the professional services related to the deployment of our financial management application. This was due to the fact that we had historically performed the majority of these services to support our customers’ deployments of this application. In fiscal 2013, we determined that we had established standalone value for the deployment services related to our financial management application. This was primarily due to the growing number of partners that were trained and certified to perform these deployment services, the successful completion of a significant deployment engagement by a firm in our professional services ecosystem and the sale of several financial management cloud application subscription arrangements to customers without our deployment services. Because we established standalone value for our deployment services related to our financial management application in fiscal 2013, such service arrangements entered into after February 1, 2012 are being accounted for separately from subscription services.

	When multiple deliverables included in an arrangement are separable into different units of accounting, the arrangement consideration is allocated to the identified separate units of accounting based on their relative selling price. Multiple deliverable arrangements accounting guidance provides a hierarchy to use when determining the relative selling price for each unit of accounting. Vendor-specific objective evidence (VSOE) of selling price, based on the price at which the item is regularly sold by the vendor on a standalone basis, should be used if it exists. If VSOE of selling price is not available, third-party evidence (TPE) of selling price is used to establish the selling price if it exists. VSOE and TPE do not currently exist for any of our deliverables. Accordingly, for arrangements with multiple deliverables that can be separated into different units of accounting, we allocate the arrangement fee to the separate units of accounting based on our best estimate of selling price. The amount of arrangement fee allocated is limited by contingent revenues, if any.
	We determine our best estimate of selling price for our deliverables based on our overall pricing objectives, taking into consideration market conditions and entity-specific factors. We evaluate our best estimate of selling price by reviewing historical data related to sales of our deliverables, including comparing the percentages of our contract prices to our list prices. We also consider several other data points in our evaluation, including the size of our arrangements, the cloud applications sold, customer demographics and the numbers and types of users within our arrangements.
Costs of Subscription Services	'
	Costs of Subscription Services
	Costs of subscription services primarily consist of costs related to providing our cloud applications, compensation and other employee-related expenses for data center staff, payments to outside service providers, data center and networking expenses and depreciation expenses.
Costs of Professional Services	'
	Costs of Professional Services
	Costs of professional services primarily consist of costs related to providing deployment services, optimization services and training and include compensation and other employee-related expenses for professional services staff, costs of subcontractors and travel.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	'
	Cash and Cash Equivalents
	Cash and cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less. Our cash equivalents generally consist of investments in U.S. treasury securities, U.S. agency obligations, money market funds and commercial paper. Cash and cash equivalents are stated at fair value.
Marketable Securities	'
	Marketable Securities
	Our marketable securities consist of U.S. agency obligations, U.S. treasury securities, commercial paper, money market funds, U.S. corporate securities, and certificates of deposit. We classify our marketable securities as available-for-sale at the time of purchase and reevaluate such classification as of each balance sheet date. We may sell these securities at any time for use in current operations or for other purposes, such as consideration for acquisitions, even if they have not yet reached maturity. As a result, we classify our investments, including securities with maturities beyond twelve months as current assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. All marketable securities are recorded at their estimated fair value. Unrealized gains and losses for available-for-sale securities are recorded in other comprehensive income (loss). We evaluate our investments to assess whether those with unrealized loss positions are other-than-temporarily impaired. We consider impairments to be other than temporary if they are related to deterioration in credit risk or if it is likely we will sell the securities before the recovery of their cost basis. Realized gains and losses and declines in value judged to be other-than-temporary are determined based on the specific identification method and are reported in other expense, net in the consolidated statements of operations.
Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts	'
	Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
	Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount, net of allowances for doubtful accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on our assessment of the collectability of accounts. We regularly review the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts by considering the age of each outstanding invoice and the collection history of each customer to determine the appropriate amount of our allowance. Accounts receivable deemed uncollectable are charged against the allowance for doubtful accounts when identified. For all periods presented, the allowance for doubtful accounts activity was not significant.
Deferred Commissions	'
	Deferred Commissions
	Deferred commissions earned by our sales force that can be associated specifically with a non-cancelable cloud application services contract. Direct sales commissions are deferred when earned and amortized over the same period that revenues are recognized for the related non-cancelable cloud application services contract. The commission payments are paid in full after the customer has paid for its first year of service.
	Amortization of deferred commissions is included in sales and marketing in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Property and Equipment	'
	Property and Equipment
	Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is recorded using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the lease term.
Goodwill and Acquisition-Related Intangible Assets	'
	Goodwill and Acquisition-Related Intangible Assets
	We determine and allocate the purchase price of an acquired company to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the business combination date. Intangible assets with a finite life are amortized over their estimated useful lives. Goodwill is tested for impairment at least annually, and more frequently upon the occurrence of certain events. We completed our annual impairment test in our fourth quarter, which did not result in any impairment of the goodwill balance.
Unearned Revenue	'
	Unearned Revenue
	Unearned revenue primarily consists of customer billings in advance of revenues being recognized from our cloud applications contracts. We generally invoice our customers for our cloud applications contracts in annual or multi-year installments. Our typical payment terms provide that customers pay a portion of the total arrangement fee within 30 days of the contract date. Unearned revenue also includes certain deferred professional services fees that are accounted for as a single unit of accounting with cloud applications fees and are recognized as revenues over the same period as the related cloud applications contract. Unearned revenue that is anticipated to be recognized during the succeeding 12-month period is recorded as current unearned revenue and the remaining portion is recorded as noncurrent.
Convertible Senior Notes	'
	Convertible Senior Notes
	In June 2013, we issued 0.75% convertible senior notes due July 15, 2018 (2018 Notes) with a principal amount of $350.0 million. Concurrently, we issued 1.50% convertible senior notes due July 15, 2020 (2020 Notes) with a principal amount of $250.0 million (together with the 2018 Notes, referred to as Notes). In accounting for the Notes, we separated them into liability and equity components. The carrying amount of the liability component was calculated by measuring the fair value of a similar liability that does not have an associated convertible feature. The carrying amount of the equity component representing the conversion option was determined by deducting the fair value of the liability component from the par value of the Notes as a whole. This difference represents a debt discount that is amortized to interest expense over the terms of the Notes. The equity component is not remeasured as long as it continues to meet the conditions for equity classification. In accounting for the issuance costs related to the Notes, we allocated the total amount incurred to the liability and equity components. Issuance costs attributable to the liability components are being amortized to expense over the respective terms of the Notes, and issuance costs attributable to the equity components were netted with the respective equity component in additional paid-in capital.
Advertising Expenses	'
	Advertising Expenses
	Advertising is expensed as incurred. Advertising expense was $8.7 million, $6.5 million and $3.9 million for fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Share-Based Compensation	'
	Share-Based Compensation
	All share-based compensation to employees is measured based on the grant-date fair value of the awards and recognized in our consolidated statements of operations over the period during which the employee is required to perform services in exchange for the award (generally the vesting period of the award). We estimate the fair value of stock options granted using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. For restricted stock awards and units, fair value is based on the closing price of our common stock on the grant date. Compensation expense is recognized over the vesting period of the applicable award using the straight-line method.
	Compensation expense for non-employee stock options is calculated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and is recorded as the options vest. Non-employee options subject to vesting are required to be periodically revalued over their service period, which is generally the same as the vesting period.
Income Taxes	'
	Income Taxes
	We record a provision for income taxes for the anticipated tax consequences of the reported results of operations using the asset and liability method. Under this method, we recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities, as well as for operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the tax rates that are expected to apply to taxable income for the years in which those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. We record a valuation allowance to reduce our deferred tax assets to the net amount that we believe is more likely than not to be realized.
	We recognize tax benefits from uncertain tax positions only if we believe that it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities based on the technical merits of the position. Although we believe that we have adequately reserved for our uncertain tax positions, we can provide no assurance that the final tax outcome of these matters will not be materially different. As we expand internationally, we will face increased complexity in determining the appropriate tax jurisdictions for revenue and expense items, our unrecognized tax benefits will likely increase in the future. We make adjustments to these reserves when facts and circumstances change, such as the closing of a tax audit or the refinement of an estimate. To the extent that the final tax outcome of these matters is different than the amounts recorded, such differences will affect the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made and could have a material impact on our financial condition and operating results. The provision for income taxes includes the effects of any accruals that we believe are appropriate, as well as the related net interest and penalties.
Warranties and Indemnification	'
	Warranties and Indemnification
	Our cloud applications are generally warranted to perform materially in accordance with our online help documentation under normal use and circumstances. Additionally, our contracts generally include provisions for indemnifying customers against liabilities if our cloud applications contracts infringe a third party’s intellectual property rights, and we may also incur liabilities if we breach the security and/or confidentiality obligations in our contracts. To date, we have not incurred any material costs, and we have not accrued any liabilities in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, as a result of these obligations. We have entered into service-level agreements with a majority of our customers warranting defined levels of uptime reliability and performance and permitting those customers to receive credits or refunds for prepaid amounts related to unused subscription services or to terminate their agreements in the event that we fail to meet those levels. To date, we have not experienced any significant failures to meet defined levels of reliability and performance as a result of those agreements and, as a result, we have not accrued any liabilities related to these agreements in the consolidated financial statements.
Foreign Currency Exchange	'
	Foreign Currency Exchange
	The functional currency for certain of our foreign subsidiaries is the U.S. dollar, while others use local currencies as their functional currency. Adjustments resulting from translating foreign functional currency financial statements into U.S. dollars for those entities that do not have U.S. dollars as their functional currency are recorded as part of a separate component of the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are included in the consolidated statements of operations for the period. All assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate on the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rate during the period. Equity transactions are translated using historical exchange rates.
Concentrations of Risk and Significant Customers	'
	Concentrations of Risk and Significant Customers
	Our financial instruments that are exposed to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities and accounts receivable. Our deposits exceed federally insured limits.
	No single customer represented over 10% of accounts receivable in the consolidated financial statements as of January 31, 2014 or 2013. No single customer represented over 10% of total revenues for any of the periods in the consolidated financial statements.
	In order to reduce the risk of down time of our enterprise cloud applications, we have established data centers in various geographic regions. We have internal procedures to restore services in the event of disaster at one of our current data center facilities. We serve our customers and users from data center facilities operated by third parties, located in Ashburn, Virginia; Lithia Springs, Georgia; Portland, Oregon; Dublin, Ireland; and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Even with these procedures for disaster recovery in place, our cloud applications could be significantly interrupted during the implementation of the procedures to restore services.
	In addition, we rely on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which provides a distributed computing infrastructure platform for business operations, to operate certain aspects of our services, including our big data analytics application, and certain environments for development testing, training and sales demonstrations. Any disruption of or interference with our use of AWS would impact our operations.
Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements	'
	Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
	In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-02, Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. The standard requires entities to present information about reclassification adjustments from accumulated other comprehensive income in their financial statements or footnotes. The guidance is effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2012. We adopted this new guidance on February 1, 2013 and it did not have an impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Marketable_Securities_Tables

Marketable Securities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Marketable Securities (Tables)	Jan. 31, 2014
Cash And Cash Equivalents [Abstract]	'
Summary of Marketable Securities	'
	At January 31, 2014, marketable securities consisted of the following (in thousands):


		Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized			Aggregate
		Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value
	U.S. agency obligations	$	1,125,170	$	334	$	(50	)	$	1,125,454
	U.S. treasury securities		536,747		88		(47	)		536,788
	Commercial paper		62,997		—		—			62,997
	U.S. corporate securities		11,771		6		—			11,777
	Money market funds		90,159		—		—			90,159

		$	1,826,844	$	428	$	(97	)	$	1,827,175

	Included in cash and cash equivalents		521,956		3		(37	)		521,922

	Included in marketable securities	$	1,304,888	$	425	$	(60	)	$	1,305,253

	At January 31, 2013, marketable securities consisted of the following (in thousands):


		Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized			Aggregate
		Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value
	U.S. agency obligations	$	614,171	$	64	$	(11	)	$	614,224
	U.S. treasury securities		65,174		5		—			65,179
	Commercial paper		64,538		1		—			64,539
	Certificates of deposit		250		—		—			250
	U.S. corporate securities		8,128		—		(1	)		8,127
	Money market funds		17,395		—		—			17,395

		$	769,656	$	70	$	(12	)	$	769,714

	Included in cash and cash equivalents	$	63,533	$	—	$	—		$	63,533

	Included in marketable securities	$	706,123	$	70	$	(12	)	$	706,181

Deferred_Costs_Tables

Deferred Costs (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Deferred Costs (Tables)	Jan. 31, 2014
Text Block [Abstract]	'
Summary of Deferred Costs	'
	Deferred costs consisted of the following (in thousands):


		January 31,
		2014		2013
	Current:
	Deferred professional service costs	$	3,555	$	1,654
	Deferred sales commissions		12,891		8,162

	Total	$	16,446	$	9,816

	Noncurrent:
	Deferred professional service costs	$	4,357	$	6,843
	Deferred sales commissions		16,440		11,732

	Total	$	20,797	$	18,575

Property_and_Equipment_Tables

Property and Equipment (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Property and Equipment (Tables)	Jan. 31, 2014
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]	'
Summary of Property and Equipment	'
	Property and equipment consisted of the following (in thousands):


		January 31,
		2014			2013
	Computers, equipment and software	$	75,867		$	28,770
	Computers, equipment and software acquired under capital leases		38,912			39,300
	Furniture and fixtures		7,782			4,689
	Leasehold improvements		15,885			6,581

			138,446			79,340
	Less accumulated depreciation and amortization		(60,782	)		(34,755	)

	Property and equipment, net	$	77,664		$	44,585

Goodwill_and_Acquisition_Relat1

Goodwill and Acquisition Related Intangible Assets, Net (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2014
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Goodwill and Acquisition related Intangible Assets	'
	Goodwill and acquisition related intangible assets consisted of the following (in thousands):


		January 31,
		2014 and 2013
	Acquired purchased technology	$	600
	Customer relationship assets		338

			938
	Less accumulated amortization		(938	)

	Acquisition related intangible assets, net		—
	Goodwill		8,488

	Goodwill and acquisition related intangible assets,	$	8,488
	net	$	8,488

Other_Assets_Tables

Other Assets (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Other Assets (Tables)	Jan. 31, 2014
Deferred Costs Capitalized Prepaid And Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Other Assets	'
	Other assets consisted of the following (in thousands):


		January 31,
		2014		2013
	Issuance cost of convertible senior notes	$	10,625	$	—
	Acquired land leasehold interest, net		9,991		—
	Technology patents, net		4,865		—
	Others		20,177		3,130

	Total	$	45,658	$	3,130

Summary of Future Estimated Amortization Expense Related to Acquired Leasehold Interest and Patents	'
	As of January 31, 2014, our future estimated amortization expense related to the acquired leasehold interest and patents are as follows (in thousands):


	2015	$	1,028
	2016		1,027
	2017		1,027
	2018		889
	2019		520
	Thereafter		10,365

	Total	$	14,856

Fair_Value_Measurements_Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	Jan. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Information about Assets that are Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis	'
	The following tables present information about our assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis using the above input categories (in thousands):


		Fair Value Measurements as of
		January 31, 2014
	Description	Level 1		Level 2		Total
	U.S. agency obligations	$	—	$	1,125,454	$	1,125,454
	U.S. treasury securities		536,788		—		536,788
	Commercial paper		—		62,997		62,997
	U.S. corporate securities		—		11,777		11,777
	Money market funds		90,159		—		90,159

		$	626,947	$	1,200,228	$	1,827,175

	Included in cash and cash equivalents					$	521,922

	Included in marketable securities					$	1,305,253


		Fair Value Measurements as of
		January 31, 2013
	Description	Level 1		Level 2		Total
	U.S. agency obligations	$	—	$	614,224	$	614,224
	U.S. treasury securities		65,179		—		65,179
	Commercial paper		—		64,539		64,539
	Certificates of deposit		—		250		250
	U.S. corporate securities		—		8,127		8,127
	Money market funds		17,395		—		17,395

		$	82,574	$	687,140	$	769,714

	Included in cash and cash equivalents					$	63,533

	Included in marketable securities					$	706,181

Summary of Carrying Amounts and Estimated Fair Values of Financial Instruments	'
	The carrying amounts and estimated fair values of financial instruments not recorded at fair value are as follows (in thousands):


		January 31, 2014
		Carrying		Estimated
		Amount		Fair Value
	0.75% Convertible senior notes	$	281,359	$	434,875
	1.50% Convertible senior notes		187,053		319,219

Convertible_Senior_Notes_Table

Convertible Senior Notes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Convertible Senior Notes (Tables)	Jan. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Senior Notes	'
	The Notes consisted of the following (in thousands):


			January 31, 2014
			2018 Notes			2020 Notes
	Principal amounts:
	Principal		$	350,000		$	250,000
	Unamortized debt discount(1)			(68,641	)		(62,947	)

	Net carrying amount		$	281,359		$	187,053

	Carrying amount of the equity component(2)		$	74,892		$	66,007


	(1)	Included in the consolidated balance sheets within Convertible senior notes, net and amortized over the remaining lives of the Notes on the straight-line basis as it approximates the effective interest rate method.

	(2)	Included in the consolidated balance sheets within additional paid-in capital, net of $2.0 million and $1.8 million for the 2018 Notes and 2020 Notes, respectively, in equity issuance costs.
Schedule of Interest Expense Recognized Related to Convertible Senior Notes	'
	The following table sets forth total interest expense recognized related to the 2018 Notes and 2020 Notes for fiscal 2014 (in thousands):


			2018 Notes			2020 Notes
	Contractual interest expense		$	1,633		$	2,333
	Interest cost related to amortization of debt issuance costs			876			420
	Interest cost related to amortization of the debt discount			8,265			4,834

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	Jan. 31, 2014
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Future Minimum Lease Payments by Year under Non-Cancelable Leases	'
	As of January 31, 2014, the future minimum lease payments by year under non-cancelable leases are as follows (in thousands):


		Capital Leases			Operating		Operating Leases
		Capital Leases			Leases		with Related Party
	2015	$	9,901		$	12,894	$	2,179
	2016		3,673			8,546		2,306
	2017		—			5,032		2,362
	2018		—			4,116		2,417
	2019		—			3,438		2,473
	Thereafter		—			25,083		10,677

			13,574			59,109		22,414
	Less amount representing interest and taxes		(608	)		—		—

			12,966		$	59,109	$	22,414

	Less current portion		9,377
	Noncurrent	$	3,589

Common_Stock_and_Stockholders_1

Common Stock and Stockholders' Equity (Deficit) (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Common Stock and Stockholders' Equity (Deficit) (Tables)	Jan. 31, 2014
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]	'
Summary of Combined Activity Under 2005 Stock Plan and EIP	'
	A summary of information related to stock option activity during fiscal 2014 is as follows (in millions, except share and per share data):


		Outstanding			Weighted-		Aggregate
		Stock			Average		Intrinsic
		Options			Exercise		Value
					Price
	Balance as of January 31, 2013		29,856,042		$	3.19	$	1,499
	Stock option grants		74,050			60.78
	Stock options exercised		(8,689,384	)		1.57
	Stock options canceled		(534,501	)		9.24

	Balance as of January 31, 2014		20,706,207		$	3.93	$	1,773

	Vested and expected to vest as of January 31, 2014		20,007,366		$	3.81	$	1,715

	Exercisable as of January 31, 2014		13,978,141		$	2.56	$	1,216

Summary of Information Related to Restricted Stock Units Activity	'
	A summary of information related to restricted stock units activity during fiscal 2014 is as follows:


		Number of Shares			Weighted-Average
		Number of Shares			Grant Date Fair Value
	Balance as of January 31, 2013		163,400		$	48.82
	Restricted stock units granted		3,919,524			71.35
	Restricted stock units vested		(49,275	)		52.92
	Restricted stock units forfeited		(66,921	)		67.34

	Balance as of January 31, 2014		3,966,728		$	70.72

Assumptions Used for Periods Presented	'
	The assumptions used for the periods presented were as follows:


		Year Ended January 31,
	Stock Options	2014		2013	2012
	Expected volatility	54.8% – 55.8%		54.3% – 61.1%	58.1% – 59.1%
	Expected term (in years)	6.11		5 – 6.4	5 – 6.4
	Risk-free interest rate	0.9% – 1.8%		0.8% – 1.0%	0.9% – 2.7%
	Dividend yield	0%		0%	0%

		Year Ended January 31,
	ESPP	2014		2013	2012
	Expected volatility	27.7% – 30.4%		n/a	n/a
	Expected term (in years)	0.5		n/a	n/a
	Risk-free interest rate	0.10%		n/a	n/a
	Dividend yield	0%		n/a	n/a
	Weighted-average grant date fair value per share	$52.88 – 68.43		n/a	n/a

Other_Expense_Net_Tables

Other Expense, Net (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Other Expense, Net (Tables)	Jan. 31, 2014
Other Income And Expenses [Abstract]	'
Other Expense, Net	'
	Other expense, net consisted of the following (in thousands):


			Year Ended January 31,
			2014			2013			2012
	Interest income		$	1,992		$	560		$	68
	Interest expense(1)			(19,618	)		(1,363	)		(976	)
	Other income (expense)			77			(400	)		(110	)

	Other expense, net		$	(17,549	)	$	(1,203	)	$	(1,018	)


	(1)	During fiscal 2014, interest expense includes the contractual interest expense related to the 2018 Notes and 2020 Notes, non-cash interest related to amortization of the debt discount and amortization of debt issuance costs (see Note 9).

Income_Taxes_Tables

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes (Tables)	Jan. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Components of Income (Loss) before Provision for Income Taxes	'
	The components of income (loss) before provision for income taxes were as follows (in thousands):


		Year Ended January 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Domestic	$	(49,652	)	$	(119,793	)	$	(78,721	)
	Foreign		(121,179	)		727			(741	)

	Total	$	(170,831	)	$	(119,066	)	$	(79,462	)

Summary of Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes	'
	The provision (benefit) for income taxes consisted of the following (in thousands):


		Year Ended January 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Federal	$	60		$	(160	)	$	60
	State		178			42			38
	Foreign		1,440			242			69

	Total	$	1,678		$	124		$	167

Reconciliation of Income Taxes Computed at Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate and Provision for Income Taxes	'
	The items accounting for the difference between income taxes computed at the federal statutory income tax rate and the provision for income taxes consisted of the following:


		Year Ended January 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Federal statutory rate		35	%		35	%		35	%
	Effect of:
	Foreign income at other than U.S. rates		(25.4	)		0.3			(0.3	)
	Intercompany transactions		(36.8	)		—			—
	Research tax credits		12.7			—			—
	State taxes, net of federal benefit		1.9			5			5.2
	Changes in valuation allowance		16.1			(37.8	)		(38.7	)
	Stock Compensation		(3.9	)		(2.4	)		(1.1	)
	Other		(0.6	)		(0.2	)		(0.3	)

			(1.0	)%		(0.1	)%		(0.2	)%

Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities	'
	Significant components of our deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows (in thousands):


		January 31,			January 31,
		2014			2013
	Deferred tax assets:
	Unearned revenue	$	26,079		$	28,346
	Other reserves and accruals		16,751			11,960
	Federal net operating loss carryforwards		82,006			87,222
	State and foreign net operating loss carryforwards		23,221			22,888
	Property and equipment		11,753			6,196
	Share-based compensation		12,092			3,797
	Research and development credits		21,763			—
	Other		2,642			138

			196,307			160,547
	Valuation allowance		(130,462	)		(158,003	)

	Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance		65,845			2,544
	Deferred tax liabilities:
	Intercompany transactions		(61,701	)		—
	Other prepaid assets		(4,144	)		(2,544	)

			(65,845	)		(2,544	)

	Net deferred tax assets	$	—		$	—

Summary of Reconciliation of Gross Unrecognized Tax Benefit	'
	A reconciliation of the gross unrecognized tax benefit is as follows (in thousands):


		Year Ended January 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Unrecognized tax benefits at the beginning of the period	$	15,577		$	10,705		$	8,598
	Additions for tax positions taken in prior years		1,928			1,392			—
	Reductions for tax positions taken in prior years		(10,982	)		—			—
	Additions for tax provisions related to the current year		70,567			3,480			2,107

	Unrecognized tax benefits at the end of the period	$	77,090		$	15,577		$	10,705

Net_loss_per_share_Tables

Net loss per share (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Net loss per share (Tables)	Jan. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Summary of Calculation of Basic and Diluted Net Income Per Share	'
	The following table presents the calculation of basic and diluted net loss attributable to common stockholders per share (in thousands, except per share data):


			Year Ended January 31,
			2014						2013						2012
			Class A			Class B			Class A			Class B			Class A		Class B
	Basic and diluted net loss attributable to Class A and Class B common stockholders per share:
	Numerator:
	Allocation of distributed net loss attributable to common stockholders		$	(64,985	)	$	(107,524	)	$	(12,955	)	$	(106,803	)	$	—	$	(79,971	)
	Denominator:
	Weighted-average common shares outstanding			64,528			106,769			8,006			66,005			—		29,478
	Basic and diluted net loss per share		$	(1.01	)	$	(1.01	)	$	(1.62	)	$	(1.62	)	$	—	$	(2.71	)
Summary of Diluted Net Loss Per Common Share	'
	The anti-dilutive securities excluded from the weighted-average shares used to calculate the diluted net loss per common share were as follows (in thousands):


			Year Ended January 31,
			2014			2013			2012
	Shares subject to outstanding common stock options and warrants (1)			20,706			31,206			30,561
	Shares subject to repurchase			1,709			2,916			2,927
	Shares subject to unvested restricted stock awards and units			4,999			1,503			100
	Redeemable convertible preferred stock			—			—			30,390
	Convertible preferred stock			—			—			67,586
	Convertible senior notes			7,261			—			—
	Warrants related to the issuance of convertible senior notes			7,261			—			—

				41,936			35,625			131,564


	(1)	Warrants to purchase 1.4 million shares were outstanding as of January 31, 2013 and were exercised during fiscal 2014.

Geographic_Information_Tables

Geographic Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Geographic Information (Tables)	Jan. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Summary of Revenues by Geographic Area	'
	Revenue by geography is generally based on the address of the customer as defined in our master subscription agreement. The following tables set forth revenue by geographic area (in thousands):


		Year Ended January 31,
		2014		2013		2012
	United States	$	394,564	$	226,006	$	111,574
	International		74,374		47,651		22,853

	Total	$	468,938	$	273,657	$	134,427

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D1

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited) (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited) (Tables)	Jan. 31, 2014
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Consolidated Statements of Operations Data	'
	The following tables set forth selected unaudited quarterly consolidated statements of operations data for each of the eight quarters in fiscal 2014 and 2013 (in thousands except per share data):


			Quarter ended
			January 31,			October 31,			July 31,			April 30,			January 31,			October 31,			July 31,			April 30,
			2014			2013			2013			2013			2013			2012(1)			2012			2012
	Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:
	Total revenues		$	141,866		$	127,872		$	107,555		$	91,645		$	81,519		$	72,618		$	62,702		$	56,818
	Operating loss			(47,976	)		(40,399	)		(32,283	)		(32,624	)		(30,678	)		(40,868	)		(26,360	)		(19,957	)
	Net loss			(55,982	)		(47,534	)		(35,978	)		(33,015	)		(30,944	)		(41,310	)		(26,881	)		(20,055	)
	Net loss attributable to common stockholders			(55,982	)		(47,534	)		(35,978	)		(33,015	)		(30,944	)		(41,471	)		(27,087	)		(20,256	)
	Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted			(0.32	)		(0.27	)		(0.21	)		(0.20	)		(0.19	)		(0.67	)		(0.78	)		(0.61	)

	(1)	Workday granted 500,000 shares of common stock to the Workday Foundation, resulting a one-time charge of $11.3 million, which was recorded to the General and administrative expenses line of the statement of operations.

Overview_and_Basis_of_Presenta2

Overview and Basis of Presentation - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2014
	Segment
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Date of incorporation	31-Mar-05
Date of reincorporation	30-Jun-12
Number of operating segments	1

Summary_of_Significant_Account1

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012	Jan. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012	2018 Notes [Member]	2018 Notes [Member]	Convertible senior notes due 2020 [Member]	Customer concentration risk [Member]	Customer concentration risk [Member]
Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Subscriptions contract period	'3 years	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents liquid investments original maturity period	'Three months or less	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Period for marketable securities to be recognized as current assets	'12 months	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Period to pay portion of total arrangement fee	'30 days	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Unearned revenue anticipated recognition term	'Succeeding 12 month	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Convertible senior notes, interest rate	'	'	'	0.75%	0.75%	1.50%	'	'
Convertible Senior Notes, principal amount	'	'	'	$350,000,000	$350,000,000	$250,000,000	'	'
Convertible senior notes, maturity date	'	'	'	15-Jul-18	'	15-Jul-20	'	'
Advertising expense	$8,700,000	$6,500,000	$3,900,000	'	'	'	'	'
Percentage of total accounts receivable by single Customer	'	'	'	'	'	'	10.00%	10.00%
Percentage of total revenues by single customer	10.00%	10.00%	'	'	'	'	'	'

Marketable_Securities_Summary_

Marketable Securities - Summary of Marketable Securities (Detail) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Amortized Cost	$1,826,844	$769,656
Unrealized Gains	428	70
Unrealized Losses	-97	-12
Aggregate Fair Value	1,827,175	769,714
U.S. agency obligations [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Amortized Cost	1,125,170	614,171
Unrealized Gains	334	64
Unrealized Losses	-50	-11
Aggregate Fair Value	1,125,454	614,224
U.S. treasury securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Amortized Cost	536,747	65,174
Unrealized Gains	88	5
Unrealized Losses	-47	'
Aggregate Fair Value	536,788	65,179
Commercial paper [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Amortized Cost	62,997	64,538
Unrealized Gains	'	1
Unrealized Losses	'	'
Aggregate Fair Value	62,997	64,539
U.S. corporate securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Amortized Cost	11,771	8,128
Unrealized Gains	6	'
Unrealized Losses	'	-1
Aggregate Fair Value	11,777	8,127
Money market funds [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Amortized Cost	90,159	17,395
Unrealized Gains	'	'
Unrealized Losses	'	'
Aggregate Fair Value	90,159	17,395
Included in cash and cash equivalents [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Amortized Cost	521,956	63,533
Unrealized Gains	3	'
Unrealized Losses	-37	'
Aggregate Fair Value	521,922	63,533
Included in marketable securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Amortized Cost	1,304,888	706,123
Unrealized Gains	425	70
Unrealized Losses	-60	-12
Aggregate Fair Value	1,305,253	706,181
Certificates of deposit [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Amortized Cost	'	250
Unrealized Gains	'	'
Unrealized Losses	'	'
Aggregate Fair Value	'	$250

Marketable_Securities_Addition

Marketable Securities - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	$1,827,175,000	$769,714,000
Included in marketable securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Marketable securities continuous unrealized loss position for more than 12 months	0	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	1,305,253,000	706,181,000
Cash equivalents and marketable securities	$1,600,000,000	'
Cash equivalents and marketable securities, maturity period	'1 year	'

Deferred_Costs_Summary_of_Defe

Deferred Costs - Summary of Deferred Costs (Detail) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
Current:	'	'
Deferred professional service costs	$3,555	$1,654
Deferred sales commissions	12,891	8,162
Total	16,446	9,816
Noncurrent:	'	'
Deferred professional service costs	4,357	6,843
Deferred sales commissions	16,440	11,732
Total	$20,797	$18,575

Property_and_Equipment_Summary

Property and Equipment - Summary of Property and Equipment (Detail) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]	'	'
Computers, equipment and software	$75,867	$28,770
Computers, equipment and software acquired under capital leases	38,912	39,300
Furniture and fixtures	7,782	4,689
Leasehold improvements	15,885	6,581
Property and equipment, gross	138,446	79,340
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	-60,782	-34,755
Property and equipment, net	$77,664	$44,585

Property_and_Equipment_Net_Add

Property and Equipment, Net - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]	'	'	'
Depreciation expense	$29.30	$15.90	$8.90
Depreciation on asset recorded under capital lease	$12.30	$10.20	$4.30

Goodwill_and_Acquisition_Relat2

Goodwill and Acquisition Related Intangible Assets, Net - Schedule of Goodwill and Acquisition related Intangible Assets (Detail) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Intangible assets, gross	$938	$938
Less accumulated amortization	-938	-938
Acquisition related intangible assets, net	'	'
Goodwill	8,488	8,488
Goodwill and acquisition related intangible assets, net	8,488	8,488
Acquired purchased technology [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Intangible assets, gross	600	600
Customer relationship assets [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Intangible assets, gross	$338	$338

Other_Assets_Schedule_of_Other

Other Assets - Schedule of Other Assets (Detail) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Other assets	$45,658	$3,130
Issuance cost of convertible senior notes [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Other assets	10,625	'
Acquired land leasehold interest, net [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Other assets	9,991	'
Technology patents, net [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Other assets	4,865	'
Others [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Other assets	$20,177	$3,130

Other_Assets_Additional_Inform

Other Assets - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
	acre	Jan. 31, 2013
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Lease rent, prepaid	$1,500,000	'
Lease period	'95 years	'
Other assets	45,658,000	3,130,000
Patents weighted-average useful remaining lives	'6 years	'
Parcel of vacant land	6.9	'
Minimum [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Additional payments to the lessor	200,000	'
Maximum [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Additional payments to the lessor	1,000,000	'
Purchase of leasehold interest [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Other assets	10,000,000	'
Technology patents, net [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Other assets	$4,865,000	'

Other_Assets_Summary_of_Future

Other Assets - Summary of Future Estimated Amortization Expense Related to Acquired Leasehold Interest and Patents (Detail) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
2015	$1,028
2016	1,027
2017	1,027
2018	889
2019	520
Thereafter	10,365
Total	$14,856

Fair_Value_Measurements_Inform

Fair Value Measurements - Information about Assets that are Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis (Detail) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	$1,827,175	$769,714
U.S. agency obligations [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	1,125,454	614,224
U.S. treasury securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	536,788	65,179
Commercial paper [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	62,997	64,539
Certificates of deposit [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	'	250
U.S. corporate securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	11,777	8,127
Money market funds [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	90,159	17,395
Included in cash and cash equivalents [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	521,922	63,533
Included in marketable securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	1,305,253	706,181
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	626,947	82,574
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] \| U.S. agency obligations [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] \| U.S. treasury securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	536,788	65,179
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] \| Commercial paper [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] \| Certificates of deposit [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] \| U.S. corporate securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] \| Money market funds [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	90,159	17,395
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	1,200,228	687,140
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] \| U.S. agency obligations [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	1,125,454	614,224
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] \| U.S. treasury securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] \| Commercial paper [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	62,997	64,539
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] \| Certificates of deposit [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	'	250
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] \| U.S. corporate securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	11,777	8,127
Recurring [Member] \| Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] \| Money market funds [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	'	'

Fair_Value_Measurements_Summar

Fair Value Measurements - Summary of Carrying Amounts and Estimated Fair Values of Financial Instruments (Detail) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]	'
Convertible senior notes, Carrying Amount	$468,412
2018 Notes [Member]	'
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]	'
Convertible senior notes, Carrying Amount	281,359
Convertible senior notes, Estimated Fair Value	434,875
2020 Notes [Member]	'
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]	'
Convertible senior notes, Carrying Amount	187,053
Convertible senior notes, Estimated Fair Value	$319,219

Fair_Value_Measurements_Summar1

Fair Value Measurements - Summary of Carrying Amounts and Estimated Fair Values of Financial Instruments (Parenthetical) (Detail)	Jan. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
2018 Notes [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Contractual interest rate	0.75%	0.75%
2020 Notes [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Contractual interest rate	1.50%	1.50%

Fair_Value_Measurements_Additi

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Closing price of company's common stock	89.54	'
2018 Notes [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Contractual interest rate	0.75%	0.75%
2020 Notes [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Contractual interest rate	1.50%	1.50%

Convertible_Senior_Notes_Addit

Convertible Senior Notes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Share data in Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Proceeds from sale of warrants	$92,708,000	'
2018 Notes [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Convertible Senior Notes, principal amount	350,000,000	350,000,000
Contractual interest rate	0.75%	0.75%
Convertible senior notes, maturity date	15-Jul-18	'
First required date for interest payment	15-Jan-14	'
Latest date for conversion	14-Mar-18	'
Liability issuance costs	7,200,000	'
Equity issuance costs	2,000,000	'
Amortization expense for debt issuance costs	876,000	'
Remaining life of the Notes	'53 months	'
Effective interest rates of the liability components	5.75%	'
2018 Notes [Member] \| Purchased Options [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Purchased options expiration year	'2018	'
Two Thousand Eighteen And Two Thousand Twenty Senior Notes [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Convertible Senior Notes, principal amount	'	250,000,000
2020 Notes [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Convertible Senior Notes, principal amount	250,000,000	'
Contractual interest rate	1.50%	1.50%
Convertible senior notes, maturity date	15-Jul-20	'
First required date for interest payment	15-Jan-14	'
Latest date for conversion	13-Mar-20	'
Liability issuance costs	4,700,000	'
Equity issuance costs	1,800,000	'
Amortization expense for debt issuance costs	420,000	'
Remaining life of the Notes	'77 months	'
Effective interest rates of the liability components	6.25%	'
2020 Notes [Member] \| Purchased Options [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Purchased options expiration year	'2020	'
Convertible Senior Notes [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Repurchase of notes percentage	100.00%	'
Exercise price of warrants, per share	$108	'
Proceeds from sale of warrants	92,700,000	'
Convertible Senior Notes [Member] \| Scenario One [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Threshold trading days	20	'
Threshold consecutive trading days	'30 days	'
Threshold percentage of conversion price	130.00%	'
Convertible Senior Notes [Member] \| Scenario two [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Threshold trading days	5	'
Threshold consecutive trading days	'5 days	'
Convertible Senior Notes [Member] \| Scenario two [Member] \| Maximum [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Threshold percentage of conversion price	98.00%	'
Convertible Senior Notes [Member] \| Purchased Options [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Shares covered by each purchased option/warrant	7.3	'
Aggregate amount for Purchased Options	143,700,000	'
Warrants expires In July 2018 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Shares covered by each purchased option/warrant	4.2	'
Warrants expiration period	'2018-07	'
Warrants expires In July 2020 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Shares covered by each purchased option/warrant	3.1	'
Warrants expiration period	'2020-07	'
Class A Common Stock [Member] \| 2018 Notes [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Initial conversion rate	12.0075	'
Principal amount converted in to Class A Common Stock	1,000	'
Initial conversion price	$83.28	'
Class A Common Stock [Member] \| 2020 Notes [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Initial conversion rate	12.234	'
Principal amount converted in to Class A Common Stock	$1,000	'
Initial conversion price	$81.74	'

Convertible_Senior_Notes_Sched

Convertible Senior Notes - Schedule of Senior Notes (Detail) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Net carrying amount	$468,412	'
2018 Notes [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Principal	350,000	350,000
Unamortized debt discount	-68,641	'
Net carrying amount	281,359	'
Carrying amount of the equity component	74,892	'
2020 Notes [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Principal	250,000	'
Unamortized debt discount	-62,947	'
Net carrying amount	187,053	'
Carrying amount of the equity component	$66,007	'

Convertible_Senior_Notes_Sched1

Convertible Senior Notes - Schedule of Senior Notes (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014
2018 Notes [Member]	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'
Equity issuance costs	$2
2020 Notes [Member]	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'
Equity issuance costs	$1.80

Convertible_Senior_Notes_Sched2

Convertible Senior Notes - Schedule of Interest Expense Recognized Related to Convertible Senior Notes (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'
Interest cost related to amortization of the debt discount	$14,395
2018 Notes [Member]	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'
Contractual interest expense	1,633
Interest cost related to amortization of debt issuance costs	876
Interest cost related to amortization of the debt discount	8,265
2020 Notes [Member]	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'
Contractual interest expense	2,333
Interest cost related to amortization of debt issuance costs	420
Interest cost related to amortization of the debt discount	$4,834

Commitments_and_Contingencies_1

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
	acre	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Long-term Purchase Commitment [Line Items]	'	'	'
Lease term period	'95 years	'	'
Lease entered date	30-Jan-14	'	'
Parcel of vacant land	6.9	'	'
Transfer fee for obtaining lease	$0.50	'	'
Lease rent, prepaid	1.5	'	'
Annual rent payments	0.2	'	'
Rent expense	11	5.5	3.4
Minimum [Member]	'	'	'
Long-term Purchase Commitment [Line Items]	'	'	'
Additional payments to the lessor	0.2	'	'
Maximum [Member]	'	'	'
Long-term Purchase Commitment [Line Items]	'	'	'
Additional payments to the lessor	$1	'	'

Commitments_and_Contingencies_2

Commitments and Contingencies - Future Minimum Lease Payments by Year under Non-Cancelable Leases (Detail) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
Schedule Of Operating And Capital Leases Future Minimum Payments Due [Line Items]	'	'
2015	$9,901	'
2016	3,673	'
2017	'	'
2018	'	'
2019	'	'
Thereafter	'	'
Capital leases	13,574	'
Less amount representing interest and taxes	-608	'
Capital leases, Total	12,966	'
Less current portion	9,377	12,008
Noncurrent, Total	3,589	12,972
2015	12,894	'
2016	8,546	'
2017	5,032	'
2018	4,116	'
2019	3,438	'
Thereafter	25,083	'
Operating leases	59,109	'
Less amount representing interest and taxes	'	'
Operating leases, Total	59,109	'
Related Party [Member]	'	'
Schedule Of Operating And Capital Leases Future Minimum Payments Due [Line Items]	'	'
2015	2,179	'
2016	2,306	'
2017	2,362	'
2018	2,417	'
2019	2,473	'
Thereafter	10,677	'
Operating leases	22,414	'
Less amount representing interest and taxes	'	'
Operating leases, Total	$22,414	'

Common_Stock_and_Stockholders_2

Common Stock and Stockholders' Equity (Deficit) - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2014

Jan. 31, 2013

Jan. 31, 2012

Jan. 31, 2014

Jan. 31, 2013

Jan. 31, 2014

Jan. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2013

Jan. 31, 2014

Jan. 31, 2013

Jan. 31, 2012

Jan. 31, 2014

Jan. 31, 2013

Jan. 31, 2014

Workday Foundation [Member]

Employee stock purchase plan [Member]

General and administrative [Member]

Class B Common Stock [Member]

Class A Common Stock [Member]

Purchased option [Member]

Shares subject to unvested restricted stock awards and units [Member]

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]

Workday Foundation [Member]

vote_per_share

2012 Equity Incentive Plan [Member]

Minimum [Member]

Maximum [Member]

Executive Officers [Member]

2012 Equity Incentive Plan [Member]

Executive Officers [Member]

Class A Common Stock [Member]

Minimum [Member]

Maximum [Member]

2012 Equity Incentive Plan [Member]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]

Conversion of Preferred Stock into common stock

98,000,000

Conversion of Common Stock into Class B Common Stock

42,100,000

Common stock shares issued

6,900,000

Offering price per share

$89

Net proceeds from shares

$592,200,000

Underwriting discounts and commissions

21,200,000

Other offering expenses

700,000

Common stock outstanding

92,000,000

140,000,000

91,000,000

26,000,000

Common stock, votes per share

Issuance of shares of common stock to the workday foundation

500,000

Share-based charge to general and administrative expense

11,300,000

Liabilities related to early exercises of stock options

6,400,000

9,400,000

Share reserve increased EIP

8,300,000

Common stock available for future grants

1,800,000

43,700,000

Common stock shares reserved for future issuance

2,000,000

Percentage of fair market value of stock at which employees are granted shares

85.00%

Number of shares purchased by employees

189,885

Weighted-average purchase price

$52.88

Cash proceeds

10,000,000

Options issued under the Plan exercisable for periods

'10 years

'5 years

'6 years

'5 years

Vest over periods

'4 years

'5 years

'4 years

Total grant-date fair value of stock options vested

27,200,000

6,600,000

2,500,000

Total intrinsic value of the options exercised

566,200,000

69,800,000

19,600,000

Weighted-average remaining contractual life of vested and expected to vest options

'6 years 9 months 18 days

Unrecognized compensation cost

58,700,000

Weighted-average period to be recognized

'3 years 1 month 6 days

'3 years 9 months 18 days

'3 years 6 months

Weighted-average remaining contractual life of exercisable options

'6 years 6 months

Weighted-average remaining contractual life of outstanding options

'6 years 9 months 18 days

Number of restricted shares

1,000,000

3,900,000

Outstanding, Weighted average grant date fair value

$12.85

$70.72

$48.82

Restricted stock awards vested

300,000

49,275

Restricted stock awards vested, weighted average grant fair value

$12.34

$52.92

Unrecognized compensation cost

12,900,000

251,000,000

Weighted average grant date fair value

$71.35

Dividend paid

Expect to pay dividend

Common_Stock_and_Stockholders_3

Common Stock and Stockholders' Equity (Deficit) - Summary of Combined Activity Under 2005 Stock Plan and EIP (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]	'
Beginning Balance, Outstanding Stock Options	29,856,042
Stock option grants, Outstanding Stock Options	74,050
Stock options exercised, Outstanding Stock Options	-8,689,384
Stock options canceled, Outstanding Stock Options	-534,501
Ending Balance, Outstanding Stock Options	20,706,207
Vested and expected to vest, Outstanding Stock Options	20,007,366
Exercisable, Outstanding Stock Options	13,978,141
Beginning Balance, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$3.19
Stock option grants, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$60.78
Stock options exercised, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$1.57
Stock options canceled, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$9.24
Ending Balance, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$3.93
Vested and expected to vest, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$3.81
Exercisable, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$2.56
Beginning Balance, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	$1,499
Ending Balance, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	1,773
Vested and expected to vest, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	1,715
Exercisable, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	$1,216

Common_Stock_and_Stockholders_4

Common Stock and Stockholders' Equity (Deficit) - Summary of Information Related to Restricted Stock Units Activity (Detail) (Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member], USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2014
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Beginning Balance, Number of Shares	163,400
Restricted stock units granted, Number of Shares	3,919,524
Restricted stock units vested, Number of Shares	-49,275
Restricted stock units forfeited, Number of Shares	-66,921
Ending Balance, Number of Shares	3,966,728
Beginning Balance, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value	$48.82
Restricted stock units granted, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value	$71.35
Restricted stock units vested, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value	$52.92
Restricted stock units forfeited, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value	$67.34
Ending Balance, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value	$70.72

Common_Stock_and_Stockholders_5

Common Stock and Stockholders' Equity (Deficit) - Assumptions Used for Periods Presented (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Expected volatility, Minimum	54.80%	54.30%	58.10%
Expected volatility, Maximum	55.80%	61.10%	59.10%
Expected term (in years)	'6 years 1 month 10 days	'	'
Dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Expected volatility, Minimum	27.70%	'	'
Expected volatility, Maximum	30.40%	'	'
Expected term (in years)	'6 months	'	'
Risk-free interest rate, Minimum	0.10%	'	'
Dividend yield	0.00%	'	'
Minimum [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Expected term (in years)	'	'5 years	'5 years
Risk-free interest rate, Minimum	0.90%	0.80%	0.90%
Minimum [Member] \| Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Weighted-average grant date fair value per share	52.88	'	'
Maximum [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Risk-free interest rate, Maximum	1.80%	1.00%	2.70%
Expected term (in years)	'	'6 years 4 months 24 days	'6 years 4 months 24 days
Maximum [Member] \| Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Weighted-average grant date fair value per share	68.43	'	'

Other_Expense_Net_Other_Expens

Other Expense, Net - Other Expense, Net (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Other Income And Expenses [Abstract]	'	'	'
Interest income	$1,992	$560	$68
Interest expense	-19,618	-1,363	-976
Other income (expense)	77	-400	-110
Other expense, net	($17,549)	($1,203)	($1,018)

Income_Taxes_Components_of_Inc

Income Taxes - Components of Income (Loss) before Provision for Income Taxes (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
Domestic	($49,652)	($119,793)	($78,721)
Foreign	-121,179	727	-741
Loss before provision for income taxes	($170,831)	($119,066)	($79,462)

Income_Taxes_Summary_of_Provis

Income Taxes - Summary of Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
Federal	$60	($160)	$60
State	178	42	38
Foreign	1,440	242	69
Total	$1,678	$124	$167

Income_Taxes_Reconciliation_of

Income Taxes - Reconciliation of Income Taxes Computed at Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate and Provision for Income Taxes (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
Federal statutory rate	35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
Foreign income at other than U.S. rates	-25.40%	0.30%	-0.30%
Intercompany transactions	-36.80%	'	'
Research tax credits	12.70%	'	'
State taxes, net of federal benefit	1.90%	5.00%	5.20%
Changes in valuation allowance	16.10%	-37.80%	-38.70%
Stock Compensation	-3.90%	-2.40%	-1.10%
Other	-0.60%	-0.20%	-0.30%
Total	-1.00%	-0.10%	-0.20%

Income_Taxes_Additional_Inform

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Unrecorded excess stock option tax benefits	$157	'	'
Increase of valuation allowance on net deferred tax assets	'	41.4	'
Decrease of valuation allowance on net deferred tax assets	27.5	'	'
Excess tax benefit of stock option exercises	0	'	'
Undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries	0.1	'	'
Deferred tax liabilities	0	'	'
Accrued interest	0.6	0.4	0.4
Accrued penalty	0.8	0.8	1
Unrecognized tax benefits that would impact effective tax rate	2.1	1.7	1.7
California research and development [Member]	'	'	'
Tax credit carryforwards	18.2	'	'
Federal [Member]	'	'	'
Net operating loss carryforwards	672.6	'	'
Tax credit carryforwards	19.5	'	'
Expiration of federal credits, Beginning	'2025	'	'
Expiration of federal credits, Ending	'2034	'	'
Federal and State Jurisdiction [Member]	'	'	'
Expiration of federal and state net operating loss carryforwards, Beginning	'2015	'	'
Expiration of federal and state net operating loss carryforwards, Ending	'2034	'	'
State [Member]	'	'	'
Net operating loss carryforwards	487.7	'	'
Foreign [Member]	'	'	'
Net operating loss carryforwards	$75.60	'	'

Income_Taxes_Schedule_of_Defer

Income Taxes - Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities (Detail) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
Deferred tax assets:	'	'
Unearned revenue	$26,079	$28,346
Other reserves and accruals	16,751	11,960
Federal net operating loss carryforwards	82,006	87,222
State and foreign net operating loss carryforwards	23,221	22,888
Property and equipment	11,753	6,196
Share-based compensation	12,092	3,797
Research and development credits	21,763	'
Other	2,642	138
Deferred tax asset	196,307	160,547
Valuation allowance	-130,462	-158,003
Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance	65,845	2,544
Deferred tax liabilities:	'	'
Intercompany transactions	-61,701	'
Other prepaid assets	-4,144	-2,544
Deferred tax liabilities	-65,845	-2,544
Net deferred tax assets	'	'

Income_Taxes_Summary_of_Reconc

Income Taxes - Summary of Reconciliation of Gross Unrecognized Tax Benefit (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
Unrecognized tax benefits at the beginning of the period	$15,577	$10,705	$8,598
Additions for tax positions taken in prior years	1,928	1,392	'
Reductions for tax positions taken in prior years	-10,982	'	'
Additions for tax provisions related to the current year	70,567	3,480	2,107
Unrecognized tax benefits at the end of the period	$77,090	$15,577	$10,705

Net_Loss_Per_Share_Summary_of_

Net Loss Per Share - Summary of Calculation of Basic and Diluted Net Income Per Share (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Oct. 31, 2013	Jul. 31, 2013	Apr. 30, 2013	Jan. 31, 2013	Oct. 31, 2012	Jul. 31, 2012	Apr. 30, 2012	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Numerator:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Allocation of distributed net loss attributable to common stockholders	($55,982)	($47,534)	($35,978)	($33,015)	($30,944)	($41,471)	($27,087)	($20,256)	($172,509)	($119,758)	($79,971)
Denominator:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Weighted-average common shares outstanding	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	171,297	74,011	29,478
Basic and diluted net loss per share	($0.32)	($0.27)	($0.21)	($0.20)	($0.19)	($0.67)	($0.78)	($0.61)	($1.01)	($1.62)	($2.71)
Class A Common Stock [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Numerator:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Allocation of distributed net loss attributable to common stockholders	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	-64,985	-12,955	'
Denominator:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Weighted-average common shares outstanding	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	64,528	8,006	'
Basic and diluted net loss per share	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	($1.01)	($1.62)	'
Class B Common Stock [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Numerator:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Allocation of distributed net loss attributable to common stockholders	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	($107,524)	($106,803)	($79,971)
Denominator:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Weighted-average common shares outstanding	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	106,769	66,005	29,478
Basic and diluted net loss per share	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	($1.01)	($1.62)	($2.71)

Net_Loss_Per_Share_Summary_of_1

Net Loss Per Share - Summary of Diluted Net Loss Per Common Share (Detail)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'
Total anti-dilutive securities	41,936	35,625	131,564
Purchased option [Member]	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'
Total anti-dilutive securities	20,706	31,206	30,561
Shares subject to repurchase [Member]	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'
Total anti-dilutive securities	1,709	2,916	2,927
Shares subject to unvested restricted stock awards and units [Member]	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'
Total anti-dilutive securities	4,999	1,503	100
Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock [Member]	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'
Total anti-dilutive securities	'	'	30,390
Convertible preferred stock [Member]	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'
Total anti-dilutive securities	'	'	67,586
Convertible Senior Notes [Member]	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'
Total anti-dilutive securities	7,261	'	'
Warrants related to the issuance of convertible senior notes [Member]	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'
Total anti-dilutive securities	7,261	'	'

Net_Loss_Per_Share_Summary_of_2

Net Loss Per Share - Summary of Diluted Net Loss Per Common Share (Parenthetical) (Detail)	Jan. 31, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Warrants to purchase shares exercised	1.4

Geographic_Information_Summary

Geographic Information - Summary of Revenues by Geographic Area (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Oct. 31, 2013	Jul. 31, 2013	Apr. 30, 2013	Jan. 31, 2013	Oct. 31, 2012	Jul. 31, 2012	Apr. 30, 2012	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	$141,866	$127,872	$107,555	$91,645	$81,519	$72,618	$62,702	$56,818	$468,938	$273,657	$134,427
United States [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	394,564	226,006	111,574
International [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$74,374	$47,651	$22,853

RelatedParty_Transactions_Addi

Related-Party Transactions - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'	'
Amount paid under lease agreement	$12,129	$9,453	$4,296
Term of agreements	'95 years	'	'
Total rent due under agreements, 2014	12,894	'	'
Total rent due under agreements	59,109	'	'
Affiliate co-CEO, David Duffield [Member]	'	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'	'
Amount paid under lease agreement	2,200	4,200	4,600
Term of agreements	'10 years	'	'
Total rent due under agreements, 2014	1,300	'	'
Total rent due under agreements	$23,700	'	'

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D2

Selected Quarterly Financial Data - Consolidated Statements of Operations Data (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014	Oct. 31, 2013	Jul. 31, 2013	Apr. 30, 2013	Jan. 31, 2013	Oct. 31, 2012	Jul. 31, 2012	Apr. 30, 2012	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	$141,866	$127,872	$107,555	$91,645	$81,519	$72,618	$62,702	$56,818	$468,938	$273,657	$134,427
Operating loss	-47,976	-40,399	-32,283	-32,624	-30,678	-40,868	-26,360	-19,957	-153,282	-117,863	-78,444
Net loss	-55,982	-47,534	-35,978	-33,015	-30,944	-41,310	-26,881	-20,055	-172,509	-119,190	-79,629
Net loss attributable to common stockholders	($55,982)	($47,534)	($35,978)	($33,015)	($30,944)	($41,471)	($27,087)	($20,256)	($172,509)	($119,758)	($79,971)
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted	($0.32)	($0.27)	($0.21)	($0.20)	($0.19)	($0.67)	($0.78)	($0.61)	($1.01)	($1.62)	($2.71)

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D3

Selected Quarterly Financial Data - Consolidated Statements of Operations Data (Parenthetical) (Detail) (Workday Foundation [Member], USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2014
Schedule Of Condensed Statements Of Operations [Line Items]	'
Common stock, issued	500,000
General and administrative [Member]	'
Schedule Of Condensed Statements Of Operations [Line Items]	'
Share-based charge to general and administrative expense	$11.30