diff --git a/dsl-reference.md b/dsl-reference.md
index e898e316..789ca497 100644
--- a/dsl-reference.md
+++ b/dsl-reference.md
@@ -1597,7 +1597,7 @@ An event object typically includes details such as the event type, source, times
 | subject | `string` | `no` | Describes the subject of the event in the context of the event producer. |
 | datacontenttype | `string` | `no` | Content type of `data` value. If omitted, it implies the `data` is a JSON value conforming to the "application/json" media type. |
 | dataschema | `string` | `no` | An URI formatted string, or [runtime expression](dsl.md#runtime-expressions), that identifies the schema that `data` adheres to. |
-| data | `object` | `no` | The event payload. |
+| data | `any` | `no` | The event payload. |
 
 *Additional properties can be supplied, see the Cloud Events specification [documentation](https://github.com/cloudevents/spec/blob/main/cloudevents/spec.md#extension-context-attributes) for more info.*
 
diff --git a/schema/workflow.yaml b/schema/workflow.yaml
index 6ca55482..daaedc41 100644
--- a/schema/workflow.yaml
+++ b/schema/workflow.yaml
@@ -1292,6 +1292,12 @@ $defs:
           - title: ExpressionDataSchema
             $ref: '#/$defs/runtimeExpression'
             description: An expression based event data schema.
+      data:
+        title: EventData
+        description: The event's payload data
+        anyOf:
+          - $ref: '#/$defs/runtimeExpression'
+          - {}
     additionalProperties: true
   eventConsumptionStrategy:
     type: object