The new cross-application time sheet (CATS), available in the SAP
standard 3.1I and 4.0A Releases, has been enhanced for Release 4.5A.
The major new development as far as the HR application is concerned is
that the personnel cost assignment business process (effected in R/3
Payroll Accounting) can now be carried out even if the time data is
entered in the CATS time sheet. This is possible by transferring the
cost information from CATS to HR Attendances. Using ALE technology, you
can run CATS and HR on separate systems in Release 4.5A while still benefitting from the high degree of integration.
Multiple Internet scenarios in R/3 Time Management relieve time administrators of their role as data entry clerk and information source by allowing employees access to more data than ever before.
Release 4.5A provides Time Management Internet solutions for employees
to display their work schedule and access their current leave entitlement and other time off credits. An Internet solution has been
developed for the time sheet (CATS) allowing employees to enter their
work activities and absences. It is easy to use and ensures data security. The entry of absences that are subject to approval is
supported using a form-based workflow. Employees can view and check the
results of time evaluation via the Internet in a time statement that is
updated daily. This means that the time statement no longer has to be printed and sent out to employees.
New functions have been developed for entering working times via
external time recording systems (subsystems), which has long been the
most common form of employee self-service. Together with their time
postings, employees can now enter information on their activities such
as cost centers, internal orders or projects for cost assignment. They
can enter this information at the terminal or using a barcode reader.
They can also enter a position or job to effect a different payment.
Over 40 new BAPIs demonstrate the openess of R/3 Time Management with the SAP R/3 environment and third-party products. BAPIs offer methods of developing new interfaces such as the Internet solutions. The second category of new Time Management interfaces has been developed for transferring time data asynchronously from external systems. The new methods of transferring external attendances and absences or external time wage types offer standardized interfaces that make it easier to link external systems, for example customer-specific products, with the R/3 system.
Stable interfaces make it possible to access the most important data
from Time Management such as information on employees' availability or
their time off credits make The certified communication channel CC1 is also based on the BAPI concept.
More flexible working times, overtime compensation, leave entitlement based on time worked: Demands for new and improved ways of managing employee time off and absence quotas have increased considerably in recent years. R/3 Time Management has reacted to this trend with comprehensive new developments in its quota administration. Short-term and long-term accounts, vacation, or entitlement to paid sick leave can now all be managed centrally using absence quotas. A high degree of flexibility concerning the accrual of time off credits, and tight control over the deduction of credits has resulted from these developments.
A new user interface provides a central, comprehensive overview of time
off credits and how they were processed. Most of the above functions
already existed in Release 4.0A and have been enhanced further for Release 4.5A.
In certain branches of industry, personnel administrators or department
supervisors enter working times and absences decentrally for smaller
groups of employees. R/3 Time Management now supports this type of data
entry with a time recording functionality for entering multiple time
data for multiple persons. Changes in working times, attendances and
absences, bonuses, and information relevant to valuating working times can be entered for multiple persons in a single interface.
In order to make optimum use of employees in an enterprise and use the full potential of available resources, a flexible process for scheduling working times is essential so that the appropriate employees can be scheduled to fit the requirements. R/3 Shift Planning complements the functions of Time Management administration and includes information on jobs, qualifications, and employees' availability in the planning process.
As of Release 4.5A, the functionality for determining personnel
requirements and the matching of these requirements to existing human
resources has been enhanced. Additional information columns, as well as
new planning utilities (Assignment Assistent) fully support the scheduling process. Fluctuation in the amount of personnel required
during the course of a working day can be set up in a time-based requirements definition. The day view tool supports partial day,
time-based planning of employees, as well as the allocation of employee working times on a given day.
Release 4.5A provides a new functional query area for Time Management. The new method of defining additional query fields for HR infotypes has been used in Time Management in order to provide account assignment information for time infotypes for query, for example. The number of hours or days in the time records is counted again with reference to the data selection period.
The high degree of integration of time data with the SAP Business Information Warehouse has brought new dimensions to time data
reporting. The advantages of the Business Information Warehouse can be
used to generate overtime statistics, absence analyses and quota overviews, for example. If the cost information is specified,
employees' work activities and distribution of work can be analyzed in
detail and combined with the corresponding Cost Accounting data.
There is a new data model and process model for R/3 Time Management in Release 4.5A. The new models depict the important objects and business processes in Time Management with greater accuracy and transparency. They make the Time Management component simpler to understand and further support implementation.