Search Configuration for Embedded Search

This section describes the required configuration settings for using Embedded Search as a search tool in Personnel & Organization.

For the Personnel & Organization component, several Embedded Search templates (models) are delivered which you can extend and reassemble to your specific requirements. The Embedded Search models use connectors to interact actively with the TREX server.

For more background information, see Embedded Search.

Prerequisites

The business function HCM, Personnel & Organization 03 (HCM_PAO_CI_3) is activated. Only when this business function is active can you access the required Customizing settings.

For the Embedded Search, you need the product version TREX 710 Revision 55 or higher.

Features

Embedded Search is available for Personnel & Organization and offers the following features:

Extensive text search in object attributes and descriptions
You can define this in the Modeler for Search and Analytics in Customizing for Personnel & Organization under Search Configure Embedded Search Define Search Models and Create Connectors .
Fuzzy search for texts
Ranking of hit list (for example, hits found in personnel numbers and employee names are displayed before hits in other attributes)
Individual advanced search criteria based on user authorizations
For example, if a user is only allowed to see employees of personnel area US01 and US02, he or she would not see any other personnel areas when using the input help.
Default values for filters and advanced search criteria

Activities

To use Embedded Search, make settings in Customizing for Personnel & Organization under Start of the navigation path Search Next navigation step Configure Embedded Search End of the navigation path .

Standard Implementation

To use the standard models for Embedded Search delivered for Personnel & Organization, Employee Self-Service, or Manager Self-Service, perform the following steps to configure Embedded Search as search tool:

You have assigned the search category group SAP_STANDARD_ES (for Personnel & Organization) or SAP_PEOPLE_ES (for Employee Self-Service) to the personalization object key Search Category Group (HRPAO_SEARCH_CATEGORY_GROUP) of the respective composite role assigned to your users.
Activate the BAdI implementations for infotype updates. For more information, see Customizing for Personnel & Organization under Search Configure Embedded Search BAdI Implementations for Infotype Updates .
In the Modeler for Search and Analytics, you have to add the basic authorization objects to the authorization path of the main models (as described in section Implementation for Customer-Specific Search Categories under 5. Define Authorizations for Search Models).
You have to set up the TREX connection and create connectors for the models (for the models HRPAO_EMPLOYEE, HRPAO_EMPLOYEE_VS, HRPAO_POSITION_VS, and HRPAO_ORG_UNIT_VS).
For more background information, see Setting Up Embedded Search.

You also have to start the initial indexing of data and register the connectors for real-time indexing. For more information, see Customizing for Personnel & Organization under Search Configure Embedded Search Manage Indexing .

Implementation for Customer-Specific Search Categories

If you have copied one of the main Embedded Search models (for object types employee, organizational unit, and position) to your own namespace or if you have added a new request to an existing main search model, make the following Customizing settings:

Define Search Categories
You define a search category in Customizing for Personnel & Organization under Search Define Search Categories in view V_T77PAOSCAT. To define a new search category, copy one of the delivered search categories and maintain the text, object type and provider type. For Embedded Search, enter the provider type SAP_ES.
Assign Embedded Search Models to Search Categories
You assign your Embedded Search model to the new search category in Customizing for Personnel & Organization under Search Configure Embedded Search Assign Search Categories to Embedded Search Models in view V_T77PAOSSPES. Here, you have to add a new entry for your search category (defined in the first step) with Search Request Type = Search Request. Assign the Embedded Search model, the Root Node name and the Request.

Note
If you have created a virtual model to enable the “value suggest” functionality, assign the virtual model to the search category. The Search Request Type is Value Suggest Request in this case.

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Group Search Categories
You create a new search category group and assign the newly created search category to this category group in Customizing for Personnel & Organization under Search Group Search Categories in view cluster VC_T77PAOSCATGRP:
- For the Web Dynpro Application ‘PAOM Master Data Application’, you assign your newly created search category with the Search Context = Master Data Application.
- For the UI5 Search Lane, you assign your newly created search category with the Search Context = Full Search Page.
The following fields are only relevant for the Search Lane on the landing page:
- No Link: With this indicator you can enable or disable the link on the search result objects in the Search lane
The following fields are used for launching profile pages from the Search lane:
- Role: In this field you specify the launchpad role of the application to be launched
- Instance: In this field you specify the launchpad instance of the application to be launched
- Application Alias: In this field you specify the application alias of the application to be launched, based on the role and instance entered above.
Assign Search Category Group to PFCG Role
You have to assign the newly created search category group to the personalization object HRPAO_SEARCH_CATEGORY_GROUP. This personalization object key is contained in the standard composite PFCG role HR Professional.
Define Authorizations for Search Models
The authorization concept for Embedded Search models is designed for ABAP basic authorization objects and HR structural authorizations. The SAP standard models for Personnel & Organization include structural authorizations, but not ABAP basic authorization objects since authorization concepts differ considerably from customer to customer.

Structural Authorizations

The structural authorizations are assigned with the models HRPAO_STRUCAUTH_USR and HRPAO_STRUCAUTH_OBJ to the main models for each object type. In the standard delivery no grouping is done except for users to whom no structural authorization profile is assigned. It is highly recommended to group users with similar authorizations, especially for the SAP_PEOPLE_ES category. Otherwise, the performance of the indexing and the size of the indices is problematic. The grouping has to be implemented with an implementation for the Business Add-In (BAdI) HRPAO_B_SEARCH_ES_HRVIEW.

Basic Authorizations

Depending on your authorization concept, the basic authorization objects such as P_ORGIN for employees have to be maintained for the Embedded Search models. For the object types position, organizational unit and job, the authorization object PLOG is already checked (for infotype Object (1000)) as part of the structural authorization indexing.

To assign basic ABAP authorizations, proceed as follows:
1. Start the Modeler for Search and Analytics by using transaction ESH_MODELER.
2. Select the model for which you would like to add ABAP authorization objects and choose Edit Model.
3. On the Node Response tab, select the node.
4. Go to the Authorization tab and choose ABAP Auth. Objects.
5. On the ABAP Auth. Objects tab, add the required ABAP authorization object and define the fields of the authorization object. The authorization field values can be defined as fixed values by selecting. AUTHC: R (reading authorization). If the value is only known at runtime, you can define a path (by using the Select Path button) to refer to a target node attribute (for example for the fields from infotype Organizational Assignment (0001) of authorization object P_ORGIN).
  
  Note
  You have to import the authorization object first by using the Import button.
  
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6. Define the logical conjunction for the Check ID of the authorization object.
7. Choose Save.

Note Note

If you use a high level of grouping, you could also implement the basic authorization check in the BAdI implementation of the model HRPAO_STRUCAUTH_OBJ. This is not recommended if a high number of checks are executed because the users are not grouped which would cause performance issues. Keep in mind that the user can only see new objects after the delta indexing for the structural authorization model has run.

If you assign the fields of the authorization object (such as P_ORGIN) to the node ORG_ASSIGNMENT, extended periods of responsibility are not taken into account. If you have this requirement and you are not able to group the users to a degree that allows basic authorization checks during the indexing of the structural authorization model, a solution is to have a separate node for infotype 0001 where the fields BEGDA and ENDDA are recalculated during indexing (BEGDA = BEGDA + ADAYS, ENDDA= ENDDA + ADAYS). Then, you assign the fields of the basic authorization object to the fields of this node instead of the node ORG_ASSIGNMENT. As in the node ORG_ASSIGNMENT, the fields BEGDA and ENDDA have to have the semantics Valid from and Valid to. The new node would only be used for authorization purposes.

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