Workflow: Approval of Course
Participation
Purpose
The workflow Approval of Course Participation enables you to accept or reject an employee’s request for course participation that requires approval.
Prerequisites
Depending on the delivery method, you define whether and how a workflow is to be used for course participation. You make two entries for each delivery method and learner type in the table Workflow Customizing SAP Learning Solution (LSOWF_CUSTOMIZE):
· An entry for the participation booking. Technical name of the workflow for participation approval:
¡ Object ID ® 12000003
¡ Object abbreviation ® LSO_APPROVE1
· An entry for participation cancellation.
In Customizing for SAP Learning Solution choose Training Management ® Day-to-Day Activities ® Approval Workflow ® Specify Delivery Method-Dependent Workflow Settings.
The indicators in the table mean the following:
· Delivery method (TFORM)
This indicator specifies the delivery method for which a workflow setting should be defined.
· Activity type (ACTIONTYPE)
This indicator specifies whether the setting refers to the booking or the cancellation.
· Learner type (LEARNERTYPE)
This indicator specifies the learner type for which a workflow setting should be defined. If you want the setting to apply to all learner types, enter * here.
· Task (WF_TASK)
Enter the workflow and its object ID here. SAP Learning Solution requires this indicator at runtime to determine which workflow is running.
· Object type (BO_TYPE)
Select the object type (Business Object) for which an event should be generated when participation is booked or canceled. If you want to enter a Business Object other than the default object LSO_PARTIC, you must ensure that the object has the same key fields as the default object.
· Event (WF_EVENT)
Depending upon the Business Object, you specify what event must be generated to start the workflow. If you want to specify events other than the default events BOOKREQUEST and CANCELREQUEST, you must ensure that the events have the same parameters as the default events.
· Type of event generation (WF_ACTION)
You specify how SAP Learning Solution should react when a learner books or cancels participation in the Learning Portal. The following entries are possible:
¡ D specifies that the participant is booked or canceled directly without an event being generated. The only effect of this is that the field Requestable up to N days before start of course (REQUEST_PERIOD) is evaluated at runtime.
¡ E specifies that the event is generated.
¡ A specifies that an attempt is made first to book or cancel participation. If the learner does not have the required authorization, an event is generated.
· Requestable up to N days before start of course (REQUEST_PERIOD )
You specify how many days participation may be booked or cancellation requested before the start of a course. If this time limit is exceeded in the standard workflows, the booking or cancellation can no longer be made in the Learning Portal. This entry has no relevance for time-independent courses (such as WBT).
· Approvable up to N days before start of course (APPROVAL_PERIOD)
You specify how many days participation or cancellation must be approved before the start of the course. If this time limit is exceeded in the standard workflows, the booking or cancellation is automatically considered as having been approved. This entry has no relevance for time-independent courses. If you use standard workflows, we recommend that you define the REQUEST_PERIOD indicator longer than the APPROVAL_PERIOD indicator. If you do not do so, it may happen that requested participation and cancellations are automatically considered approved and the actual approval is ignored.
You can make these settings for the course type too. You use the Workflow Settings infotype (5041) to do so.
Process Flow
The workflow is triggered when a learner submits a request for course participation in the Learning Portal. The following steps are involved in the standard workflow in the SAP Learning Solution:
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1. When a booking is made, the Customizing settings determine whether a workflow is triggered or not.
2. If a workflow is triggered, participation is booked for time-dependent courses in the first instance. Then, the employee’s supervisor receives a work item in the SAP Business Workplace inbox. The work item contains all of the data required by the supervisor to make a decision, such as, the participation fee, the date, and the location.
3. The supervisor processes the work item by making a decision about the booking. He or she can decide to approve or reject the request.
¡ If the request is approved, the participant remains booked for the course.
¡ If the request is rejected, the booking that was made is canceled.
The cancellation reason is taken from the value of the switch HRLSO WFSTO. In the case of time-independent courses such as WBT, no booking is made until the request has been approved by the supervisor. It makes no sense to make a booking before approval has been given.
The booking priority used by the SAP system is taken from the value stored in the switch SEMIN INPRI.
You can only make bookings for a curriculum if it is possible to make bookings for all of the courses in the curriculum. You cannot make waitlist bookings for a curriculum. When the workflow starts, all of the elements of a curriculum are booked like time-dependent courses. Approval is given after this.
Result
You have approved and booked, or rejected course participation that required approval.
Example
Standard workflow for participation approval
If you want to use the standard workflow for approving participation, the following entry applies:
TFORM = 0001 (delivery method)
ACTIONTYPE = BOOK (Book course participation)
LEARNERTYPE = P (Learner of the type Person)
WF_TASK = 12000003 (task)
BO_TYPE = LSO_PARTIC (object type)
WF_EVENT = BOOKREQUEST
WF_ACTION = E (event)
REQUEST_PERIOD = 0014 (the deadline for requesting participation is 14 days before the start of the course)
APPROVAL_PERIOD = 0007 (the deadline for approving or rejecting participation is 7 days before the start of the course)