Time constraints are a tool used internally by the system to protect the integrity of information maintained in Organizational Management.

You use time constraints to prevent you from creating records that contradict each other. For example, a position can belong to only one organizational unit at one time. If the system allowed you to assign the position to another organizational unit during the same timeframe, there will be two contradictory records. Then, if you try to report on the data, the information will be useless.

There are four classes of time constraints:

This allows for:

• A maximum of one infotype record of the same type and for the same object, to exist at the same period of time
• No changes to be made to the record at all

This allows for:

• A maximum of one infotype record of the same type and for the same object, to exist at the same period of time
• No gaps to exist between the records
• Some changes to be made to the attributes of the record

This allows for:

• A maximum of one infotype record of the same type and for the same object, to exist at the same period of time
• Gaps to exist between valid records

This allows for:

• Multiple infotype records of the same type and for the same object, to exist at the same period of time
• Gaps to exist between valid records. For example, there could be a three-year gap between the validity periods of two infotype records that exist for the same object.

Time constraints work interdependently with validity periods. They determine which combination of validity periods are allowed among the different types of records you create and maintain in Organizational Management.