Triggering Follow-Up Activities with Dynamic Actions

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
  • Explain how dynamic actions trigger follow-up activities
  • Set up dynamic actions to track activities

Functions of Dynamic Actions

When certain events occur, dynamic actions trigger actions in the SAP system such as:

  • Maintain another infotype record (I)
  • Send an e-mail through SAPOffice (M)

For a particular action to be executed by the system, you need to determine whether the action is initiated when you perform Change (02), Insert (04), or Delete (08) data in the infotype record. The system can be set up so that it recognizes AND/OR situations. The values for Change , Create , or Delete can also be added. For example, if the value of the maintenance operation is 06, it means that an action is performed if the current record is changed or if it is expanded (02 change + 04 create).

In the function part (of the table), you can enter plausibility checks for actions, for example, old and new field values. Finally, you can formulate standard values for a record that has been added.

Infotypes Used in Actions

You can use dynamic actions to control actions that are initiated when maintaining an infotype record.

An action can be any of the following:

  • Maintaining an additional infotype record
  • Sending mail using SAPOffice
  • Executing a routine

An employee borrowing a laptop is an example of executing a dynamic action. In this case, as a personnel administrator, you require the Monitoring of Task infotype to appear automatically so that you can maintain it.

Dynamic Action E-Mails

When you change an infotype record, you can use the dynamic action mail function in SAPOffice to automatically inform others of this change.

For example, you change an employee’s Organizational Assignment infotype (0001). In this case, certain system users, such as the administrator or the head of the department, need to be informed of these changes.

Defining Administrators and Administrator Groups

In the Organizational Assignment (0001) infotype, you have the following input options for the personnel administrator:

  • Human Resources
  • Time Recording
  • Payroll

A link to these administrators can be created in dynamic actions so that if certain changes are made in the employee records of an administrator, they automatically receive an e-mail through SAPOffice mail.

The S4/HANA system has a dynamic action, whereby if an administrator makes changes in the IT0001 record of an employee, both the new and old administrators are informed using SAPOffice mail.

Hint

Creating a link to the administrator is not one of the workflow’s functions since no action needs to be executed. It merely notifies the administrator that a change has occurred in an employee record.

How to Configure a Dynamic Action

DemoStart Demo

Create a new dynamic action to monitor the loan of laptops to employees.

Steps

  1. Create a separate subtype for the Objects on Loan infotype (0040). Use 90## (is the subtype ID) and Laptop## (## is name of the subtype).

    1. In the IMG, choose Personnel Management→Personnel Administration→Contractual and Corporate Agreements→Objects on Loan→Define objects on loan .

    2. Choose New entries and enter 90## as the subtype and Laptop## as the name of the subtype.

    3. Save your data and return to the IMG.

  2. Set up a dynamic action so that each time the Objects on Loan infotype (0040) with subtype 90## is changed or created, the Monitoring of Tasks infotype (0019) is created for the task type, that is, for the Laptop Return subtype 60. The task in this infotype (P0019-TERMN field) should be derived from the end date of the Objects on Loan infotype (0040) (P0040-ENDDA field), that is, the end of the loan period.

    1. In the IMG, choose Personnel Management→Personnel Administration→Customizing Procedures→Dynamic Actions .

    2. Choose New Entries .

    3. Enter the data provided in the table:

      ItypeTypeFFCNoStep IndicatorVariable Function Part
      004090## 0601IINS,0019,60
      004090## 0602WP0019- TERMN=P0040- ENDDA

      See the following for explanations:

      Explanation of the first line:
      If you change or create (function code 06) infotype 0040 and subtype 90##, an infotype record should be maintained (action I). The variable function part gives detailed information that the Monitoring of Tasks infotype (0019) with the Laptop Return subtype 60 should be created (INS).
      Explanation of the second line:
      The specification for the values of the new record (action W) should apply. That is, in the Task field (P0019-TERMN), the date should be determined from the end date of the Objects on Loan (0040) infotype record (P0040-ENDDA).

    4. Save your entries and return to the SAP Easy Access screen.

  3. The employee Winnie Chung with personnel number 540991## (## is the group number), borrows a company laptop for six months from today. Create a new record for the Objects on Loan infotype (0040) with the 90## subtype for this employee. The system should automatically create a Monitoring of Tasks (0019) infotype record for the task type 60 Laptop Return , where the task date is the same as the end date of the Objects on Loan infotype record.

    1. On the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Human Resources→Personnel Management→Administration→HR Master Data→Maintain .

    2. Enter 540991## as the personnel number of Winnie Chung.

    3. Choose the Objects on Loan infotype (0040) and subtype 90## Laptop## .

    4. Choose Create to create the data record. Specify today’s date as the start date and a date which is six months from the start date as the end date (that is, the end of the loan period).

    5. Save the new infotype record.

    6. This will automatically create the Monitoring of Tasks infotype (0019) based on the dynamic action that was created in the previous exercise.

    7. Choose Enter . The new infotype will have the following default information:

      Task Type:
      60 Laptop Return
      Date of Task:
      The end date of the loan – derived from the end date of the Objects on Loan infotype (0040).

    8. Save the data.

Result

Configure a Dynamic Action

ExerciseStart Exercise

Business Example

The HR administrators in your company require a dynamic action to remind them one month in advance that the loan period of the laptop lent to an employee for a certain period has expired. For this purpose, you need to create the Monitoring of Tasks infotype dynamically.

Create a new dynamic action to monitor the loan of laptops to employees.

Steps

  1. Create a separate subtype for the Objects on Loan infotype (0040). Use 90## (## is the subtype ID) and Laptop## (is name of the subtype).

    1. In the IMG, choose Personnel Management→Personnel Administration→Contractual and Corporate Agreements→Objects on Loan→Define objects on loan.

    2. Choose New entries and enter 90## as the subtype and Laptop## as the name of the subtype.

    3. Save your data and return to the Project IMG.

  2. Set up a dynamic action so that each time the Objects on Loan infotype (0040) with subtype 90## is changed or created, the Monitoring of Tasks infotype (0019) is created for the task type, that is, for the Laptop Return subtype 60. The task in this infotype (P0019-TERMN field) should be derived from the end date of the Objects on Loan infotype (0040) (P0040-ENDDA field), that is, the end of the loan period.

    1. In the IMG, choose Personnel Management→Personnel Administration→Customizing Procedures→Dynamic Actions.

    2. Choose New Entries.

    3. Enter the data provided in the table:

      ItypeTypeFFCNoStep IndicatorVariable Function Part
      004090## 0601IINS,0019,60
      004090## 0602WP0019- TERMN=P0040- ENDDA
      Explanation of the first line:
      If you change or create (function code 06) infotype 0040 and subtype 90##, an infotype record should be maintained (action I). The variable function part gives detailed information that the Monitoring of Tasks infotype (0019) with the Laptop Return subtype 60 should be created (INS).
      Explanation of the second line:
      The specification for the values of the new record (action W) should apply. That is, in the Task field (P0019-TERMN), the date should be determined from the end date of the Objects on Loan (0040) infotype record (P0040-ENDDA).

    4. Use New Entries to create the measure type in the table and assign it to the corresponding group number.

      Enter Birth of a Child as the action type name. Then, in the Infotype Group Number (IG) column, assign the infogroup corresponding to your group number (see table). Next, mark the columns Update IT 0000 and Update IT 0302.

    5. Save your entries and return to the SAP Easy Access screen.

  3. The employee with personnel number 305991## (## is the group number), borrows a company laptop for six months from today. Create a new record for the Objects on Loan infotype (0040) with the 90## subtype for this employee. The system should automatically create a Monitoring of Tasks (0019) infotype record for the task type 60 Laptop Return , where the task date is the same as the end date of the Objects on Loan infotype record.

    1. On the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Human Resources→Personnel Management→Administration→HR Master Data→Maintain.

    2. Enter 305991## as the personnel number of the employee.

    3. Choose the Objects on Loan infotype (0040) and subtype 90## Laptop##.

    4. Choose Create to create the data record. Specify today’s date as the start date and a date which is six months from the start date as the end date (that is, the end of the loan period).

    5. Save the new infotype record.

    6. This will automatically create the Monitoring of Tasks infotype (0019) based on the dynamic action that was created in the previous exercise.

    7. Choose Enter. The new infotype will have the following default information:

      Task Type:
      60 Laptop Return
      Date of Task:
      The end date of the loan – derived from the end date of the Objects on Loan infotype (0040).

    8. Save the data.

Learning

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