The Organization and Staffing user interface is divided into the following main areas:
- Object manager
The object manager comprises a search area and a selection area. The object manager is available in numerous HR user interfaces. You can tailor the object manager to suit your requirements in Customizing.
- Work area
The work area is composed of an overview area and a detail area. The work area is specifically for the Organization and Staffing interface, and can also be adapted to suit customer-specific requirements. Each of these areas is further subdivided.
Date and Preview Period
You must specify the date and the preview period when you start a transaction. When you log on to the system, the system date is proposed as the start date of the preview period. You can change this date for individual sessions. The user parameter OM_DATE in the format yyyymmdd allows you to enter a specific date as the default value for the start date.
The preview period is user specific. The first time you log on to the system, the preview period is defined as three months by default. All changes made during this period are displayed.
To depict organizational changes, you need to use the date and preview period. The date is considered as the start date for the objects’ validity. New objects and relationships are then created with this date as the start date.
You can create a date query for the user by activating theQuery Time Period/Create Several Objectssetting. This means that although the system uses the default values for the date and preview period, the user can change the setting, if required. Furthermore, when activating this setting, you can create several objects at once in the window that is displayed. Special icons with arrows identify the objects whose validity ends or begins during the preview period that you have determined.
Navigation Overview
The table describes the various areas of the Organization and Staffing interface:
Search Area
You can use the search tools in the search area to locate the objects you want to display or edit.
The search can also be based on the relationship with the other objects.
The search results can be stored as a search variant.
Search Tools in the Search Area
Characteristics of search functions include the following:
- The objects you are searching for must exist.
- Some search functions are specific to the object type. When searching with a search term, enter the name or part of the name of the object you are looking for (you can use an asterisk (*) as a wild card).
- You can restrict the number of hits, if required, by entering whether an object is directly or indirectly assigned to another object.
- The free search uses the Ad Hoc Query.
- When you search according to the structure, the entire structure is displayed in the selection area. You can select the object you wish to work with from the selection area.
Selection Area
The objects obtained by the search are listed in the selection area.
To select an object, you can use one of the following methods:
- Double-click the object. It is displayed with a standard evaluation path in the overview area.
- Right-click on a specific evaluation path to access the object directly in the overview area.
- Select one or more objects and assign them to another object in the overview area by drag and drop.
The selected object is displayed in the detail area for further processing.
Overview Area
The selected object is displayed in the overview area as a list or a tree structure. The list is displayed in the overview area based on an evaluation path. You can use the Goto pushbutton to choose from a number of evaluation paths. You can double-click the object in the overview area to display the object characteristics in the detail area.
You can display the following objects in the overview area:
- An organizational unit and its organizational structure
- The person in the staff assignment of an organizational unit
- The task assignment that shows the organizational units, positions, jobs, and persons related to the tasks
Icons on the Organization and Staffing User Interface
The figure Icons on the Organization and Staffing User Interface shows the icons that you need to reference when you work with the Organization and Staffing user interface.
Undo and Redo Function
You can undo or redo the changes made to the Organization and Staffing interface as long as the data is not saved.
Once you have carried out a specified number of changes, a dialog box appears prompting you to save the changes. In Customizing, you define the number of steps after which the dialog box appears.
Evaluation Paths
Depending on the selected object type, the object’s environment can be displayed as one of the following:
- An organizational structure
- A reporting structure
- Staff assignments in the form of a list or a tree structure
- Task assignments
- Organizational assignments
- Job assignments
- Chief assignments
- Account assignments
Representations of the object‘s environment and other evaluation paths can be used in the overview area. If required, you can switch between these representations by clicking the relevant icon.
You can customize these evaluation paths to tailor them to customer-specific requirements.
Detail Area
In the detail area, you can maintain object characteristics from the overview area. When you double-click an object from the overview area to select it, the properties of the object are displayed on the tab pages in the detail area. You can edit the characteristics of this object or add new characteristics.
Note
Customizing the Hierarchy Framework
You can make following settings in the object manager:
- Define your own hierarchy framework scenario.
- Define your own search nodes (including object types).
- Adjust the search area.
- Redefine column headings.
- Display your own column group in the selection area.
- Define and add new columns for an object type (query).
- Configure columns.
You can make the following Customizing settings to control the display of information in the overview and detail areas:
- Adjust tabs in detail area.
- Add new infotype.
- Add new object type.
- Define and add new columns for an object type (query).
- Configure columns.