Introducing Foundation Objects

Foundation Object structures are managed either in XML or MDF. Several FO's are in the corporate data model while others are managed without XML intervention in the Admin Center.

Configuration tasks such as relabeling fields and creating associations of Legacy Foundation Objects (XML-Based FO) remain in the Corporate Data Model. Record creation and management are done in the Manage Organization, Pay, and Job Structures tool.

The configuration of MDF-based foundation objects (or any MDF-based objects) is performed in the Configure Object Definitions and it's record management in Manage Data.

To manage foundation records through import, XML-based entities use Import Foundation Data while MDF-based objects use Import and Export Data.

Similar to employee records, most foundation objects use effective dating. The first entry for foundation data marks when it was created. Whenever a change happens, a new record begins on the date that change takes effect.

Use the interaction to learn how changes are made to effective-dated foundation objects.

For each foundation data, an administrator can complete the following tasks:

• Insert a new record with an effective date in the past, present, or future
• Make a correction
• Permanently delete an entry

In the figure, Foundation Data to Employee Record, the legal entity record ACE Germany (ACE_DEU) can be used for employee records on or after 01/01/1990 – the effective start date of its creation.

Before adding any employee data to the system, corporate (foundation) data must be set up first. This is because employee records depend on this foundational information. For example, the Job Classification object contains details such as job code, job title, pay grade, and standard weekly hours. Employee records use this information as a base.

Once the foundation data is in place, it can automatically fill in parts of an employee’s record through propagation rules. This reduces data entry errors. For instance, if "Engineer (ENG)" is chosen as the job classification during a new hire process, related fields—like pay grade and weekly hours—are filled in automatically.

You will learn how to create propagation rules in a later unit.

Complete the interaction below to see how propagation works.

Standard fields are predefined. The information they can store depends on their purpose. Foundation data fields can reference picklists, other XML, or MDF-based objects. These fields appear as drop-down menus in the user interface.

Organizational structure is one of several foundational structures of Employee Central. These objects describe the various units of a Company. They are structured according to task and function-related aspects which are shared across the entire company. Together, these objects with their hierarchical relationships forms an Organization Structure. They are linked together using associations which provides flexibility to perform HCM planning, forecasting and reporting.

This is the company or legal entity where the employee is hired and has their contract of employment. A Legal Entity represents a company as registered against country laws. It cannot span across more than one country. The country assigned to the legal entity controls the country specific data which is available on the employee's Job Information, Employment Details and Compensation Information.

The legal entity in SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central is a one to one mapping with the company code in ECP/SAP HCM/S4. In EC, the legal entity assigned to the Position object must be the same as the legal entity in Job information. In SAP SuccessFactors, the Legal Entity is the highest object that can be used in the organization hierarchy.

In the figure, Legal Entity, the fields below the Country field are specific to the United States. Country-specific fields will differ based on the country selected for that Legal Entity.

Business Unit is the Business area of the company, representing one operating unit or the business function or line of business within the Company (not geographical).

Division is a level of organization hierarchy lower than the Business Unit. It is a sub division of the business function. In Employee Central, the Division object comes with a standard "Parent Division" field, which allows for hierarchical levels among the division records. Using associations, you can link a division to one or more business units.

A Department has similar properties to a division. The Department object stores information for all departments within a company. It also comes with a standard "Parent Department" field, which allows for hierarchical levels among the department records. Using associations, you can create a hierarchy between department and division records. In this example, one department can belong to multiple divisions.

The Cost Center is where the employee's costs get assigned in payroll and finance. Cost centers are  budget units in the ERP financial systems. Cost centers do not form part of the organizational hierarchy; it is usually assigned to the legal entity and sometimes assigned at department level. You can store external IDs for integration with financial systems when they do not support the Code field assigned to the Cost Center records in Employee Central. The Cost Center object comes with a standard "Parent Cost Center" field, which allows for hierarchical levels among the cost center records.

The Location object stores the address information of all physical offices for a company where the employee works. Using associations, a location can be linked to a Geo Zone and Legal Entities. International address formats are supported and defined in the Business Address (Corporate Address) in the Country-Specific Corporate Data Model.

The Location Group is used for geographical grouping of multiple locations. This is optional. For example, Location Group West Coast contains several locations, including the San Mateo Office, San Diego Office, etc. Location groups are primarily used for EEO (Equal Opportunity Employment) reporting in the USA.

You can group multiple locations into one Geo Zone. For example, Geo Zone North America, Western Region contains business locations in San Mateo, San Diego, etc. Geo Zone includes an Adjustment Percentage field, which allows the pay range to be adjusted based on the cost of living. For example, a company can adjust the pay for employees on the West Coast by 15%. Geozones are primarily used when Employee Central is integrated with SAP SuccessFactors Compensation solution.

The Pay data provide remuneration-related information such as the different pay components, pay frequency, and pay group.

Job Data provides repeatable job codes to assign employees and stores job-specific data like Full-Time and Standard Hours.

Job Classification stores all job codes and associated information for a company. It helps to identify and classify the employee's work. Common fields include the following: Supervisor Level, Job Level, Regular/Temporary, Full/Part Time, Employee Class, Job Title, and Pay Grade. You can also have country-specific fields for Job Classification.

Several jobs can be sorted based on the functional work performed. For example, the Job Classifications: Developer and Developer Manager belong to the Job Function: Engineering (ENG). By default, the Job Function does not display on the employee’s Job Information record; it is used strictly for reporting purposes.

Complete the interaction below to know how the tool works.

Actions for managing a foundation data, like creating, editing, and deleting, can be processed in bulk, whether you are administering changes to XML- or MDF-based records. The import file must always match the object configuration; a template must always be downloaded before any import action.

Complete the two interactions below to see the difference in importing XML-based from MDF-based foundation records.