Completing the Basic Steps in SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Cloud Integration and SAP S/4HANA to Prepare for Integration

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to complete the initial steps required for data migration and data replication.

User Setup and Permissions for API User

As a first step, conduct some preparation steps before you start implementing the data replication scenario. Here are some examples:

EC set up considers that the EC data model is in sync with the SAP S/4HANA HCM data model. Also, in EC, all required and available EC data validations must be in use.
Data replication scope is finalized.
Set up of middleware using our prepackaged integrations is done.
Users are permitted to export EC metadata and picklist information.

Note

You'll find more details in the implementation guide: help.sap.com→SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Integration with SAP Human Capital Management for SAP S/4HANA→Implement→Implementing Data Replication from Employee Central→Introduction to Data Replication from Employee Central to SAP S∕4HANA

Create SFAPI User in SAP SuccessFactors

Create the SAP SuccessFactors API user (for example, a user, which is called SFAPI). This user is used in SAP Cloud Integration and in SAP S∕4HANA.

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Assign Permissions for SFAPI User

Data replication between SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central and the SAP S∕4HANA system requires administrator and user permissions for SAP SuccessFactors APIs.

The permissions listed here grant users and administrators access to the SAP SuccessFactors OData API and SFAPI. SFAPI access includes access to CompoundEmployee API.

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Set SFAPI User Login Exceptions

Ensure that the password for your SAP SuccessFactors user doesn’t expire. You can also restrict the user's access to specific IP addresses.

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Get Started with the Business Integration Builder

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Integration Solution Based on Business Integration Builder (BIB)

Here are the key features:

Supports replicating employee data and organizational assignment and organizational objects.
Simple to implement, prepacked standard integration solution built by SAP.
Easy to set up, run, and operate your integration solution based on Business Integration Builder (BIB).
Comprehensive Monitoring capabilities:
- For users in SAP SuccessFactors: Data Replication Monitor (DRM)
- SAP S/4HANA users have access to tools such as inventory table reports, SLG1 logs.
Predefined mapping sample content consisting of predelivered standard field and value mappings to most common SAP ERP infotypes. This reduces time spent configuring the mapping.
Support of country/region-specific SAP Best Practices packages for SAP SuccessFactors EC Integration, localized versions for around 14 countries/regions.
SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central checks for EC integration and ensure that your EC configurations are compatible with the connected SAP S/4HANA system.
Integration approaches for embedding SAP S/4HANA / ERP User Interfaces into SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central.
Many optional extra features that you can activate if you need to.

Note

SAP Solutions

Prepackaged integrations built by SAP are simple to implement, are less likely to break during software updates and inexpensive to maintain. In the event of disruption or failure of a prepackaged integration, SAP takes on the responsibility of addressing the problems. SAP’s investment in integration saves customers about 80 percent of the cost of building and maintaining integrations compared to custom building them.

An example for prepackaged integrations between SAP solutions is SAP ERP, for example, to keep running payroll on-premise and to exchange data with Finance.

The Business Integration Builder (BIB)

The Business Integration Builder is a framework with configuration tools and technical functions for setting-up, running, and operating SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central integrated with SAP S/4HANA bidirectionally.

Business Integration Builder (BIB) characteristics

BIB supports the transfer of employee data and organizational data and foundational objects data*) between an SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central instance and an SAP S/4HANA client.

*) Foundational Object transfer only supported for SAP S/4HANA to EC!

Configuration tools
Configuration tools consist of technical objects in which the SAP SuccessFactors EC Data model and picklist information are directly imported and thereby lay the foundation for the field and value-mapping configuration.
Tools to specify field and value mapping between data of both systems including country/region-specific configuration.

Data processing engine
Configuration options to influence how data is processed.
Standard processing logic and processing pattern for common mapping types and infotypes
Various extensibility options to support custom specialties.

Predelivered sample content
Adoption of predefined sample field and value mapping for most common infotypes and localized mapping content for more than 28 countries directly in the field and value-mapping configuration.

Data provisioning
Upload data to EC through SAP SuccessFactors Upsert Odata API and Import Employee/Import and Export data tool.
Connect and collect employee data from EC using the Compound Employee API and control which data is returned, by configuring the query parameter in BIB.
Connect and collect organizational object data from EC using the Odata API.

Operate and Monitor
Scheduling of standard replication job
Monitoring tools to track replications and migration directly in SAP S/4HANA and also through the Data replication Monitor (DRM) in SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central.
Possibility to move configuration settings from an SAP S/4HANA test system to an SAP S/4HANA productive system.

Configure the Data Replication: Basic Settings in Your SAP S/4HANA System

Screenshot of basic settings in SAP S/4HANA.

In the SAP S/4HANA system, all settings are done using Business Integration Builder tools.

Hint

Basic settings for the start you find in the SAP S/4HANA implementation guide (IMG): Personnel Management→Integration with Success Factors Employee Central→Business Integration Builder→Prerequisites and Data Replication from Employee Central→Basic setting.

Specify your Employee Central Instance ID. The EC instance ID represents in SAP S/4HANA the connected SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central instance and all Business Integration Builder configurations are linked to this EC Instance ID.
Introduce the SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central data model to your SAP S/4HANA system. Import the previously exported EC employee and picklist metadata files from your connected EC tenant to your SAP S/4HANA client. Select all EC entities in your replication scope to your specified EC instance ID and import the corresponding metadata.

Advantages of Web Service-Based Data Transfer for Migration

Find out why web service-based data migration can be preferable to using the CSV-based approach.

In the web service-based data replication mode, less manual effort is required while replicating the data into Employee Central. In contrast, the CSV-based data replication mode is a two-step process, where the files have to be first downloaded and then imported manually into the Employee Central.
Change pointers or delta transfer is possible in web service-based data transfer.
You can set up a continuous migration of employee data. During the initial data migration from SAP S∕4HANA system to Employee Central, you can simulate the replication from Employee Central to SAP S∕4HANA. During the simulation, you can check for any errors and resolve the errors before you replicate the actual data to Employee Central. Further migration only happens for the delta when the initial migration was completed. Only for the delta, you can run the replication from Employee Central to SAP S∕4HANA, and check for any errors and resolve the errors before the replication.
In the web service-based data replication, you can schedule the job in the background for mass replication of employees, which requires less manual effort. This makes the scheduling of the replication job easier. In contrast, in the CSV-based data replication mode, to schedule the background job, choose the Application Server option. With this option, all the CSV files are downloaded to a predefined location in the application server.
The complete metadata of all the web service entities can be imported together from Employee Central to SAP S∕4HANA in a single execution of the metadata import program. The ODate Metadata XML file in Employee Central contains the complete metadata details including all attributes, such as is mandatory, data type, and so on. In contrast, in the CSV-based data replication mode, you must import the metadata of all the entities individually. The Employee Central field-level attributes are not available in the CSV metadata files.

Enable Outbound Web Service in SAP S/4HANA

By activating the outbound web service, you enable the SAP S∕4HANA system to request for generic data like picklists from Employee Central using the integration flow in the middleware. Data replication is triggered by the SAP S∕4HANA system, which uses the following SAP S∕4HANA outbound web services.

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Integration Package Included in the SFSF EC S4 HCM INTEGRATION Add-On

SFSF EC S4 HCM INTEGRATION (ECS4HCM) Add-On: Introduction

Add-on ECS4HCM comprises the necessary technical components required in SAP S/4HANA to set up, run, and operate our integration solutions.

Your Values Are as Follows:

The add-on supports your long-term hybrid system landscape strategy.
The end of mainstream maintenance for SAP Business Suite including SAP ERP HCM in 2027.
Benefit from a maintenance window until ~2040 by moving to SAP Human Capital Management for SAP S/4HANA (SAP HCM for SAP S/4HANA.)
SAP Human Capital Management for SAP S/4HANA is using SAP HANA database and a higher level of the underlying NetWeaver basis.

Other values include:

Applying existing proven Business Integration Builder tools and processing engine to reduce upgrade costs.
Supporting implementing your integration faster with simplified configuration features.
Streamlining processing orchestration, operating and monitor capabilities reduces operational effort.
Upgrading support by offering comprehensive upgrade documentation.

Add-On ECS4HCM: Availability

Technical details
Add-On product name: SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central integration with SAP Human Capital Management for SAP S/4HANA
Technical product name: SFSF EC S4 HCM INTEGRATION
Software component version: ECS4HCM 100

Integration add-on availability depends on SAP S/4HANA release availability
Available for SAP S/4HANA Release 2022 and Release 2023.
Planned availability for all future SAP S/4HANA Releases likely until 2040

Required SAP S/4HANA release
SAP S/4HANA release 2022 including SAP HCM for SAP S/4HANA solution (software component S4HCM version 100)

ECS4HCM Add-On Compared to PA_SE_IN Add-On

Middleware
SAP Cloud Integration is used as the only middleware for replication of employee data (including organizational assignments) and organizational objects from Employee Central.

Mandatory for solutions based on the ECS4HCM add-on
Use of Business Integration Builder (BIB)
Use of new infotype framework for integration between Organizational Management and Personnel Administration (PA/PD)

Authorization roles
Authorization roles in SAP S/4HANA revised to separate permissions for replication of employee data and processing of the data.

Changes in Business Integration Builder (BIB)
Configuration of transformation template groups per replication direction is available and required.
Revised Customizing Structure with clear separation between replication direction.
Switches removed from the T77S0 table and converted to constants in the ECPAO_CONSTANTS table.
Features based on constants replaced by simplified configuration options.
New configurable replication of employee organizational assignments.

Changes to processing logic
New staging area for employee data and employee organizational assignments to decouple replication of the employee data from processing the data in the SAP S∕4HANA system.

Purge of employee data
The purge status overview option is now standard for purge validation.
Validation against the effective end date filter no longer available.

Data replication monitor (DRM)
New Status Awaiting Processing added for employee replication requests that have been added to the new staging area in the SAP S/4HANA system but haven’t been processed yet.

No longer available in the ECS4HCM add-on
Separate staging area for organizational assignment replication.
Object-specific replication and processing of organizational objects.
Time data replication solution (Time data replication is replaced by a Point-to-Point replication solution.

Create User Credentials in SAP Cloud Integration

Add the user credentials in your SAP Cloud Integration account that are required for communication with SAP S∕4HANA and SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central.

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Copy Integration Packages in SAP Cloud Integration

Copy the integration packages for data replication to SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central that you want to use from the catalog to your customer workspace in SAP Cloud Integration.

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Summary

Ensure the Employee Central data model and validations match SAP S/4HANA Human Capital Management requirements.
Finalize the data replication scope and set up middleware with prepackaged integrations for seamless data transfer.

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