Configuring Basic Standard Sections

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to configure the introduction, employee information, review information and signature sections.

Performance Form Sections

The Performance Form consists of sections with content needed for the review process. In this lesson, we are going to learn how to use sections to display instructions or other useful information, how to display employee and review data as well as how to capture the signatures of the users involved.

This video will introduce you to the most common form sections in the Performance Form.

The Introduction Section

The Introduction section generally appears at the top of the form. It gives the user information about the performance review process, and instructions on how to complete the form. Because this section is customizable, it can help the customer introduce the form in a way that is consistent with their own company culture.

The Introduction section is one of the sections that can appear only once in a form template. It is typically placed at the top of a review form as a text block. This text can be edited, and may include the following items:

A welcome message
Instructions on how to complete the form

Configure the Introduction Section in Manage Templates

You can access all of the configuration options available for the Introduction section by navigating to Manage Templates.

Steps

Navigate to the form you wish to update.
From within the form, expand Edit Fields and Sections.
Verify whether there is an Introduction section included in the form. To create an Introduction section, select the Add New Section icon.
Example
In the Add new section pop up, select Introduction from the dropdown menu.
The new section is added to the bottom of the Edit Fields and Sections menu. To move it to your desired location, "grab" the box by the dots to the left of the word Introduction, and drag the section. Generally, the Introduction section is placed either at the top of the plan, or under the Employee Information and Review Information sections.
Name the section.
Add the desired introduction text. Note that this is a rich text format (RTF) editor, so there are some limited formatting options available for the Introduction section, such as color, font size and attributes, and hyperlinks.

Configuration of the Introduction Section in the XML Template

You can add and edit an Introduction section in the XML template. The figure, Introduction Text in the XML Template, shows an example of the XML for a typical Introduction section.

Introduction text in the XML code format.

You can change the name and description texts by changing the entries in the following tags, respectively:

<fm-sect-name>
<fm-sect-intro>

Introduction Text in the XML Template with Targets Defined

While you may add links into the HTML editor in the instance, you must set the targets that define where those links open in the XML. The figure, Introduction Texts in the XML with Targets Defined, shows an example of an introduction text with targets defined.

It is a best practice to have any links to external websites open in a new window (TARGET=_blank), and have links to the SAP SuccessFactors system open in the same window or tab (TARGET=_self).

Introduction text, with targets defined, in the XML code format.

The Employee Information Section

The Employee Information section provides information about the employee being reviewed. It gives all viewers of the form relevant information about the performance review. This element displays non-editable, read-only information about the form subject, and can display any of the elements in the employee table.

By default, each data element displayed reflects the user data that is current at the time the form is opened. For example, if an employee has a name change between the time the form is launched and opened, the new name is reflected in the form. If this is not desired, the sync-until-completion attribute can be set to "false" in the XML. With this setting, the form always shows the user’s data as of the form launch, rather than showing updated data.

Employee Information Section Fields

You can display any of the standard-elements in the table in the Employee Information section. Use any of the names as the <ekey> in the XML.

Hint

These standard-elements should be enabled in Succession Data Model or Manage Business Configuration in order to display data. If customers with Employee Central need to display employee information from an EC field (hris-field), they can create a custom hris-sync-mapping using any of the available custom fields in standard-elements (custom01-custom15) as a destination field. Make sure to confirm the EC field is not ALREADY mapped, you can use this link: Fields Hard-Coded for Syncing.

More information about how to configure custom HRIS Sync Mappings can be found in the course: SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Core Academy or check this resource in the SAP Help Portal: Configuring HRIS Sync Mappings in Business Configuration UI.

Employee Information Section Fields

USERNAME	FIRSTNAME	LASTNAME
MI	GENDER	EMAIL
MANAGER	HR	DEPARTMENT
JOBCODE	DIVISION	LOCATION
TIMEZONE	HIREDATE	EMPID
TITLE	BIZ_PHONE	FAX
ADDR1	ADDR2	CITY
STATE	ZIP	COUNTRY
REVIEW_FREQ	LAST_REVIEW_DATE	CUSTOM01–CUSTOM15
MATRIX_MANAGER	COMPANY

Screenshot of Employee Information section with details of an employee.

Configure the Employee Information Section in Manage Templates

You can make many configuration settings for the Employee Information section within the instance, with several exceptions.

By default, the Performance Management form template includes an Employee Information section. To modify (or delete) this section, you can use Manage Templates.

Steps

Navigate to the form you want to update.
From within the form, select the arrow next to Edit Fields and Sections.
Select Employee Information.
Example
Within this area, you can rename the section, add an introduction to the section that will appear on the form itself, and define which user elements appear on the form.
First Name and Last Name are selected by default; everything else is optional. When using Manage Templates to configure this section, you do not have any control over the order that the elements appear on the form. Neither can you include all of the elements on the list. For those changes, you must edit the XML itself.

Configuration of the Employee Information Section in the XML Template

You configure the Employee Information section in the <fm-sect> tag, which is a sub-element of <userinfo-sect>.

The order in which the fields display in the form is controlled by the order in which they appear in the XML. In relation to ordering, the following actions are recommended:

Manually place the elements in the desired order.
Use the index number to reinforce the order.

The figure, Edit the Employee Information Section in the XML Template, shows an example of a typical Employee Information section. Note that the formatting of the section as it appears on the form is not editable; however, within the <fm-section-intro>, you can incorporate a limited amount of HTML to customize the appearance of the text in that area.

Screenshot of Edit Employee Information Section In the XML code format.

Index, Type, and EKey

To understand how the XML works, let’s take a closer look at an excerpt and some particular elements.

Index
The order in which items display in the section is controlled by the order of appearance and is reinforced by the index number (index).
Type
The type indicates the kind of information that displays for this item. In this example, type="3" means this information displays on one line.
EKey
The <ekey> element is where the required data item must be entered. The <ename> and <evalue> fields are implied (dictated) by the <ekey>, and must not be modified.

The Review Information Section

The Review Information section provides information about the period that the form covers as well as the person who created the form.

Configuration of the Review Information Section in Manage Templates

The Review Information section provides information about the period the form covers called the review period, the date the form is due, and the name of the user who created the form.

As with other sections, you can change the name of the section, and you can add an introduction with some formatting elements. Otherwise, the section is typically read-only. When the form is created, this section automatically populates with the review dates, which are configured under Form Template Settings, and the name of the form originator.

Example of the Review Information section in Manage Templates.

You can hard-code review dates using Form Template Settings, as shown in the figure below. When set in this manner, the Default Start Date is populated as today’s date. The Default End Date and Default Due Date are set for 30 days from today.

Hint

Dates can be set in any way the customer requires. For example, some employers hold reviews at a particular time of the year, while others may stagger the review dates based on employee anniversary date.

Configure the review information section in Manage Templates is highlighted.

Editable Dates

By default, a user can edit the dates populated to the form. To set those fields as non-editable, select the appropriate checkboxes in the Form Template Settings, as follows:

Disallow users from changing the Start Date
Disallow users from changing the End Date
Disallow users from changing the Due Date

Note

Selecting the checkboxes only prevents start, end, and due dates from being changed when the form is being created. Once the form is launched, the user can edit the dates from within the form. To prevent the dates being edited, select the checkboxes as described and then add a section permission type Disabled to make it read-only and disallow editing.

Configuration of the Review Information Section with XML

The figure, Configure the Review information Section using XML, shows a standard Review Information section. The only areas a user can edit are the <reviewinfo-sect-name>, <reviewinfo-sect-intro>, and <section-permission>.

Screenshot of review information section in XML code format.

Configure the Introduction, Employee Information and Signature Sections

Business Example

You need to configure the Introduction, Employee Information, and Signature sections.

Learn how to configure basic standard sections, including the introduction, employee information and signature.

ExerciseStart Exercise

Steps

Create the Introduction section. On your form, replicate the Introduction section in the figure below.
1. Use https://www.successfactors.com for the embedded link.
2. Make sure that the link to the SAP SuccessFactors website opens in a new window.
3. Place the Introduction section at the top.
4. Use either the instance or XML solution.
 Note
 In order for each section to function properly, it is sometimes necessary to divide the solution code into smaller sections and include the entire code for each section in your XML Template. Copy and paste each section in the correct order.
 Instance Solution
 1. Log into the instance, and navigate to Manage Templates using Action Search.
 2. Choose your form.
 3. Expand Edit Fields and Sections, and choose Add New Section to add the introduction section in your form template.
 4. Select Introduction on the Section type dropdown.
 5. Choose Add.
 6. Place the section at the top, before the Employee Information.
 7. In the Description text box, enter the section text.
 8. To create the hyperlink, select Insert/edit link option, and add the following details:
 URL: www.successfactors.com
 Auto prefix the URL with https://. Select this option.
 Display Text: SAP SuccessFactors
 Target: Choose New Window from the dropdown list
 Choose OK and Save to save changes.
 XML Solution
 1. From Manage Templates , locate your form template on the list and choose Download.
 2. Extract the XML file and open it with your XML Editor. Add the solution code below, before the Employee Information section, and make sure that the XML file and DTD are validating.
Code Snippet
```
12345678910111213141516171819

<introduction-sect>
<fm-sect index="0" mgt-only="false" split-cmt="false" cmt-opt="1">
<fm-sect-name><![CDATA[Introduction]]></fm-sect-name>
<fm-sect-intro><![CDATA[Welcome to this year's Performance Appraisal process
This process is designed to help you and your manager identify your accomplishments and goal achievement during the year. 
Questions? reach out to the HR Team @ <a href="https://www.successfactors.com" target="_blank">SAP SuccessFactors</a>
 ]]></fm-sect-intro>
<fm-sect-config>
<rating-label><![CDATA[Rating]]></rating-label>
<rating-label-others><![CDATA[Rating]]></rating-label-others>
<default-rating><![CDATA[unrated]]></default-rating>
<hidden-strength-threshold>0.0</hidden-strength-threshold>
<blind-spot-threshold>0.0</blind-spot-threshold>
<num-decimal-places>2</num-decimal-places>
<publish-button-label><![CDATA[Publish Content]]></publish-button-label>
</fm-sect-config>
</fm-sect>
</introduction-sect>
```

Modify the existing Employee Information section. On your form, replicate the following figure.

Screenshot of Employee Information section.

Use either the instance or XML solution.

Instance Solution

Navigate to Manage Templates using Action Search.
Select your form template.
Expand Edit Fields and Sections, and choose the Employee Information section.
Add the following text on the Description: The fields here represent your personal information at the time the form is opened. For example, if your name changes after the performance cycle has launched, your updated name will appear in this section.
Make sure the relevant checkboxes are selected in Display Options.
Choose Save to save changes.

Display Options with relevant checkboxes selected are displayed under the Section Name field.

XML Solution

From Manage Templates , locate your form template on the list and choose Download.
Extract the XML file and open it with your XML Editor. Replace the existing userinfo-sect with the solution code below and make sure that the XML file and DTD are validating.

Note

You can only change the order of the fields that display in the Employee Information section from the XML file.

Code Snippet

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546474849505152535455
<userinfo-sect>
        <fm-sect index="1" mgt-only="false" split-cmt="false" cmt-opt="0">
        <fm-sect-name><![CDATA[User Information]]></fm-sect-name>  
        <fm-sect-intro><![CDATA[  <div>The fields here represent your personal information at the time the form is opened. For example, if your name changes after the performance cycle has launched, your updated name will appear in this section. <br></div>]]></fm-sect-intro>
       <fm-sect-config>
        <rating-label><![CDATA[Rating]]></rating-label>
        <rating-label-others><![CDATA[Rating]]></rating-label-others>
        <default-rating><![CDATA[unrated]]></default-rating>
        <hidden-strength-threshold>0.0</hidden-strength-threshold>
        <blind-spot-threshold>0.0</blind-spot-threshold>
        <num-decimal-places>2</num-decimal-places>
        <publish-button-label><![CDATA[Publish Content]]></publish-button-label>
       </fm-sect-config>
        <fm-element index="0" type="3">
          <ekey><![CDATA[FIRSTNAME]]></ekey>
          <ename><![CDATA[]]></ename>
          <evalue><![CDATA[]]></evalue>
        </fm-element>
        <fm-element index="1" type="3">
          <ekey><![CDATA[LASTNAME]]></ekey>
          <ename><![CDATA[]]></ename>
          <evalue><![CDATA[]]></evalue>
        </fm-element>
        <fm-element index="2" type="3">
          <ekey><![CDATA[EMAIL]]></ekey>
          <ename><![CDATA[]]></ename>
          <evalue><![CDATA[]]></evalue>
        </fm-element>
        <fm-element index="3" type="3">
          <ekey><![CDATA[MANAGER]]></ekey>
          <ename><![CDATA[]]></ename>
          <evalue><![CDATA[]]></evalue>
        </fm-element>
        <fm-element index="4" type="3">
          <ekey><![CDATA[DEPARTMENT]]></ekey>
          <ename><![CDATA[]]></ename>
          <evalue><![CDATA[]]></evalue>
        </fm-element>
        <fm-element index="5" type="3">    
          <ekey><![CDATA[TITLE]]></ekey>
          <ename><![CDATA[]]></ename>
          <evalue><![CDATA[]]></evalue>
        </fm-element>
        <fm-element index="6" type="3">
          <ekey><![CDATA[JOBCODE]]></ekey>
          <ename><![CDATA[]]></ename>
          <evalue><![CDATA[]]></evalue>
        </fm-element>
        <fm-element index="7" type="3">
          <ekey><![CDATA[LOCATION]]></ekey>
          <ename><![CDATA[]]></ename>
          <evalue><![CDATA[]]></evalue>
        </fm-element>
      </fm-sect>
    </userinfo-sect>

Verify that the existing Signatures section has an overall comment box, which will display like the image below on the form.
1. Check the comment is enabled in Manage Templates.
  Note
  The Signature section is a shell that populates with the roles that have been assigned in the route map. From Manage Route Maps, you can add steps as needed on the Signature stage.
  Specific users that are added to the route map other than Employee and Manager will show up as Other in addition to any users that are added through the Add Signer capability that can be enabled in Form Template Settings.
  Instance Solution
  1. Navigate to Manage Templates using Action Search.
  2. Select your form template.
  3. Expand Edit Fields and Sections, and choose the Signatures section.
  4. Select Show advanced options and verify the Include comment option is enabled.

Summary

The Performance Form consists of sections with content needed for the review process.
The Introduction section generally appears at the top of the form. It gives the user information about the performance review process, and instructions on how to complete the form and appears only once on the form.
You can add and edit an Introduction section in the XML template.
The Employee Information section provides information about the employee being reviewed. It gives all viewers of the form relevant information about the performance review. This element displays non-editable, read-only information about the form subject.
The Review Information section provides information about the period that the form covers as well as the person who created the form.

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