Before using any tool in SAP SuccessFactors, you must upload employee data. In this section, you will learn about the employee data that is needed and how to organize and format the data so that it is accepted by SAP SuccessFactors.
User Data
All activities in SAP SuccessFactors rely on employee data. This data can come from multiple sources, including:
- HRIS (either manually or automatically)
- Spreadsheets
- Databases
Regardless of where your data comes from, it must first be organized and formatted to be recognized and accepted by SAP SuccessFactors. Administrators can access Employee Import or Import Employee Data (if the system has Employee Central enabled) to import the basic user data in one go.
The Basic Import file or User Data File (UDF) consists of standard data elements. There are required fields, filter fields, and optional fields. Fields vary based on your configuration and tools. The table below lists and describes some of the standard fields.
Note
More information about this topic, including valid values and requirements, can be found here: Field Requirements for the User Data File.| Column | Label | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| STATUS | STATUS | There are two status choices: active or inactive. All users on the initial data load should have an active status. |
| USERID | USERID | This is a unique system identifier for each user and will not be changed once set. |
| USERNAME | Username | Your employees use this to log in to the system, and it must be unique for each user. Consider using the same login information used to log in to your company network. |
| FIRSTNAME | First Name | Employee’s first name. |
| LASTNAME | Last Name | Employee’s last name. |
| GENDER | Gender | This field is for the Writing Assistant and Succession and Matrix Reports. Only provide the abbreviations of M for males or F for females. Additional gender values are supported if the Inclusion of Additional Gender values is enabled: Unknown (U), Undeclared (D), and Others (O). A NO_GENDER value can also be configured if required. |
The system uses email addresses for notification purposes. Emails are sent, for example, to inform individuals that forms have been routed or to remind individuals that items are due or late. | ||
| MANAGER | Manager | This column requires the USERID of the person’s manager to establish the organizational hierarchy. You will use the NO_MANAGER value for the person at the top of the hierarchy. |
| HR | Human Resources | This column uses the USERID of the HR representative assigned to the employee. It is a required field, so if you do not have data for this, you may enter NO_HR to meet the data requirement. |
| TIMEZONE | Time Zone | This field is used for time stamping on screen and in reports. You may use your corporate time zone as the default. |
| DEFAULT_LOCALE | Default Locale | The language that is the default for a particular user. This setting is the default language displayed to the user when accessing SAP SuccessFactors. |
| DEPARTMENT | Department | Standard filter field – the employee’s department. |
| DIVISION | Division | Standard filter field – the employee’s division. |
| LOCATION | Location | Standard filter field – the employee’s location. |
The three standard filter fields in SAP SuccessFactors are DEPARTMENT, DIVISION, and LOCATION. These fields are displayed throughout SAP SuccessFactors and are used to filter information within reports and permissions.
There are also 15 custom fields that can be defined during configuration. All 15 custom fields can be made into filter fields that can be used in reporting (in addition to DEPARTMENT , DIVISION, and LOCATION).
