Setting Up Pre-Program Tasks

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
  • Describe how the user data file is used in SAP SuccessFactors Variable Pay.
  • Describe the currency conversion.
  • Manage the route map.

Employee Data File Management

SAP SuccessFactors Variable Pay pulls data from multiple data sources. These are categorized into two data types: employee-specific and plan-specific data.

Employee-Specific DataPlan-Specific Data
Employee Summary Information
  • UDF
Business Goals
  • Goal File
Employee History Information
  • Assignment History Data File
Business Goal Weights
  • Goal Weight File
Employee Eligibility Information
  • Eligibility File
Bonus Goal Plans
  • Plan File
 Other Plan-Specific Data
  • Guidelines
  • Budgets
  • Conversion rates

The user/employee data file (UDF) is the main source of employee information for all SAP SuccessFactors, usually exported from HRIS and then imported to SAP SuccessFactors system via CSV. The same UDF is used to pass compensation data.

In SAP SuccessFactors Variable Pay, however, only the UserID of employees are significant in order for employees to be part of the bonus process. Each employee assignment must have a valid UserID.

Planner Hierarchy

Variable Pay form is generated based on planner hierarchy. There are three methods of planning:

  • Standard Hierarchy
  • Compensation Manager Hierarchy
  • Rollup Hierarchy

A standard hierarchy uses the MANAGER column in the User Data File to establish the employees who would be considered planners and a Variable Pay form will be created for them.

A compensation manager hierarchy uses the SECOND_MANAGER column in the user data file to identify the planners. The SECOND_MANAGER column is used only for compensation and variable pay purposes. Compensation planners are different from people managers, hence with this method, planning is not generally impacted by organizational changes.

As the term rollup implies, the rollup hierarchy can assign the responsibility of planning to a higher level manager. This way, forms are not created for all managers but those designated only in the COMPENSATION_PLANNER_XX column of the user data file. This reduces the number of forms created.

Rollup hierarchy can be applied by using Update all worksheets.

The rollup hierarchy option of including the rolling up of managers in the worksheets, is enabled for the following selections:

  • Add newly eligible employees to compensation worksheet.
  • Move employee's compensation data from old manager to current manager.
  • Remove inactive employees from compensation worksheets.
  • Remove inactive planner's compensation worksheets.

Select Method of Planning

Select the planner hierarchy to be used for the compensation plan by choosing it in the Manage Users→Define Planners→Method of Planner drop-down menu. Once selected it is possible to navigate the chosen hierarchy. Search for a head of the hierarchy or a specific planner to drill down the planning hierarchy. Use the triangle next to each planner to expand or collapse a hierarchy.

Validating the Hierarchy

Forms are not created or launched because of breaks in hierarchy. There are two ways to check for breaks in hierarchy.

  • Export Troubleshooting Information from comp admin interface

    Go to Compensation Home→Select the template→Plan Setup→Define Planners → search for the planner → export users without managers and also export ineligible users

  • Check Tool is a feature available for all modules to check configuration inconsistencies. In Compensation and Variable Pay, the tool can be used to validate the following:

    • Check plan hierarchy for cyclic dependency

      Use this check to determine if there are any cyclic dependencies for a planner in their compensation plan hierarchy. A cyclic dependency is when Employee A is the planner for Employee B and Employee B is the planner for Employee A. When that happens, the system is not able to continue generating forms.

    • Check plan hierarchy for inactive planners

      Use this check to determine inactive planners in the compensation plan hierarchy. When the Hierarchy is not correctly defined it can happen that inactive Managers have direct reports still depending on them. As forms are not created for Inactive Managers these employees are not reviewed.

    • Check plan hierarchy for users without planners

      Use this check to determine users who don't have an assigned planner in the system. When using the Compensation Manager Hierarchy the field may contain the value NO_MANAGER. When that happens and the Head of Hierarchy has that value defined it is not possible to launch forms for the whole company (it is possible to launch single forms).

    • Check plan template for invalid configuration

      Use this check to determine invalid configuration in the plan template, such as when customers are defining custom formulas in fields and these formulas use values coming from lookup tables. These require the function toNumber or toString so the values are correctly displayed. In other cases, the formula syntax is incorrectly defined as there are missing parentheses.

    • Check plan template for reloadable custom fields

      Use this check to determine all the configured reloadable custom fields in the plan template. One of the most recurring incidents is when customer had already launched forms and for certain custom fields they import new values while worksheets are in-progress and expect the changes to be dynamic on the form, but as these fields were not defined as Reloadable = "true", the form still reflects the old value. This issue has no workaround and it is necessary to delete all in-progress forms and relaunch to update custom fields with new values. Defining a check that could tell how many custom fields are reloadable would help customers identify which fields have been defined as reloadable. That way, they could see what they’ve missed and can modify them before launching forms.

    • Check plan template for reportable custom fields

      One of the most recurring incidents is when customer has completed their compensation forms and want to see certain custom fields in Ad Hoc Reporting, but as these fields were not defined as Reportable = "true", they are not available for selection in reporting. This issue has no workaround and will necessitate deleting and relaunching forms. Defining a check that could tell us how many custom fields are reportable would help customers identify which fields have been defined as reportable. That way, they could see what they’ve missed and can modify them before launching forms.

    • Check plan template for statement setup

      Use this check to determine configuration issues with the statement setup that occurred while the compensation plan template was being set up, such as when you’ll need to configure the statement-specific XML attributes to "true" in the plan template. Note that includeSalaryStatement, includeBonusStatement, and includeStockStatement attributes need to be configured as "true" in the template to view the compensation statements under the Salary, Bonus, and Stock tabs in the worksheets respectively

    • Additional checks for calculation

      Use this check to determine if a lookup table exists to validate data type matches for custom fields and standard fields.

Check Tool Prerequisite and Permissions

The Check Tool requires Role-Based Permissions and Metadata Framework. Grant the following administrative permissions to use the feature:

  • Access Check Tool authorizes users to access the tool.
  • Allow Configuration Export authorizes users to export system configuration data from within the check tool.

Both permissions require a target population.

Launching the Check Tool

  1. Because the Check Tool is outside of Compensation Home, launch the tool by using Action Search.
  2. Choose Compensation from the Application drop-down.

    You will see a list of objects which validations are available, select the appropriate objects to run.

Currency Conversion Table Management

The currency conversion rate table provides the variable pay plan with the information to manage multiple currency views that depend on this information. The conversion table allows the system to convert the amounts in the variable pay worksheet when the user toggles between currency views.

Note

  • This only applies to customers whose plan templates are configured to use multiple currencies.
  • Whether using multi-currency or single currency it is recommended to store compensation data in local currency instead of functional currency.

Creating a Conversion Table

The recommended method for creating a new table is to export the current data from SAP SuccessFactors, open it in a spreadsheet program, make changes, save it with a new file name, and import it into SAP SuccessFactors.

Navigation: Actions for all plans→All Plans→Currency Conversion Table.

The Actions for all plans screen is displayed, showing the Currency Conversion Table menu option.

Currency conversion rate tables are uploaded via a .csv file. Multiple tables are possible; however, each variable pay plan uses one conversion table.

Tables can support up to 15 decimal points of precision. It is recommended that tables have no less than five decimal places.

Make sure to account for all combinations of currencies possible. If you are using USD, EUR, CAN, and JPY, then your exchange table would contain six rows. A missing pair will yield no results and no warnings.

Currency conversion rates are bi-directional. Be sure to define only one conversion rate per currency pair: if you have EUR to USD there should not also be a USD to EUR rate. For example, if you want to add the exchange rate for USD to EUR, then add the row USD to EUR at 0.814. Do not add a second row EUR to USD at 1.2285. SAP SuccessFactors Variable Pay will calculate this rate based on the USD to EUR conversion.

A sample currency conversion table for different currencies and their rates.

Note

Currency settings for each compensation plan allows you to also set a default currency to be used.

An administrator may also set the default currency the system uses when launching any compensation, variable pay, or total compensation plans. This allows the plans to better support a customer’s geographies and business needs when applicable. Even when set as a default, the currency may be changed from the plan settings.

Route Maps

Route maps define the steps the variable pay worksheet will follow and who is assigned to each step. Modifications to the route map impact worksheets created from that point forward, not previously created worksheets. A new route map can be created either by using a pre-configured template from the SAP SuccessStore or by building your own workflow.

The SAP SuccessStore with a variety of templates is displayed.

Route maps can be:

  • Single Role – Assigning the route map step to a role or user
  • Iterative – Assigning the step to two or more users. Admins will have to assign who among the users will get the form first and who will move the form to the next step.
  • Collaborative – Assigning the steps to two or more users who will simultaneously get the form in their inbox but only ome user can open the form at a time.

A route map uses SAP SuccessFactors system roles to figure out the form recipient. In Compensation and Variable Pay, Employee roles refer to managers and not individual employees. In the same way, Managers refer to manager’s manager or the second-level manager. This guarantees that only managers receive the compensation forms.

After recommendations have been entered, planners/approvers can move the form to the next step of the route map. This can be found at the top or bottom of the worksheet.

Navigate the Compensation Home Tool and Worksheet

Business Example

Navigate the Compensation Home and also the Compensation inbox.

Note

If you’re learning this module as part of a SAP Learning Class, please use the login credentials provided to you in class. For self-paced learners, you can use any demo/test environment for SAP SuccessFactors, but steps provided in the exercises may vary depending on what is configured in the system.
ExerciseStart Exercise

Steps

  1. Log in to SAP SuccessFactors as an administrator.

  2. Type Compensation Home in the Search for Actions box.

  3. Select any existing variable pay plans on the left panel.

  4. Explore the plan information on the Summary page.

  5. Select the Plan Setup tab.

    1. Can you identify the number of forms launched?
    2. How many steps are there in the route map?

  6. Browse each menu of the sub tabs to familiarize yourself with the tools you will use later.

  7. By using the account navigation menu (top right), select Proxy Now.

  8. Enter Carla Grant as Target User.

  9. Select Ok.

  10. In the main navigation menu (top left), select Compensation.

  11. From the list of forms, open Short-Term Incentive Plan Carla Grant (cgrant).

  12. Notice how the columns on the form are separated by sections (Employee Information, Company, Individual, and Payout).

  13. In the Employee Information section, hover your mouse on the actions menu (three vertical dots) of any employee.

  14. Select View Details.

  15. Explore the information on this detail section.

    1. Can you figure out how the amounts are derived?
    2. If you cannot, don’t worry that’s what this course is all about.

Result

This completes the exercise.

Learning

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