Using Time Recording Systems

Using time recording systems is the most popular form of employee self-service. It considerably reduces the workload of time administrators.

Time recording systems allow you to:

• Record attendance times automatically

  At the time recording system, employees record when they:

  • Enter the premises

  • Take a break (optional)

  • Start off-site work or a business trip (optional)

  • Leave the premises

• Let employees record certain absence reasons. Locked absence records are generated, which are approved by time administrators in postprocessing.

• Carry out access controls. This means that unauthorized employees cannot enter sensitive production areas.

The distribution of tasks between the time recording system and Time Management is clearly defined.

• Transferring the HR mini-master records and selected time accounts from the time recording system to the time recording terminals

• Recording time events

• Checking ID number, attendance/absence reason, and so on, for particular dates

• Transferring time events to the interface table CC1TEV

• Transferring time events from interface table CC1TEV to table TEVEN

• Processing time events

• Correcting and supplementing time events (infotype 2011)

• Transferring the selected time accounts to the time recording system

There is a constant exchange of data between the time recording system and the SAP Time Management system.

The transfer of data from the time recording system to Time Management is referred to as the upload.

The transfer of data from Time Management to the time recording system is referred to as the download.

The interface is supplied with the unprocessed time events by the time recording system.

Data required by a record:

• ID number

• Date, clock time, time event type (clock-in/clock-out/off-site work, and so on)

• Other possible data: Terminal ID, employee expenditures, absence/attendance reasons

• Information about cost assignment and a different payment

A record containing the following information is passed on to the interface for each personnel number:

• ID number

• Validity period

• Access authorization

• Other data (such as personal code, mail indicator)

• Information on time accounts (including leave status)

The download supplies the time recording system with the data it requires from Personnel Management, Time Management, Logistics, and Controlling, for validations. For each employee whose HR master is downloaded to the time recording system, there must be a Time Recording Information infotype (0050) record for at least one day of the HR master record's validity period.

Data for the download is categorized as follows:

• Master data

  Master data from the applications (for example, HR master) has to be supplied to the time recording system so that it can validate the data. This data may change, therefore the download must be performed regularly.

• Control data

  Reasons for an absence or attendance can be specified in Time Management. This information can be entered into the time recording system. The time recording system must check the data. Since this type of data rarely changes, it needs to be supplied once and then updated only if there are changes. Data does not need to be supplied periodically.

• Transaction data

  Employee time accounts that are calculated in time evaluation change each time that time evaluation is run. For the data at the time recording system to be current, it must be downloaded frequently.

Menu: Human Resources→Time Management→Administration→Environment→Subsystem Connection

The Time Recording Information infotype (0050) contains two types of data: interface data and employee-related control data (time variables).

Interface data (interface to time recording systems): Provides information about which time recording terminals the employee's mini-master data is sent to. Other data such as the mail indicator and access control group are only evaluated if the time recording system supports these functions.

• Time recording ID number and ID version: Valid version of the time recording ID card.

• Work time event type group: Which time event types (for example, clock-in and clock-out) are permitted for the employee?

• Grouping for subsystem connection: Distribution of master records and a site-restricted access control

• Grouping for attendance/absence reasons: Which attendance/absence reasons are permitted?

• Grouping for employee expenditures: Which employee expenditures are permitted for the employee?

• Access control group: Time-restricted access control

• Mail indicator: A message can be displayed to employees when they record a time event at the time recording terminal.

• Personal code: Employees must enter this code at the time recording terminal in order to be granted access

Time variables (additional information that can be processed in time evaluation: Can be evaluated using the HRS and OUTTI operations in time evaluation.

• Employee grouping for the time evaluation rule

• Flextime maximum and minimum

• Time bonus/deduction

• Indicator for general overtime (can be defined by the user)

• Additional indicator

Time events are, for example, clock-in and clock-out entries that employees record electronically using a time recording ID card at a time recording terminal. Employees can also enter information on cost assignment and on work for a different position. Several SAP enhancements are provided, which you can use to fill customer-specific fields and transfer them to the SAP system.

The Time Events infotype (2011) is usually filled by a time recording system. You process time events in the SAP system only under exceptional circumstances, for example, if time events are missing or incorrect. In the Time Events infotype (2011), you can:

• Record time events manually or change time events that were imported into the SAP system with errors

• Enter or supplement information on cost assignment or on a different payment

The time events are stored in the transparent table TEVEN.

The day assignment allocates the time event to the day to which it logically belongs (either the current day or the previous day). The day assignment is determined by the system, but you can override it, if necessary.

Example: Employee works night shift on March 2:

• Clock-in entry on March 02 at 22:05 day assignment: =

• Clock-out entry on March 03 at 06:03 : day assignment: <

We recommend that you use the Time Manager's Workplace to postprocess time events, because it enables you to check and correct multiple time events simultaneously.

In pair formation, the time evaluation report groups individual time events that are assigned to the same day into time pairs. This is necessary for time evaluation to be able to process the time events and determine, for example, the amount of time worked. Pair formation is triggered as of the day on which there is a new time event.

Pair formation is integrated into time evaluation. Time evaluation runs pair formation automatically when it is required (that is, if there are unprocessed time events).

If certain processing conditions occur (for example, a start of break time event is followed by a clock-out posting and therefore a pair cannot be formed), pair formation issues messages so that the data can be postprocessed in the message processing function of the Time Manager's Workplace.

At the start of pair formation, the individual time events are assigned to a day. Time events are assigned to their current date or to the previous day. The employee's daily work schedule determines whether a time event is assigned to the previous day or to the current day.

For each time event, the system determines the employee's attendance or absence status before and after the entry so that a pair formed is correct. Each time pair is assigned a status, which informs time evaluation that the pair is complete.

In Customizing, you can change the standard system reaction to certain situations, for example when:

• Time events occur a short time after one another

• Two consecutive time events could not be formed into a pair (for example, an employee is absent and records Start of break).

For more information, see the Implementation Guide for Personnel Time Management and choose Time Evaluation→General Settings→Define Settings for Pair Formation.

Note: An attendance check does not require time evaluation to have run or pairs formed; only the time postings have to have been uploaded.