Using Period-based Settings to Set Due Dates

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
  • Set due dates for items in a curriculum (Period-based settings)
  • Configure Event-based and Calendar-based settings

Period-Based Settings

Period-based settings in a curriculum are used to establish initial due dates and schedule recurring learning activities at specific intervals. This helps ensure that learners complete their training on time.

Period-based settings involve creating a structured schedule for organizing educational materials into various timeframes or periods. When implementing period-based settings, administrators must consider several key questions:

  • How much time should be allocated for learners to initially complete the curriculum?
  • Are there specific deadlines for completing certain curriculum items, regardless of when they are assigned?
  • Should curriculum items be reviewed or repeated to enhance learning?
  • If a user needs to complete an item on a recurring basis, must it be included in the curriculum and have a retraining period?

Period-Based Settings Fields

The following fields must be considered and changed to establish period-based settings:

Initial Assignments area is highlighted.

Initial Assignments:

  • Initial or Retraining Number and Periods: The values that you set for the Initial or Retraining Number fields in combination with a selected Initial or Retraining Period, determines how often and when to set the required date for the item in the curriculum.
  • Initial or Retraining Basis: The Event Basis option is used when training is due a certain amount of time from when it was assigned or from the learner's hire date. (Ex: Training is due 10 days after it is assigned, or training is due 30 days after the learner is hired). The Calendar Basis option is used when training is due by a certain date (Ex: Training is due by 31 December).
  • Threshold: (For Calendar based settings only) The threshold feature allows the administrator to set up training periods that impose a deadline for users to complete their training within a certain number of days from the assigned due date. These periods, also known as grace periods, ensure that users complete their training on time. Additionally, the threshold can be configured on an entire basis, removing any grace period and making the training due by a specific date regardless of when it was assigned.

Previous Completions Field:

When a curriculum is assigned, the system looks at the user's past learning history. If the system finds that the user has completed the curriculum before, it marks it as complete. If the user completed a part of the curriculum a long time ago, it may show as overdue when retraining is required yearly. To prevent this, select the Ignore Previous Completions Older Than checkbox to ignore completions that are older than a certain number of days. For example, if you enter 365 days, the system will ignore any completions older than one year in its calculations.

Retraining Assignment

The amount of time users have to retake and complete the item after initial completion.

Basis Date (For Calendar based settings only):

Defines the beginning point of the time-periods for Calendar basis only. The system will create periods starting from the Basis Date and lasting for the duration specified in either the initial assignments or retraining assignments section. Customers will typically use calendar basis when they want to define their own fiscal or business year. Most commonly, 1 year is used for initial assignment and/or retraining. Depending upon the threshold settings, users will either need to complete the item initially by the end of the current fiscal year, or the end of the next one, or this may depend on the number of days into the period they are when they receive the assignment. Retraining will always give the user until the end of the next period to complete their retraining.

Effective Date:

The Effective Date grandfathers changes in the curriculum. If you add a new assignment to the curriculum, and if you set the effective date into the future, then SAP SuccessFactors Learning allows users' curricula to remain complete until the effective date. Before the effective date, users who have a complete curriculum remain complete even if they haven't completed this assignment. After the effective date, if users have not completed the assignment, they are incomplete for the curriculum.

Assignment Type:

Required, Optional, or Customized related types. These values can be in multiple languages. Priority levels can also be set for Assignment Types to help users prioritize their item assignments.

Event vs Calendar-Based Settings

When setting initial and retraining assignment dates, there are two options available: event basis and calendar basis. Each option has its own method of determining the initial and retraining due date.

  • Event basis: Uses the assignment date of the item or the user’s hire date to determine the initial required by date. For retraining, the most recent date of successful completion is the event and will be used to calculate the next required date.

  • Calendar basis: Uses a basis date to create periods that last for the duration specified in either the initial assignments or retraining assignments section. Depending upon the threshold settings, users will either need to complete the item initially by the end of the current fiscal year, or the end of the next one, or this may depend on the number of days into the period they are when they receive the assignment. Retraining will always give the user until the end of the next period to complete their retraining.

The diagram below shows the decision tree to decide whether you need event-based settings or calendar-based settings.

Calendar vs Event Decision Tree

Here are some examples of when you should choose Event versus Calendar based settings:

  • The course is due 10 days from the day it was assigned (EVENT).

  • The course is due 90 days from your hire date (EVENT).

  • The course is due on 24 September (CALENDAR).

  • The course is due at the end of the year (CALENDAR).

Event-Based Settings Configuration

The following fields must be considered and changed to establish event-based settings:

Event-based Settings Fields are highlighted.

Initial Assignments:

  • Initial Number and Period: If the initial number is 30 and the period is Days, then this gives the users 30 Days to complete the assigned course for the first time.

  • Initial Basis: The calculation starts from an Event (Assignment Date or Hire Date).

  • Required Date Basis: The due date is calculated from either the course Assignment Date or the users’ Hire Date.

  • Previous Completions: If the user has completed the course 5 years ago, that completion may still be valid and the user does not have to re-take the course. If the user needs to re-take the course, we can set the system to ignore completions that are older than a certain number of days.

Retraining Assignments:

  • Retraining Number and Period: If the users need to be retrained for a course in a year, select 365 and Days respectively.

  • Retraining Basis: The calculation starts from an Event. The event is selected in the Required Date Basis field.

Additional Fields:

  • Effective Date: Enter the current date. This is the date when any changes to the items become effective in the curriculum.
  • Assignment Type: The course can be marked as Optional or Required.

Note

The Basis Date and Threshold fields are not applicable for Event Based Settings.

Watch this video to learn how to establish Event-based settings in a curriculum.

Video Summary

This video walks you through the process of establishing event-based settings for curricula. It demonstrates how to configure courses to be completed within a specific time frame from the date they are assigned. You are shown how to set due dates, make courses required, and establish a retraining period using event-based settings.

Calendar-Based Settings Configuration

Calendar-based settings are used when training is due on or by a specific date on the calendar. The following fields must be considered and changed to establish calendar-based settings:

Calendar-based Settings Fields are highlighted.

Initial Assignments:

  • Initial Number and Period: If the initial number is 365 and the period is Days, then this is the window of time from the Basis Date that users can complete the assigned course for the first time. For example, if the basis date is January 1st, users have 365 days to complete the assigned course which is until December 31st of next year.

  • Initial Basis: The calculation starts from a fixed Calendar Date.

  • Threshold: Entire will not grant a grace period. If the due date is on December 31 and the course is assigned on the same date, the user still needs to complete the course. The Number of Days entered will provide the user a threshold. If 11 is entered in the Days field, if you were assigned the course 11 days prior to December 31, you are not required to complete it.

  • Previous Completions: If the user has completed the course 5 years ago, that completion may still be valid and the user does not have to re-take the course. If the user needs to re-take the course, we can set the system to ignore completions that are older than a certain number of days.

Retraining Assignments:

  • Retraining Number and Period : If the users need to be retrained for a course in a year, select 365 and Days respectively.

  • Retraining Basis: The calculation starts from the Calendar date that is entered in the Basis Date.

Additional Fields:

  • Effective Date: Enter the current date. This is the date when any changes to the items become effective in the curriculum.

  • Assignment Type: The course can be marked as Optional or Required.

  • Basis Date: Calculate the Basis Date. For annual training use this formula:

Basis Date = Initial Due Date + (1 Day) - (1 Year)

Example: The course is due on May 05, 2025.

Initial due date: May 05, 2025.

Calculation:

Basis Date = Initial Due Date + (1 Day) - (1 Year)

Basis Date = 05/05/2025 + (1 Day) - (1 Year)

Basis Date = 05/06/2024 (MM/DD/YYYY)

The Basis Date is May 6th, 2024

Caution

If training is scheduled for the final day of the year, the basis date year does not change. If training is scheduled for 31 Dec 2025, the basis date year remains 2025.

Note

The Required Date Basis is not applicable for Calendar-Based Settings .

The diagram below illustrates the decision flow for establishing calendar-based settings.

Decision flow for Calendar-based Settings

Configure Calendar-Based Settings

In order to configure calendar-based settings, you wlil do the following:

Steps

  1. Decide on the initial due date (Ex: May 05, 2025).

  2. Calculate the Basis Date. The basis date is used to determine the starting point for calendar-based settings. Example: For annual training you would apply the +1 Day/-1 Year from the initial due date formula. (In this case, the Basis Date would be May 06, 2024)

  3. Decide if a Threshold is needed and on what basis you want to apply that threshold:

    • Selecting the Threshold option Entire means training is due by the initial due date regardless of when it was assigned.

    • Selecting the Threshold option Number of Days means that if the learner is within a certain number of days of the Basis Date, training is due on the initial due date. If the learner falls outside of that parameter, then training is not required until the next recurring due date.

  4. Enter the retraining information (if applicable), effective date and assignment type as previously described.

Result

Watch this video to learn how to establish calendar-based events.

Video Summary

In this video, Donna, an implementation consultant, guides Marco, an administrator for ABC company, through the process of configuring calendar-based settings in curricula. Donna shows Marco how to set initial due dates, calculate Basis Dates, and utilize thresholds to set up calendar-based settings. They use practical examples to manage specific due dates and create grace periods for courses. By the end of the video, Marco feels confident and ready to configure calendar-based settings in curricula for his company.

Establish Event-Based Settings for Items in a Curriculum

Business Example

In this exercise, you will establish event-based settings to make items in a curriculum due 45 days after assignment.

ExerciseStart Exercise

Steps

  1. From the curriculum Content tab, select the Manage Content Button.

  2. Select Edit next to the first listed course.

  3. Under the initial assignments section, enter the initial number and period. Enter 45 for the initial number and select days for the initial period.

  4. Select the EVENT button for the Initial Basis.

  5. Select the Assignment Date button in the Required Date Basis field.

    Note

    Skip the Basis Date Field. No basis date is needed when using Event basis for both initial and retraining assignments.

  6. For effective date, use the current date.

  7. Choose Required (REQ) for the Assignment Type .

  8. Select Apply Changes when you are done editing the item settings.

    Note

    Repeat this process for other items in the curriculum with the same 45 day due date from when it is assigned.

  9. Close the content window to return to the curriculum contents tab.

Establish Calendar-Based Settings for Items in a Curriculum

Business Example

In this exercise, you establish calendar-based settings for training that is due on 31 December 2025. This training recurs annually, regardless of when it was assigned.

ExerciseStart Exercise

Steps

  1. From the curriculum entity, select the Contents tab.

  2. Select Manage Contents.

  3. Select Edit next to the first listed course.

  4. In the Initial Assignments section enter 1 for the Initial Number, and Years for the Initial Period.

  5. For the Threshold field, select Entire Period.

  6. In the Retraining Assignments section, enter 1 for the Retraining Number, and Years for the Retraining Period.

  7. Calculate the basis date. To make annual training due on 31 Dec 2025, apply the formula:

    Basis Date = (Initial Due Date + 1 day) - 1 year

    The basis date would be 1 January 2025.

    Hint

    Remember the exception for annual training. If training is scheduled for the final day of the year, the basis date year does not change. If training is scheduled for 31 Dec 2025, the basis date year remains 2025.

  8. For the Effective Date field, use the current date.

  9. Choose Required (REQ) for the Assignment Type.

  10. Select Apply Changes.

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