Using Proxy Management

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Act as a proxy in SAP SuccessFactors
  • Use Proxy tools to Assign and Remove Proxies

Function and benefits of using Proxy

Within SAP SuccessFactors, the proxy function allows one employee to act on behalf of another. For example, if an employee will be unavailable or absent when a form is due, a proxy can be assigned to complete the form on his/her behalf.

Proxy is used heavily by administrators. During the testing phase for a new process cycle, using proxy allows you to view how configuration and changes will impact forms, users, and views by proxying to multiple user accounts, eliminating the need to log out and in each time. Proxy can also be used to troubleshoot user issues; for example, if an employee contacts an administrator because he or she is unable to see a form, the administrator can proxy as that user to see exactly what the employee is seeing. Additionally, administrators can use proxy to complete actions on an employee’s behalf.

Note

This proxy is independent from the proxy within the SAP SuccessFactors Learning Management System (LMS). For more information on the proxy in the LMS, please refer to the LMS training.

The proxy is the employee acting on someone's behalf; the account holder is the employee on whose behalf the proxy is acting. For example, John will be on vacation and Sarah is assigned to act on his behalf. John is the account holder and Sarah is the proxy. One or more proxies can be assigned to a single account, and one employee can be assigned as a proxy for several accounts. As an administrator, you are likely the proxy for many account holders. The proxy can open, view, edit, and send any item to which he/she has permission as if he/she were that account holder.

Areas of SAP SuccessFactors an employee can have access to via Proxy

Depending on the modules that your company uses, here is the list of the important areas the proxy may have access:

  • All Modules
  • Total Goal Management
    • Private Objectives
    • Career Development Planning
  • Reports/Dashboards
  • Employee Central
  • Succession Management
  • Compensation
  • Recruiting

Proxy Management to Assign and Remove Proxies

Administrators with proxy management rights, can assign and remove proxies for any account, using proxy management, or proxy import. Administrators can grant other employees permission to assign proxies through Company Settings. If allowed under Company Settings, all employees can assign proxies for their own account.

Proxy Assignment

Administrators can assign proxies singly, or they can assign multiple proxies at one time. Administrators must consider the following concerns when assigning proxies:

  • The proxy is able to open, view, edit, and send any item in the account of the account holder.

  • The administrator can specify whether the proxy has access to the private goals of the account holder.

  • Where multiple proxies are assigned to an account, all the proxies can edit data at the same time. In this case, the changes of the last proxy to save a document, overwrites the changes made by all other proxies.

  • The audit trail that automatically accompanies any action taken in SAP SuccessFactors clearly indicates actions carried out by a proxy.

  • Administrators can assign proxy rights to a user for specific tools, or areas of an account. Additionally, for Performance Manager Forms, there is an option to select a specific form template.
  • Proxy rights can be time-based.

To start the process of assigning an individual proxy from the Action Search, go to Proxy Management

At the top of the Proxy Management page, identify the proxy and the account holder. Select the module(s). Optionally, select the date range. Select Save.

Time-Based Proxy Assignments

By default, proxy assignments start as soon as they are created and have no end date unless dates are specified. Proxy assignments can be restricted with a specified time range. This is optional.

A start date and/or end date can be added. The assigned proxy can only access the target user account during the specified time range. A time range can be set for new or existing proxy assignments, using either Proxy Management or Proxy Import. Start and end times are shown in reports, such as the Proxy Assignment Change audit report and stories in People Analytics.

Start and end times are based on the local time zone of the proxy administrator who sets them as shown in the profile.

Note

It is not possible to add a start or end date when a proxy is assigned from the personal user settings. Time ranges can only be added centrally by a proxy administrator.

Proxy Removal

To delete or remove a proxy, look up the existing proxy assignment. To do this, open the Proxy Management page and enter a username in the Look up Existing Assignments section. When the username is not known, choose Find User... to look it up. There are different ways to look up existing proxy assignments:

  • Search for a proxy and see all of the users to whom they have access.

  • Search for an account holder and see all of the users to whom they are assigned.

Once the search is completed, the option to delete a proxy becomes available.

New Warning and Error Messages for Proxy Import

Warning and error messages are now displayed on the Proxy Import UI immediately following an upload.When there's an error the file upload fails. When there's a warning, the file is still uploaded successfully but the proxy relationship is not created for the rows in which there is a warning. The messages ensure to receive immediate feedback as to any corrections that need to be made on their file uploads.

For further information check: Creating, Editing, or Deleting Proxy Assignments with an Import File

Proxy Import to Assign and Remove Proxies

In addition to setting and deleting proxies manually, you can upload a comma-value separated (.csv) file to import multiple proxy assignments and deletions. Before executing this upload, ensure that the file includes the required fields for this process. To download a blank .csv template to ensure that this is done correctly, select Action Search → Proxy Import.

Warning and error messages are now displayed on the Proxy Import UI immediately following an upload.

The import file validations are mapped to a corresponding warning or error, to allow for accurate messages to be displayed to the user. These validations check for:Missing columns in the CSV file, which results in an error if a column is missing. The standard text 'YES' not being provided in the CSV file for at least one module, which results in a warning. Multiple user IDs entered on a single row, which results in a warning. If there are values in the User_ID and Proxy_ID fields in combination with the Assignment_ID_UserID and Assignment_ID_Proxy ID fields, this will also result in a warning. When there's an error the file upload fails. When there's a warning, the file is still uploaded successfully but the proxy relationship is not created for the rows in which there is a warning.

The proxy import file contains column headers for USERID, ASSIGNMENT_ID_USERID, PROXYID, ASSIGNMENT_ID_PROXYID, START_DATE(yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm), END_DATE(yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm), All, Remove All, and individual module headers.

  1. USERID: is the account holder identified by the User ID.
  2. ASSIGNMENT_ID_USERID: alternative way employees can be identified. To use Assignment ID instead of User ID, leave USERID blank.
  3. PROXYID: is the proxy identified by the User ID. Multiple proxies can be assigned to a single account holder using the "|" (pipe symbol) between proxy USERIDs.
  4. ASSIGNMENT_ID_PROXYID: alternative way employee proxies can be identified. To use Assignment ID instead of User ID, leave PROXYID blank.

    Must be used in conjunction with ASSIGNMENT_ID_USERID and not USERID.

  5. START_DATE and END_DATE: these columns are optional. For each row, set a time range for the proxy assignment. Columns must be yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm format.

    By default, proxy assignments starts as soon as they are created and have no end date. Use this option to restrict proxy assignments to the specified time range.

  6. All: is used to assign proxy rights to all of the tools of the account holder within SAP SuccessFactors. Enter YES.
  7. Remove All: deletes proxy rights of the user for the specified account holder. Enter YES.

    As of 1H 2022, this includes the ability to remove proxy assignments for inactive users.

  8. Tool Headers: the remaining columns allow assignment of proxy access by tool. To grant proxy access, enter YES in the ALL column, or any of the specific tool columns. NO is implied by a blank field and is not entered into the file. To remove proxy access, enter YES in the REMOVE_ALL column.

Settings to Assign and Remove Proxies

Your organization has the option of allowing users to assign their own proxies, or may lock this feature down so that proxies can only be assigned by administrators.

This control is managed in Admin Center from Action Search → Company System and Logo Settings. The setting name is: Disable Proxy access for users without Proxy rights.

  • If checked, only administrators can grant and remove proxy access to users.

  • If unchecked, each user in the organization can assign and remove their own proxies.

  • As an administrator, you can also grant and remove proxy access in this case.

When the option is unchecked allowing users to assign their own proxies, an employee will access the page to assign and remove proxies by going to the Name Menu → Settings → Proxy. From here, the employee can Assign Proxy to allow another employee to act on his/her behalf or Become Proxy to act as a proxy for an employee to which he/she has been granted proxy access via Proxy Management, Proxy Import, or Assign Proxy in Settings.

When using their personal account settings, users can also restrict proxy assignments to a specified time range when they assign a proxy to act on their behalf. They can add a start date, an end date, or both when they assign a proxy on the Settings page. The assigned proxy can only access their user account during the specified time range.

Many customers require that proxy assignments have an end date, for compliance purposes.

When selecting Become Proxy, the employee will then see a dropdown menu of users they can proxy as.

Proxy Now

If the checkbox within Proxy Management, Enable Advanced Proxy Management (Proxy Now and Proxy Import is checked, a user with proxy rights will also be able to access proxy via the Name Menu.

Additional Information can be found in the following guide on the SAP Help Portal:

Managing and Using Proxy Assignments

Assign and Delete a Proxy

Business example

Proxy access can be assigned by administrators or end users to allow employees to perform tasks in an instance on behalf of other employees.

In this exercise, you assign a proxy to act on behalf of Manny Manager and define which modules the proxy can access in the account. You also change the proxy setting for the company.

ExerciseStart Exercise

Steps

  1. Assign a HR Coordinator as a proxy to act on behalf of the user Manny Manager.

    1. Use Action Search to navigate to Proxy Management.

    2. In the field: Who will act as the proxy (username), select Find user and enter Coordinator in the last name field.

    3. Select Search.

    4. Select the radio button next to HR Coordinator.

    5. Choose Select User

    6. In the field: What account holder will the proxy act on behalf of (username), select the Find User button and in the Last Name field, enter Manager.

    7. Select Find User.

    8. Select Search.

    9. Select the radio button next toManny Manager.

    10. Choose Select User.

  2. Choose which modules that the proxy can access on behalf of Manny Manager and define the date range.

    1. On the Proxy Management page under Grant Proxy Rights: Grant rights to the following modules/tabs: select the checkbox next to All Modules.

    2. In the Start: field, select today’s date, do not change the time and click OK.

    3. In the End: field, select the last date of the current month, do not change the time and click OK.

    4. Below the Start: and End: fields click Save.

    5. In the confirmation dialog box click OK.

  3. Verify the proxy setting for the company.

    1. On the Proxy Management screen, in the Change the proxy settings for the company section, make sure that the option Always enable proxy lookup is enabled. NOTE: This setting is only necessary if you're not using the employee directory feature. If you already use the employee directory, it has no effect.

    2. Make sure that the option Enable Advanced Proxy Management(Proxy Now and Proxy Import) is enabled.

    3. Select Save Proxy Settings.

  4. Test the proxy assignment.

    1. Under the Name Menu for HR Coordinator select Settings.

    2. UnderSettings, select Proxy.

    3. Select Become Proxy. Notice the only option available is Manny Manager since that is the only proxy assignment made earlier. Select Go and then OK.

    4. Select the main menu and notice that Admin Center is not available since Manny Manager does not have that access.

    5. Select the Name Menu again and Settings.

    6. Select the option to Become Self.

  5. Check the Company Settings for Proxy.

    1. Action Search: Company Systems and Logo Settings: Check that the option: Disable Proxy access for users without proxy rights is not enabled.

    2. Name Menu → Settings → Proxy. Make sure that you can also Assign a proxy by using the Proxy Settings in the Name menu.

  6. Delete the proxy.

    1. Select Proxy Managementin the Action Search.

    2. In the look up Existing Assignments section and for the Account holder (username), use the Find User... link to select Manny Manager.

    3. Select Search for Proxy.

    4. Select the name of the HR coordinator.

    5. Select the Delete button.

Result

You can now assign proxy access to various modules for specific date ranges, test those assignments and delete a proxy.

Note

The HR Coordinator may still proxy as Manny Manager because of the Proxy Management permission in RBP.

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