Working with Employee Records in Infotypes

In SAP, employee information, such as last name, first name, date of birth, place of residence, street number, and house number, is defined in data fields. These data fields are grouped into information units according to their content. In SAP, these information units are called information types or abbreviated to infotypes.

Infotypes have names and 4-digit keys. For example, the Personal Data infotype has the key 0002 and the Addresses infotype has the key 0006.

Subtypes of Infotypes

Subtypes are used to subdivide infotypes. You may want to subdivide information to make it easier to manage or to assign different control features, such as time constraints, to the various subtypes of the same infotype.

In the subtypes of IT0006 Addresses, you can store details about different address details, such as:

• Home
• Emergency Contact

You can maintain separate subtype information, creating separate histories.

If an infotype requires subtypes, then a customer can configure country-specific and company-specific subtypes.

The personnel number is the unique key within a client for identifying an employee. It is used to access the display and maintenance screens for an employee's master data, working time data, and so on in infotypes.

You can search for a personnel number using the following process:

1. Position your cursor in the Personnel no input field and choose the selection button alongside the field or choose F4.
2. Select the type of search that you want to use, for example Last Name - First Name, Name, ID or IC Number; via Organizational Assignment. You can switch to another type of search help at any point.
3. On the next screen, you can restrict the value search range.
4. The system displays a list of all the personnel numbers that correspond to your selection criteria.
5. Select the required data record from the hit list.

Infotype maintenance includes processing data already in the system and entering and saving new data in the system. You can add new data and change the existing data of an employee. Most of the infotype records have a start date and an end date (validity date), which enable you to maintain data for exact periods.

The following table describes the various methods for maintaining infotypes:

Editing Options for Infotype Maintenance

There are various editing options for maintaining master data.

The editing options for infotype records include the following:

• Create – the sheet of paper
• Edit – pencil
• Copy – 2 sheets of paper
• Delimit – to add an end date to a record
• Delete – dustbin

The two display functions are:

• Display – spectacles
• Overview – mountains with the sun

Maintaining Infotypes

Infotype maintenance is the processing of data already in the system and entering and saving new data. You can change existing records and add new records for an employee.

The infotypes that are used most frequently in Human Resources are grouped together by subject matter and assigned to infotype menus, for example Core Employee Information. One infotype can be included in more than one menu. Infotypes that are rarely used might not be included in any menus at all, but you can use the Direct selection.

The green ticks next to the menu list of infotypes indicate that these records already exist for the selected personnel number. You will use transaction code PA30 for maintaining the master data infotypes.

Data records are always stored in the system. Most infotypes have a start date and an end date, but a few have a single date, rather than a validity period. This enables you to store data for exact periods. When you select infotypes, you can specify a selection period in the displayed screen area.

The most important objective of master data administration in Human Resources is to enter employee-related data for administrative, time-recording, and payroll purposes.

A new employee can be hired on to the SAP system with or without using the SAP Recruiting application. If you do not choose to use the functions in SAP Recruiting, you can hire the employee using a Personnel Action in Personnel Administration. Relevant data for the new employee is created during the action.

The Hiring Personnel Action links infotypes in a logical sequence to help you maintain the infotypes in the correct order. After you have entered all the necessary data in an infotype, save your entries. After the system has saved your entries, it displays a new entry screen for processing.

You will adjust personnel actions in Customizing to meet your requirements.

Watch the video for a demonstration of example infotypes for a hiring action, including personnel data, organizational assignment, working time, basic pay, bank details, and absence quotas. 

Entry Screens for Hiring

As well as recording data in the above-mentioned infotypes during the hiring action, you can include country-specific and customer-specific infotypes. Choose the infotypes, as well as the order in which they appear to suit your company’s requirements.

To start the hire process for an employee, select the entry screen for Personnel Actions, transaction PA40, and then enter the employee’s entry date in the From field.

With internal number assignment, the system generates the next free number. Less standard is the use of external number assignment, when you enter a personnel number that has not yet been used.

On the entry screen, enter the start (hire) date, personnel area, employee group, and employee subgroup of the new employee. You also have the possibility of maintaining these fields in the next screen, IT0000 Actions.