SAP Interface as an Important Link in Time & Attendance
Special features in time recording with SAP
SAP system interfaces for the accurate recording of working time are an important link between operating data collection and payroll accounting. As specialists in Access control, Security management and Time & Attendance systems, we have developed prime Connect - an interface between SAP and our time recording software prime WebTime.The SAP HR-PDC interface prime Connect from primion ensures that bookings and working times are determined completely digitally and that this data is transferred directly to the SAP system.
Normally, working time data is processed directly in the software. Through the use of the SAP HR-PDC interface, SAP is the leading system in which all allocations take place and authorisations, such as booking permission, are also granted. The connected recording devices as hardware (time recording terminals) serve as a so-called "transaction collector".
Download is done over an encrypted RFC connection in IDOC format. prime Connect establishes the RFC connection between the time recording software and SAP. This service logs on to the SAP gateway via TCP/IP and port. The port number is based on the SAP system number. The setup of the connection parameters is done in the prime Connect Administrator module.
Possible downloads from SAP to primion are, for example, mini-master data records for the respective employees. These are written to a table and include person data such as personnel number, badge number, name, validity period together with references to other tables, such as the time event type groups.
Time event type groups contain the booking authorisation for individual time events, for instance, whether a person from this group may book off-site work. There are ten different fields in the time recording table for employee balances, which if required, can be displayed at the terminals after a booking has been made or can be retreived by pressing a defined key combination. In addition, there is a table of possible cost centres that can be transferred to SAP.
The SAP Time recording recognises bookings such as “Depart with reason Break”, etc. Attendance and absence reasons are also written to a table, in the same way as objects such as cost centres. As SAP is the leading system, time events are only transferred from the sub-system to SAP on request, but of course they are documented as well. As a matter of course, only the data of your "source sys" are processed and passed on.
The successful "handshake" between the prime Connect web service and the processing task is logged in the log file of the processing task. Afterwards, the time events are processed according to the authorisations and application options predefined by SAP. Only persons who are authorised according to the assigned time event group can enter bookings. Also, only objects, cost centres or attendance and absence reasons that were previously transferred by SAP can be posted. Through the HR-PDC interface prime Connect, time events generated via online bookings, e.g. with prime Mobile or via a web interface, can now also be processed.
The use of the Time & Attendance system primarily offers the advantage of direct, digital operating data collection as well as the holistic control of the entire time management in the company. In addition, the modular structure of the Time & Attendance system from primion makes it possible, amongst other things, to link or use it together with an access control system. This means, for example, that time recording can be started directly upon entering the company premises.
Summary:
prime Connect stores the data records that are transferred between SAP and the time recording software in a database. The service handles the uploads to SAP or receives the downloads from SAP. The prime Connect HR-PDC interface displays this data and allows the settings to be parameterised.
The prime Connect Administrator application:
Creates connections to SAP and displays the upload/download data
Maintains static texts for use on the terminal displays or for online working time bookings
Manages mail texts that can be assigned to any person via a code (special texts that are displayed instead of standard texts when bookings are made at the terminal)
Defines the priority of response texts depending on the booking type
Can display all the upload/download tables in a raw format in lists
Enables the time-limited display of event data such as log book, uploads/downloads, bookings and person outputs
Complementary interfaces, such as Loga Paris, allow the exchange of employee data, when working in SAP mode, that result from full-day absences such as vacation or sickness. Specific uploads and downloads are available in the application; the SAP system transmits the data to the time recording software. The staff transaction data at the time recording terminals are checked there and on request, they are uploaded to the SAP system and processed there.
