CATS Profile Configuration

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Ensure Smooth Integration with SAP Cross-Application Time Sheets (CATS)

Michael TimmIntegrated Consulting Group LLC

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Session Objectives …

• Learn how CATS enhances support and the user experience

• Understand in basic terms how CO is updated by CATS and HR

• Gain efficiency and minimize headaches with user profiles

• Learn how to reduce employee data entry errors by 90%

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What We’ll Cover …

• Understanding the basics of CATS• Updating HR, CO, PM/CS, and PS with CATS• Maximizing the effective use of profiles and user

parameters• Utilizing Employee Self-Service for time entry• Managing CATS with user exits• Wrap up

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CATS Basics

• CATS = Cross-Application Time Sheet� Time capture and data transfer tool� Additional functionality for Payroll and FI/CO

• CATS uses the SAP Human Resources authorization concept

• CATS may be updated via transaction code CAT2 or via a company intranet Web site

• Data entry in CATS may be done by individual employee or by defined groups of employees

• CATS may be used as the time transfer tool to update Human Resources with hours worked by employee

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CATS Basics (cont.)

• CATS may be used to enter one-time earnings/deductions for employees

• Data entered in CATS may be set to require a procedure for approval

• Using CATS, you may capture an employee’s time across different cost centers, plant maintenance, service orders, and networks� Update HR, CO, PM/CS, PS (or a combination of any or all of these)

with time worked by employee by activity

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CATS Basics (cont.)

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Using CATS Data: Updating CO

• CATS updates CO with hours actually worked by cost center for an employee

• The payroll expense posting for an employee is sent to the employee’s home cost center in the Payroll to FI/CO Update

• Using CATS, you can create an activity allocation to credit the home cost center for hours not worked by the employee and debit the cost centers where the employee actually worked

• Actual costs may be derived from the standard activity price of an activity or from Payroll

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Using CATS Data: Updating PM/CS

• Generates confirmations for:� Maintenance� Service orders

• Confirmation generation from:� Receiver order� Operation number� Sub-operation

• Performs simultaneous activity allocation in CO

• Processing time can be a major issue if there’s a large volume of open PM/CS orders� Nightly batch runs with narrow periods may reduce processing time� However, narrowing the period can cause prior period corrections to be

missed

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Using CATS Data: Updating PS

• Hours entered in CATS as hours transfer as minutes• Generates confirmations for networks• Performs activity allocation in CO at the same time• Processing time can be a major issue if you have a large

volume of open PS orders� Nightly batch runs with narrow periods will reduce processing

time� However, narrowing the period can cause prior period

corrections to be missed

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Using CATS Data: Updating HR

• Attendances/Absences (Infotypes 2001/2002)� CATS feeds HR actual hours attended or absent� CATS validates absences with absence quotas� Payroll uses Infotype 2001/2002 data during processing

• Substitutions (Infotype 2003)� Position option may be used to assign payment for the work

according to the specifications of a different position

• Employee Remuneration Infotype 2010)� One-time earnings/deductions may be passed from CATS to HR� Used to process manually – calculated wages or bonuses

• Work Tax Area (Infotype 0208)� CATS allows a work tax area to be entered that is different than the

default area in Infotype 0208

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Using CATS Data: Updating HR (cont.)

• Hours saved in CATS transferred to HR Infotype 2002• Payroll will access Infotype 2002 during processing

and pay the employee

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Transferring CATS Data

• Methods for transferring CATS data:� All Components� Individual Components

�Accounting (CO)�Human Resources

o CATS profiles may be set to automatically transfer data to HR when saved

o Or, profiles may be set to require data to be transferred manually

�Plant Maintenance/Customer Service�Project System

• I will demonstrate* the manual method of transferring data to the following modules:� Human Resources� Controlling

* I will demo these in R/3 4.6C; the process is similar in other versions

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Transferring CATS Data (cont.)

• All Components• Accounting (CO)• Human Resources

(manually)• Plant

Maintenance/Customer Service

• Project System

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• An example� Master data

�Employee John works 80 hours over a two-week pay period�John is an hourly employee who makes $15/hour and is

assigned to cost center 123-A as his home cost center�John’s company uses CATS as a time entry/capture tool

� Work data�Over the two-week period, John worked 40 hours in cost

center 345-B, 30 hours in cost center 678-A, and 10 hours in his home cost center, cost center 123-A

�His gross pay for the period is 80 hours x $15/hour = $1,200

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• Data transfers� From Payroll to FI/CO

John’s home cost center, 123-A, is debited $1,200 (the entire 80 hours that he worked)

� From home cost center 123-AThe CATS interface will credit John’s home cost center (123-A) 70 hours (multiplied by a predefined activity rate, $15/hour), for a total of $1,050 –via an internal activity allocation. This will leave a net debit of $150 (10 hours x $15/hour) on John’s home center

� To cost centers 345-B and 678-AThe other side of the CATS interface activity allocation will debit cost center (345-B) 40 hours, for a total of $600, and cost center (678-A) 30 hours, for a total of $450

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• Conclusions� CATS is a great tool to use when you have hourly

employees, especially when these employees can do work over several projects or cost centers �CATS even allows you to “charge” the worked cost centers for

different activity rates depending on the type of work/project the employee is working on

� CATS allows you to spread costs over the cost centers actually worked in instead of the employee’s home cost center (which is the SAP default when posting from Payroll to FI/CO)

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Creating CATS Profiles

• Profiles are used by CATS to determine the data entry process

• Profiles also determine how the Time Sheet will be displayed on the screen

• 8 sections make up the profile� General settings� Time settings� Person selection� Cost accounting variant� Default values� Worklist� Data entry checks� Workflow

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Creating CATS Profiles (cont.)

• Checking “Immediate transfer to HR” transfers the data to infotypes upon save

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• After creating the profile, the fields displayed in the Time Sheet when maintaining or displaying are defined

• Selecting the fields and setting attributes makes user entry easier and reduces error

• Attributes set for a field influence the target component• Displaying fields is done by configuring modifiable fields

and influencing fields� Modifiable fields are set as the base for all data entry profiles� Influencing fields are profile-specific field attributes

• Keep number of fields displayed on the screen to the absolute minimum

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• Modifiable is the standard field attribute

• Influencing is a profile-specific field attribute

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Creating ESS Profiles

• ESS profiles and CATS profiles are set up in the same manner� Profiles set up under CATS may be used by ESS� However, CATS data entry is typically done for several employees at a time,

and ESS is done for an individual

• The person selection section in the profile is not supported� The other seven sections may be utilized

• Typically, data entered will not be set for “Immediate transfer to HR”� Batch programs should be set to run periodically to transfer the data

• Employees accessing ESS Time Sheets need to have a default profile set along with a link between their user record and ESS

• Setting field attributes is the same as in CATS

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Creating ESS Profiles (cont.)

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Creating ESS Profiles (cont.)

• Web settings allow for the customization of the Time Sheet layout when viewed as a Web page� e.g., to specify how many lines for data entry appear

• Functionality available to the user may be determined� e.g., when copying the previous period work lines, whether hours

should be copied as well

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User Parameters

• Several user parameters may be entered to simplify data entry for a user

• If employees will enter data themselves, user parameters CVR and PER are extremely useful

Personnel number selection report variantVSRAdministrator groupSGRTime administratorSAZPersonnel development objectPONHR personnel numberPERCost centerKOSData entry profileCVRControlling areaCAC

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User Parameters (cont.)

• To set:� System > User profile > Own data > Parameters� Transaction code SU3

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ESS Time Sheets

• Internal and external employees may use ESS Time Sheets to record their own (or others’) working times via the Internet or companyintranet

• The Internet Time Sheets tool for recording the times transfers data to other modules the same as CATS does� The same data elements and process shown earlier are available via CATS or

the Internet Time Sheets� Data collected from both may be processed together

• The user may enter hours or clock times, quantities, monetary amounts, work tax area, and confirmation information

• The previous-period working time and attributes may be copied, requiring the user to only enter the current period hours

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ESS Time Sheets (cont.)

• Several advantages to both employee and employer are easily identifiable

• The link between the Time Sheets and SAP is Infotype 0105, Communication� This link looks at the user parameters and determines the

profile to be used� Authorizations also are validated through this link

Standard Web browserEase of useReduction in administrative workFewer administrative stepsDecentralized time recordingTime entry at any time, anywhereEmployerEmployee

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ESS Time Sheets (cont.)

• In this case, the employee email address is used to authenticate and link with ESS

• Other communication types may be used also, such as NT logon ID

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User Exits

• 14 user exits are available for use with CATS� A little over half of the user exits may be used with ESS Time

Sheets

• Utilizing user exits allows for additional functionality and behind-the-scenes data processing

• Some of the more useful user exits are� CATS0002 – CATS: Supplement entered data� CATS0003 – CATS: Validation of entered data� CATS0005 – CATS: Customer field enhancements� CATS0006 – CATS: Validation of entire time sheet� CATS0008 – CATS: Determine workflow recipient for

approval

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User Exits (cont.)

• Employees may enter time to less than a tenth of an hour• User exit CATS0002 is called and calculates the time to

the nearest tenth of an hour• The time is then transferred to a component without

causing an error

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Resources

• http://help.sap.com – SAP help web site accessible via the Internet

• OSS Note 555947 – Project System: Confirmation via CATS

• OSS Note 376188 – Supported CATS User Exits for Internet Time Sheets

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7 Key Points to Take Home

• CATS uses SAP HR authorization concept

• Labor costs may be spread over cost centers, plant maintenance, service orders, or networks

• PM/CS and PS confirmations may be generated from CATS

• Data transferred to HR is used during payroll processing and eventual posting to accounting

• Profiles for CATS and ESS Time Sheets are created and used similarly

• User parameters CVR and PER make ESS Time Sheets more efficient

• User exits may be utilized to reduce data entry errors and enhance data entry

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Your Turn!

Questions?

How to contact me:[email protected]

CATS Profile Configuration

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