More and more companies are integrating SAP’s reporting engine, Business Information Warehouse (BW), into all aspects of their enterprise. Therefore, you should know what BW is and how to use it to improve HR reporting. I explained this in my article “Considering BW for Your HR Organization? What You Need to Know.”

Once you are familiar with the basics, it’s critical to know how to use BW to your benefit. This article outlines the key functional lessons learned from my experiences implementing BW for HR. I’ll also focus on using HR business content to minimize customization and, consequently, cost.

Before I dive into the lessons learned, I would like to highlight the top four high-level success factors for a BW implementation:

• Get strong executive-level sponsorship and explain the benefits of the BW implementation. This helps to separate transactional/operational reporting needs (e.g., employee listings and activities that focus on what is happening in the business today) from analytical needs (e.g., headcounts, salary planning reports that focus on what might happen, trend analysis). Once you determine your analytical needs, you can show that your company could benefit from BW’s strong analytical reporting capability.
  
  
• Gather detailed requirements. Create complete business blueprint documentation (user requirements, report layouts) to help technical teams outline detailed technical criteria and create effective data models. This also drives scope management and keeps data models static.
  
  
• Identify the right resources. A BW project requires strong BW functional, technical, Basis, source systems programming, HR business process, and project management skills. It’s also important to have an HR functional expert to help with the detailed requirements analysis and data modeling.
  
  
• Separate the BW and HR implementations. In my experience, this is a key success factor. Data modeling in BW depends heavily on finalizing the HR configuration. If you perform the two implementations in parallel, the data models for BW are a moving target, which often causes delays in BW design and build.

The next section highlights lessons to help both functional and technical teams. After each tip, I’ll provide some suggestions to make your BW project successful.

Implementation Plan

Most HR/BW implementations start without an implementation plan. The implementation teams sometimes view BW as a place to dump data. This is especially true for historical reporting needs, which are a key requirement for HR projects. The following tips will help prevent planning problems.

Clearly Define Your Scope

Without a definitive scope, teams will not know how to define data models, what HR InfoCubes to implement, and what delivery method to use for HR reports. To scope your BW for HR project, you need to create a reporting vision. Identify and document your reporting vision statement, which is similar to a mission statement. For example, “Deliver the right information to the right user at the right time to enable the right business decisions.”

Identify those whom the reporting solution affects, including audiences or reporting stakeholders. You should also outline the business benefit of implementing BW for each audience or reporting stakeholder category.

To classify the audiences/reporting stakeholders, determine the user locations and number of users at each location. Find out the type (casual vs. power) of users at each location to decide how to deliver SAP content to each user (e.g., via a portal or Business Explorer [BEx] Analyzer, which is BW’s Excel front end.) I consider casual users as information consumers whereas power users are report writers or authors.

D

evelop a Business Context

Decide five or six reporting objectives that are most crucial to the business. You can classify them by audience if you choose. Outline how BW can fulfill these objectives.

Understand HR Business Processes

Identify the significant measurable results of HR business processes. Each HR process has an input or output in the form of a report. For instance, a new hire report is an input into the on-boarding process, and similarly, a termination report is an output for the termination process in the employee life cycle. Identify how your business tools relate to the processes. You should make reporting a major focus in your implementations (especially during the business blueprint phases) and don’t consider reporting an afterthought. Also, identify triggering events for each process (e.g., turnover prompts a turnover report).

Examine BW Business Content to Document the Fit/Gap Analysis

Review available standard BW HR InfoCubes. Compare these InfoCubes, such as characteristics and key figures, to business questions and processes to determine gaps. Analyze the dimensions that contain the characteristics and key figures. Compare transformations (including any realignment requirements and language/ currency translation). Finally, evaluate infrastructure and portal technology.

Analyze Requirements in Detail

This is a key prerequisite for implementing any reporting or BW project. Once you’re familiar with your processes, prioritize your information needs and develop a roadmap. Figure 1 shows a requirements analysis template I have used on several implementations. This analysis helps drive the functional and technical specifications for each report.

Figure 1

Requirements analysis template

HR Functionality

Each functional area has its own issues and challenges. Here are some examples specific to Personnel Administration (PA).

HR master data is time-dependent data. For the most part, individual records do not overlap and do not have gaps. Remember this when loading master data. “Point-in-time” analysis is a key requirement for HR. This is important for historical conversions from legacy systems because HR reporting requires time comparisons.

Headcount (referenced from the headcount and personnel actions InfoCube) distinguishes between the number of employees and the number of positions. These figures differ because the number of positions figure takes full-time equivalents (FTEs) into account as a percentage of an employee’s capacity. Also, the two counts differ because two employees can share a position.

At the end of the month, the headcount in reports for that month comes from the last day of the month. If the month is still in progress, then the system calculates the headcount as of the previous day the report or query runs.

The staffing assignments InfoCube defines open positions. If the system displays a position as open, the vacancy infotype 1007 in Organizational Management (OM) marks that position as vacant.

Take Advantage of HR Business Content

One of the key components of the requirements analysis process is analyzing HR business content. In my previous article, I outlined the number of InfoCubes, roles, and queries by HR functional areas. Now, I’ll explain the SAP-delivered business content. I’ll outline each InfoCube in HR by application area and the InfoSources that each one uses.

This allows you to figure out what you can use out of the box and what you might need to customize.

PA

The headcount and personnel actions InfoCube (0PA_C01) contains all the transaction data about headcount and personnel actions from the source systems. The data in this InfoCube comes from the employee (0HR_PA_0) and personnel actions (0HR_PA_1) InfoSources.

The headcount InfoCube (0PAPA_C02) contains data from the BW master data 0EMPLOYEE and 0PERSON.

Recruitment (RC)

The applications and applicant actions InfoCube (0PARC_C01) contains all the data about applications and applicant actions from one or more source systems. The data in this InfoCube stems from the applicants (0HR_PA_RC_0), applications (0HR_PA_R

C_1), and applicant actions (0HR_PA_RC_2) InfoSources.

OM

The staffing assignments InfoCube (0PAOS_C01) contains all the transaction data from the source systems for staffing assignments. The staffing assignments InfoSource (0HR_PA_OS_1) provides the data in the InfoCube.

Personnel Development (PD)

The qualifications InfoCube (0PAPD_C01) contains all the transaction data from the source systems for qualifications. BW extracts the data from the qualifications InfoSource (0HR_PA_PD_1).

The appraisals InfoCube (0PAPD_C02) contains all the transaction data from the source systems for appraisals, and enables you to evaluate and analyze all appraisals that users create using the PD appraisal system. The data in the InfoCube comes from the appraisals InfoSource (0HR_PA_PD_2).

Compensation Management (PA-CM)

The adjustments InfoCube (0PACM_C02) contains all the transaction data from the source systems on employees’ compensation adjustments. The data reaches the InfoCube via the compensation adjustments InfoSource (0HR_PA_CM_1).

The awards InfoCube (0PACM_C03) contains all the transaction data from the source system about long-term incentives and awards.

The compensation analysis InfoCube (0PACM_C01) contains all the transaction data from the source system regarding employees’ compensation. The payments InfoSource (0HR_PA_CM_2) provides this data to the InfoCube.

SAP has deleted the securities data for awards InfoCube (0PACM_C04) and replaced it with the security prices ODS object (0PA_DS01).

Pension Fund (PA-PF)

Like an account, the account data InfoCube (0PAPF_C01) contains all cash-related values for a person insured with a pension fund, including contributions, interest, purchases, and saved calculated pension fund results such as capital benefits.

The calculated results InfoCube (0PAPF_C02) contains all results that the processing control interpreter for the pension fund calculates.

Personnel Cost Planning (PA-CM-CP)

The personnel cost planning InfoCube (0PACM_C05) contains all the transaction data for PA-CM-CP from the source systems. The PA-CM InfoSource (0HR_PA_CM8) transfers the data to the InfoCube.

Personnel Cost Planning and Simulation (PA-CP)

The personnel cost plans InfoCube (0PACP_C01) provides personnel cost data from personnel cost plans in relation to a cost unit (organizational unit or account assignment object) with the relevant account assignment. The InfoCube distinguishes between cost data for cost items and cost objects.

The planned personnel costs per cost object InfoCube (0PACP_C02) contains the cost data for the cost objects employee, position, job, and organizational unit for different PA-CP scenarios based on different logical databases in HR. This is regardless of the organizational structure to which the cost objects belong. The InfoCube distinguishes between cost data for different cost items. You can display the data according to calendar months or posting period.

The plan/actual comparison of personnel costs MultiProvider (0PAC_MC01) enables you to compare data from PA-CP with data from the Payroll posting. It contains planned and actual personnel cost data that relates to an organizational unit with the relevant account assignment. The system differentiates data according to cost objects and symbolic accounts. The MultiProvider uses the personnel cost plans and auditing information on postings relevant to Cost Element Accounting (CO-OM-CEL) InfoCubes.

Benefits

The benefits InfoCube (0PABN-C01) contains the employee master data and benefit plan data required to analyze employee benefits within an organization. You can use this data to evaluate benefit plan participation and control benefit costs.

Training and Event Management (PE)

The training and event management InfoCube (0PE_C01) contains all transaction data relevant to business event bookings and cancellations loaded from the connected source systems. The attendance (0HR_PE_1) and cancellation (0HR_PE_2) InfoSources provide the data in the InfoCube.

The professional training providers InfoCube (0PE_C02) contains all the transaction data relevant to business event bookings and cancellations uploaded from the source systems. The data in the InfoCube comes from the attendance (0HR_PE_1) and cancellation (0HR_PE_2) InfoSources.

The resource reservation InfoCube (0PAPD_C03) contains all the transaction data uploaded from the source systems for resources. The resource reservation InfoSource (0HR_PE_3) provides the data in the InfoCube.

Cross-Application Time Sheet (CATS)

The time sheet data approved InfoCube (0CATS_C01) contains approved data that users entered in CATS. The InfoCube 0CATS_C02 is available for time sheet data that managers have not yet approved but that users have already released for approval.

The time sheet data (released for approval) InfoCube (0CATS_C02) contains data that users enter using CATS and managers have released for approval. The 0CATS_C01 InfoCube is available for time sheet data that managers have approved. You can use this InfoCube to run reports on finished activities, such as the amount of time someone worked on a particular project.

The time sheet data (total) MultiCube (0CATS_MC1) uses the two InfoCubes above.

Personnel Time Management (PT)

The time and labor data InfoCube (0PT_C01) represents the consolidated data basis for reporting time data in the SAP BW that reflects non-cumulative values, not cumulative values such as time balances. The system differentiates online transaction processing (OLTP) time data using time types for reporting, regardless of the source of the data (such as database tables and function modules). You have to define these time types in Customizing for OLTP.

The HR time and payroll data MultiCube (0PY_MC02) enables you to compare data from PT with data from Payroll. This MultiCube uses the time and labor data and employee-specific Payroll data InfoCubes.

Payroll

The payroll data InfoCube (0PY_C02) consolidates data from the SAP HR system’s payroll results. It deals mainly with all wage type amounts from the results table RT. The data is available in the InfoCube for each wage type and for specific employees. The data source is extractor 0HR_PY_1. The time base is monthly. Using its end date, the system assigns each payroll period to exactly one month. This payroll period is the period for which the system calculated the result.

The HR MultiCube (time and payroll data) InfoCube (0PY_MC02) enables you to compare data from PT with data from Payroll. It uses the time and labor data and employee-specific payroll data InfoCubes.

The posting documents InfoCube (0PY_PP2) provides data from posted or reversed posting documents. The system creates posting documents when it posts payroll results to Financial Accounting (FI).

The auditing information for postings for personnel cost planning and simulation InfoCube (0PY_PPC01) contains employee-specific details about posting data (auditing information). SAP R/3 creates this data when it posts payroll results. The data in this InfoCube originates from the ODS object auditing information and payroll data (0PY_PP_C1). When the system transfers data from the ODS object 0PY_PP_C1, the system may only post data relevant to cost accounting, which means postings to expense accounts with a Controlling (CO) account assignment.

The auditing information for postings for position budgeting and control InfoCube (0PY_PPC02) contains employee-specific details about posting data (auditing information), which SAP R/3 creates when it posts payroll results. The data in this InfoCube originates from ODS object 0PY_PP_C1.

Strategic HR

You can use the HR benchmarks InfoCube (0PA_C03) for internal or external benchmarking. You can define your own benchmarks and use them to compare key figures internally, or you can send benchmarks to an external benchmark provider. The benchmark provider analyzes your key figures and compares them to other enterprises in terms of region and sector, and returns the results to you. Data from the headcount and personnel actions, time and labor data, and training and event management InfoCubes feed this InfoCube.