Companies that use SAP Learning Solution (LSO), and especially the Test Author that is part of the SAP Authoring Environment (LSO-AE), may find that the user test user interface (UI) does not meet their requirements. For example, only five types of questions offered affect their use of the functionality. Many opt to use third-party testing tools with a more comprehensive UI or a larger selection of question types, including drag-and-drop questions and answers or hot spots questions.

By using the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM)-authored tests, users may resolve these problems, but what about the training administrator? No SAP standard reports tell you how the learners performed. For more information on reports, see the sidebar, “SAP Standard Testing Reports.”

Based on my experience, I’ll show you how to retrieve this information, by finding where the system stores the test scores, and then how to link the test score to the learner. This article applies to LSO 2.00, LSO 3.00, and LSO 6.00, which is part of R/3 4.7, mySAP ERP 2004, and SAP ERP 6.0. To learn about the future of LSO, refer to the sidebar, “Outlook for LSO 6.00 Enhancement Pack 2.0.”

Find Where the System Stores the Scores

To produce a SCORM-compliant content, the development cycle starts with the selection of an authoring tool that is equipped to output your content as SCORM compliant. Once your course author is aware of what LSO supports, he or she may then configure the tests or quizzes to send the appropriate information to the LSO tables. Each vendor’s authoring tool may have different nomenclatures that map to specific SCORM elements. This article does not provide information on which attribute exactly matches the SCORM elements that SAP’s LSO supports. However, here are some important key terms:

• Score. Usually refers to the final score for the learning object or sharable content object (SCO), which can be a test. This usually maps to the cmi.core.score.raw element.
  
  
• Lesson status. This is the status of the learning object or SCO when exited by the learner. This usually maps to cmi.core.lesson_status and is set to one of the following values:
  • Passed or failed
  • Completed or incomplete

Figure 1 shows one example of a third-party quiz’s attributes. Once the authoring is completed and saved as a SCORM-compliant course, it can then be passed on to the SAP LSO-AE where the author can perform the conversion, importing, and publishing steps.

Figure 1

Example of quiz attributes

From the Learning Portal, a learner books the course and launches the content. The test appears in the Content Player as designed by the author (Figure 2). After the learner has taken the test or quiz, the Content Player submits the results to the LSO tables in the back-end system.

Figure 2

Example of test/quiz

The main table in LSO Training Management (LSO-TM) to record SCORM information is LSOLEARNSCORM_C (Table 1). This table stores all SCORM data except suspend data (the cmi.suspend _data element). The system’s data could have information about what happens to the content when it is interrupted (such as, suspend or resume), which the system stores in table LSOLEARNELUSUS_C.

LSO has a set of remote function call (RFC) services that read and write participation-related SCORM data. These services are part of the learning account in function group LSO_IF_LEARNERACCOUNT_C.

The function module LSO_LA_SAVE_SCORMDATA_C is used to save SCORM 1.2 data, whereas function module LSO_LA_GET_SCORMDATA_C reads SCORM 1.2 data. These function modules only read participation-related SCORM data of single ELUs (e.g., learning object or SCO). A participation is defined as when a learner is booked on an e-learning course. Though a relationship (e.g., A/B614) between the course and the learner is created within the HRP1001 table, another relationship type (also known as a participation document number) is created in the LSO tables. This participation document number resides in a field called TPARTDOC, which is found in many LSO tables.

The function module LSO_LA_GET_SCORM_TPART is used to read mass SCORM 1.2 data. This function module reads all SCORM data related to participation represented by its TPARTDOCNO.

For example, say that I received a score of 83 on my test. To view the results of that test, you can use transaction SE16 to view the data stored in table LSOLEARNSCORM_C. The field TRAWSCORE contains the score achieved on the test or quiz, which you can see in Figure 3.

Figure 3

See the test score in table LSOLEARNSCORM_C

Now that you know where the system stores the information, you’ll notice that the result is stored on the eighth line against a field called TPARTDOC (participation document) and another field called ELU (learning object).

First, look at the learning object and where the ELU comes from. After the author has converted and imported the content into the LSO-AE, the system creates files with the extension .ide. In this example, there are eight .html pages, circled in Figure 4. The system creates the same number of .ide files, which you can see circled below the .html pages.

Figure 4

Where to find the ELU in your content

You can see that the eighth and last .html file entitled selling_200_quiz- e.html is the page that contains the test. If you open the eighth sco88.ide file using Notepad or another text editor, you find that the system has assigned unique identifier 1B6C3B06E39069B9 to that object. This is the same identifier found in the LSOLEARNSCORM_C table in the ELU field.

Now that you have located the quiz in the table LSOLEARNSCORM_C, the next task is to associate its result with a learner.

Participation Document

The system documents every time-independent course participation with a document number it selects from a predefined number range interval. The participation document number (field TPARTDOC) is unique to the participation, so a learner may have several participation document numbers attached to his or her personnel ID (if an employee) or user ID (if not an employee).

The system writes the participation document number to many of the LSO tables, not only to the SCORM tables. You have two options to retrieve the learner’s identity.

Option A

To relate this participation document number back to a learner, you need to consult several tables and go through the procedure in Figure 5:

1. Using transaction SE16 and starting with the LSOLEARNSCORM_C table, copy the entry in the TPARTDOC field and paste it into the same field in table HRPAD614 and execute.
   
   
2. Copy the result shown in the ADATANR field and paste it into the same field in table HRP1001 and execute. The system returns two entries: One for OTYPE P and OTYPE ET.
   
   
3. The entry for OTYPE P returns an object ID number (OBJID) that is the personnel number (PERNR) of the learner.
   
   
4. Copy the entry in OBJID for object P and paste it into the PERNR field in table PA0002.

Figure 5

Option A: How to relate TPARTDOC using OBJID with P and relationship 614

Option B

Another option is to look directly at the UNAME field and copy the result of that field into the table PA0105 (Figure 6). Then take the result from the PERNR field to copy it into table PA0002. This requires an extra table lookup but may require less programming logic to convert OBJID (i.e., no “if OTYPE = P and RELAT = 614” and) if you plan to create a report. You could also look directly at the UNAME field in table HRP1001 and copy the result of that field into table PA0105.

Figure 6

Option B: How to relate TPARTDOC using UNAME

Regardless of which option you use, you need the ELU ID from the course author/owner as one of your input parameters so you can create a report that returns how learners have fared on a SCORM-compliant test. Secondly, the programming logic needs to incorporate the steps mentioned earlier for the report to print out the names of the learner. If you require your report to have the from and to dates as well as the ID of the e-learning course, you would also probably incorporate other fields from table HRP1001, such as BEGDA and ENDDA, and the OBJID of object type ET. To obtain the name of the e- learning object, you need to consult table HRP1000.

Danielle Morrison

Danielle Morrison is senior consultant with Innovapost in Ottawa, Canada with six and a half years of SAP HCM experience while employed with SAP Canada and Innovapost. Specializing in SAP Learning Solution (LSO), she has engaged in several international LSO projects in Canada, the US, Germany, and Australia. Danielle was a ramp-up multiplier for LSO, has instructed LSO classes to customers and consultants, presented workshops, and helped draft several functional specifications for product enhancements as well as testing them for SAP development groups in Germany.

You may contact the author at danielle.morrison@innovapost.com.

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