SAP Solution Manager - Benefits

Solution Manager provides many benefits for the customer. One of the benefits is more reliable IT solutions. With SAP Solution Manager, companies can minimize risk during implementation and operation. They can avoid inconsistencies in heterogeneous environments by performing cross-component consistency checks. With the SAP Solution Manager Service Desk, customers can resolve issues quickly. The result is better IT service and less down time.

The tools and content provided by SAP Solution Manager make implementation and change management projects more efficient. Companies can reduce the cost of process design, technical setup, business setup, support and operations, testing, and knowledge transfer. Centralized project handling, blueprinting, configuration, and testing ensure consistency and avoid redundancies, which reduces the cost of implementation projects in multi-component environments.

SAP Solution Manager provides a framework for consistent solution documentation and preserves documents for later use, which reduces the costs of upgrades or continuous improvement projects.

Another benefit of SAP Solution Manager is faster return on investment. SAP Solution Manager accelerates implementation and continuous improvement. It provides implementation accelerators and a library of preconfigured business processes as a starting point for projects. This means that companies don't need to begin from scratch, and can benefit from SAP’s business process experience. Content and services available through SAP Solution Manager – such as implementation road maps, best-practice documents, and SAP solution management services, – speed learning and accelerate projects.
Using Solution Manager can also reduce the cost of operation by providing a central point of control for multi-component environments. In heterogeneous environments, SAP Solution Manager facilitates technical and application integration.
Finally, Solution Manager gives the customer more leverage from their IT investments. SAP Solution Manager and integrates with IT landscapes that include both SAP and non-SAP applications. Companies can use it to reduce their total cost of ownership without making major changes to their IT environments.

SAP SOLUTION MANAGER – Overall View

 

Objective(s)

• Define "SAP Solution Manager"
• State the general purpose of SAP Solution Manager
• Identify the multiple usage scenarios of SAP Solution Manager
• List the benefits of using SAP Solution Manager

 

Solution Manager Definition

The SAP Solution Manager is the central application management platform that customers can run in their solution landscape to help them efficiently implement, operate, monitor, and support their SAP solutions.

SAP Solution Manager is thus used for both Implementation and Operational Functions.

The SAP Solution Manager provides tools, content, and a gateway to SAP that helps to:

• Optimize the management of your SAP solution

• Ensure reliability of your SAP solution

• Ensure efficient operations

• Ease implementation and upgrades

• Continuously adapt and improve your solution

Customer's System Landscape

The SAP Solution Manager is a separate, complete Web Application Server installation that is connected to all systems in your solution landscape. These various systems are called satellite systems.

In this way, SAP Solution Manager acts as the central system of your solution landscape, allowing business processes to be implemented, tested, and even monitored in an integrated manner, thus avoiding duplication of effort and information and streamlining your activities.

Why Solution Manager?

 

• Faster implementation and more efficient operation of solutions

• All available implementation and upgrade content is included

• Optimal access to all support services

• Optimal support of all operations, maintenance and improvement activities

• Faster issue resolution through collaboration with Active Global Support

Overview why Solution Manager:

There are several reasons to implement SAP Solution Manager.

First, SAP Solution Manager enables the customer to have a faster implementation of SAP solutions and helps optimize operations once implementation is complete.

Second, implementing SAP Solution Manager gives the customer access to all available implementation and upgrade content.

Third, customers have easy access to all support services that are relevant to operations, maintenance, and improvement activities. This leads to faster issue resolution through close collaboration with Active Global Support.

Solution Manager Usage Scenarios

There are many scenarios in which SAP Solution Manager can be used. Each scenario occurs in one of the three life cycle phases, implementation, operations, and optimization. This is also known as the cycle of continuous improvement.

There are six common scenarios for Solution Manager. They are:

• Implement SAP Solutions

• Monitor SAP Solutions

• Manage the Service Desk

• Link to SAP Services

• Manage Change Requests

• Upgrade SAP Solutions

Human Capital Management Processes

The Human Capital Management Processes include:

1.Recruitment
2.Hiring
3.Training and Personnel Development
4.Managing Work Time
5.Compensation and Benefits
6.Payroll Administration
7.Travel Management
8.Personnel cost planning and Reporting
9.Employee Self-Services

Recruitment Process flow:

Vacancy is created in an Organization -> Vacancy is advertised in New papers, and in various recruitment media -> Applicant apply for the vacancy -> Vacancy Requirement and Qualifications of the Applicant are matched to find the suitable fit , this process is called as Profile Matchup -> If applicant is found suitable after the Profile Matchup. Applicant is hired as an Employee. Applicant data may be transferred from Recruitment to Personnel Administration Course.
This functionality helps in avoiding duplication of Data entry process in Personnel Administration course.

Hiring an Applicant

Applicant data is transferred from Recruitment course to Personnel Administration. Data entered as Info types in Recruitment is default in the Personnel Administration course. Other Info types can be entered in the Personnel Administration after data transfer.
In integrated systems, data transfer takes place either directly in Recruitment or in Personnel Administration. You can add additional data such as information on working hours and salary at a later time in Personnel Administration.

Applying via internet

Applying via internet Employer advertises -> Applicant applies for that vacancy via internet -> Applicant enters information as per the requirement --> Filled in application hits the employer box for further processing. Applicants can either apply in response to the advertisement or unsolicited application.

Personnel Development and Qualifying Actions

Personnel Development course in SAP ERP HCM helps in maximizing employee’s potential. Suitable fit for the position is found using Profile Matchup functionality in Personnel Development Positions requirements and Person’s qualifications are stored in Profiles.
Profile Matchup results in Score determining whether the person is suitable for the positions or is there any deficiency which in turn helps in identifying the Training Needs or Development plans? Training program can be a Seminar or a course. After attending the training Employee performance is evaluated, if found suitable he or she occupies that position.

Qualifications/Requirements
Understanding Qualifications and Requirements. Requirements include List of skills, abilities and work experience required for position. Qualifications include: List of skills, abilities and experience attached to the person Profile Matchup helps to compare Requirements and Qualifications.

Training' and 'Event Management'
'Preparations in Training' and 'Event Management'. Following are the processes:
Business Event Preparation: In this phase, you can create Master data related to “Training and Event Management”. These include Business event catalog, Business event types, location, resources time schedule and so on.
Business Event catalog: comprises of Business event dates with or without resources. This helps in demand planning.
Day-To-Day Activities : After creating catalog with Business events you need to work on Day – To – Day Activities such as Booking, prebooking, replace booking, rebooking and cancellation.
Recurring Activities: Activities that occur periodically, i.e., firmly booking, locking / unlocking events, and follow up activities.

Career and Succession Planning.

Career and Succession Planning aims at, Professional Development of an Employee and looks at suitable candidates to fill in the vacant posts. Career Planning looks at identifying employee’s career goals and plan a professional development program accordingly.
Succession Planning on the other hand, works towards identifying a suitable candidate externally or internally to fill the position. In both cases, in case of any qualification deficit employees are booked for training program.

Feedback process in Performance Management.
Performance Appraisal Process in SAP ERP HCM is a continuous process. It consists of periodic feedback. Feedback is provided to an employee at each and every stage of the Appraisal Objective setting :
Similar to Appraisal, objective setting takes place once a year. During this phase Employee and his / her Manager agree on certain achievable Objectives as per the Organizational goals. Employee performance is tracked based on the objectives set. Objective can be qualitative or quantitative. Agreed upon objectives are communicated to the employees and it becomes part of his or her profile.
Objective setting helps in:
•    Identifying the competencies
•    Identifying personnel development requirement
Review Phase:
•    Reviews the relevance of the Objectives.
•    Manager provides support and coaching to achieve the objectives set.
•    Compare current performance and objectives and provides feedback.

Appraisal Phase:

•    Provide feedbacks on achievements, skills and competencies.
•    Summarize overall performance of an employee.
•    Derive actions such as Compensation adjustment, personnel development, career / succession move and so on.

Overview of Time Management.
Time spent and work performed by employees is important for Human Resources Management. SAP ERP HCM facilitates evaluating and recording time spent by the employees. Information on Time Management is sent to Payroll for calculation of wages.

Following are the options that are available for recording Time:

•    Employee Self Service.
•    Time Manager’s Workplace (TMW).
•    Time Recording Terminals.
•    Time Administrators.

Evaluating Working Time.

•    SAP Time Management functionality allows you to query on, and display working times flexibly.
•    Time accounts (such as leave, flextime) can be managed manually or automatically.

Information from Time Management are used for the following:

•    Wage calculation (Leave, number of hours worked, overtime, and so on).
•    Shift Planning.
•    Working times can be used for activity allocation in Controlling.
•    Used in Logistics to determine Employee’s Availability.

Positions

Positions

Positions are occupied by persons. They are the individual employee assignments in the organization. When a job is attached to a function or a department it becomes a position. For example, Manager HR, Sales Manager.

Following are the features of the positions:

*Positions are enterprise specific.

*Numbers of positions are based on the same job. For example, Manager HR, Manager Marketing, Manager Finance and so on.

*As a rule each position is occupied by one employee. But it is possible for a position to have more than one employee.

Position inherits a job’s tasks. Additional tasks can also be defined. Positions can be 100% filled, partially filled, or vacant. Single positions can be shared by employees i.e., two employees can hold 60 % and 40% responsibilities. Shared service in an organization can be quoted as an example for 40 and 60% responsibility sharing.

Organizational Structure

Organizational Plan helps in depicting the Organizational Structures and hierarchy requirements in an organization. It also gives a clear picture of the personnel environment in an enterprise. It depicts the hierarchy that exists between the organizational units and its relationship.

It clearly shows the individual position and its reporting structure. Organizational Plan facilitates mapping the chain of command existing in the organization.

PAYROLL Areas

PAYROLL Areas

SAP ERP system uses Payroll Areas to group employees for whom payroll should be run together, and at the same time. You can perform payroll separately for different employee groups, using different payroll areas. Which payroll area the employee belongs to depends on his or her organizational assignment. Employees who belong to different company codes can, for example, be grouped in the same payroll area.

SAP recommends that you use few Payroll areas as possible. For example, an organization may pay employees on 28th of the current period and another at the beginning of the subsequent month so at least two payroll areas must be created.

When you run payroll, you must specify the payroll area in the payroll driver selection screen. The Payroll Area has the following functions:

* Determines the exact Payroll Period.

* Select the personnel numbers grouped under the Payroll Area.

TERP31 SAP ERP: Introduction into Processes in Human Capital Management

Started Studying  Introduction into Processes in Human Capital Management 

SAP Report Navigation

SAP Report Navigation

1. Define:     List Report ,  Analysis Report , Report navigation using Selection criteria

1. What is a report variant?
2. How you can create a report variant?
3. How you can retrieve a report variant?
4. How you can download a report to the PC?

Question and answer about PID

What is a PID?

In F1 field-specific help, there is a tab for Technical Information. This tab contains a field’s parameter identifier or PID. Once you have the PID, you can assign a default value to a field.

How can you assign a PID to a user profile?

Follow the menu path System → User profile → Own data to access the Maintain User Profile screen and choose the Parameters tab.

Enter the PID for the field in a blank Parameters field and then enter the value (for example “2006”) in the corresponding Value field.

Save the changes. The new default value will take effect only after you log off and log on again to SAP.

Result: Once the PID is assigned to your user profile, its field will be filled in with the data you assigned whenever you use a transaction that includes that field.

A Caution Regarding PIDs

A Caution Regarding PIDs

The data entered as a default value for the Fiscal year PID will remain assigned until you goes back to change it. This is true for all PIDs you assign to your user profile.

For example, If you have entered entered GJR PID as 2009 for the fiscal year 2010 & if you does not return to update the value for the GJR PID when the year changes to 2011, your Fiscal year field will still populate automatically in all transactions – but with the incorrect year!

Studying about PID

In F1 field-specific help, there is an icon for Technical Info . This tab contains the field’s parameter identifier or PID, along with other technical information. A field can be filled with proposed values from SAP memory using a parameter ID.

Once you know a field’s PID, you can assign a default value to automatically populate that field whenever it appears in a transaction. This change is made for your user profile only – it does not change the field’s value for other users.

Advanced Navigation in SAP HCM

Using Slash Commands


If you were to enter a transaction code by itself in the Command field on any screen other than the Easy Access screen, you would not be able to launch that transaction.

However, if you enter a "/" along with the appropriate command and transaction code you can launch transactions from other transaction screens. This is helpful because you can go directly from one transaction to another without having to return to the Easy Access screen.

"/n" and "/o" are examples of slash commands.

You can either:

    * End a session and go directly to another transaction in a new session using /n
    * Start another transaction in an additional session in one step using /o


      Slash Commands Without Transaction Codes


      Using a slash command without indicating a transaction code in the Command field has additional functions.
    * Entering "/o" in the Command field and clicking Enter will show an overview of the sessions you currently have open.
    * Entering "/n" in the Command field and clicking Enter will end the current transaction and start a new session that will open with the Easy Access Screen.

 Questions :

   1. How do you display the transaction codes on the tree structure?
   2. Where do you enter transaction codes?
   3. What are slash commands and how do they work?

Completed Help Functions and Personalizing SAP

 What i have studied in this topic?

What is the purpose of F1 field-specific help?
How do I access F1 help?
What is the purpose of F4 field-specific help?
How do I access F4 help?
What is a wildcard search?
How do I perform a wildcard search?


What is a Favorite?
How do I create a Favorite?
How do I delete a Favorite?


What Options settings are available in SAP?
How can you modify the Options settings in SAP?

Getting Started in SAP

Completed first topic.

How do you log on to the SAP System?
How do you change your password?
How do you log off from SAP?
What are the key components of a standard SAP screen?
What are the main navigation icons of the standard SAP screen?
What are the components of the SAP Tree structure?
How do you navigate within the SAP Tree structure?
What are the different types of fields on an SAP screen?
How do you create multiple sessions in SAP?

Planned to Study SAP HCM thoroughly

With the guidance of Sandeep I have started studying SAP HCM thoroughly before taking the Certification.

ImportantTransaction Codes - HCM

•    Master Data 

PA10 - Personnel file
PA20 - Display HR Master Data
PA30 - Maintain HR Master Data
PA40 - Personnel Events
PA41 - Change Hiring Data
PA42 - Fast Data Entry for Events
PRMD - Maintain HR Master Data
PRMF - Travel Expenses : Feature TRVFD
PRML - Set Country Grouping via Popup
PRMM - Personnel Events
PRMO - Travel Expenses : Feature TRVCO
PRMP - Travel Expenses : Feature TRVPA
PRMS - Display HR Master Data
PRMT - Update Match code
PS03 - Info type Overview
PS04 - Individual Maintenance of Info types

•    Time Management  

PA51 - Display Time Data
PA53 - Display Time Data
PA61 - Maintain Time Data
PA62 - List Entry of Additional Data
PA63 - Maintain Time Data
PA64 - Calendar Entry
PA70 - Fast Data Entry
PA71 - Fast Entry of Time Data
PBAB - Maintain Vacancy  assignments
PT01 - Create Work Schedule
PT02 - Change Work Schedule
PT03 - Display Work Schedule

•    Payroll 

PC00 - Run Payroll
PC10 - Payroll menu USA
PE00 - Starts Transactions PE01 PE02 PE03
PE01 - Schemas
PE02 - Calculation Rules
PE03 - Features
PE04 - Create functions and Operations
PE51 - HR form editor
PRCA - Payroll Calendar
PRCT - Current Settings
PRCU - Printing checks USA
PRD1 - Create DME
SM31 - Maintain Table
SM12 - Locked Secessions
TSTC - Table Look up
SPRO - IMG
SE16 - Data Browser (Table Reports)
PP03 - PD Tables
PPOM - Change Org Unit
PO13 - Maintain Positions
PO03 - Maintain Jobs

•    Benefits

PA85 - Benefits - Call RPLBEN11
PA86 - Benefits - Call RPLBEN07
PA87 - Benefits - Call RPLBEN09
PA89 - COBRA Administration
PA90 - Benefits Enrollment
PA91 - Benefits - Forms
PA92 - Benefits Tables - Maintain
PA93 - Benefits Tables - Display
PA94 - Benefits - Access Reporting Tree
PA95 - Benefits IMG - Jump to Views
PA96 - Benefits reporting
PA97 - Salary Administration - Matrix
PA98 - Salary Administration
PA99 - Compensation Admin - rel. Changes
PACP - HR-CH : Pension fund, interface

•    General Reporting 

PM00 - Menu for HR Reports
PM01 - Dialogs in HR - Create Custom info types
PRFO - Standard Form
PSVT - Dynamic Tools Menu
PAR1 - Flexible Employee Data
PAR2 - Employee List

•    Organizational Management 

PPOM - Change org Unit
PO03 - Maintain Jobs
P013 - Maintain Position
PO10 - Maintain Organizational Unit
PP01 - Maintain Plan Data (menu-guided)
PP02 - Maintain Plan Data (Open)
PP03 - Maintain Plan Data (Event-guided)
PP05 - Number Ranges
PP06 - Number Ranges Maintenance HR Data
PP07 - Tasks/Descriptions
PP69 - Choose Text for Organizational Unit
PP90 - Setup Organization
PP01 - Change Cost Center Assignment
PP02 - Display Cost Center Assignment
PP03 - Change Reporting Structure
PP04 - Display Reporting Structure
PP05 - Change Object indicators (O/S)
PP06 - Change Object indicators OS
PPOA - Display Menu Interface (with dyn.)
PPOC - Create Organizational Unit
PPOM - Maintain Organizational Plan
PPOS - Display Organizational Plan
PQ01 - Events for Work Center
PQ02 - Events for Training Program
PQ03 - Events for Job
PQ04 - Events for Business Event Type
PQ06 - Local Events
PQ07 - Resource Events
PQ08 - Events for External Person
PQ09 - Events for Business Event Group
PQ10 - Events for Organizational Unit
PQ11 - Events for Qualification
PQ12 - Resource Type Events
PQ13 - Events for Position
PQ14 - Events for Task
PQ15 - Events for Company
PSO5 - PD : Administration Tool
PSOA - Work Center Reporting
PSOC - Job Reporting
PSOG - Org Mgmt General Reporting
PSO1 - Tools Integration PA-PD
PSOO - Organizational Unit Reporting
PSOS - Position Reporting
PSOT - Task Reporting

•    Recruitment

PB10 - Initial Entry of applicant master data
PB20 - Display applicant master data
PB30 - Maintain applicant master data
PB40 - Applicant events
PB50 - Display applicant actions
PB60 - Maintain Applicant Actions
PB80 - Evaluate Vacancies
PBA0 - Evaluate Advertisements
PBA1 - Applicant Index
PBA2 - List of applications
PBA3 - Applicant vacancy assignment list
PBA4 - Receipt of application

Cartification question - answered

Different types of certifications

1.  Associate Certification Requires fundamental knowledge of SAP solutions and the successful acquisition on of broad proficiency.

2.  Professional Certification Requires proven project experience,business process knowledge and a more detailed understanding of SAP solutions.

3.  Master Level Certification Requires demonstration expertise regarding specific aspects of SAP software functionality and technology,as well asthe ability to drive innovation and solution optimization that meet an organization's technical and business requirements.

SAP HCM Question paper

1. Model Question Paper - SAP HCM -1