Replicating Time Data from Employee Central to ECP: An Overview

Since point-to-point (PTP) replication was released as the integration-of-choice for moving data from SuccessFactors Employee Central to Employee Central Payroll, the primary focus of customers and integrators has been on replicating employee master data. For more information about master data replication for employees you can read my previous blog posts. A different part to PTP Replication which I haven’t yet addressed is time replication including employee absence as well as employees’ working hours.

Time replication shares some configurations with replication of employee master data However, it utilizes Employer Central’s OData API, not the SFAPI Compound Employee, and is a separate application (two distinct programs technically).

This blog I’m hoping to provide a basic outline the basics of PTP Time Replication, how to set it up and a few items to keep an eye on.

Two Types of Employee Time Replication

There are two distinct kinds of time replication that are covered through PTP replicating from EC from ECP. Both types of replication work the same way from a design perspective. But they are two distinct ABAP reports that function entirely independently of each other. Your business’s specific needs will determine if you’ll need both of these reports be scheduled or just one.

1. employee working time replication to IT2010 The replication transmits all the authorized employee working hours that is recorded in the ECP Time Sheet. ECP. It generates records that match the Wage Type that you want to use in Infotype 2010.
2. employee absence replication to IT2001This replication only sends authorized absences of employees to ECP. It also creates the appropriate entries within Infotype 2001.

This blog will cover both scenarios, because they function very similarly and are frequently employed together.

High Level Architecture

I put together this diagram to give the high-level overview of the replication structure. Hey, it’s PowerPoint. Be gentle…

In the grand scheme of things the replication is based on MDF objects that are stored in Employee Central, which are referred to as DataReplicationProxy objects. When a timesheet has been approved by EC, EC generates a DataReplicationProxy object each day they were working (or were absent, in the case of absent replication). The MDF object has the status field that is typically “IN SYNC”, “OUT OF SYNC” as well as “DELETED”. These MDF objects operate completely in the background however they are able to be exported through Import / Export Data and seen through Manage Data. They are used to keep the time data up-to-date with external systems, such as Employee Central Payroll.

As you can see that over time, there will result in a large number of DataReplicationProxy objects. Fortunately, you don’t have to manage these objects manually. All of it is handled in the back-end of Employee Central. When you submit the timesheet it’ll re-create the data, and duplicate the previous record in the Employee Central Payroll.

As the DataReplicationProxy objects are in both the EC part, the sole task for ECP to complete is pull them frequently, match these records to the correct wages, then then update the infotype data. This is accomplished by two distinct ABAP programs that are part of ECP.

In addition to obtaining the time data from SuccessFactors and synchronizing the infotype tables These programs also send a confirmation email back at Employee Central informing them about the progress of replication. This permits Employee Central to modify its status for the DataReplicationProxy object to ensure that it will not replicate, and will display the result within the Data Replication Monitor.

Initial Set Up of Time Replication

Once you have a general overview and a high level overview, you can conduct an easy set-up to get your replication up and running.

The first step – Check that you have installed the PTP connection between EC into ECP. If you already use PTP replication to store employee data the steps are completed. If not, follow the instructions here: https://blogs.sap.com/2018/05/23/getting-started-setting-up-ptp-replication-to-employee-central-payroll/

Below are the basic steps needed to setup the time-replication process from EC for ECP.

1. Develop Data Replication Configuration object(s) in Central. Employee Central

In Employee Central, there is an MDF object called DataReplicationConfiguration that is used to configure the creation of future DataReplicationProxy objects. To configure it you must follow the steps below:

A. In Employee Central, go to Manage Data.

B. You now need to create an Data Replication Configuration object for Time Pay Component and/or employee absence replication. Be aware that if you’re copying both data to ECP it is necessary to create two data replication configuration objects which is why you should repeat the process twice.

On the right side of Create New to the top right, click Data Replication. Configuration.

• • External Code: Can be any unique name, such as TimePayReplicationConfig or AbsenceReplicationConfig for example.
  • Replication Target System: The Replication Target System linked to your ECP system, as described during the setup of the prerequisite connection.
  • Replication Content Type:Time Pay Components OR Employee Absence Data
  • The earliest selection date: Put the “Go Live Date” or the the date that is the earliest effective when you would like time data replicated across EC to ECP