Learn about SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central with the Comprehensive Guide!
December 29th 2015 sees the release of the anticipated SAP PRESS title SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central: The Comprehensive Guide. The title is authored by two experienced Certified Professional’s in Employee Central – Rebecca Murray and myself – and the original Employee Central product manager at SAP SuccessFactors for over 5 years: Murali Mazhavanchery. The forward is written by the VP of Product Management for Employee Central at SAP SuccessFactors, Thomas Otter.
Let’s look into what’s covered in the book. But first… what’s it all about?
Overview
The 590-page book is designed for customers and consultants who want to understand the background, implementation, features and functionality, integration, and context of Employee Central. Additionally, it provides tips, tricks, and expert advice not found elsewhere. The book does not aim to reproduce implementation guides found on the Online SAP Help or SAP Service Marketplace websites. Although configuration is included, it does not aim to reproduce configuration found in these guides.
My one wish would’ve been to have closer to 1,000 pages so we could’ve made this the ultimate and complete guide to Employee Central, but there are only so many pages that you can realistically put into a book.
Chapter breakdown
After the foreword, introduction, and overview the book is split into three parts:
- PART I: Foundation
- PART II: Features and Functionality
- PART III: Integrating Employee Central with Other Systems
PART I: Foundation sets up the groundwork for understanding Employee Central and contains the following chapters:
- Employee Central Basics: covers logic object model, data models, deployment models, and various overviews of the basics of Employee Central
- Implementation Steps and Considerations: covers all you need to know when planning and executing an implementation of Employee Central
- Role-Based Permissions: a look at managing permissions in an Employee Central context
- Events and Workflows: what events and event reasons are and how workflows are an integral part of the system
- Extensibility: a look at how the Metadata Framework, Rules Engine, and SAP HANA Cloud Platform can be used to extend Employee Central functionality
- Foundation Objects: a deep-dive into the foundational objects that are used in employee master data
- Data Imports and Data Migration: a look at how data imports and data migration work, including significant tips and know-how to completing data import templates
PART II: Features and Functionality covers the various different features and functions that are provided in Employee Central and contains the following chapters:
- Position Management: a look at how Position Management can be used for solid organizational management:
- Employee Data: this covers everything you need to know about managing employees
- Employee Time, Absences, and Benefits: the real deal on time management and global benefits
- Global Assignments: how to manage expatriates and other employees on global assignment
- Contingent Workforce Management: the new Contingent Workforce Management feature used to manage contractors, temps, contingent workers, and more without the need for SAP Fieldglass
- Mass Changes: how to use the Mass Changes feature to make mass job updates
- Advances and Deductions: this covers both the Advances and Deductions features that can be used to provide employees with advances against their salary and setup deductions to recover these advances or other payments, such as benefits
- Employee Central Payroll: an overview of how Employee Central manages payroll
- Other Features and Functionality: A catch all for functionality such as Pay Scale Structure, Concurrent Employment, Document Generation, Alternative Cost Distribution, and Pensions Payouts
- Reporting: how to perform reporting on Employee Central data using ad-hoc reporting, Employee Central Advanced Reporting, and Online Report Designer
- Mobile: the mobile capabilities offered via SuccessFactors Mobile
PART III: Integrating Employee Central with Other Systems covers integration between Employee Central and other applications (including SAP ERP), as well as the various technologies and APIs offered.
How current is the book?
Writing any book on software that has four releases per year is tough. However, having an insight into the future releases and roadmap has helped parts of the book to be future-proofed for the foreseeable future. The book covers all releases up to and including the Q4 2015 release (b1511). In some cases, the book has been written to cover both current and future capabilities.
How can I get the book?
The book is available from SAP PRESS via the URL https://www.sap-press.com/successfactors-employee-central_3834/ and on Amazon via the URL http://www.amazon.com/SuccessFactors-Employee-Central-Comprehensive-Guide/dp/1493212184.
Where can I stay up to date on SAP SuccessFactors, including Employee Central?
I recommend the SuccessFactors and SAP LinkedIn group, as well as the SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central LinkedIn group.
great, looking forward to my copy 🙂
Great !!!!
Hi
I just got my copy and it looks great.
1 first question - You mentioned that there is standard integration to ADP - where can I find documentation on it (is it the standard 3rd party payroll template)?
Doron
Hi Doron,
Does it not contain a link to the integration handbook in the book?
Best regards,
Luke
Hi Luke
Thanks for the fast reply.
It seems I missed something but in chapter 19.3.3 it says that ADP GlobalView works through EC payroll and I couldn't find it in any handbook.
Regards
Doron
very curios you mentioned 1000 pages. what was left. big topic or more detail on topic in book
We would've liked to add even more detail, but the detail we omitted is available elsewhere. It just would've been nice to have it all in one single place.
Dear Luke
I would like to raise a ticket for provision sysem demo access from where can do it could you please steer me on this
Thanks
Giri
Hi Giri,
Your post doesn't seem related to this blog, so please create a discussion in SAP ERP Human Capital Management (SAP ERP HCM).
Best regards,
Luke
Hi Luke,
Great stuff! I picked up a copy and that has been my main reading material for the last few weeks. Very well written and super helpful to have so you can go back and reference things. Definitely worth the purchase for anyone that is working on Employee Central - even if you have experience with the product.
Regards,
Imran
Thanks Imran! That's great feedback and good validation of our approach 😆
This is incredible post. You can go ahead with learning SuccessFactors with my given post
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Hi Luke,
I want to buy it but not sure here you only described conceptual things or configuration as well.
As I want to learn Configuration of EC, how many and what kind of docs we prepare here in EC. I need to implement it and in learning phase.
If config part is also there, I would love to buy it as I am looking for it only.
I will be helpful if you reply on this.
Hi Geeta,
I can recommend the book, it has really very valuable information both from conceptual and configuration prespective and also the refrences to the document where you can find the latest information if needed.
Best regards,
Naresh
Hi Luke,
at the moment success factor has only one outbound interface to Microsoft active directory, correct?
In my company we need an inbound interface to create some user information like the email address etc.
This information we got at the moment (in the case On-Premise) from an external system and transfer this to our hcm system.
It is also possible with success factor?
We discuss over a sap pi sftp solution.
What is your opinion for this topic?
Best regards,
Stefan
Hi Stefan,
It is possible to call ODATA API or import functionality to write the data back such as E-Mail, fax etc. I suppose that you are referring to Employee central here.
Thanks,
Naresh