Infotypes

Definition

Infotypes are units of information in the Human Resource Management System.

Use

Recording employee data for administrative, time recording and payroll purposes is the most important aim of master data administration in the HR system. In the R/3 System, the information units used to enter master data are called infotypes.

Infotypes are used to group related data fields together. Infotypes give structure to information, facilitate data entry, and enable you to store data for specific periods.

Structure

Infotypes are characterized by the following:

• Infotype structure
• Data entry
• Time dependent storage of infotype data

Infotype Structure

To the user, infotypes appear as data entry screens. They contain whole series of information (e.g. last name, first name, date of birth) that you enter in data fields. Data fields concerning the same or similar subject matter are combined into data groups or information units.

In database terms, infotypes represent a data structure or set of related data records. When you update an infotype, old data is not lost but is instead stored in the system for historical evaluation purposes.

Data Entry

You enter data in accordance with the following principles:

• Your entries are automatically checked for accuracy and against table entries.
• Predefined default values help you to enter and maintain data.
• Checks and default values depend on the relevant employee’s organizational assignment. The organizational assignment determines the relevant information used from time recording, wage type and pay scale structure.

Time-Dependent Storage of Infotype Data

When you update an infotype, the old data is not lost. Instead, it is retained so that past data can be evaluated. When you update an employee’s personal data, the old data is automatically time-delimited. The system creates a validity period for each infotype record. As a result, each employee infotype has several data records, which differ from each other by their validity periods.

You must also define how the various data records of one infotype interact with each other with respect to their validity periods. This time-based reaction is determined by the infotype Time Constraint.

You can assign authorizations on an infotype basis.

Infosubtypes

Definition

Subunits of an infotype.

Structure

Subtypes are used to subdivide infotype records. They subdivide infotype data by subject matter, which makes it easier for you to access and manage information or to assign different control features (such as time constraints) to different subtypes. You can also create separate histories for each subtype.

You create the following address types in infotype Addresses (0006):

• Permanent residence (subtype 1)
• Temporary residence (subtype 2)
• Home address (subtype 3)

Because different addresses may be current at the same time, you must choose time constraint 3 for infotype Addresses (0006). However, because a record of permanent residence must always exist, time constraint 1 must be used for this subtype. A home address, on the other hand, is not absolutely essential and can only exist once at any one time, so time constraint 2 is appropriate.

Because the relevant entry screens and check logics are identical irrespective of address type, there is no point creating one infotype per address type.

Subtypes enable you to take account of the various time characteristics of different infotypes. You specify a time constraint for each subtype, irrespective of the other subtypes.

Other examples of infotypes with subtypes are: Recurring Payments and Deductions and Additional Payments.

Integration

Subtypes do not represent a level below infotypes. Instead, infotypes are divided into subtypes, each of which represents a different category of infotype with its own time characteristics.

The entry screens of individual subtypes may differ one from the other.

You can assign authorizations on a subtype basis.

Object Identification

Definition

Object identification distinguishes between data records that have the same infotype, subtype, lock indicator, and validity begin and end dates.

Structure

The object identification (object ID) splits subtypes into individual objects. You can create a separate history for each object. The object ID automatically inherits the time constraint assigned to the subtype.

Infotype Family/Relative (0021) is divided into the following subtypes:

• Spouse (Subtype 1)
• Child (Subtype 2)
• Legal Guardian (Subtype 3)

Time constraint 2 is assigned to the individual subtypes so that you can generate an independent history for each subtype.

However, if you need to enter data on more than one child, you must assign time constraint 3 to the subtype because the data records of the various children will overlap. Introducing an object ID allows you to generate one history per child. The object ID is stored in the infotype as the Child number.

Infotype Loans (0045) is another example of an infotype with an object ID.

Infotype Groups

Definition

An infotype group, or info group, is a sequence of related infotypes that are displayed one after the other for maintenance purposes when a personnel action is performed.

Use

The infogroup guarantees that during the personnel action, all information needed for the business processes is stored.

Structure

An infogroup exists in the standard system for every personnel action type in the Personnel Actions section.

In Customizing for Personnel Administration, you can modify the relationship between individual infogroups and define the infogroups as user-dependent.

Integration

The infogroup is processed when Running a Personnel Action.

See also:

Scrolling Through an Infotype Group

Changing an Infotype Group Temporarily

Personnel Administration Infotypes

This section provides you with an overview of the infotypes in Personnel Administration.

They are divided into the following groups:

Personal Data (International)

Personnel Actions (International)

Organizational Data (International)

Contractual and Corporate Agreements (International)

Payroll Data (International)

Reporting Bases (International)

Employee Qualifications (International)

Communication (International)

Authorization Management (International)

Personal Data International

This group includes the following infotypes:

Addresses (Infotype 0006)

Bank Details (Infotype 0009)

Challenge (Infotype 0004)

Personal Data (Infotype 0002)

Family/Related Person (Infotype 0021)

Internal Medical Service (Infotype 0028)

Addresses Infotype 0006

In the infotype Addresses (0006), you store the address data of an employee/applicant. The employee’s address is often used in conjunction with the employee’s/applicant’s name, taken from the infotype Personal Data (0002), for employee lists of different kinds, for forms, or for address labels.

The standard system contains the following address types:

• Subtype 1: Permanent residence
• Subtype 2: Temporary residence
• Subtype 3: Home address
• Subtype 4: Emergency address
• Subtype 5: Mailing address
• Subtype 6: Nursing address

Foreign Addresses

There are many different entry screens for the individual country versions for the infotype Addresses (0006). When you create an address, the system will choose the country screen that corresponds to the country of the personnel area to which the employee/applicant is assigned in the Organizational Assignment infotype (0001).

If you want to choose a country screen to enter an address for your employee/applicant other than the country screen suggested by the system, then do this by using the Foreign Address function. You will find this function on the entry screen of infotype Addresses (0006) when you are creating an address.

Country-Specific Features

• Mexico:
Basic Pay (Infotype 0008)

Bank Details infotype 0009

In the Bank Details infotype (0009), you enter the payee for the net pay or the travel expenses from the payroll and the bank details. When you create a new data record, the employee’s/applicant’s name will be taken from the Personal Data infotype (0002) for the payee’s name. The postal code and/or the city will be taken from the Addresses infotype (0006). However, the payee and the employee/applicant do not have to be identical.

The standard system contains the following bank detail types:

• Subtype 0: Main bank
• Subtype 1: Other bank
• Subtype 2: Trip expenses

When you enter the other bank details or the travel expenses, the fields Standard value and Standard percentage also appear. You must enter either an amount or a percentage for the other bank details.

Country-Specific Features

• Argentina:
Bank Details Infotype (0009): Country Specific Features Argentina
• Netherlands:
Bank Details Infotype (0009): Country Specific Features: Netherlands
• South Africa:
Bank Details (infotype 0009): Country Specific Features SA
• Venezuela:
Bank Details Infotype (0009): Country Specific Features: Venezuela

Challenge infotype 0004

The data contained in the infotype Challenge (0004) is used in order to be able to fulfill the legal obligations with regards to the contributions for severely challenged persons.

Challenge Data

If the history for the infotype Challenge (0004) is to agree with the history contained on the ID card for severely challenged persons, then we recommend that you delimit the infotype in accordance with the data on the ID card.

The date in the field ID end date is used to create the severely challenged directory . The infotype record end date is used to display a list of severely challenged persons who receive payments.

In order for the system to accept the entry of additional vacation for severely challenged persons’, a challenged level of at least 50% must exist in the Challenge (0004) infotype.

If a person loses his/her severely challenged status, it is legally possible to include this person in the list for severely challenged persons three months after the ID has expired.

To do this, delimit the infotype record using a date that is three months after the ID card’s expiration date.

Issuing Authority

This set of data contains information on the authorities that issue the challenge certificates.

Second Issuing Authority

If a second issuing authority has also issued a challenge certificate for the person concerned, then you can also store details on the second issuing authority in this infotype. Make entries in the same fields for this issuing authority as for the first issuing authority.

Personal Data infotype 0002

The Personal Data (0002) infotype stores data for identifying an employee/applicant.

The Personal Data (0002) infotype has the time constraint 1, which means that an infotype data record must exist in the system at all times as of the date on which the employee is active in the company.

The validity start for the first record of the infotype Personal Data (0002) is determined from the employee’s/applicant’s date of birth.

Marital Status/Religion

Because the individual family members do not have to be recorded in the system, a check is not run to see whether the number of children entered in the infotype Family/Related Person (0021) corresponds with the number of children entered in the field No. children in the infotype Personal Data (0002).

Country-Specific Features

• Great Britain:
Personal Data (Infotype 0002): National Features Great Britain
• Ireland:
Personal Data (Infotype 0002): National Features Ireland
• Argentina:
Personal Data (Infotype 0002): Country Specific Features Argentina
• Netherlands:
Personal Data (Infotype 0002): Country Specific Features Netherlands
• South Africa:
Personal Data (Infotype 0002): National Features SA

Family/Related Person Infotype 002

You store the employee’s family members as well as other related persons In the Family/Related Person infotype (0021).

The standard system contains the following relation types:

• Subtype 1: Spouse
• Subtype 2: Child
• Subtype 3: Legal guardian
• Subtype 4: Testator
• Subtype 5: Guardian
• Subtype 6: Step child
• Subtype 7: Emergency contact
• Subtype 8: Related persons
• Subtype 10: Divorced spouse

Personal Data

Using the employee data, the system defaults entries for the following fields:

• Last name
• Gender
• Name prefix (if necessary)
• Nationality

You can change these default values as required.

Because the individual family members do not have to be recorded in the system, a check is not run to see whether the number of children entered in the infotype Family/Related Person (0021) corresponds with the number of children entered in the field No. children in the infotype Personal Data (0002).

Country-Specific Features

• Argentina:
Family/Related Person (Infotype 0021): Country Specific Features Argentina
• Brazil:
Infotype 0397: Family/Related Person (Brazil)
• Japan:
Family/Related Person (Infotype 0021): Country Specific Features Japan
• Mexico:
Family/Related Person Infotype (0021): Country Specific Features Mexico
• Austria:
Family/Related Person Infotype (0021) (Austria)
• Switzerland:
Family/Related Person Infotype (0021) (Switzerland)

Internal Medical Service Infotype 0028

In the Internal Medical Service infotype (0028), you can store the results and data referring to an employee’s medical examination.

Subtypes are used to differentiate between internal medical services. The standard system contains the following examination types:

• Subtype 0001: General data

• Subtype 0002: Habits

• Subtype 0003: Dermatological examination

• Subtype 0004: Reproductive organs and urinalysis

• Subtype 0005: Endocrinological examination

• Subtype 0006: Digestive tract

• Subtype 0007: Mobility

• Subtype 0008: Blood circulation

• Subtype 0009: Respiratory system

• Subtype 0010: Ear examination - noise

• Subtype 0011: Hearing test

• Subtype 0012: Nervous system

• Subtype 0013: Eye examination

• Subtype 0014: Systematic illnesses

• Subtype 0020: Consultation hours

• Subtype 0030: Occupational accidents and illnesses

• Subtype 0031: Occupational accidents and illnesses

• Subtype 0040: Accidents and illnesses

• Subtype 0050: Attendance

• Subtype 0100: Legal considerations

Examination Data

When you edit a data record in the Internal Medical Service infotype (0028), the system proposes several Examination areas for each examination type.

Enter the results of the individual findings for the appropriate examination area in the field Value for the Examination area that you wanted to valuate.

You can only enter numeric values in the field Value.