2085335 - Worksheet Design - Require Comments for Compensation & Variable Pay

• This Article reviews how to require comments for forms.
• How do I force a person to add a comment to explain an amount?
• What fields can I apply the Force Comment feature to?
• What conditions invoke the forced comments box to show?
• What is <comp-force-comment-config>?
• What is the red or blue comment bubble on the comp form for?

**All images are from demo instances**

• SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite
• SAP SuccessFactors Compensation
• SAP SuccessFactors Variable Pay

Form/Worksheets

You have the option to require comments in these situations:

1. When an employee is given a raise that is outside the guidelines
2. when an employee is not given a salary raise at all
3. Anytime an employee is given a raise

When you use this option and one of these situations occurs, an asterisk is added to the Comment area to show that a Comment is now required. 
To use this option, contact SuccessFactors Customer Success or your partner to have your template updated. (CMP-3042)

Configure force comments

This feature is enabled by adding a new section of code into your Compensation/Variable Pay templates.

This feature can be configured for the following fields:

• Compensation Salary Tab
  merit, promotion, extra, extra2, lumpSum and lumpSum2

• Compensation Stock Tab
  stock, options, stockUnits, stockOther1, stockOther2 and stockOther3

• Variable Pay
  performancePercent, totalTeamPercent and totalFinalPayout
  Please note that if the mode is raise or no-raise, then it is supported only for totalFinalPayout. For performancePercent and totalTeamPercent, the mode needs to be guideline. This can be configured in the xml.

Force comments can be configured for the following modes under each section:

1. An employee is not given a raise
   That means managers did not input any value in one of the fields configured with force comment.
2. An employee is given a raise
   That means managers inputted a value in one of the fields configured with force comment.
3. An employee is given a raise violated guidelines
   That means managers inputted a value violated guidelines in one of the fields configured with force comment.

Each field can be configured with only one mode.

Validate whether the configuration is correct when users upload a Compensation/Variable Pay template with force comment feature enabled.

Please ensure the following:

1. All fields configured with force comment feature should be included in compensation template.
2. Configured fields can only be as mentioned above.
3. All fields configured with force comment and mode is given a raise violated guidelines, they should also be applied to guidelines.

Input/view force comment

• Managers can input comment for each field configured with force comment.
• Managers can view all force comments inputted before by themselves or other managers. They cannot modify those comments.
• Managers can only view all force comments inputted previously by themselves or others if Compensation/Variable Pay form is in en route folder. They cannot input force comments.

Validate whether managers inputted comments

When managers/planners send forms to the next step, validate whether they have inputted force comments for all fields configured with force comment and one of the following conditions is met.

1. Managers did not input any value in one of the fields configured with force comment feature and mode is not given a raise.
2. Managers inputted a value in one of the fields configured with force comment feature and mode is given a raise.
3. Managers inputted a value violated guidelines in one of the fields configured with force comment feature and mode is given a raise violated guidelines.

Prompt managers to input force comments for those fields they should have. Do not allow managers to send forms to the next step before force comments are inputted if configured.

Comment icon

We display a comment icon besides specific fields for which you have configured forced comments for.

When a form is created, we display a red icon besides those fields with the following conditions met which do not have comments.

• The mode is guideline and this field has a value violated guideline.
• The mode is given a raise and this field has a value.
• The mode is not given a raise and this field has no value.

We display red icon besides those fields that have no comment and do not meet the above conditions. We display a greyed-out icon besides those fields which have comments.

You can view/edit/add/delete comments which by selecting he comment icon.

Security

Defining who can see, edit and delete comments will be controlled by field based permissions.

Reporting comments

When it comes to reporting on comments, please note the following.

• Currently AdHoc Reports cannot report on comment fields.
  These comments are however tracked in the db as described below, and therefore will be stored as part of our Audit Capabilities.
  If you have the latest Compensation audit features enabled then a person with permissions can report on comments, comment changes, and deleted comments from the comp audit report.

• Only Aggregate Report can export comments. See article 2084829 - Reports - Aggregate Export Report - Compensation
• There is already an enhancement request filed for this - ability to report comments. Kindly vote for it here so it can be considered as a possible enhancement to the product by our Product Management Team. 

Information for Partners & Support.

A Force Comment field has the following db attributes.

Column	Description
comp_comment_id	This column is the ID of force comment. Its value comes from sequence COMP_COMMENT_ID_SEQ.
comp_entry_id	This column is the entry ID force comment belongs to. It is a foreign key referencing table COMP_ENTRY.
comp_comment_type	This column represents which tab of compensation form force comment belongs to. The value comes from constants - NOTES_TYPE_SALARY and NOTES_TYPE_STOCK in CompPlanEntryBean class.
comp_comment_field	This column is the field ID force comment belongs to. The value comes from defined field IDs in CompFieldDefBean class.
comp_comment_comment	This column is the content of force comment.
created_date	This column is the date when force comment was created.
created_by	This column is the user ID who created force comment.
last_modified	This column is the date when force comment was last modified. Currently, it is the same as created_date.
Last_modified_by	This column is the user ID who last modified force comment. Currently, it is the same as created_by.

Starting from b2105 release, force comments can be configured in the template. Navigate to the template > plan setup > design worksheet > define standard validation rules > add force comment rule,

The following XML added after <comp-salary-rule> tag in the template xml.

<comp-force-comment-config useFor, mode, fieldId>
<comp-warning-message><![CDATA[Custom Message]]></comp-warning-message>
</comp-force-comment-config>

The following are some examples from Compensation & Variable Pay:

1. <comp-force-comment-config useFor="salary" mode="guideline" fieldId="extra">
   <comp-warning-message><![CDATA[Please provide comment to justify Additional Adjustment against guideline.]]></comp-warning-message>
   </comp-force-comment-config>
   
   
2. <comp-force-comment-config useFor="salary" mode="raise" fieldId="extra2">
   <comp-warning-message><![CDATA[Please provide comment to justify Additional Adjustment against guideline.]]></comp-warning-message>
   </comp-force-comment-config>
   
   
3. <comp-force-comment-config useFor="salary" mode="no-raise" fieldId="lumpsum">
   <comp-warning-message><![CDATA[Please provide comment to justify Additional Adjustment against guideline.]]></comp-warning-message>
   </comp-force-comment-config>
   
   
4. <comp-force-comment-config useFor="varpay" mode="guideline" fieldId="performancePercent">
   <comp-warning-message><![CDATA[Please provide comments to justify Additional against adjustment.]]></comp-warning-message>
   </comp-force-comment-config>
   
   
5. <comp-force-comment-config useFor="varpay" mode="guideline" fieldId="totalTeamPercent">
   <comp-warning-message><![CDATA[Please provide comments to justify Additional against adjustment.]]></comp-warning-message>
   </comp-force-comment-config>

The following are default messages and hard coded. These messages will be seen when the custom warning is NOT enabled.

Default force comment warning message:
mode = guideline – Please provide an explanation.
mode = raise – userFullName is planned for fieldLabel. Please provide an explanation.
mode = no-raise – userFullName is not planned for fieldLabel. Please provide an explanation.

2084829 - Reports - Aggregate Export Report - Compensation

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