SAP Knowledge Base Article - Public

3327102 - Initialization Rules in Time Sheet do not work base on values from the input fields.

Symptom

As of 1H 2023 release, it is possible to set Initialize Rules in Employee Time Sheet Entry and Allowance object to initialize value in Time Sheet, as documented in WNV Page and Initialization Rules in Time Sheet. (Initialization rules are not supported on Employee Time Sheet.)

In the rule, if it sets value based on some input field's value from the Time Sheet UI, it cannot initialize the value on Time Sheet UI based on the input value.

Take Employee Time Sheet Entry for example, there is a business rule defined to default cost center based on the time type, Working Time.

But in the time sheet UI, the cost center is still empty, not initialized.

Image/data in this KBA is from SAP internal systems, sample data, or demo systems. Any resemblance to real data is purely coincidental.

Environment

  • SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central - Time Sheet
  • SAP SuccessFactors Time Tracking

Reproducing the Issue

  1. Create a business rule to initialize value for Employee Time Sheet Entry or Allowance, where it sets value based on some Time Sheet UI input field's value.
  2. Add the rule to Initialize Rules in Employee Time Sheet Entry or Allowance object.
  3. Create a new Working Time, On-Call Time or Allowance on Time Sheet UI.
  4. Then you will notice the initialization of the value according to the business rule does not work.

Cause

This is the correct behavior, because the Initialization rules (Initialize Rules) are triggered in the initialization phase of object creation, for example, working time, on-call time, or allowance. At this initialization phase, the input field's values are not provided yet.

Resolution

Please do not configure the initialization rule to initialize the value based on the runtime input of another input field.

For example, it is possible to initialize the cost center based on the employee's cost center in Job Information.
The cost center in Job Information is not an input field on Time Sheet, so that it is possible to retrieve the value from Job Information even in the initialization phase of object creation of Working Time, On-Call Time or Allowance on Time Sheet.
But, it is impossible to initialize the cost center based on the Time Type / Allowance Type that you select on UI after clicking on the Record button. Time Type /Allowance Type is an input field of Time Sheet, and initialization rule execution is already finised after the new Employee Time Sheet Entry / Allowance is loaded. So even you then selected the time type / allowance type, it is already post initialization rule execution, so that the configuration in the initialization rule would not take effect.

Furthermore, please note:
Cost Center is the only supported standard field in Employee Time Sheet Entry initialization rules.
All fields except Allowance Type are supported in Allowance initialization rules.
Ready Only or Invisible fields are not supported.
Conditional fields are not supported.
Initialization rules can only access userID from parent (for example, parent.userId works, but not parent.comment).
Initialization rules only support SET operation, but not CREATE or other operations.

Keywords

default, prefill, preset, set, initialize, initialization, create, record, tms, ttr , KBA , LOD-SF-EC-TMS , Time Sheet , LOD-SF-TTR , Time Tracking , Problem

Product

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central all versions ; SAP SuccessFactors HCM suite all versions ; SAP SuccessFactors Time Tracking all versions