work status & bpfs

Everest v4.2 SP1 Admin Session 4Work Status: Lesson Objectives
Describe a typical customer scenario for Work Status.
Describe how to set Work Status.
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Managing work status involves specifying who can make changes to data in the database and who can change the work state on a data set. Default work states are Unlocked, Submitted, and Locked. You can add new work states if you need more flexibility.
After your work states are defined and your ownership dimension is set up, end users can use the work states to apply a label to a specific current view intersection for the purpose of locking data so it can be reviewed, approved, etc. For example, your month-end close business process requires that a specific set of data is locked down so that accurate month-end reports can be created.
After a data submission, the owner sets the work state to 'Submitted.' This locks the data intersection from subsequent submissions.
SAP AG 2008, SAP BPC / *
What is Work Status?
Work states allow submitted data to be tracked, approved and locked using customizable work state definitions that suit your business needs.
You use work states to approve data so that it can be locked.
For example, at a month-end close, after all data is submitted, your business process might require that you lock the data so that you can create accurate month-end reports.
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To use work state tracking you must specify the hierarchy (H1, H2, H3, ..., Hn) within the owner dimension for which you want to use work status. You specify the hierarchy in the APPROVALORG field on the Setting Application Parameters page.
The use of Work Status is to prevent data changes to a region within an application (cube) using a specified criteria – the end result is a locking of a region within a given application (similar to data-slices in Business Planning and Simulation (BPS) and Business Intelligence (BI-IP).
Work Status Description
Work Status has multiple functions to give far more control to a customer in customizing the process.
Selection of application dimensions to define the controlling data region.
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Any changes to the Work Status definition will remove all existing Work Statuses set by the users for all applications in an application set. Work Status is NOT process flow management and is optional for the customer. Work Status is independent of Business Process Flows however, the functionality can be incorporated within a Business Process Flow.
If a new child is added to a hierarchy, and the parent of this new child is locked, the new child is not locked.
The default method for managing work status is bottom-up. That is, the status of a parent cannot be higher than the status of its children. For bottom-up behavior, the maximum state a parent can be set to is the lowest state of its immediate children. You can set work status to top-down in the TOPDOWN field in the Application Parameters.
Work Status – Month-End Financial Example
LOAD
Review
Report
Start the review
Perform final analysis
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This is a typical example about how the Work Status can be used by the customer in real life.
At month-end, data is loaded and further adjusted by authorized end-users based on their member access profiles).
Upon completion of the month-end data submission, the responsible user (Owner/Manager) can set the Work Status as defined by the administrator. Owner = Base member User ID. Manager = Parent member User ID
The data is locked at the responsibility center. In financial situations this is typically a subsidiary.
A manager and/or a high level group processor, will start the review and consolidate the data (specific calculations/logic execution).
After the group consolidation is run, the data can be locked from changes so that the reporting group can create accurate month-end reports.
At any time, the end user may submit supporting documents or comments (annotations) during the process to further support the month-end results. (assuming documents or comments are not locked.)
Owner, Reviewer & Manager Concept
US WW Pete Pete
Entity Dimension:
A manager is the owner of a parent-level member. The owner of a parent level
Member is the manager of all its descendants.
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The owner of an entity can set the work state to any state designated as an Owner state.
The manager of an entity can set the work state to any state designated as a Manager state.
Work Status End-to-End Process(1 of 3)
Create Work States at the Application Set level :
At the application set level, you need to determine:
The order in which the levels must occur.
The various levels of Work Status.
The lock settings of each level, for each interface.
The person or people who control each level of Work Status.
The Interfaces include:
DM: Data Manager
JRN: Journals
MAN: Manual entries (i.e. data submissions via BPC for Office and the Web
COMM: Comments
Owner – only the owner of the entity in
the data region can perform task
Manager – only the manager of the
entity in the data region can
perform the task
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For example, your month-end close business process requires that a specific set of data is locked down so that accurate month-end reports can be created. After a data submission, the owner sets the Work Status to ‘Approved.' This locks the data intersection from subsequent submissions.
If work state is submitted, the owner of the entity can create a journal. The Manager of the entity can change the work state to approved or from Approved
You can define one set of specific current view values for each application. It is possible to have different OWNER dimensions per application.
You can assign multiple users to a dimension member as the owners.
Each non work state dimension requires a valid member in the member validation. This is just a requirement made by the programmer to complete the screen and does not serve any business purpose. (revised in NetWeaver release)
You can change the work status settings for each application. Changing the work status settings involves identifying three to five 'work status dimensions,' and then defining specific members for the remaining non-work status dimensions used for validation purposes. The dimensions you select as the work status dimensions are the variables in your business process. For example, the entity, category, and time might change based on who is submitting data, but the account,
data source, reporting currency, etc., remains static. (Typically, Time is a work status dimension since data is usually segregated based on time.)
Work Status End-to-End Process (2 of 3)
Ensure that the controlling owner property is populated on the dimension you want to drive ownership of Work Status locks (such as Entity).
Setup Work Status Settings for each Reporting Type Application:
Owner: the dimension will be used to determine the approval organization and hierarchy.
Yes: the dimension will be used to track work status.
Work state dimensions become the variables in your work status processing!
No: the dimension will be excluded from work status tracking.
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The "Owner" property is used when you are using the work status feature. You add the property to the dimension that drives the work status flow. For example, if your business process dictates that an entity is the differing factor when it comes to entering data, then the Entity -type dimension is the work status driving dimension. If your business process dictates that a department name is the differing factor, then Department dimension would have the Owner property.
The dimension you select to drive work status must have more than one hierarchy, and the hierarchy is specified in the APPROVALORG field on the Setting Application Parameters page. The Owner property takes user and team names as values. You can enter multiple names and teams separated by commas. You must also include the domain or server name in the path.
Work Status End-to-End Process (3 of 3)
Specify the “APPROVALORG” hierarchy in Web Admin for the OWNER dimension.
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Application: Work Status configuration
Dimension WorkState Member Value
Time Yes determine later
If not a work state, a valid member
is required
Example of a User setting a ‘work state’ for data region
Actual/Conregion/2008.Total:
Excel > eSubmit > Modify Work Status
If you attempt to input data in the above data region, the
System Message is ‘submission status does not allow it’
Data
Region
Work Status Big Picture
The three work state dimensions determined at the application level are ‘determined later’ aka they act as variables.
Work Status Tips
You can take advantage of the Work Status to lock users out of a Category for a specific time period.
For example, lock the Actual category for a specific time period after the month-end close.
Use this approach instead of developing a complex security model that would need to change frequently.
Assign multiple users to entities where needed.
You may want to add the Administrator as an additional Owner of the entity members to assist in the locking process.
Ensure that your Work Status levels and their order will work for all applications.
You define the levels and order only once, at the application set level.
Ensure that you define and order your Work Status before users begin updating their own statuses.
If you make changes to Work Status you can lose all user-specific information related to Work Status.
Work Status Excel Report
M03 Status Report 1:
The M03 Status Report 1 is delivered with ApShell. It uses the EVLCK function. It is located in: eTools > Open Dynamic Templates > eExcel > Reports > Manager.
Work Status Web Report
Work Status: Lesson Summary
Describe a typical customer scenario for Work Status.
Describe how to set Work Status
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DEMONSTRATION
Develop – Business Process Flows
Understanding and Creating Dimensions
Modeling and Creating Applications
Set up Security
Define Work Status
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Business Process Flows allow you to pre-package and sequence application tasks for different departments within your organization. Any of the available features within BPC Web, BPC for Office, and BPC Administration can be utilized by a business process flow.
Business Process Flows: Lesson Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to create a business process flow which will facilitate the coordination and status checking aspects of performing planning or consolidations activities.
Definition: Business Process Flows
Allow you to pre-package and sequence application tasks for different departments within your organization.
Any of the available features within BPC Web, BPC for Office, and BPC Administration can be utilized by a business process flow.
For example, your Budgeting process may require input from a number of business managers, review from another group of managers, and final approvals.
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Using the intelligence of BPC data regions, you can set up a single business process flow that can be used across applications within an application set. A data region serves as a key for opening a single instance of a business process flow. For example, an 'Allocate Expense' business process flow could be running for the same entity and time, but different categories.
Business process flows can also be integrated with work states to offer an additional level of intelligence and integration with your company’s regulatory processes.
Using an Explorer-like interface that is accessible from BPC Web and BPC for Excel, end-users are guided through pre-defined sequential tasks that span across the different areas of BPC.
BPF Data Regions
BPFs utilize data regions, which allow you to set up a single business process flow that can be used across applications within an application set.
A data region serves as a key for opening a single instance of a business process flow.
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Business Process Flows
Allow managers to:
Automatically send e-mail notifications to participants at predetermined times to expedite progress.
Coordinate required approvals for each step in the process.
Assure consistency and uniformity.
Adding a New Business Process Flow
From the application set hierarchy, click Business Process Flows.
From the Action Pane, click Add a New Business Process Flow.
Adding a New Business Process Flow
Is accomplished through four general steps:
Controlling application: the application whose Time dimension will govern the BPF.
Owner: a user who will be notified when a step is completed.
To define a BPF
1. From the Setup BPF > A. Define BPF page of the Add a New Business Process Flow assistant, enter the Business Process Flow name and description in the first two fields.
2. In the What is the controlling application? field, enter the name of the controlling application.
3. In the BPF Owner field, enter a valid user name. You can click the lookup button to display a list of users. Select the desired user name, then click OK. The user must have an email address assigned to them in order for them to own this BPF.
4. Click Save on the bottom of the window. Continue to Setup Task B.
Define Data Region
Displays the dimensions associated with the controlling application, and defines the "base" region in which the BPF is designed.
End users who run the BPF may select a different data region, as needed, to perform their process flow tasks.
The 'drive' dimension is a dimension that is common to all data regions that users might use in completing their BPF tasks.
The drive dimension must have a Reviewer property defined.
The 'identity' dimensions are all the dimensions that will be used in a BPF.
The Time dimension, used in all BPFs, is automatically selected.
The data region defines the "base" region in which the BPF is designed. However, end users who run the BPF may select a different data region, as needed, to perform their process flow tasks.
The 'identity' dimensions are all the dimensions that will be used in a BPF. The Time dimension, used in all BPFs, is automatically selected.
The 'Drive' Dimension:
- A dimension that the process 'revolves' around and is present in all applications in the bpf.
- You need one drive dim and only one in a bpf.
- A drive dim must have the reviewer property.
- Is it used to provide a user who can 'approve' the bpf in practice.
- If you enable reviewers to review a step ... That person is derived from the drive dimension.
Define Timing and Set Access
Define Timing allows you to set:
Recurrence pattern: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly, or Once.
Activation date and time: specify the date and time the BPF will become active. (Prior to this time, it will not appear on the end user's Action Pane.)
Notification time: Automatic e-mail messages can be sent to BPF users to remind them to perform their appointed BPF tasks.
Set Access: (not shown) allows you to specify which users or teams will be able to access the BPF.
Users not specified in this step will not see the BPF on their Action Panes.
BPF’s do not have due dates.
Steps, Sub Steps, and Actions
Steps may or may not have sub-steps associated with them.
If a step has no sub-steps, it must have an action associated with it.
If a step does have one or more sub-steps, the action is associated with each sub-step.
Steps may be subject to approval before a it can be completed.
Steps must be completed in sequential order.
Work status steps can be set to require a certain status before it can be completed.
BPF with Reviewer & Completion Criteria in Run Mode:
The actions in step 1 are bold blue hypertext because they are the only two possible actions while step 1 is incomplete.
Steps are general business actions you take in completing the business process. Each Business Process Flow (BPF) must contain at least one step.
Adding a new substep
Sub-steps are used when you want to define one or more actions under a single step. Here are some properties of sub-steps:
· Each sub-step has an associated action
· Sub-steps are not subject to approval in the BPF
· Sub-steps are not subject to completion criteria
· Sub-steps need not be performed in sequential order
Define Steps & Sub Steps (1 of 2)
BPF with Reviewer & Completion Criteria in Build Mode:
Define Steps & Sub Steps (2 of 2)
Only the name is required at this
point … this is the definition of
the step or sub-step, actions are
yet to be determined.
Designate a process as either a step or sub-step. The description appears when user executes the process. Enable Alerts is not currently available.
Enable Reviewers
This allows reviewers (as defined in the 'Reviewer' property of the
drive dimension) to review (approve) the step before it can be completed!
In Action:
Enable Completion Criteria
Completion criteria may be used if Work Status has been enabled in the controlling application of the BPF. If defined here, the selected combinations of members must be set to the specified work status before the step can be considered complete.
The dimension values may be inherited from the data region … this means the data region can be determined when the BPF is executed. Member lookup means that the dimension member is provided as a default in the BPF. Dimensions members may also be inherited from the current view when the BPF is executed.
Define Actions
A step or sub-step can have one or more actions.
The tasks vary depending on whether they are for the first or subsequent actions.
Tasks for Action2:
The first action is defaulted in by the system and cannot be deleted if it is the only one.
The data region can be filled in below the task and therefore not require the user to change their current view. It’s a way to provide useful default member values.
In the import file action, a specific package and file can be fully specified in the BPF.
Finish
can prevent users from accessing
them.
prompt you to save.
Tips on BPF’s
You can reset BPF instances back to step one. We recommend using this with caution, however, because when you reset the BPF, you are resetting all instances of the BPF for all users.
An instance in this case refers to a data region that has been processed in a BPF such as 2009.Total, Budget, Con Region.
For reporting there is a Standard BPF and a Step report.
You can generate two different types of BPF reports: a standard BPF report and a BPF step report. Both reports allow you to specify the business process flow, time frame, associated data region, and page orientation.
The standard BPF report lists the steps and sub-steps in the right column, and the status of each step or sub-step in the left column. The BPF step report lists the entities for which the report is run in the rows, and the status of each step and sub-step in the columns.
From the Admin Console, you can prepare a standard-type report only. To prepare a standard BPF report from the Admin Console, expand Business Process Flows, select the BPF for which you want to report on, and select BPF status report. See steps 4 and 5 below to complete and display the report.
Entity Dim: Implied
US WW Pete Pete
Task Profile:
Status
Data Region:
And 4a, Nadine reviews
The report (4b) on the %Change and approves it!
Pete Locks the Budget category by setting the work status to ‘Approved’ for Store1, 2009.Jan
Work Status
Data Region:
Submitted Locked Owner Owner All All Both
Reviewed Locked Manager Locked Locked Locked Manager
Approved Locked Locked Locked Locked Locked Manager
BPF, Work Status, Security Integration

work status & bpfs

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