Cross-Application Time Sheet (CATS)

Purpose
The Cross-Application Time Sheet (CATS) is a cross-application tool for recording working times and
tasks. It enables you to control all business processes concerning your employees’ tasks – from
paying the employees, through monitoring the progress of a project, to creating invoices.

Although the Time Sheet caters for central data recording, for example by secretaries, its main
strength is that it enables your employees to record their own data. This enables you to ease your time
administrators’ workload.

The data that your employees enter in the Time Sheet does not merely consist of working times and
tasks, but also working time attributes for transferring data to the target components. The data
recorded by your employees is processed in the target components.

The Time Sheet provides a wide range of user interfaces and is therefore suitable to use in many
different sectors.

Implementation considerations
The Time Sheet is a cross-application component in SAP R/3. You must implement at least one of the
components that are listed in the Integration section. You can supply data to the components
individually, or in combination, with data from the Time Sheet.

Integration

With other components in SAP R/3

Required Function Required Component or Solution

Decentralized recording of employee Time Management (PT)

attendances and absences

Decentralized recording of employee Payroll (PY)

remuneration information

Internal activity allocation and entry of statistical Controlling (CO)

key figures

Confirmations Plant Maintenance (PM)

Project System (PS)
Customer Service (CS)

Recording external services External Services Management (PT-IN-ES)

Recording travel expenses with activity reports Travel Management (FI-TV)

The data you enter using the Time Sheet is available for processing in resource-related billing . This is
irrespective of the user interface used to enter data. You must first transfer Time Sheet data
to Controlling (CO). This can be performed directly or indirectly (using the Project System (PS)).

The CO documents that are generated during transfer can be read by the Dynamic Item Processor to
create a billing request. This enables the Time Sheet to support the creation of invoices based on
working time data quickly and accurately.

This is particularly important for service providers.

Features
A number of functions, in particular for storing data and transferring data to the target components ,are
available with all user interfaces of the Time Sheet. The most important functions have already been
mentioned in the Integration section. In addition, the following aspects apply to all user interfaces:

•
• You can integrate a procedure for approving recorded working times. SAP
Business Workflow is one option available as a means of controlling the approval
procedure.

• To protect personal data against unauthorized access, the Time Sheet uses the SAP Human
Resources authorization concept.

• All data records are assigned a unique document number, which means they can
be tracked at any time.

• You can use SAP enhancements to extend the functions of the Time Sheet.

Additional functions, for example, for simplifying data entry, are only available in certain user
interfaces and are therefore mentioned in the relevant section.

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Time Recording Scenarios and User Interfaces for the Cross-Application Time Sheet (SA
Time Recording Scenarios and User Interfaces for the Cross-
Application Time Sheet (SAP CATS)

If you consider the process of recording working times on an abstract level, you can
identify the following scenarios. Both scenarios can be depicted using any of the
independent user interfaces of the Time Sheet.

However, the different user interfaces may be not be equally suited to the different
scenarios.

Scenario 1: Distribution of Working Time for One Day

Within one data entry period, you record a certain number of working hours that you
want to distribute between different working time attributes (for example, internal orders
or statistical key figures) for each day. In other words, you record your working times
primarily for fractions of days.

Recommendation

Depending on additional factors, we recommend CATS classic, CATS regular, or CATS

notebook for this scenario.
For more information, see Example: Recording for Fractions of Days..

Scenario 2: Recording for Whole Days

Within one data entry period, you record working times for different receiver objects, for
example, customer orders for which you also enter additional information (for example,
overtime or kilometers driven).

Whereas the additional information varies, the basic data (the task type and receiver) is
normally valid for more than one day (see Task Type, Task Component, and Task Level).
In other words, you record your working times primarily for whole days.

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Task Type, Component, and Level

Task Type, Component, and Level

Definition

The task type, task component, and task level fields enable you to specify in the time
sheet the elements of the task that are relevant for evaluation. Elements that are
relevant for evaluation are entered for the following business processes, for example:

* Payroll (wage types, attendance types)

* Controlling and Billing (activity types, statistical key figures)
* Invoice verification for external employees (activity numbers)

Task type

Characterization of content of a specific task that is performed by an employee, for

example, consultancy or instructor task.

Specific task components are usual for each task type.

Task component

Elements of a task that are relevant for evaluation

A task usually comprises several task components, for example, normal working
hours, overtime or hours traveled.

Task level

Differentiates between an employee’s tasks according to the valuation level.

Specific task levels are usual for each task type. Task levels determine the valuation
level per task component.

Use

SAP R/3 can derive the following working time attributes from the combination of
task types, task components, and task levels:

* Attendance/absence types
* Wage types
* Activity types
* Statistical key figures
* Activity numbers
* Sender business processes

You can replace these input fields on your Time Sheet user interface with the input
fields for task type, task component, and task level. These input fields are tailored
specifically to suit task recording needs. You can also evaluate task types, task
components, and task levels in Reporting.

You can make the relevant settings in the Implementation Guide (IMG), under Cross-
Application Components ® Time Sheet® Settings for All User Interfaces ® Time
Recording ® Specify Task Types, Components, and Levels.

Example

At a consultancy, employees record their tasks. The data they enter is used for
creating invoices.

* Task type: Consultancy

* Task components for consultancy: Working hours, overtime, kilometers driven
* Task levels for consultancy: Junior, senior

The SAP R/3 system valuates the Overtime task component for the Junior task level
with a specific activity type. The SAP R/3 system valuates the Overtime component
for the Senior task level with a different activity type with a higher price.

Leaving content frame

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 Example: Distribution of Working Time for One Day
Example: Distribution of Working Time for One Day

Marcus Adams works as a software developer on three different projects. He usually

distributes his daily working time between these projects.

Marcus Adams records his working times with CATS classic. He would make the following entries for
the data entry period shown above:

Receiver Description Abs/Att Type Unit of Monday Tuesday Wednesday

Order measurement

12121212 Project 1 H 2 2 4

34343434 Project 2 H 4 4 4

56565656 Project 3 H 2

Further H 2
Training

Leave H

Legend Abs/Att Type = Absence/Attendance Type

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Example: Recording for Whole Days

Example: Recording for Whole Days

Helga Martin works for a management consultancy and she spends the majority of her working time
visiting different customers and giving them advice. She also works as an instructor training her
customers’ employees.

Helga Martin usually records her working times for whole days with the same basic data and varying
task components. She uses CATS for service providers. Helga Martin would make the following
entries for the data entry period shown above:

Task Type Consultancy, Account Assignment to Customer Order 123456

Day Hours Overtime Kilometers

Monday 8 2 150

Tuesday 8 150
 Task Type Consultancy, Account Assignment to Customer Order 345678

Day Hours Overtime Kilometers

Wednesday 8 1 80

Thursday 8 80

Task Type Instructor, Account Assignment to Customer Order 56789

Friday 6 31

When Helga Martin chooses a specific task type on the user interface, CATS for service
providers displays the appropriate task components. This ensures that time recording is as
straightforward as possible.

If Helga Martin were to use a user interface that is based on a traditional paper timesheet (for
example, CATS classic, CATS regular or CATS notebook) to enter the tasks shown in the graphic,
time recording would not be as straightforward.

This is because different task components (for example, hours, overtime, and kilometers) would need
their own account assignment rows in these user interfaces.

If Helga Martin were to use one of these user interfaces, she would have to make entries similar to
these. In comparison to the other entries they are unclear.

Receiv Descripti Abs/Att Stat. Monda Tuesda Wednesd Thursda Frida

er on Type Key Fig. y y ay y y
Order

123456 Consultan Hours 8 8

cy
Customer
1

123456 Consultan Overtim 2

cy e
Customer
1

123456 Consultan Kilomete 150 150

cy rs
Customer
1

345678 Consultan Hours 8 8

 cy
Customer
2

345678 Consultan Overtim 1

cy e
Customer
2

345678 Consultan Kilomete 80 80

cy rs
Customer
2

56789 Instructor Hours 6

56789 Instructor Attendee 31

s

Legend Abs/Att Type = Absence/Attendance Type, Stat. Key Fig. = Statistical Key Figure
User Interfaces

The Cross-Application Time Sheet (SAP CATS) is available in different user interfaces.
This enables you to tailor time recording to suit your requirements.

The independent user interfaces have the following characteristics that differentiate
them from the enhancing user interfaces:

•The data entry screen provides an overview of a complete data entry period.

•You can access data that has already been entered and correct, supplement, or delete it.

The enhancing user interfaces enable your employees to record data quickly wherever
they are.

If you want to display or change data that you entered using an enhancing user interface,
you can use one of the independent user interfaces.

You can combine any independent and enhancing user interfaces.

The graphic displays the independent and enhancing user interfaces of the time sheet in
relation to the CATS application.

Although the user interfaces are suited to different data entry requirements, they all use
the same application logic and save data in the same database table.
Independent User Interfaces
CATS classic

CATS classic is the original user interface of the Cross-Application Time Sheet in the SAP
R/3 System. It is particularly suited to users that also use the SAP R/3 System to
complete other tasks.

CATS classic is the most suitable user interface for entering working times for multiple
personnel numbers, for example, by secretaries.

CATS regular

CATS regular offers a similar data entry screen and comparable features to CATS classic.
However, this user interface has been optimized for use as an Employee Self-Service
(ESS) application in a Web browser.

CATS notebook

The data entry screen for CATS notebook is similar to that of CATS classic and CATS
regular. CATS notebook also runs in the Web browser.

CATS notebook is designed for use with notebooks, and is particularly suited to
employees who have to travel a lot and cannot always have a connection to the SAP R/3
system to record their working times.

CATS notebook saves the working times entered in a separate data store on the
notebook. The next time CATS notebook is connected to SAP R/3, it synchronizes this
data store with the CATS database in SAP R/3.

CATS for service providers

CATS for service providers provides an alternative to the data entry screen that is
available with CATS classic, CATS regular, and CATS notebook.

The data entry screen for CATS for service providers is based on recording billable
services, and therefore does not resemble a traditional paper timesheet. CATS for service
providers enables you to specify basic data that is valid for more than one day.

You can then record task components (such as miles/kms driven, overtime, and so on).
See Task Type, Component, and Level. The following restriction currently exists when
combining CATS for service providers with other user interfaces of the Time Sheet:

You can only display and not change data that you entered with CATS for service
providers in the other independent user interfaces. You can only display and not change
data that you entered with other user interfaces in CATS for service providers.

Enhancing User Interfaces

CATS instant

CATS instant is an iView and runs in an enterprise portal. It enables you to enter your
current tasks or working times immediately. CATS instant is aimed primarily at users who
have to record billable tasks.

Such users may need to record the time they have spent on individual tasks accurately
and at several times during the day. This iView enables users to record their working
times easily and quickly.

A worklist, from which users can choose the most important account assignment objects,
is available for entering tasks.

CATS calendar

CATS calendar is an iView and runs in an enterprise portal. It enables you to see at a
glance on which days in a specified period, you still need to record working times.

It displays the days of this period in the form of a calendar. The color used to highlight a
day indicates whether you still need to record any working times. To use CATS regular to
record working times, click on the relevant week in the calendar.
CATS phone

CATS phone is a WAP application and runs on WAP-enabled cell telephones. Similarly to
CATS instant, it is aimed primarily at users who have to record billable tasks. In addition,
it is primarily aimed at employees who have to travel a lot and visit several customers
each day.

CATS phone enables these employees to enter their tasks quickly as they go along. A
worklist, from which users can choose the most important account assignment objects, is
available for entering tasks.

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Approval Procedure
Approval Procedure

Use

The approval procedure is an optional time sheet element.

Most time sheet records contain confidential data relating to, for example, an
employee’s payment or the progress of a project.

If employees maintain their own working time data in the system, the approval
procedure can be used to check this data before it is transferred to the target
components. Each time sheet record is approved on an individual basis.

The persons responsible for approving data records, such as supervisors, personnel
officers, or project leaders, require special authorizations.

Prerequisites

For each data entry profile, you must determine whether data is to undergo an
approval procedure or not. Activate the Approval required field when maintaining
your profile if you want to use the approval procedure.

Working time data cannot be approved until it is assigned the processing status
Released for approval.

Features

* In most cases, you would use SAP Business Workflow to approve released times
and give notification of rejected data records. This starts the approval procedure that
you enter in the Implementation Guide (IMG),

under Cross-Application Components ® Time Sheet ® Settings for All User

Interfaces ® Time Recording ® Determine Variant of Approval Report for Workflow.

If you use this procedure, you receive a message in your inbox informing you of data
due for approval. When you choose a personnel number, the system automatically
starts the approval report.

For more information, see Approving Data using SAP Business Workflow.

* You can also issue approvals manually from the time sheet menu. You can still
start the approval program manually even if you normally use workflow to approve
the data. If you choose this option, the system deletes the relevant tasks from your
inbox.

For more information, see Issuing Approvals.

* If you do not want to approve the data, you can enter a

rejection reason for the employee or other person who entered the data.

You can define rejection reasons in the Implementation Guide (IMG), under Cross-
Application Components ® Time Sheet ® Settings for All User Interfaces ® Time
Recording ® Define Rejection Reasons.

* Once data is assigned the status 30 - Approved, the system writes it to the relevant
interface tables. You can then transfer the data to the required target component(s).

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Transfer of Time Sheet Data to the Target Components

Transfer of Time Sheet Data to the Target Components

Purpose

You use the time sheetto record data that can be relevant for several SAP System components. Some
employees, for example, record data confirming aProject System network. Others use the time
sheetto enter time data for HR Time Management.

In some cases, employees record data that is relevant for several target components at once. You
transfer time sheet data to the target components using data transfer reports or, for Materials
Management, a transaction.
The graphic below illustrates the technical processes involved in transferring data to the target
components.

Process flow

1. The system saves time sheet data to the CATSDB database table for the time sheet.

2. The system writes time sheet data assigned the processing status "30" (Approved)
and "60" (Canceled) to the interface tables in:

+ Human Resources (PTEX2000 and PTEX2010)

+ Controlling (CATSCO)
+ Plant Maintenance/Customer Service (CATSPM)
+ Project System (CATSPS)
+ Materials Management (CATSMM)

The system determines which are the relevant interface tables based on the record's
working time attributes.

3. When you run the data transfer reports, the time sheet data is transferred to the
target components Human Resources (HR), Controlling (CO), Plant
Maintenance/Customer Service (PM/CS), and Project System (PS).

You can use the following data transfer reports for individual components:

+ RPTEXTPT for