SAP HR: A Guide to Uploading Employee Photos

Employee photos within your SAP HR system offer many practical advantages:

• Improved User Experience: Photos add a friendly touch to the often sterile HR environment, making it easier for users to recognize and engage with employee records.
• Security & Identification: Photos can help verify employee identities, adding a layer of security, especially in remote work setups.
• Enhanced Company Culture: Seeing familiar faces within the system can strengthen an organization’s sense of community and belonging.

Prerequisites

Before diving into the process, make sure you have the following in place:

1. User Authorizations: Ensure you have the necessary SAP HR authorizations to perform photo uploads. Your system administrator can provide the required access.
2. Document Type and Content Repository: Your SAP system should preconfigure an appropriate document type (often HRICOLFOTO or HRIBMPFOTO) and a linked content repository.
3. Image Format: SAP typically supports JPEG (.jpg) format for employee photos. If your images are in other formats, convert them to JPEG before proceeding.
4. Photo Sizing: Consider optimal image sizes and resolutions to ensure the best visual experience when displayed in SAP.

Methods for Uploading Employee Photos

SAP offers a few methods for uploading photos. Here is a look at the common ones:

1. Transaction Code OAAD

• Navigate to transaction code OAAD.
• Select Business Object: PREL
• Select Document Type: HRICOLFOTO (or your configured type)
• Click the Create button.
• Enter the employee’s Personnel Number, choose the appropriate Infotype, and click Continue.
• Browse the photo on your computer and click Open.
• Click Allow if any prompts appear.
• You will receive a confirmation message indicating a successful upload.

2. Transaction Code PA30

• Open transaction code PA30.
• Enter the employee’s Personnel Number and select the Infotype “Personal Data” (Infotype 0002).
• Click the Create button (or Store Business Document on some systems).
• Use the same Business Object and Document Type as in Method 1.
• Follow the upload and confirmation steps similar to those with OAAD.

3. Batch Upload Using BDCs or Custom Programs

• Consider Batch Data Communication (BDC) sessions or custom programs developed with SAP ABAP for bulk uploads. This method is more technical and may require help from an SAP developer.

Important Considerations

• Naming Conventions: To maintain consistency and ease of reference, consider using a standard naming convention for uploaded photos (e.g., PersonnelNumber.jpg).
• Data Privacy: Ensure compliance with company policies and applicable data privacy regulations.

Viewing Uploaded Employee Photos

After successful uploads, you can view the photos using transactions like PA10, PA20, or PA30 or through the employee’s organizational profile.