Understanding PA-OM Integration in SAP HR

In the SAP landscape, Personnel Administration (PA) and Organizational Management (OM) are two essential components of the Human Resources (HR) module. PA focuses on the administrative aspects of employee data (e.g., payroll data, personal information, time management). At the same time, OM concentrates on the structural representation of an organization through positions, jobs, and organizational units. The seamless integration of these two components is critical to efficient HR processes.

What is PA-OM Integration?

PA-OM integration in SAP HR establishes a link between the employee data maintained in PA and the organizational structures defined within OM. This integration primarily revolves around the concept of a position. A ‘position’ in OM represents a role or responsibility within the organizational hierarchy. Employees hired in PA are linked to a specific position in OM, ensuring consistency in how employee data aligns with the company’s structure.

Why is PA-OM Integration Important?

1. Data Consistency: Synchronized data between PA and OM avoids redundancies and discrepancies, improving data accuracy.
2. Streamlined HR Processes: Integration leads to the automatic population of data fields and enables smooth handovers between HR processes. For example, when an employee changes positions, this change is reflected seamlessly in both OM and PA.
3. Enhanced Reporting: Integrated HR data enables comprehensive reporting across organizational and personnel-related metrics.
4. Workflow Automation: This integration lays the foundation for automating many HR workflows, such as approvals based on organizational hierarchies.

How PA-OM Integration Works

1. Integration Switches: The integration is governed by switches in the SAP configuration tables (primarily the PLOGI ORGA switch in table T77S0).
2. Default Position: If an employee is hired without a specific position in mind, a default placeholder position (often numbered 99999999) is used.
3. Integration Reports: SAP offers several reports to facilitate and maintain the integration:
   • RHINTE00: Transfers PA data to OM
   • RHINTE10: Transfers OM data to PA
   • RHINTE20: Checks for consistency between PA and OM data
   • RHINTE30: Updates info type 0001 (Organizational Assignment) in PA.

Key Considerations

• Careful Planning: Create a clear integration strategy before mapping the data flow between PA and OM.
• Change Management: Any changes made in one module may impact the other. Thorough change management ensures data integrity.
• Data Quality: The success of PA-OM integration depends on maintaining clean and organized data in both modules.

Conclusion

The tight integration between PA and OM in SAP HR lays the foundation for efficient human resources management. Companies optimize HR processes, improve decision-making, and gain valuable insights by ensuring a consistent flow of information between administrative and organizational data.