SAP HR Object Types: The Building Blocks of Your HR System

In SAP HR (Human Resources), object types serve as the fundamental elements representing the various components of your organization’s structure and personnel. It’s like having a set of specialized Lego bricks that you use to construct the entire model of your HR processes. Let’s dive into understanding them better.

What are SAP HR Object Types?

Object types are predefined representations of real-world HR entities. Each object type has a unique letter code for identification. Here are some of the most common ones:

• O (Organizational Unit): Represents departments, divisions, sections, or teams within your company.
• S (Position): A specific role within an organizational unit that an employee can occupy.
• C (Job): A generic role description independent of a particular organizational unit.
• P (Person): Represents the individual employees in your organization.
• K (Cost Center): An entity that tracks costs and budgets.

Why are Object Types Important?

1. Structure: Object types give your SAP HR system a clear hierarchical structure. They define how different units, positions, and personnel relate.
2. Data Organization: Object types are the foundation for storing HR master data and linking it accurately to relevant entities.
3. Reporting: An accurate definition of object types is crucial for generating meaningful HR reports and analytics.
4. Workflow Automation helps streamline processes like hiring, promotions, and transfers by establishing clear relationships between objects.

Relationships: How Object Types Connect

The real power of object types lies in the relationships you define between them. Relationships describe how objects interact with each other. Here are some key relationship examples:

• A/B 002 (Belongs to): Links a position (S) to an organizational unit (O), indicating where the position exists within the organization.
• A/B 003 (Reports to): Creates a hierarchical reporting structure between positions.
• A/B 008 (Holder): Assigns a person (P) to a position (S), indicating who occupies that role.

Infotypes: Storing Object Data

Object types on their own are just labels. They become meaningful when you add detailed information using Infotypes. Infotypes are like forms where you input specific data about each object. For example:

• Infotype 0001 (Organizational Assignment): Stores an employee’s department, position, job title, etc.
• Infotype 0002 (Personal Data): Houses an employee’s personal information (name, address, date of birth).

Custom Object Types

While SAP HR provides an extensive list of standard object types, you can also create custom object types if your business has unique requirements that still need to be met.

In Conclusion

Mastering SAP HR object types and their relationships are essential for anyone working with SAP’s HR module. By understanding these building blocks, you’ll be able to:

• Design an accurate and well-organized HR system.
• Streamline HR processes and improve efficiency.
• Extract valuable insights through reporting.