SAP Knowledge Base Article - Public

2512669 - Employee Central - Personal Info HRIS Sync

Symptom

This article explains how HRIS Sync works for personalInfo in EC. 

Environment

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central

Resolution

Hard-Coded Sync

The synchronization of personalInfo data to EP works as such. Currently there are 12 fields in the personalInfo hris-element which have hard-coded sync mappings -:

HRIS Element EC Fields
personalInfo
  • first-name
  • last-name
  • middle-name
  • salutation
  • suffix
  • gender
  • marital-status

Form more information on the order in which data is synchronized, please refer to KBA 2505747 - HRIS Sync - HRIS Sync Job - Order in which Elements are Synchronized

 

What is the purpose of these Hard-Coded Sync Mappings?

Some of these fields have a hard-coded sync mapping because they have Downstream Impacts to other areas of the SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite.

  • The mapping of the fields can be overridden in sync-mapping configuration, but if you are planning to do so, please be aware of the Downstream Impacts.
  • Special attention should be paid to any "name" related mappings such as first-name / middle-name / last-name - as they all synchronize to the Employee Directory (Basic User Data / UDF).

 

Custom Sync Mappings for personalInfo (overriding the hard-coded mappings)

Some hard-coded mappings can be overridden but not all. The ones you can over-ride are as follows (but please be aware of the mentioned caveats if you do) -:

 EC Job Info Source Field ID EP (standard-element) Destination Field ID Example XML of what you can do Comments
first-name firstName

<hris-mapping>
    <hris-field-ref refid="custom-string2"/>
    <standard-element-ref refid="firstName"/>
</hris-mapping>

Please remember - if you are overriding "name" data, you will cause a disconnect in the name data used in "People Search" Vs the "My Employee Files > Search". This is because -:

  • People Search = Uses Basic User Data (UDF) fields in its search
  • My Employee Files > Search = uses Personal Information data

Therefore it is always Best Practice to leave these fields as they are (do not over-ride them). Instead you shoud consider synchronizing the other "custom" name fields to either standard-elements or userinfo-elements
last-name lastName

<hris-mapping>
    <hris-field-ref refid="custom-string3"/>
    <standard-element-ref refid="lastName"/>
</hris-mapping>

Please remember - if you are overriding "name" data, you will cause a disconnect in the name data used in "People Search" Vs the "My Employee Files > Search". This is because -:

  • People Search = Uses Basic User Data (UDF) fields in its search
  • My Employee Files > Search = uses Personal Information data

Therefore it is always Best Practice to leave these fields as they are (do not over-ride them). Instead you shoud consider synchronizing the other "custom" name fields to either standard-elements or userinfo-elements
gender gender

<hris-mapping>
    <hris-field-ref refid="gender"/>
    <standard-element-ref refid="custom01"/>
</hris-mapping>

Gender is something that is used across the SAP SuccessFactors Suite, in various places. The hard-coded mapping should not be over-ridden, and neither the EC or EP "gender" field should be configured as a picklist.

For further information on Gender when Employee Central is enabled, please refer to article 2093276 - Adding 'Unknown' & 'Undeclared' & 'Others' values to Gender drop-down menu - Employee Central

 

Which fields can I not override?

There arent any fields that specifically you should not override in personalInfo. But as per the above table, "name" data sync-mappings should be left alone if possible. For Downstream Impacts - again refer to 2507190 - HRIS Sync: Downstream Impacts - for guidance

Best Practice Recommendations

Please plan any mappings from Personal Information carefully. "Name" information is typically used to identify employee's in Reports, Launch Performance or Compensation forms, therefore any changes to these mappings should be carefully considered as there might be further Downstream Impacts.

 

More information can be found in the Employee Central Master implementation guide

See Also

  • 2172427 - HRIS Sync - Data Synchronization From EC to EP - Hard Coded Sync Mappings
  • 2505747 - HRIS Sync - HRIS Sync Job - Order in which Elements are Synchronized
  • 2507190 - HRIS Sync: Downstream Impacts

Keywords

personalInfo, hris sync, ec sync, sync, synchronization, hris-mapping, hris-sync-mappings, hris sync, succession data model, xml, sdm, employee central, ec, sync, personal information, FAQ , KBA , LOD-SF-EC-HRS , HRIS Sync , LOD-SF-EC-PER , Person Data (All Person Data Types) , How To

Product

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central all versions ; SAP SuccessFactors HCM suite all versions