CATS workflow...

[Former Member]

Hi experts,

I want to create and link a workflow to T.code CAT2. I have checked through event trace(SWELS) but there is no BO related to this and nothing is getting triggered. Can you please guide me for this? Do I need to create new change document,BO,events??

the approval required is multilevel approval for WBS manager as well as line manager.

[Former Member]

Hi,

You need to do some configuration to trigger the workflow.

As per the configuration of CATS....please follow the below steps:

1. SPRO > Cross Application Components > Time Sheet > Specific setting for CATS Regular > CATS Regular > Set up data entry profile.

Here you can either copy any other profile and do modifications or you can also give it for ESS profile.

Here you give various settings like profile changeable, with target hours, with total lines, with clock times, no deduction of breaks, highlight rejections, work days only, display weekdays, release for future times, release on saving, approval required, attendance/absence type, immediate transfer to HR, etc.

You have to either check "approval req" or "immediate transfer to HR"...only one.

Trip schema...used if employee is going on travel and required to book expenses on time sheet only.

Then you give the "time setting".....period type (how you want the time sheet to be displayed..if daily, weekly, etc.), periods (give the number..if you give 2; then 2 weeks/2days/2months etc as per above selection are displayed.)

Select Time administrator.

Default the values....controlling area, master cost center.

Worklist...deactivalte all....as this is used only for production.

In general...Collision..give Error message.( i.e. if employee already booked absense on a particular day and again booking absence, then how you want the mesage to be shown)

Work flow.... ( as soon as the subordinate saves the time sheet, then this should be sent to the manager for approval. But how would system understand that so & so is the manager of that subordinate..i.e. by this workflow)

save

2. SPRO > Cross application components > Time sheet > Specific settings for CATS regular > CATS regular > Define field selection.

First double click on "settings". Then click "influencing". Give your profile name. You can select what all fields you want to be displayed...similar to screen modification. Save.

Now double click on "data entry selections"...again "influencing"...and similarly hide all the fields which you dont want to be displayed.

Now double click on " worklist"...again "influencing"...and deactivate all the fields which you dont want to be shown. save.

Now login to subordinate userid...and go to CAT2 (t code)...then update the timings. Once everything is entered by emoployee, then say "release view". It becomes greyed. Again select that row and say "release" icon at the top.

Now login to boss userid..and give CAT4 (t code)..you can see the subordinates data in yellow colour. select each data and say aithe approved or rejected. If rejected, that will be intimated to subordinated in the SAP Inbox...a mail will be triggered.

Now time admnstrator will give CAT6 (t code) and transfers all data to HR. Here other infotypes like 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2010 etc are updated.

CATS is used only if there is availability of ESS.

Hope you are clear with the configuration part.

Thanks and regards,

SNJY

[Former Member]

Hi Sanjay,

Thanks for the instant reply.

I will check the configuration and update if any further query is there.

One thing more, in this case manager should be detected from WBS and client is not maintaining IT2001. Any further suggestion on this???

[Former Member]

Hi Sanjay,

Configuration you have mentioned above are there. Now, requirement is I want working times to be approved by employees other than line manager i.e. for ex. WBS manager. For that I am using Badi "BADI_CATS_APPROVAL"... I have query here..as per as my knowledge, this badi is single level approval and requirement is to make it multilevel with deadline monitoring using factory calender. so, what should I do now...shall I create z-workflow or using standard functionality we can achieve this???

[Former Member]

If there is a need to detect manager from WBS, isn't there a responsible user (or something like that) field in the WBS master data (in CJ20n)? I've seen it in use for approval purposes in few projects. For example you can enter the personnel number of the responsible manager there. Of course you need to build your own agent finding logic then, but it should be straightforward - and in case you most lily need to build your own logic whatever solution you will use to detect the WBS manager.

Regards,

Karri

[Former Member]

Hi,

If you have a multilevel approval scenario, I am not sure if that is really supported in the standard. After someone approves the timesheet, isn't it then "finally" approved in the database. What comes to my mind is that you might need to build your own approval screen and logic, so that you can first approve the timesheet (inside the workflow) without really actually approving them in CATSDB. And then after the first approver has approved the timesheet, you can use the standard approval logic/screen.

Also, if there are multiple WBS elements in the same submitted timesheet, shouldn't you send the timesheet for approval to all WBS approvers (in parallel or sequentially)? And they can then approve the timesheet only for their part.

Just some things you need to consider, if you didn't already. You might have lots of work to do ahead...

Regards,

Karri

[Former Member]

Hi Karri,

I am agree on your view related to multilevel approval.

Now,the requirement is.. after finding WBS manager/approver, there should be deadline monitoring and if he fails to approve the request It should go to some other person for the approval. For finding WBS manager and assigning it the deadline(considering factory calender), what should be my approach??

Also, I have to consider multiple multiple WBS element as you mentioned. Can it be done by using badi BADI_CATS_APPROVAL?

Please tell me how should I resolve this.

Priyal...

[Former Member]

>Can it be done by using badi BADI_CATS_APPROVAL?

I am not sure. Can you check this by putting break-point in method IF_BADI_CATS_APPROVAL-DETERMINE_APPROVER. I think that his takes the whole timesheet as an input, but you can only return ONE approver. So, if you have timesheet with several WBS elements, you might still have only one approver. But as I said, I am not sure about this, since I have never tried something like this. Maybe there is some configuration option...

Of course there might be other solutions but for me it looks like BADI_CATS_APPROVAL will not work in multi-approver scenario.

Regards,

Karri

[Former Member]

About the deadline monitoring with factory calendar. CATS is a bit complicated thing, since in the standard releasing the timesheet, only one task (work item) is created (not a real workflow). So, you have really limited options to use some WF functionality such as deadline monitoring. It is possible to start a workflow by using certain trick (starting the workflow within the task that you can configure in SPRO). If you don't want to take this approach, you could build a simple report (and schedule it) that goes through all new timesheets in table CATSDB, and if they are "too old" (based on factory calendar - for this you should be able to find a function module), you could for example forward the work item by using function SAP_WAPI_FORWARD*.

Regards,

Karri

[Former Member]

Hi Karri,

How if I create z-workflow and attach it to CAT2? If yes, what are the validation and standard functionality we have to consider??

[Former Member]

Hi Priya,

You can trigger the custom multi level workflow from BADI_CATS_APPROVAL and you can also maintain the deadline in the workflow.

This will be create no problem.

Thanks and regards,

SNJY

[suresh_subramanian2]

Hello !

Alternatively, you can use CATS_APPROVAL enhancement spot to trigger the workflow.

Regards,

S.Suresh.

[Former Member]

Hi experts,

Now,I can call workflow from BADI_CATS_APPROVAL.

Now, the problem is when I am having more than one WBS elements. Depending upon the absence type I have to segregate the request and send it to different employees/managers for the approval. How can I do this??????

[former_member185167]

Create a condition step.

[Former Member]

Hi Rick,

but how does it help to separate items of the the request...??? using condition step I can filter the whole request, how do I filter its contains at item level??

[suresh_subramanian2]

Hello !

You can compose a rule which would determine the agents for approval based on absence type and request.

Once the agents are determined, you can forward the time sheet to them for approval.

Regards,

S.Suresh.

[Former Member]

There seems to be bit confusion among the answerers about the CATS. As far as I understand, you cannot really divide the timesheet into "separately approvable items" in the workflow by using some rule or condition. This should be done in the "application level". Sanju seemed to imply that you could achieve your requirement with the BADI. I don't know how it can be done (for me it seemed that you can just have one approver for the whole timesheet), but I hope he can clarify it.

Regards,

Karri

[Former Member]

Hi Karri,

If you think BADI cant resolve this then what do you suggest??