Reporting in SAP HCM Payroll and SAP SuccessFactors

04 November 2021
Written by Danielle Larocca

With over 25 years in SAP Human Capital Management, Danielle is a recognized leader in HR technology. She holds the distinguished roles of SAP Mentor and SuccessFactors Confidant, and serves as HXM Chairperson for ASUG (America's SAP User Group). Danielle is a sought-after speaker at international conferences, sharing insights on HR tech trends. She has authored four best-selling books on SAP and holds certifications in both SAP and SuccessFactors technologies.

There has been quite a bit of innovation in the SAP SuccessFactors space on the topic of reporting, analytics and planning, with updates to solutions including Report Center, People Analytics and SAP Analytics Cloud. I’ve made an effort to consolidate the key things you need to know about reporting in SAP SuccessFactors HR and Payroll in this blog.

Reporting in SAP HCM Payroll and SuccessFactors-1

There has been quite a bit of innovation in the SAP SuccessFactors space on the topic of reporting, analytics and planning with updates to solutions including Report Center, People Analytics and SAP Analytics Cloud. I have made an effort to consolidate the key things you need to know about reporting in SAP SuccessFactors HR & Payroll into this summary.  Let’s start with understanding how People Analytics is critical to forming an intelligent HCM enterprise.

SAP SUCCESSFACTORS PEOPLE ANALYTICS

What is People Analytics?

Probably the biggest area of confusion is that People Analytics is not a tool or specific product per se, but rather an umbrella term to describe the model of reporting for HCM that encompasses different types of solutions. For starters, you can see it has three components that align with the three critical categories as part of any intelligent model, reporting, analytics and planning.

STORIES IN SAP SUCCESSFACTORS PEOPLE ANALYTICS

Stories in SAP SuccessFactors People Analytics 

We start with stories in SAP SuccessFactors People Analytics. It has had different names over the past five years or so. However, right now it is the go-to solution for SAP SuccessFactors reporting and it fills that operational reporting niche so critical for HCM. Its design is based on the consolidation of many of the various legacy SuccessFactors operational reporting tools into a single tool for reporting. SAP SuccessFactors customers can access it via simple navigation via the Report Center in SuccessFactors. Stories comes FREE with any SuccessFactors license.

When it was launched, SAP SuccessFactors provided a roadmap for which modules would and would not be included in stories in SAP SuccessFactors People Analytics.

STORIES IN SAP SUCCESSFACTORS PEOPLE ANALYTICS ROADMAP

The table above is a look at that roadmap. The roadmap is what SAP SuccessFactors shares with customers. It shows the data available when People Analytics launched (column on left), data planned for inclusion in the next 24 months (middle column) and what was not planned for inclusion (column on the right). SAP SuccessFactors roadmaps are based on intentions and plans and can change at any point.

The first column is a good look at the types of data for which you can create report stories including key SuccessFactors Employee Central data, compensation, user management, job profiles, talent and so on. Essentially anyone using SuccessFactors Employee Central should be using Report Stories for their operational reporting. The middle column was for data sources scheduled for release in the two years following the launch of People Analytics. Learning data is a great example of data made available to Report Stories in April 2021 from that list.  Looking at the roadmap, there are two critical areas not available for reporting in Report Stories for People Analytics, and those are non-SuccessFactors data and Payroll data.

  1. People Analytics is designed for SuccessFactors and MDF Only
    Stories can take non-SuccessFactors data via MDF however, as we know many customers are still in the midst of their digital transformation and have some data still in SAP On-premise and some data in SAP SuccessFactors at the same time. For those customers who wish to do live, operational reporting on both SAP and SuccessFactors data at the same time, a third-party solution is required. The only SAP S/4HANA certified solution that is available for this today is Query Manager.


  2. Live Payroll Data is currently not included in stories in SAP SuccessFactors People Analytics
    Currently live payroll data is not included, limited replicate data is, and the roadmap plan is to hopefully include live data in the future.  SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll leverages the world class on-premise ECC SAP solution so, similar to the point above, non-SuccessFactors data is not included in Report Stories Edition. Live operational payroll data is also not available. For those customers who wish to do live, operational reporting on any Payroll data On-premise or SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll data, a third-party solution is required. The only SAP S/4HANA certified solution that is available for this today is Query Manager.

Why Query Manager?

Data Sources-3In those scenarios where SAP or SAP SuccessFactors do not intend to provide data directly, they work with partners to provide it. Above is a sample slide from SAP showing its various integrations and vendors for live data sources for SAP Analytics Cloud. You will see on the bottom right that the specific partner mentioned for this trusted integration for On-premise data and Payroll data is EPI-USE Labs. This is where I work, and EPI-USE Labs is the partner that offers Query Manager.

PEOPLE ANALYTICS - SAP SUCCESSFACTORS WORKFORCE ANALYTICS

Workforce Analytics

This version also went through some name changes over the years, most recently referred to as the People Analytics Advanced Edition. The software in use here is Workforce Analytics (from the acquisition of software called Infohrm). If you are not familiar with it, Workforce Analytics or WFA is a solution that offers an extensive catalog of predefined HR and talent metrics, data trend tracking, and actionable analytics. It is a separately licensed and implementation-required project. There are customers who have implemented this and they can share their data in SAP Analytics Cloud via a new Workforce Analytics Connector. There are some exciting items on the 2022 Roadmap for Workforce Analytics including plans to continue to enable additional metrics packs on WFA on HANA, and improvements in the connection points between WFA and SAC so that the WFA models can be visualized within SAC and combined with other enterprise data/models. In parallel, SAP is working to determine the best option to leverage their enterprise analytics capabilities for the long term. Next up is SAP Analytics Cloud for Planning.

SAP ANALYTICS CLOUD FOR PLANNING

SAP Analytics Cloud for Planning

This version used to refer to the Workforce Planning solution which was sunset in January 2021. The new version of this is designed with the goal for planning data to be available in SAP Analytics’ Cloud for Planning in the future. As part of SAP’s vision to embed planning capabilities across solutions and power real-time, insight-driven planning and analysis, the new operational workforce planning and analytics capability will deliver pre-built content to integrate and visualize data from SAP SuccessFactors solutions and SAP S/4HANA via SAP Analytics Cloud. 

IS PEOPLE ANALYTICS THE SAME AS SAP ANALYTICS CLOUD

Is People Analytics the same as SAP Analytics Cloud?

No, but I do hear this question about once a week. I published a blog on this back in January 2020 but I think with all of the changes in terminology and continued advancement on reporting and analytics in SAP SuccessFactors, it warrants an updated mention with all the new terminology included.

 

The easiest way to think of it is:

 

People Analytics is designed for your cloud-based human resources SuccessFactors data with a focus on engagement and experiences, while SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) is for your entire enterprise. SAP Analytics Cloud may include data related to HCM but also data from every other area of the business and is part of the larger SAP Business Technology platform that makes for an intelligent enterprise.

 

Is some of the technology across the two solutions the same? Yes. However, for practical purposes you should see them as independent solutions.

 

I prepared a quick video about how People Analytics, Report Stories and SAP Analytics Cloud work together to form an intelligent HCM enterprise. It gives you a good look at what you need to know about your options for reporting, analytics and planning in SAP HCM and Payroll On-Premise and SAP SuccessFactors in the cloud.

 

 

 

 

If you would like to see a basic reference for solutions that are available for Reporting, Analytics and Planning for all things SAP HCM and Payroll and SuccessFactors, please download my free ebook available via the link below.

 

 

New call-to-action

 

 

Explore Popular Tags

SAP SuccessFactors Query Manager SAP HCM SAP HCM reporting HCM Reporting Intelligent HR and Payroll SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll Human Capital Management (HCM) SAP Payroll SAP Reporting EPI-USE Labs HCM SAP SuccessFactors Reporting PRISM Payroll Payroll reporting reporting Document Builder Query Manager Analytics Connector SAP Analytics Cloud SAP HCM Data SAP Query SAP S/4HANA Artificial Intelligence (AI) Microsoft PowerBI SAP Payroll data SAP SuccessFactors People Analytics Variance Monitor SAP HXM HR and Payroll data SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud Edition (S/4 PCE) Tableau HXM Move Payroll Data SAP SAP ERP HCM SAP HCM On-Premise Solutions SAP HCM Payroll SAP HR Reporting SuccessConnect people analytics sap query hr Data Sync Manager Employee Central Payroll Journey to SAP SuccessFactors Machine Learning (ML) PRISM for HCM (Private Cloud Edition) PRISM free assessment SAP HCM journey SAP and SuccessFactors HXM Reporting AI COVID-19 Cloud-based SAP HCM solutions Employee Central Payroll Reporting Employee data Employee payroll GeoClock H4S4 HCM Productivity Suite HR PRISM for ECP SAP Business Technology Platform SAP HCM/HXM SuccessFactors reporting solution ABAP DSM for HCM Joule Let's Talk HCM On-Premise Payroll Pay Recon SAP HCM Analysis SAP HCM for SAP S/4HANA On-Premise SAP HR SAP SuccessFactors HCM Journey SAP SuccessFactors Roadmaps SAP data privacy and compliance Transformation without re-implementation Ultimate Guide: SAP HCM & Payroll Options accurate payroll data data validation payroll control center 2024 BTP ChatGPT Data Sync Manager for HCM Digital transformation EPI-USE Labs’ solutions Employee Central Employee communication GDPR Generative AI HCM, HR Large Language Models Move to SuccessFactors Employee Central OData PRISM for H4S4 Query Manager with Document Builder Real-time reporting and document creation SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) SAP Data Warehouse Cloud SAP HCM On-premise SAP HCM for S/4HANA SAP On-Premise customers SAP Payroll to the Cloud SAP Road maps SAP SAPPHIRE 2024 SAP SuccessFactors Time Management SAP SuccessFactors Time Tracking SAP customers SAP data SAP data privacy & security Success Factors SuccessConnect 2019 Tax Reporting Time management certification custom infotype data source ebook on-premise SAP HCM s/4HANA Analytics solutions Automated reports Automation Cloud migrations Comparing data DSM Object Sync for SuccessFactors Hybrid Data Secure Data Types Data analysis Employee Central time Employee Letters Free HCM Assessment HR Journey HR employee reports Hourly time tracking Human Experience Management (HXM) Human Resources Human Resources data Hybrid Reporting SAP and SuccessFactors Hybrid SAP and SuccessFactors Hybrid reporting Hybrid reporting solution Integrated reporting SuccessFactors SAP Intelligent Enterprise Microsoft Excel Natural Language Processing News OData integration OM Object Sync On-Premise Payroll S/HANA Sidecar On-premise reporting Organization of the data PA Pay reconciliation People Analytics Workforce Planning Personalized documents Prompt Engineering Protect personal employee data Report Stories Reporting and analysis Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Robotic Process Automation framework S/4HANA Private Cloud Edition (PCE) SAP BTP SAP Data Privacy Suite SAP Data Security SAP ERP Payroll customers SAP HCM 2023 SAP HCM Roadmap SAP HCM and Payroll customers SAP HXM 2021 SAP Mentors SAP SuccessFactors Hybrid SAP SuccessFactors Next-Gen Payroll SAP SuccessFactors Release updates SAP Wage Type Reporter SAP certified solution SAP migration SAPPHIRE 2018 SuccessFactors and the Intelligence Enterprise SuccessFactors' Employee Central Payroll TCO Calculator The Report Center The Road to People Analytics Tracking employee time Workforce Planning ad hoc data variances easy reporter high-speed, low-risk on-premise SAP data partner roadmap single reporting solution sq01 stories in SAP SuccessFactors People Analytics technology third party ALE STP report APJ ASUG Accessing COVID-19 data Ad Hoc Query American Payroll Association (APA) Analytics Connector Analytics reports Analytics solution At-risk employees Australian Payroll Australian Tax Office (ATO) Automated analysis and pay run reconciliations Automatic HR reports Best practice in BI Bots Business Analytics Business Intelligence COVID-19 statistics COVID-19 vaccinations Certified solutions Check for data replication errors Client Sync Client-centric Cloud Cloud hosting SAP PCE Cloud innovations Company Branding Compare legacy HR and Payroll data Configuration Center Copy and mask test data Coronavirus Created timestamp Custom Development Custom store Customer-specific infotypes DSAG Data Privacy Data Replication Data Sources Data Sync Manager (DSM) Data access Data privacy regulations Data production support issue solution Deep Learning Democratize data Description Diversity & Inclusion reporting DocuSign
+ See More

Get Instant Updates


Leave a Comment: