11.4 Configuring the Position Object

11.4 Configuring the Position Object

Quick Answer: Position is an effective-dated MDF object (Basic effective dating) with organization, job, and pay fields. You configure it in Configure Object Definitions: labels, visibility, defaults, custom fields, searchable fields, security, associations, the default screen, and rules. Key fields are Job Code, FTE, Standard Hours, Parent Position, To Be Hired, Multiple Incumbents Allowed, and Position Controlled.

What You Configure

In Configure Object Definitions > Object Definition > Position > Take Action > Make Correction you can:

• display or hide fields and rename labels (with translations)
• add custom fields and set default values
• configure searchable fields
• set security and associations
• assign a default screen (Configurable UI)
• assign workflows and other business rules

Custom field limits for Position: 30 custom String, 55 custom Number (mapped to Number, Boolean, Picklist, Translatable, Generic Object, Foundation Object), 20 custom Decimal, and 15 custom Date fields (Date, DateTime, Time). You get a warning at 80% of a limit and an error when exceeding it.

Object Details

Field Groups

• Standard fields: code, external name, status, start date, and so on.
• Business-relevant fields: organizational and job data shared with employees, such as Business Unit, Legal Entity (Company), Department, Job Code, FTE, Standard Hours, and Employee Class.
• Position Management fields: Criticality, Position Controlled, Position Type, Target Capacity, Multiple Incumbents Allowed, To Be Hired, Parent Position, Right to Return. Some matter only for Succession.
• MDF system fields: such as internalId and fields starting with mdfSystem. Do not change them or make them visible.
• Custom fields.

Job Code

The Job Code field assigns the job classification. Common fields such as job title, job level, regular/temporary, employee class, and pay grade can fill in automatically. This propagation requires a business rule assigned to the jobCode field (Section 13.1).

FTE, To Be Hired, and Position Control

• Target (planned) FTE is the workload of the position. An employee's current FTE follows from their hours. A 40-hour full-time employee is 1.0, while 25 hours out of 40 is 0.625, so the position is understaffed.
• Positions with no incumbent (0 / 1 FTE), or with current FTE below planned, show the TBH (To Be Hired) icon if To Be Hired = Yes. A position can be marked not vacant even when understaffed.
• Overstaffed means current FTE is above planned, for example 3/2 FTE.
• Position Controlled (positionControlled): checks target FTE on assignment and prevents overstaffing. It is checked on hire, on MSS position or FTE changes, on History changes of position or FTE, when the position's FTE changes, and when the system searches for a position during transfer or reclassification. It also triggers stable headcount processing. SAP warns that position control can make Job Information imports slow, especially for positions with many incumbents, and recommends setting it to No in such cases.
• Transition period: temporary overstaffing, for example during a handover, can be allowed globally or by position type (Section 11.5).

Standard Hours and FTE Calculation

A Calculate FTE rule on the standard-hours field in Job Information looks for standard hours from most to least specific: Job Information, Position, Job Classification, Location, Legal Entity. It then calculates FTE.

Parent Position

The higher-level position. When an employee is assigned a position, the incumbent of the parent position can become their supervisor. For Create Same-Level or Lower-Level Position, the parent is defaulted and not editable. Copy Position copies it. Technically it is a one-to-one association.

Incumbent

The incumbent field is only relevant for Succession Management. In Position Management, the assignment is made through the position field in Job Information. Visibility rules:

With PM enabled, saving the object with the incumbent field Editable or Read-Only raises an error.

Other Fields

Hiding External Codes

Use UI Field Renderer with displayGOWithoutExternalCode (generic objects) or displayPickListWithoutExternalCode (picklists) to show labels only.

Associations

Parent position builds the hierarchy and defaults the parent when creating lower-level or same-level positions. Matrix relationships can sync to employees' Job Relationships and be used in RBP target restrictions. Field criteria on position fields (for example division filtered by business unit) keep positions consistent with the FO hierarchy (Section 6.4).

Security

Position is Secured = Yes, with Permission Category = Miscellaneous Permissions. Grant permissions and target criteria as described in Section 11.2, and set CREATE Respects Target Criteria as needed.

Configurable UI for Position

Manage Configuration UI (a Metadata Framework permission) creates a friendlier layout. Change labels, add or reorder fields, create groups such as Job Classification Details and Organizational Details, and set layout, visibility, required, rules, and links. Assign it as the Position object's Default Screen. It then appears in Manage Positions and in Show Details on the Position Org Chart.

Caution: the tool has no revert option. SAP advises organizing all fields and saving before deleting anything. Each new group creates a placeholder Input field, which you remove after moving fields in.