3.1 People Search, Action Search, Custom Navigation, Org Chart, and Built-In Support

3.1 People Search, Action Search, Custom Navigation, Org Chart, and Built-In Support

Quick Answer: The global header search does two jobs. People Search finds colleagues with fuzzy matching and wildcards. Action Search finds tools and actions from natural-language phrases. Administrators tune Action Search in Manage Action Search, add links with Configure Custom Navigation (enabled in Provisioning), and set up the company Org Chart in Org Chart Configuration.

People Search

People Search in the global header finds colleagues from any page. It:

• supports fuzzy matching: a search term with one character different from the name still matches. "Joerg" finds "Jörg", and "ALLEX" finds "Alex" and "Allen"
• handles accents, umlauts, and diaereses
• searches Employee Central names
• lets RBP control which EC and non-EC details show in the results

Wildcards: the asterisk (*) stands in for unknown characters. SAP's examples show that it works inside a term, but a leading wildcard on the first name finds nothing. With "Mike Adams" and "Mike Williams" in the system:

Prerequisites are the User Search permission in RBP and People Search enabled in Provisioning. Fuzzy search is controlled by Enable fuzzy search function for People Search in Company System and Logo Settings.

Inactive users are excluded by default. Including them needs the company setting Show inactive user in people search (requires Role-based Permissions) plus the permission Manage Hires > Include Inactive Employees in the search. Future hires appear as inactive users. Enhanced People Search adds more criteria and filters, such as National ID and Company, and is switched on through two options in Company System and Logo Settings.

Action Search

End users type natural language ("change address", "view org chart") and choose from suggested actions. English search terms work even when the user is logged on in another language. Administrators use Action Search to reach Admin Center tools, and customize it in Admin Center > Company Settings > Manage Action Search:

• enable or disable standard actions
• add custom paraphrases: in THR80's exercise, the abbreviation BCUI is added so that searching "BCUI" opens Manage Business Configuration. Allow about a minute for changes to appear.
• add search terms and labels for your own custom actions

Custom Navigation

Custom Navigation adds links to external URLs or internal deep links in places such as Action Search, the main navigation menu, People Profile Jump To and Employee Records, and People Preview's Take Action and Go To. It must be enabled in Provisioning (Company Settings > Configure Custom Navigation). Configuration fields:

THR79 uses the same deep-link idea for Position Management. The Position Org Chart deep link is /sf/orgchart?type=position, and the Company Structure Overview deep link is /sf/orgchart?type=entity.

Menus and Personal Settings

The Navigation Menu (upper left) lists the areas you can access, so an administrator sees Admin Center and an employee does not. The name menu (upper right) offers proxy, Settings, Admin Center, and log out. Settings cover passwords (not with SSO), security questions, notifications, language, proxy, groups, mobile, and a personal calendar (Gregorian, Buddhist, or Hijri). Companies can also enable the SAP shell bar as a universal header.

Joule and AI Services

Joule is available across the HCM suite. It requires SAP Cloud Identity Services – Identity Authentication (IAS) and the permission General User Permission > Access to Joule. The Joule Action Bar suggests Joule actions in context. AI Services Administration is the single place to enable AI-assisted features. It requires the Manage AI Capabilities > AI Services Administration permission and a purchased AI units license. Features include AI-assisted writing and Bulk Translate (used in Picklist Center, Manage Data, Manage Position, the Position Org Chart, and Configure Object Definitions).

The Company Org Chart

The Org Chart is an interactive view of the hierarchy, including matrix managers, with horizontal or vertical layouts. A matrix-manager count on a card shows how many matrix managers are not displayed. To view the Org Chart, users need Company Info Access, Organization Chart Navigation Permission, and User Search (all under General User Permission). To configure it, administrators need Org Chart Configuration under Manage System Properties. In Org Chart Configuration you decide whether to:

• display photos
• hide matrix-manager information
• show fields on cards (title, location, department, and so on)
• set the default reporting relationships (all reports, direct reports only, or matrix reports)
• include contingent workers by default

The same tool configures the Position Org Chart tiles and side panel (Section 11.3).

Built-In Support

Built-In Support opens in a side panel from the header icon and needs the Company System and Logo Settings permission. Case creation and monitoring require an SAP Universal ID with a linked S-user or P-user. Without one, you can only search. Related help features:

• Learn More links that open SAP Help Portal content from the UI. They are enabled by default and always on.
• WalkMe content for administrators, on by default and switchable off with Display WalkMe Content for Administrators.
• WalkMe guided tours for employees, managers, and admins. They are disabled by default, available only in English (US), and customizing the content requires a WalkMe license.