This section describes how you can extend Oracle HRMS to better meet your enterprise's needs.
There are many ways you can configure Oracle HRMS to meet the needs of your business processes:
Linking windows together in a task flow to streamline data entry and processing
Designing your own windows to create user or task-specific windows
Restricting data access on windows to provide security and confidentiality
You can configure Oracle HRMS using one or any combination of these.
Before configuring any part of Oracle HRMS, it is advisable to plan ahead and decide which parts of the system you want to configure. For example, if you know that your users typically perform a task in a certain way, you can design windows to help them enter information more efficiently. You can also link windows together to help users move from one window to the next. If necessary, you can also restrict what information appears in lists of values and restrict access to certain types of information.
This section describes some of the tools available to configure Oracle HRMS for your enterprise.
Alerts enable you to inform, remind, and confirm information on your personal information, your direct reports, and your workforce. The alert triggers an email notification of an impending action, task, or change to information. For example, you can set up an alert to remind you when a new hire is due to start work.
See: Oracle HRMS Predefined Alerts
You can add data fields called flexfields to windows to hold any additional information you require. You can add:
Key flexfields to configure some of the most important parts of the system, including the names of jobs, positions and grades, details of payroll cost allocation, and analysis information for employees and other people.
Descriptive flexfields to add fields to windows to record additional information.
Extra Information Types to set up multiple categories of information for the most important entities in Oracle HRMS. For example, you might use EITs to add details to assignment records in special circumstances, such as information about a leave of absence or extra information about a temporary assignment to a project.
Protected Flexfields are predefined and protected flexfields supplied with Oracle HRMS. There are two key protected flexfields and three descriptive protected flexfields. Your localization team defines these flexfields to meet the specific legislative and reporting needs of your country.
You can set up user tables to provide matrixes of valid values that vary, such as age, or job, or number of years service. You can access these values from formulas, or your own forms or reports. The GET_TABLE_VALUE function is supplied for use in your formulas. Certain legislations include predefined user tables, for example, to hold values for payroll calculations.
Lookups provide lists of valid values on certain fields throughout the system. For many lookups you can add your own values and change the predefined values. Lookups not only ensure that all users use the same terminology, but also speed up data entry.
You can use CUSTOM Library Events to configure the logic that is executed at defined points within a window. Generic events are available to all Oracle Applications and Product Specific Events are also available to help you to apply business rules specific to Oracle HRMS.
Oracle HRMS provides a set of PL/SQL packaged procedures and functions that together provide an open interface to the database.
You often need to use more than one window to complete many tasks. Oracle HRMS enables you to link these windows together using a task flow. Users can choose a button to bring up each window in turn without returning to the menu. For example, to hire an employee, you typically go from the People window, to the Address window, to the Special Information window, to the Assignment window, and so on. Task flows speed up processes and reduce data entry errors.
See: Task Flow
You can restrict the data available on certain windows. For example, you could restrict the information on a People Management template to applicants only or employees only.
Restricting the type of information available on a window is useful as a security measure. For example, you can create versions of Compensation windows to show only compensation types available to the logged-in user.
You can restrict information on People Management templates using the People Management Configurator. See: People Management Configurator
You can restrict data using a wider range of criteria on the People Management form and a number of other forms using CustomForm.
See: Windows You Can Configure Using CustomForm
You can design forms to help users to perform their tasks quickly and efficiently. Predefined templates can serve as guidelines to design forms for the core People Management processes in your enterprise.
A template form can consist of up to three separate windows:
A Find window to enable queries to be performed
A Summary window to display people and assignment information
A Maintenance window to enable the entry and update of information
You can design the new windows to complete a whole process such as hiring an applicant. For example, users can use the Maintenance window to enter and maintain an applicant's details and the Find window to find groups of applicants to work with. You add the new template forms to the menu so that users can access them from the navigator in the same way as all the other windows.
See: People Management Templates
You configure the predefined templates to create your own windows using the People Management Configurator tool.
See: People Management Configurator
You need to define the formats for displaying currency amounts. If required, you can use multiple currencies for entering information about employee compensation and benefits and you can also record your payment methods to employees in different currencies. You must enable at least one currency as the default currency for all information related to money in your system. This default is known as the Base Currency for your Business Group.