Delegation or Substitution functionality using UWL

Hi friends,

This is about how to achieve very powerful but rarely used functionality of delegation in portal.

Brief about the functionality.
UWL is the place where you can find your workitems or the items requiring your action. It is the place where you approve Leaves, times, transfers etc. You might require someone to fill-in for you in your absence (ex: you go on a 2 weeks Navaratri vacation :) ). So you want to pass on your workitems from your UWL to your substitute's UWL so that he/she can work on them in your absence.

How to achieve it?
Good news is that you require little work on your part, and SAP provides most of the functionality. In UWL, you see option "Manage Substitution Rules" as below.



In the next screen you can enter the user as a substitute and set up the rule to delegate.The moment you activate the rule, your substitute will start getting your workitems as well in his UWL.

Advanced options and configurations
This is the basic functionality and your client's usually want more.

Here are their next questions.

1. Can I control which workitems can be delegated? I only want to delegate Leaves, but not compensation change workitems. Substitution Profiles are available to select when you create a substitution rule.
Yes, this is possible. You need to define Substitution Profiles
Step 1. IMG -> SAP Netweaver -> Application Server -> Business Management -> SAP Business Workflow -> Basic Settings -> Substitution Profile -> Define Substitution Profile)
E.g. Z001 - Leave Requests
Step 2. Then create a new classification for tasks:
(IMG -> SAP Netweaver -> Application Server -> Business Management -> SAP Business Workflow -> Basic Settings -> Substitution Profile -> Maintain Task Class)
E.g. Z001 - Leave Requests
Step 3. Assign 'Classificaiton of tasks' to actual Dialog tasks
Open the dialog task in Tcode PFTC.
Goto Addiitonal data--> Agent Assignment --> Maintain
Here you will be able to select the 'Classification of tasks' for your dialog task.
Step 4. Then assign the substition profile to the classification
(IMG -> SAP Netweaver -> Application Server -> Business Management -> SAP Business Workflow -> Basic Settings -> Substitution Profile -> Assign Substitution Profile)

2. Can I limit the substitution profiles that are available for a user to select?
Yes, this is possible too. Use the BADI WF_SUBSTITUTE. Use method RESTRICT_PROFILES to delete substitution profiles from the internal table 'PROFILES' which are non relevant.

3. Can I validate business rules when a manager sets his substitute. (Ex: I want the substitute to be a manager as well)
Yes, this is possible too. Use the BADI WF_SUBSTITUTE. Use method maintain_substitute to validate the Substitute and Substituted user. You can show error messages or information messages based on the requirement.

4. Can we have a report on current substitutions?
Yes, Backend table HRUS_D2 stores all the current substitutions. Moment the rule is deleted/disabled, entry gets deleted from this table.

5. What is the difference between "Receive my tasks" and "Fill in for me" ?
If you choose "Recieve my tasks", the assignee will immediately start seeing your tasks. This is called as active substitution. here Assignee does not have any option to deny your tasks.
If you choose "Fill in for me", the asignee has a step to do in UWL to recive your tasks. He needs go to the 'Manage substitution rules' screen and 'Take over' your tasks. Only then your tasks will be visible for the assignee. This is called as Passive substitution. Here the advantage is that if you go on an unplanned vacation your assignee can take over tasks. Assignee has the option not to take over as well.



6. For the audit purpose I would need the history of delegation. Where can I get it from?
UWL delegation history is available in the portal server DB. The portal table is KMC_WF_SUBSTITUTE.
You need to use an SQL editor to query this table, which is located at the portal database.

Update: 18th Nov 2010: There is another possibility. I saw that HRUS_D2 table changes are logged. (Technical attributes of the table) So you can report on the table change log for this requirement.
See the below link to find out how to enable table logging
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70ehp1/helpdata/en/c7/69bcd2f36611d3a6510000e835363f/content.htm

Here is a sample output from change log for HRUS_D2

7. Some limitations of Substitution or Delegation application

• More than one substitution profile (Group of Workflows) cannot be delegated to a single user.
• Delegation functionality is NOT transitive (A to B to C not possible)
• No option for the assignee to deny taking over incoming work list. For ‘Fill in for me’ asignee can decide not to ‘Take over’.
• Substitutions will be active till they are deactivated. No end date can be mentioned beforehand.
• Delegation is a feature of UWL. Hence this feature cannot be selectively given for MSS.
• History of delegation cannot be shown at the portal. Only the current active substitution rules are shown. 

Another common scenario:
I have a requirement where our employee contact center will receive requests for delegation of selected items. (Ex: Only Leave approvals). Contact center employee should be able to execute these delegations


Probable solution: 
1. Create a program with selection screen conditions as follows
Delegation from:
Delegation to:
Delegation valid from:            to:
Delegation is valid for: [Substitution profile]

Within the program, add an entry to the HRUS_D2 table.

2. Assign a Tcode for the above program and assign it to the authorization profile of the contact center role.


Now the contact center employee can execute the delegation using the tcode. In addition you may build functionality to edit/delete HRUS_D2 entries.
Related topic


There is another way of achieving the Substitution. That is by using the substitution relationship with the position. Some questions in my mind
a. Will the position substitution update HRUS_D2 as well?
b. Will it act like UWL substitution?
c. Will the authorizations be inherited with position-relationship substitution?
d. Can UWL substitution and Relationship substitution conflict?

Let me know if you have the answers

Below SAP Press Book on ESS/MSS has been very helpful for me.
See in FLIPKART: Configuring and Customizing Employee and Manager Self-Services in SAP ERP HCM
See in AMAZON: Configuring and Customizing Employee and Manager Self-Services in SAP ERP HCM