HR Suite

In the previous training article, we learnt about Oracle Payroll Balances, via link
In this article, we continue from previous article to explain Fast Formulas, as a step by step approach.

We created 3 Elements in Oracle Payroll when Learning about Oracle Payroll Balance.

Element 1 : XX Weekday Lieu Stored

Element 2 : XX Day Off In Lieu

Element 3 : XX Pay from Weekday Lieu Stored

We also created a Balance named "Weekday Lieu balance" with dimension_ASG_ITD using the above three elements.

XX Weekday Lieu Stored : Add

XX Day Off In Lieu : Subtract

XX Pay from Weekday Lieu Stored : Subtract

At the end of the exercise, the Balance left for Weekday Lieu balance was 2.5 hours.

In this article, we will expand upon that article, and demonstrate how to develop Fast formulas.

Lets assume the below business scenario:-

An employee working extra hours during weekends/bank holidays can equate to 1.5 times their Normal Hourly Rates.

If the employee works extra hours during weekdays ,then they can en-cash 1x time their Normal Hourly Rates

In order to support the Weekend/Bank Holidays Extra Hours worked & Lieu days taken, lets create further Elements.

Element Name: XX Weekend Holidays Lieu Stored

Element Name: XX Pay from Weekend Holidays Lieu Stored

In order to track the Weekend/Holidays activities, lets create a Balance "Weekend Holidays Lieu Balance"

XX Weekend Holidays Lieu Stored : Add

XX Pay from Weekend Holidays Lieu Stored : Subtract

Why the need of Fast Formula?

Lets assume, if an Employee has "Weekday Lieu balance" of 2.5Hours.

Also, Lets assume that Employee has "Weekend Holidays Lieu Balance" worth 15Hours.

Business policy is that "Lieu off" can only be taken from "Weekday Lieu balance"

Effectively the Business policy states that "Lieu off" can NOT BE taken from "Weekend Holidays Lieu Balance"

This would mean that Work done during the Weekends can be en-cashed and never be taken off a Lieu.

If the employee takes a Lieu day off for 7.5Hours driving "Weekday Lieu balance" to negative, then entire balance in

"Weekend Holidays Lieu Balance" must be transferred to "Weekday Lieu balance" @ 1 times.

So, here an employee faces 0.5x penalty if they take day off driving the balance negative.

Keep in mind, this is a pseudo example,

nowhere in world[I think] will a company Penalise an employee to loose their "Weekend Balance" in totality at the same rate as that of "Weekday Balance"

For adjusting such Balances automatically, we need to Write Fast Formula.

How did I reach a figure of 10Hrs Balance?

2.5[existing weekday balance] + 1*15[existing weekend balance] - 7.5[day off taken in Lieu]

=2.5 + 15 - 7.5

How do we do this? Explain the concept?

As you would notice, we are transferring from the "Weekend Balance" into "Weekday balance".

For doing so, we will create a new Element called "XX Lieu Transfer Element".

When Oracle Payroll Engine Runs, it will check if the Lieu Off is being taken in a manner that drives Weekday Balance to negative.

If Weekday Balance is driven Negative THEN ....."Value in Weekend Balance" will be assigned to "XX Lieu Transfer Element".

Fine, we will assign 15 (15*1) to Element "XX Lieu Transfer Element". But how will that increase the "Weekday Balance"?

Also how will that decrease the "Weekend Balance" to zero?

"Weekend Holidays Lieu Hours Balance" with dimension_ASG_ITD will now use three Elements

XX Weekend Holidays Lieu Stored : Add

XX Pay from Weekend Holidays Lieu Stored : Subtract

XX Lieu Transfer Element : Subtract

"Weekday Lieu balance" with dimension_ASG_ITD will now use Four Elements

XX Weekday Lieu Stored : Add

XX Day Off In Lieu : Subtract

XX Pay from Weekday Lieu Stored : Subtract

XX Lieu Transfer Element : Add

But how will Oracle Payroll automatically know that "Weekday Lieu Balance" is now Negative?

Also, how will Oracle Payroll Engine assign "Weekend Balance value" to element "XX Lieu Transfer Element"?

This is where Fast Formulas come into the play.

We will write a Fast Formula on Element "XX Lieu Transfer Element"

IF WEEKDAY_LIEU_BALANCE_ASG_ITD < 0 AND WEEKEND_HOLIDAYS_LIEU_BALANCE_ASG_ITD > 0

THEN

  (

   RETURN WEEKEND_HOLIDAYS_LIEU_BALANCE_ASG_ITD

  )

Following steps will happen internally inside Oracle's Payroll Engine

1. Payroll engine will try to calculate value for Element "XX Lieu Transfer Element"

2. Oracle Payroll engine will find that oops, this element has a Formula against it.

Hence Payroll will execute that formula, and we will assign the returned value from Formula to element "XX Lieu Transfer Element"'s input value.

This will happen due to the manner in which we will link the Formula to this Transfer Element.

3. Because this element feeds into both the Balances[Weekdays:add & Weekend:Subtract], such formula will automatically drive Weekend Balance to 0.

Ensure that "Weekend Holidays Lieu balance" has been defined as below

Also note that currently Only two Elements feed into this Balance. As we are yet to define our transfer Element.

Ensure that Weekday Balance is currently 2.5Hours, and also Weekend Balance is 15hrs

This can be checked from Assignment Process Results screen. Or from QuickPay screen if we ran

Payroll for a single individual using Quickpay.

Now lets create the transfer Element, its Element Link and also Amend balances to include this new element.

Transfer Element Will have the following Attributes:-

1. Pay Value of Type Number

2. Type Information and also Recurring[as we want this Element to get attached each Period automatically]

3. IMPORTANT: Its priority will be 9000, and not default 500. This is so, because we want this Element to be processed after other Elements have been processed.

Hence, when Payroll Engine reaches to process this "Transfer Element", by that time Weekday Balance already would have been driven Negative[if applicable].

4. Also note that I haven't made its Input Value Mandatory. I have put it as "Pay Value"

Click on the Button "Balance Feeds" and assign the Feed Values, as in screenshot below.

The new transfer element will Add to Weekday Balance, and will subtract from Weekend Balance/

Define the Element Link for "XX Lieu Transfer Element"

No need of a screenshot here, as we have well learnt this in previous training lesson.

IMPORTANT: NOW DEFINE THE FORMULA...GO TO FORMULA ENTRY SCREEN

We will define a formula named XX_XFER_LIEU

Type : Oracle Payroll.

Click on Show Items, and Query on WEEK%.

Inside Formula, I will have to check whether Weekday Balance is Less than 0.

Hence I would need a mechanism to reference the Current Balance inside a Fast Formula.

You can see the names that Oracle Payroll assigns to Balances by Clicking on Show Items

Below, I can see the two names that will act as variables inside our Fast Formula.

Now, to define the formula, lets click on Edit Button in the Formula screen.

A window similar to below will pop-up where you can define the logic of your Fast Formula.

For explanation of syntax etc, refer to Fast Formula white paper in Metalink.

As Seen below, note the following:-

1. We are referencing WEEKEND and Weekday balances as variables.

2. This formula returns a debug variable named xdebug.

3. This formula returns Weekend/Hols balance in variable v_xfer if Weekday Balance gets negative.

4. v_xfer will return 0 if Weekday Balance never got negative.

Now, lets go to Formula result window and here we will assign the values returned from the Formula to "XX Lieu Transfer Element"

Enter element name "XX Lieu Transfer Element" and click on Find.

In Processing Rules, select Standard and in Formula field select our Formula XX_XFER_LIEU

NOTE FROM ABOVE SCREENSHOT: We are assigning v_xfer to our Element "XX Lieu Transfer"

XDEBUG is just for debugging.

Now do the Element entry that will cause our Weekday Balance to go negative.

Lets make this person take 7.5Hrs off in Lieu, even though he has just 2.5hrs remaining in "Weekday Balance"

This is done by assigning 7.5Hrs to "XX Day Off In Lieu"

Now, lets run the Payroll using Quickpay for this specific person.

Navigate to Assignment record, and select the Option QuickPay, by clicking on button labeled Other

Run the Payroll for this person(I ran payroll for Mr Anil Passi for Month of March 2007)

Once the payroll quickpay is run, we can click on View Results followed by Quickpay Run Messages to view the debug messages.

Please find the debug message, indicating that 15Hrs were moved into "XX Lieu Transfer Element"

You can see that Weekend Balance has now become 0

You can also see that Weekday Balance has now become 10, as desired

This completes a step by step tutorial for Fast Formulas in Oracle Payroll.

Anil Passi

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