HR Cockpit#
Overview#
In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central1, staff data typically needs to be stored in the Employee, Resource, and Salesperson/Purchaser tables. Sometimes, however, data also needs to be available elsewhere in the app. For example, you might need to add information to the Vendor table to reimburse employees for travel expenses.
Hiring a new staff member or updating staff data might therefore have a ripple effect throughout the app. The HR Cockpit was designed to offer you an easy way to create and update information across all tables at once.
Information is stored in the cockpit temporarily so that you can add or update data in the tables that include a certain staff member. For example, if you want to change an employee’s home address, changing the relevant HR cockpit field updates the field in all tables linked to this employee. Removing data from the cockpit, however, doesn’t delete the information elsewhere.
After you added or updated the relevant data, you will be asked if you want to keep or delete the HR cockpit record. We recommend that you keep it, but—as a precaution—run the Get Data action when you are about to perform the next update. This function retransfers all data related to a certain staff member, ensuring that the cockpit also shows changes made to individual tables in the meantime.
Setup#
You can set up default values for some staff-related fields. Choose the Search icon, enter HR Cockpit Setup, and then choose the related link.
This opens a page where you can set up a general template or a distinct combination of values for each person working in HR. These default values are then entered in the resource record that is created when you register new staff.
If you want to specify default values for vendor-related information, you need to have the Comsol2 Travel Expenses app installed.
Default no. series#
You can also choose in HR Cockpit Setup what number series you want staff-related tables to use. For example, you can choose if you want a field in the resource record to keep the number that you used to create the employee record.
For each table, two fields are available for setting up a series.
Resource No. Series Setup
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Resource No. Series | Fill in this field if you want new data records to use a number from this series. |
| Resource Nos. Prefix | Fill in this field if you want to add a prefix to the employee number when you set up new data records with that number. |
Examples
Employee and resource number are identical.
Employee=1235 and Resource=1235
| Resource No. Series | |
| Resource Nos. Prefix |
The resource uses a number from another series.
Employee=1235 and Resource R58456
| Resource No. Series | ResourceNoSeries |
| Resource Nos. Prefix |
Resource and employee number are identical, except for the prefix.
Employee=1235 and Resource=R1235
| Resource No. Series | |
| Resource Nos. Prefix | R |
HR Field Check#
On this page, you can specify which cockpit fields must always be filled in. To open the page, choose the Search icon, enter HR Field Check, and then choose the related link.
Turn on the toggle if you want the system to check whether employees can be assigned in sales.
As for the other fields, except for the Employee No. and Initials fields, which cannot be edited (considering the role they play in creating master records), the options you can choose in each field are described in the following table.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Ignore | Prompts the system to ignore the content of this field. |
| Required | Requires the user to enter something in this field. If the field is left blank, no data is copied to tables associated with the employee record. |
| Ask | Asks the user whether to continue with processing information if the field is empty. |
Note
Due to their use when creating master data, the fields "Employee No." and "Initials" are permanently set to "Required" and cannot be changed.
HR Cockpit Card#
The cockpit provides you with a central location to add and update staff data.
Register a new employee#
- Choose the Search icon, enter HR Cockpit, and then choose the related link.
- On the ribbon, choose New and fill in the fields as described in the following tables.
General#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Type | Shows the type of data record, for example, New. |
| Employee No. | Serves as a unique reference to the new data record. Numbers are assigned based on the series stored in HR Cockpit Setup. To create a new cockpit record, go to any other field and choose Yes on the dialog page that appears. A number is then assigned automatically. Note If you follow these instructions, an HR cockpit record is created before a new employee record. |
| User ID | Choose an ID to link the employee to a user. Note The user must already exist. |
| Initials | Specify initials for the employee. |
| Gender | Specify the employee’s gender. |
| First Name | Enter the employee’s first name. |
| Last Name | Enter the employee’s last name. |
| Name | Combines the First Name and Last Name fields. |
| Address Address 2 |
Enter the employee’s (second) home address. |
| Post Code | Enter the ZIP code of the location where the employee lives. |
| City | Shows the city or town associated with the ZIP code.If the field is empty, fill in a location manually. |
| County | Specify a county if necessary. You need to unhide this field before you can enter a value. |
| Country/Region Code | Shows the country or region associated with the ZIP code. If the field is empty, fill in a code manually. |
| Birth Date | Enter the employee’s date of birth. |
| Record Created On | Shows the date on which the record was created. |
| Record Created By | Shows the ID of the user who created the record. |
| Registered On | Shows the date on which the employee was added. |
| Registered By | Shows the ID of the user who added the employee. |
| Last Imported By | Shows the ID of the user who last imported the data record. |
| Last Imported On | Shows the date on which the data record was last imported. |
| Last Updated By | Shows the ID of the user who last updated the employee record. |
| Last Updated On | Shows the date on which the employee record was last updated. |
Contact Details#
Here you can enter an employee's contact information.
Employee#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Status | Select the employee’s status. You can choose between Active, Inactive, and Terminated. |
| Project Title | Specify the employee’s role in the company. |
| Employee Posting Group | Specify the group that will be used to post the employee’s business transactions to the relevant account in the general ledger. |
| Project Manager | Turn on this toggle if you want to create a project journal and assign it to the employee. |
| Separate Invoicing | With the toggle turned on, a separate invoice suggestion is set up for the employee. If the employee is specified as a project lead (see previous field), this toggle turns on automatically (but you can turn it off again, if necessary). |
| Trainee | Turn on this toggle if the employee is a trainee. |
| Social Security No. | Enter the employee’s social security number. |
| Employment Date | Specify the starting date of employment. |
| Inactive Date | Enter a date in this field if the employee is unavailable for a relatively long period of time. |
| Cause of Inactivity Code | Select a reason for the employee’s inactivity, such as parental leave. |
| Termination Date | Enter a date in this field if the employee’s contract came to an end. |
| Grounds for Term. Code | Select a code that explains why employment ended. For example, the employee might have been let go or might have retired. |
| Emplymt. Contract Code | Shows the type of contract stored for the employee with HR. |
Base Data#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Create Salesperson | Turn on this toggle if you want to create a salesperson record for the new employee. |
| Salesperson Code | Instead of creating a new data record, you can also enter the code of an existing salesperson here. |
| Create Resource | Turn on this toggle if you want to create a resource for the new employee. |
| Resource No. | Instead of creating a new data record, you can also enter the code of an existing resource here. |
| Create TE Employee | Turn on the toggle to set up a staff member for whom you want to post travel expenses (known as a TravelExpense Employee). This field is only shown if you installed the Comsol2 Travel Expenses app. |
| TE Employee No. | Instead of creating a new data record, you can also enter the number of an existing TE employee here. This field is only shown if you installed the Comsol2 Travel Expenses app. |
| Create Vendor | Turn on this toggle to link a vendor to the new employee. This field is only shown if you installed the Comsol2 Travel Expenses app. |
| Vendor No. | Instead of creating a new data record, you can also enter the number of an existing vendor here.This field is only shown if you installed the Comsol2 Travel Expenses app. |
Resource#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Resource Group No. | Fill in this field if you want to assign the employee to a resource group. |
| Base Calendar Code | The code in this field determines how much capacity the resource has available. If you want capacity to be calculated automatically, turn on the Create Capacity toggle (also found on this card). |
| Available in Sales | Turn on this toggle if you want to use the data record for sales documents. |
| Show on Schedule | Turn on this toggle if you want to utilize the resource in planning. |
| Direct Unit Cost | Specify the resource’s unit cost. |
| Unit Price | Specify the resource’s unit price. |
| Work Hour Template | Choose a template for the resource’s weekly working hours. |
| Product Commission Group | This field helps group and commission products individually. |
| Blocked | Turn on this toggle if you want to block use of the resource. |
| Create Capacity | Creates resource capacity entries automatically. To use this feature, you need to choose a Base Calendar Code, a Work Hour Template, a Capacity Starting Date, and a Capacity Ending Date. |
| Capacity Starting Date | Specifies the starting date of capacity planning. |
| Capacity Ending Date | Specifies the ending date of capacity planning. |
Bank#
Here you can specify an employee’s bank account information.
Setup#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Gen. Prod. Posting Group | Specify a general product posting group. |
| No. Series Vendor | Specify a number series for vendors. |
| Vendor Posting Group | Fill in this field if you want to map the resource to a G/L account for posting purposes. |
| Payment Terms Code | Enter the agreed terms of payment. |
| Payment Method Code | Select how payment is made, for example, by bank transfer. |
| Application Method | Specify how you want to apply payments for items. |
| Gen. Bus. Posting Group | Used to determine the relevant G/L account in VAT Posting Setup. |
| VAT Bus. Posting Group | Used to determine the G/L account on the VAT Posting Setup page when you post the resource. |
| Responsibility Center | Shows the responsibility center, such as a purchase office, to which the employee is assigned. |
Dimensions#
On this tab, you can specify dimensions for the staff member. These are then copied as default dimensions to the Employee and related tables (for example, Resource).
Depending on what you entered in General Ledger Setup, this FastTab includes up to eight fields: Global Dimension 1 and 2 and Shortcut Dimension 3 through 8. You can add more default dimensions by selecting the Dimensions action on the ribbon.
TempVision#
Fill in this tab if you use the Tempras app for employee management.
Travel Expenses#
Fill in this tab if you use Comsol2 or Continia for travel expense management.
Note
To connect either solution to your system, you need what is known as a bridge app; for more details, please ask your KUMAVISION contact.
Transfer Data#
Use this action on the ribbon to create new data records in the Employee, Resource, and Salesperson/Purchaser tables, as well as the Vendor and TE Employee tables if you installed the Comsol2 Travel Expenses app.
You can then choose to keep or delete the HR Cockpit data.
Update staff data#
When you use the HR Cockpit card to register new staff members, data will be linked throughout the Employee, Resource, and Salesperson/Purchaser tables—and the Vendor and TE Employee tables if you installed the Comsol2 Travel Expenses app.
When you close the card, you will be asked if you want to keep or delete the data that you created.
Keep the HR cockpit record#
If you choose to keep the information, the card is retained in the system so that you can take another look at the data later. To ensure that the information shown on the card includes all changes users made to related data in the Employee, Resource, and Salesperson/Purchaser tables in the meantime, go to the ribbon and run the Get Data action before your next update.
Changes to employee data can be tracked by using the Type field. If the information related to an employee has been changed, the field is set to Updated. The Updated By and Updated On fields show who last updated the fields and when this happened.
To replace what is stored in the associated tables with new information, reopen the relevant card and rerun the Transfer Data action when you’re finished updating. You can then again decide if you want to keep or delete the cockpit record.
Delete the data record#
If you decide to delete the data record, you need to retrieve all relevant information each time you want to look up an employee.
- On the HR cockpit card, choose the New action.
- In the Employee No. field, select the number of the data record that you want to update instead of having the system assign a new number to the card.
When you choose an Employee No., the program will copy to the card all information related to the employee, that is, all data stored for the staff member in the Employee, Resource, and Salesperson/Purchaser tables (and, if you installed the Comsol2 Travel Expenses app, the TE Employee and Vendor tables). At the same time, the Type field will be set to Updated.
To replace what is stored in the related tables with new data that you entered on the card, go to the ribbon, and select the Transfer Data action. Following the update, you can again decide if you want to keep or delete the data record.