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Course
Priority
THR80🟠 IMPORTANT
Unit 1 — Introducing SAP SuccessFactors
What the product is, and the single biggest idea in the whole course: Provisioning vs Instance.
SuccessFactors started in 2001 as cloud (SaaS) performance management software. SAP acquired it in February 2012 — that gave SAP a cloud HCM suite.
INSTANCE = the front end that customers and employees see and use.
PROVISIONING = the back end configuration tool. Only implementation partners, consultants and SAP support use it. Customers NEVER get access to Provisioning.
Consultants use Provisioning to: enable/disable modules and features, create the first admin account, upload/download data model XML, enable language packs.
Company ID uniquely identifies an instance. A consultant sees a list of all instances they may access after logging in to Provisioning.
Manage Provisioning Access is an ADMIN CENTER tool: the customer admin can see and control who has Provisioning access to their instance. It is per instance (Dev, Test, Prod managed separately).
Approving someone there does not instantly give access — SAP still verifies internally that the person is trained/certified.
Platform capability groups: Administration, Technology, User Experience.
Memory trick: "PIP": Provisioning = Inside (back end, partners); Instance = In-front (users). If the question says 'the customer does it', the answer is never Provisioning.
THR80🔴 MUST KNOW
Unit 2 — Setting up Provisioning
Company Settings switches and the chicken-and-egg of the first admin account.
Provisioning → Company Settings holds the feature switches. Use Ctrl+F to find a setting. You must click 'Save Feature' and re-type the Company ID to confirm.
The FIRST administrator account can only be created in Provisioning (username, password — which must differ from username — tick the customer-approval box, enter the customer e-mail, click Create Admin).
Why Provisioning? Admin Center RBP tools need an existing admin to grant permissions — so someone has to be created from the back end first.
If 'single recipient e-mail' is configured, Create Admin can fail with an e-mail exception — temporarily disable that setting.
Always create a backup administrator account in case the primary admin is locked out.
Memory trick: First admin is born in the back end. Everything after that is born in Admin Center.
THR80🔴 MUST KNOW
Unit 3 — Administrator roles and Admin Center
Who is who, and how admins find tools.
Admin role types: System Owner/Advocate, System Administration, Super Administrator, Security Administrator, and plain Administrator (anyone with at least one admin permission).
A brand-new Super Admin on first login sees only one link: 'Manage RBP Admin and Super Admin Access'.
That tool's options: Allow Access to Manage Provisioning Access Page, Allow Access to This Page, Super Admin, View Group, View Role, Edit Group, Edit Role.
Minimum to VIEW the RBP tools = View Group + View Role. To change them = Edit Group + Edit Role.
A Super Admin cannot remove their own 'Allow Access to This Page' — this prevents total lockout. Keep at least two people with it.
Admin Center is the central hub. There is NO single 'access Admin Center' permission — anyone with at least one admin permission can get in.
Admin Center contains: Admin Homepage, Admin Tools, Tool Search, Admin Favorites (star tools, plus recently used), Upgrade Center, Execution Manager, Integration Center, Intelligent Services.
TOOL SEARCH lives inside Admin Center and only finds admin tools. ACTION SEARCH is the global search at the top of the page and finds actions across the whole system — it is wider.
Large RBP changes trigger double-confirmation popups and e-mail notifications when they exceed a configured threshold (for example 80% of employees affected).
Memory trick: Tool Search = Tools only. Action Search = Anything. 'T' is smaller than 'A'.
THR80🔴 MUST KNOW
Unit 4 — Role-Based Permissions (RBP)
The single most heavily tested topic in THR80. Learn this sentence: who can do what, to whom.
RBP = Permission ROLES (what you can do) + Permission GROUPS (who you are / whom you can do it to).
Order of work: 1) create groups, 2) create the permission role, 3) grant the role to a group and define the target population.
GRANTED USERS = the people who receive the permission. TARGET POPULATION = the people they may act on.
DYNAMIC groups are rule-based (People Pool criteria, max 4 People Pools per group) and update automatically as employee data changes.
STATIC groups are a fixed list of named users and can only be CREATED by CSV import (Manage Permission Groups → Import Static Groups). Members can be edited in the UI afterwards.
A 't' icon on a permission role means a target population still needs to be defined.
Target population choices: Everyone; Granted User's Department / Division / Location / Manager / Peers / Self; or a specific permission group. There is also 'Exclude granted users from having permission access to themselves'.
Relationships: HIERARCHICAL = manager, second/alternate manager (only one of each). NON-HIERARCHICAL = HR manager, matrix manager, custom manager (can be several).
Copying a role copies only the PERMISSIONS. Groups, target populations and relationships must be re-assigned by hand.
You can bulk activate/deactivate up to 30 role assignments at a time.
Best practice: start with one generic 'All Employees' role; avoid overlapping/redundant roles (they slow the system); the stronger permission always wins when two roles conflict; recommended ceiling is about 1000 dynamic permission groups (static groups do not count).
Use naming conventions such as 'Granted:' and 'Target:' prefixes.
RBP Troubleshooting tool: User Role and Permission Search (can compare two users), Target Population Search, Compare Roles, User Group Search.
The older User Role Search tool reached end of maintenance 14 Nov 2025 and is deleted 15 May 2026.
RBP reports (via Change Audit Reports, which must first be switched on in Manage Audit Configuration): RBP User to Role, RBP Permission to User, RBP User to Group, Permission Roles Report, Dynamic Group Definition. Output as PDF, Excel, PPT or CSV.
Change History of Permission Roles compares two versions and highlights only the permission changes.
User Search Target Population permission controls the people search box; without it the global people search, Settings → Proxy and Settings → Groups are hidden.
Memory trick: "G.R.A.N.T." — Groups first, Roles second, Assign third, Nominate the Target last. And remember the exam sentence: WHO can do WHAT to WHOM.
THR80🟠 IMPORTANT
Unit 4 — Proxy Management
One person acting on behalf of another.
Account holder = the person being acted for. Proxy = the person acting.
Proxy can cover Goal Management, Career Development, Reports/Dashboards, Employee Central, Succession, Compensation and Recruiting. (Learning/LMS has its own separate proxy.)
Several proxies can work at once; the last save wins. All proxy actions are recorded in an audit trail.
Proxy assignments are time-based (start/end dates) and can be restricted by module and even by a specific form template.
Proxy Import CSV columns: USERID, ASSIGNMENT_ID_USERID, PROXYID, ASSIGNMENT_ID_PROXYID, START_DATE, END_DATE (yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm), All, Remove All plus module columns. A pipe character | separates multiple proxy user IDs.
Import errors = the whole file fails. Import warnings = the file loads but that one proxy relationship is not created.
Company System and Logo Settings → 'Disable Proxy access for users without Proxy rights': ticked = only admins assign proxies; unticked = users can self-serve via Name menu → Settings → Proxy.
Memory trick: Pipe | = 'plus more people'. Error kills the file, Warning kills only the row.
THR80🟠 IMPORTANT
Unit 4 — Company System & Logo Settings / Platform Feature Settings
Instance-wide switches that live in Admin Center, not Provisioning.
Company System and Logo Settings holds instance-wide toggles: case-insensitive usernames (irreversible once on), fuzzy search, HTML e-mail notifications, screen-reader enhancements, hide the global navigation module picker, Outlook calendar integration, show custom relationships in the org chart, show inactive users in people search.
Platform Feature Settings needs the 'Platform Feature Settings' permission under the Manage System Properties category. It contains: Enable Secondary Login, Enable Upgrade Center Permission, Hide Username in the UI, Enable Control on Employee Import.
The Tenant Preferred Time Zone can be changed ONLY ONCE and cannot be reverted.
Enabling case-insensitive usernames is also irreversible.
Memory trick: Two one-way doors: case-insensitive usernames and the tenant time zone. Once through, no going back.
THR80🔴 MUST KNOW
Unit 5 — Administrator tasks and monitoring tools
Name the tool for the task. Very commonly tested.
ADMIN ALERTS = pending action items such as stalled workflows and data issues. Needs 'Admin Alerts → Configure Alert Types'. Some alert types can auto-acknowledge; acknowledgement can be retracted.
CHECK TOOL = finds configuration and data problems. Three tabs: System Health (runs periodically, no input), Migration (feature migrations), Validation (you must supply parameters like a template or user).
Check Tool timing: new checks run once, then at least monthly. If nobody opens the Check Tool for 90 DAYS, the periodic runs go inactive until it is reopened.
Check Tool permissions: Access Check Tool, Allow Configuration Export, Allow Check Tool Quick Fix. Quick Fix is a 3-step wizard and exists only for certain Validation checks.
Check Tool results: green = pass, yellow = warning with a proposed solution, red = serious, may need a Support ticket (copy the 'component' value into the ticket).
EXECUTION MANAGER = dashboard of scheduled jobs and integrations (24-hour, 7-day, 15-day views). Logs are kept 15 DAYS then deleted. Tabs: Integration Center, Scheduled Job, Middleware Integrations, Pre-Delivered Integrations.
UPGRADE CENTER = opt into new features, with details, prerequisites, videos, needed permissions, 'save for later', share by e-mail, and a one-click undo for recent upgrades.
By default the Upgrade Center page is open to anyone who can reach Admin Center. To make it permission-controlled you must first enable it in Provisioning, then switch on 'Enable Upgrade Center Permission' in Platform Feature Settings.
SCHEDULED JOB MANAGER is the Admin Center self-service for SUPPORTED job types. MANAGE SCHEDULED JOBS in Provisioning covers ALL job types and customers cannot reach it. You cannot kill a running job from Scheduled Job Manager.
Password & Login Policy Settings (Provisioning, Company Settings): forgot-password by e-mail link and/or security questions; welcome/reset link expiry 1–30 days; password expiry for unused passwords; CAPTCHA threshold.
Three password reset types: reset one user with a password you supply, reset one user with a system-generated password, reset a group of users with system-generated passwords.
Locked accounts: Admin Center → Reset User Account → select users → Reset Selected Users. This only reactivates; it changes nothing else.
Memory trick: "CUE" the admin tools: Check (find problems) · Upgrade (add features) · Execution (watch jobs). Numbers to keep: Check Tool 90 days idle, Execution Manager 15 days of logs.
THR80🟠 IMPORTANT
Unit 6 — User experience: search, home page, mobile, e-mail, languages
Where each part of the look and feel is switched on.
People Search does fuzzy matching (one character difference) and supports wildcards. It needs the User Search permission plus People Search enabled in Provisioning.
Inactive users are excluded from People Search by default (a company-level setting). People Profile and Employee Directory use a separate RBP permission, 'Include Inactive Employees'.
Action Search finds actions in natural language. Admins can add their own paraphrases in Admin Center → Company Settings → Manage Action Search (for example mapping 'RBP' to the permissions tools).
Custom Navigation must be enabled in PROVISIONING first. You then define label, unique ID, link type, URL, menu location and permissions. Custom actions reached from Action Search always open in the same tab.
Joule (the AI assistant) needs IAS plus the 'Access to Joule' permission under General User Permission. AI Services Administration needs its own permission plus a purchased AI units licence.
Latest Home Page is enabled in Company System and Logo Settings and then needs no extra permission. Legacy home page: end of development 25 Nov 2025, deleted 13 Nov 2026.
Home page limits: maximum 100 custom cards defined, maximum 16 cards visible to a user, maximum 16 Quick Actions visible (Favorites and Saved for Later are always shown).
Custom card target types: popover, URL, e-mail, JavaScript URL, or a rule-based switch driven by a business rule.
Mobile: switch features on with 'Enable Mobile Features', grant 'Mobile Access' under General User Permission, and use Manage Mobile User to export mobile users or deactivate devices. Users activate a device with an activation code under Settings → Mobile.
E-mail notifications are managed in Admin Center → Company Settings → E-mail Notification Template Settings. They are either event-triggered (automatic) or administrator-triggered (such as Send Welcome Message). [[SIGNATURE]] is the signature variable.
Manage Languages overrides UI labels per language. Limits: 10,000 overridden values per locale, CSV file maximum 10 MB. It needs language packs and the Manage Languages tool enabled in Provisioning plus the Text Replacement permission under Manage System Properties.
Text Replacement swaps individual UI terms; Manage Languages replaces label sets for a whole locale.
Four translation element types: default language pack, XML template translation, Admin Center translation, and in-app translation. SAP does not translate for you — the customer supplies translations; the consultant supplies the workbook and loads it into test first.
Company logo: transparent JPG, about 210 x 40 px, RGB. Upload in Admin Center → Company Settings → Upload Company Logo, or set a URL in Company System and Logo Settings, or use Theme Manager.
Memory trick: Numbers for the home page: 100 built, 16 seen. Languages: 10,000 words, 10 MB.
THR80🔴 MUST KNOW
Unit 7 — Data models and Manage Business Configuration
The Succession Data Model is the backbone of the platform. Know what lives in it and how to change it.
Four data models: Corporate Data Model (CDM), Country-specific CDM, SUCCESSION DATA MODEL (SDM), Country-specific SDM.
The SDM is the core platform XML and is used by Employee Central, Succession and Performance.
SDM element types: STANDARD elements (one value per person, shown in People Profile — includes custom01 to custom15), USERINFO elements, BACKGROUND elements (one-to-many, such as Previous Work Experience or Language Skills), TAB elements, HRIS elements (Employee Central), and CUSTOM FILTERS (turn custom fields into search filters).
You can edit the SDM two ways: download/edit/upload the XML in Provisioning (Import/Export Data Model), or use Manage Business Configuration (BCUI) in Admin Center with no XML at all.
Provisioning keeps up to 100 backup versions of a data model, with a comment per upload. It does NOT record changes made through Manage Business Configuration.
Exporting the SDM from Admin Center needs the 'Export Succession Data Model' permission.
XML vocabulary: well-formed = correct syntax; valid = well-formed AND follows the DTD.
To enable Manage Business Configuration: upload the SDM in Provisioning, tick 'Enable Generic Objects' and 'Enable Business Configuration in Admin Tools', then run the one-time Provisioning job 'Synchronize Business Configuration'. After that first sync, changes flow automatically.
In Manage Business Configuration you can change labels and translations, enable fields, set display order and visibility, make fields required, add custom fields, attach rules, and LINK an existing picklist to a standard element — but you cannot CREATE a picklist there (that is Picklist Center).
Disabling a standard element in Manage Business Configuration removes it from the SDM completely — test before doing it in production.
Memory trick: SDM = the skeleton. Provisioning uploads the whole skeleton; BCUI reshapes one bone at a time. BCUI links picklists, Picklist Center builds them.
THR80🔴 MUST KNOW
Unit 7 — People Profile, picklists and the User Data File
How the employee profile is built, and how users and dropdowns get into the system.
People Profile structure, biggest to smallest: HEADER → SECTIONS → SUBSECTIONS → BLOCKS. Most blocks take one column of a two-column subsection; Badges and Skills take the full width.
Configure People Profile (Admin Center) arranges the LAYOUT. The Succession Data Model defines the FIELDS. You need the 'Manage Employee Files' permission under Manage System Properties.
Header can show photo, name, username, title, department, division, location, time zone, local time, e-mail, two phone numbers, social links and up to three custom fields. Intro text is limited to 500 characters.
Photos: JPG/JPEG/PNG, maximum 2 MB, 3:4 aspect ratio recommended. Batch photo upload runs as a Provisioning scheduled job, JPEG only, maximum 5,000 photos per pass, CSV named employee_photos_yymmdd.csv with Username and Filename columns.
PICKLIST CENTER manages MDF picklists and needs the Picklist Management permission. Picklists support parent-child (cascading) values, for example Country → State.
Picklists, picklist versions and picklist values can NEVER be deleted — only deactivated.
Picklist import: CSV import is incremental only and cannot do a Full Purge; use a ZIP import for a full purge.
USER DATA FILE (UDF) is the CSV used for bulk user add/change. Only rows that changed are processed; a user ID missing from the file is simply left alone.
USERID is immutable — it can never be changed. A new USERID creates a new user. STATUS = inactive freezes the account.
Standard filter fields are DEPARTMENT, DIVISION and LOCATION, plus optional job code and the 15 custom fields.
The Employee Import tool only exists in systems WITHOUT Employee Central. With EC, user data comes through Import Employee Data / ESS / MSS.
Manage Users is for quick one-off changes (manager transfer, status, name). A later UDF import will overwrite them if the file is not updated too.
Memory trick: Profile = H-S-S-B (Header, Section, Subsection, Block). Picklists: you can put them to sleep but you can never kill them. USERID is for life.
THR80🔴 MUST KNOW
Unit 8 — MDF and Generic Objects
The framework that lets you build your own objects.
MDF = Metadata Framework. It extends the suite with GENERIC OBJECTS and plugs into workflow, rules, reporting, import/export and RBP.
Default limit is 250 custom MDF objects, raisable to 400 in Provisioning.
Layers: object definition → business rules → data (Manage Data) → configuration UI.
Enable in Provisioning with 'Enable Generic Objects' and 'Enable the Attachment Manager'.
Key permissions sit under the Metadata Framework category: Configure Object Definitions, Manage Data, Configure Business Rules, Access to Business Rule Execution Log, Manage Sequence, Import Permission on Metadata Framework.
Custom object codes are automatically prefixed with cust_.
EFFECTIVE DATING options: None, Basic (one record per date), Multiple Changes Per Day, and From Parent (the child follows the parent and cannot exist alone).
ASSOCIATIONS — know these three: VALID WHEN (independent objects, used for filtering, e.g. show only divisions valid for the chosen business unit); COMPOSITE (true parent-child, child cannot exist without the parent, child dating must be 'From Parent', only one parent); JOIN BY COLUMN (one-to-one match on column values — and it is NOT allowed for custom MDF objects).
SECURITY: every NEW custom MDF object must be Secured = Yes, and switching an object from No to Yes is irreversible. Reaching a non-secured object needs the 'Access to Non-RBP Secured Objects' permission.
API Sub Version V1.1 is recommended for new objects (it hides technical fields); V1.0 exposes them.
Field data types include String, Translatable, Number, Decimal, Auto Number (must be read-only), Boolean, Picklist, Generic Object, Foundation Object, User, Date, DateTime, Time and Attachment.
Default maximum lengths: 255 for String/Translatable, 38 for Number, 21 for Decimal.
An object cannot be set to Inactive while records exist or while an active object references it.
A custom MDF block can be shown in People Profile by building a Configuration UI for the object and dragging the 'Live Profile MDF Information' block into a subsection. The object's externalCode must be of data type User.
Memory trick: Associations: Valid When = 'filter me', Composite = 'can't live without you', Join by Column = 'twins' (and twins are banned for custom objects). Secured = Yes is a one-way door.
THR80🔴 MUST KNOW
Unit 8 — Business Rules
IF / THEN / ELSE logic attached to objects and fields.
A rule has: name, unique rule ID, start date (default 01/01/1900), optional rule type, description, and a BASE OBJECT. The base object is the data source and decides which fields you can use.
Logic is IF (condition) → THEN (action if true) → ELSE (action if false). Actions include raising an error message, setting a field value and creating data.
Comparison operators: 'is equal to' / 'is not equal to' for everything; >, <, >=, <= for numbers and decimals; 'is before' / 'is on or before' / 'is after' / 'is on or after' for dates.
A rule does NOTHING until it is ASSIGNED. Assign it at object level or at field level in Configure Object Definitions.
Field-level rule assignment supports only the onChange event.
A rule that is assigned somewhere cannot be deleted until it is unassigned. The green tick icon means assigned; grey means not assigned.
Collection filters let you pick one record out of a child list, for example 'select the job relationship where the relationship type is HR Manager'.
Business Rule Execution Log: needs the 'Access to Business Rule Execution Log' permission, a trace can cover a maximum period of 2 DAYS, and the log file caps at 5 MB — after that nothing more is logged until you delete the file.
Memory trick: A rule not assigned is a rule that never runs. Rule log numbers: 2 days, 5 MB.
THR80⚪ LOW PRIORITY
Unit 9 — Succeeding as a consultant
Resources, releases and security. Skim this — a couple of questions at most.
Consultants must be certified to get Provisioning access to customer instances.
Release model: 'one service for all customers' — everyone runs the same version. Critical problems get emergency fixes; other fixes ship in weekly patches. There is a restricted test period before the general availability date.
WHAT'S NEW VIEWER gives the complete overview of new features for each release.
Other resources: SAP Help Portal, SAP Roadmap Explorer, SAP Partner Portal (configuration workbook templates), SAP Support Portal, the HCM Customer Community, and SAP Implementation Design Principles.
SAP Universal ID links your S-user and P-user accounts into one login.
Identity Authentication Service (IAS) is the modern sign-on, supporting risk-based authentication, two-factor and social sign-on. The old HCM Suite SSO certificate expired 2 June 2025 and basic authentication reached end of maintenance the same day (deleted 1 Nov 2026). Migration runs through the Upgrade Center.
Business Beyond Bias = features that help detect and remove bias in HR processes. Data protection features allow personal data reporting and country-level purge rules; adopting them is the customer's responsibility.
Memory trick: One service for all customers = nobody gets a private version.
THR85🔴 MUST KNOW
Unit 1 — Introducing & Configuring Succession
Where you switch Succession on, and the permissions that decide who can SEE vs who can NOMINATE.
Succession is configured in BOTH Provisioning and Admin Center. Some things (org chart icons, gradients) only exist as XML in Provisioning.
Provisioning switches to enable: Live Profile, Succession Planning, Succession Management (needs Generic Objects + Attachment Manager), Matrix Grid Report (9-box), How vs What Report, Succession Talent Search, True Position Hierarchy, Succession Lineage Report.
The Succession Nomination Method (Role-Person / Position / MDF Position) is chosen in Provisioning → Company Settings.
Two key permissions people confuse: 'Succession Management and Matrix Report Permissions' = SEE successors. 'Succession Planning Permission' = ADD successors (Add Successor button).
'Succession Org Chart Permission' = access to the org chart, lineage chart and Succession menu.
To see PENDING nominations you need BOTH the visibility permission AND the planning (or approval) permission.
Formless nomination approval workflow is switched on in Provisioning. Off = nominations are instantly approved. On = nominations sit as Pending until approved.
Only ONE approver has to approve, even if several people can. A user who is planner AND approver auto-approves their own nomination.
Turning the approval process OFF in Provisioning DELETES all pending nominations (approved ones are kept).
The Check Tool verifies that the Readiness rating scale in Admin Center matches the org chart XML.
'Send Pending Nomination Emails' is scheduled in Provisioning; the template must keep the token [PENDING_NOMINATIONS_LIST]; the 'Additional E-mail Recipients' field is ignored.
Unit 2 — People Profile & the Succession Data Model
Where the talent data lives, and the XML file that defines it.
Succession Data Model (SDM) = the XML that defines fields and portlets shared by People Profile, Compensation, Recruiting and EC. It is validated against sf-form.dtd.
Edit the SDM in Provisioning (Import/Export Data Model) or, more safely, in Admin Center via Business Configuration (BCUI).
Career Profile = résumé-like (experience, education, goals). Talent Profile = talent flags + performance/potential ratings used for nominations.
Talent Flags (a.k.a. Org Chart Flags): Risk of Loss, Impact of Loss, Reason for Leaving, New to Position.
Data types: Personal Information (one value), Trend Data (overall ratings — performance, potential, competency, objective, custom), Background Data (many values — education, languages).
Nomination Portlet = positions/pools this person is nominated INTO. Successor Portlet = who is nominated to succeed THIS person.
Three Talent Card types: Succession, Presentation, Calibration.
Latest People Profile does NOT support the Talent Information block — stay on Legacy if you use talent flags.
Memory trick: PTB = Personal (1), Trend (ratings), Background (many). 'Nomination = where I'm going, Successor = who's coming for me.'
THR85🔴 MUST KNOW
Unit 3 — Nomination Methods & Positions
The three ways of attaching successors. This is the single most-tested unit.
ROLE-PERSON (incumbent-based): successor tied to job code + user. No positions to maintain. Simplest. Cannot handle vacancies (no To-Be-Hired). Plans are LOST if the incumbent leaves.
LEGACY POSITION: successor tied to a Position Code. Supports TBH (vacant) positions. Plans survive incumbent changes. Small fixed set of position attributes.
MDF POSITION: positions are MDF generic objects — custom fields, effective-dated history, permissions based on position attributes, no placeholder user needed. Required for Position Tile View. Needs RBP + Metadata Framework (NOT an EC licence).
Legacy → MDF has an automated migration tool. Role-Person → MDF does not.
With Employee Central Position Management on, you must use MDF Position; the incumbent comes from Job Information → Position.
Two ways to maintain positions — pick ONE: (1) Sync Position Model with Employee Data, (2) Import Position Data (EC customers must use import).
Position sync triggers: employee leaves, employee joins, manager changes. Needs True Position Hierarchy enabled.
Update Position Attributes maps up to 10 user fields (e.g. Department, Division) onto position fields so data survives when the position is vacant. Not available when EC is enabled.
MDF position permissions (Planning, Management & Matrix, Approval) need a position-level target population with at least 'View Current'.
'Exclude Granted Users…' options stop people nominating to / seeing their own position.
Memory trick: R-P-M: Role-person = Rough (loses plans), Position = Placeholder-friendly (TBH), MDF = Modern & Flexible. Only MDF gives Position Tiles. '10 attributes' — count your fingers.
THR85🟠 IMPORTANT
Unit 4 — Talent Search
Finding people. Watch the search logic and the keyword-search setup.
Talent Search Access = the tab. Talent Search Fields (an RBP category) = which fields a role can search. Talent Search Export Permission = the export button.
Keyword search takes 3 steps: (1) grant read permission to the 'Everyone' role on the fields in the SDM, (2) SAP Cloud Product Support builds the search index (ticket required — not self-service), (3) tick 'Enable keyword search' in Talent Search Settings.
Default logic across basic criteria is OR. Tick 'Exact Match' on the results screen to get AND.
'Meet Any Criteria for a Background Information Category' only affects multiple values in the SAME background category or competencies.
Results toolbar: Add to pool, Export (xlsx; over 20 results becomes a background job found under Reporting → View Schedules), Compare (min 2 people), Nominate (bulk to one position).
Six rating types: Competency, Objective, Performance, Potential, Custom 1, Custom 2. After Talent Intelligence Hub migration the section is renamed 'Ratings & Attributes'.
Quirk: Talent Search IGNORES visibility="none" on background fields and shows them anyway — People Profile respects it.
Including inactive users needs both an RBP field permission and a checkbox in settings.
Memory trick: OR by default, tick EXACT for AND. Keyword search = 'ask SAP' (support ticket).
THR85🟠 IMPORTANT
Unit 5 — Talent Pools
Groups of successors instead of one-by-one nominations.
Enable prerequisites: RBP, Generic Objects, Attachment Manager, then the Provisioning switch 'New MDF Pool-based Succession Planning'.
The Talent Pool is an MDF object — configure it in Configure Object Definitions and secure it with Miscellaneous Permissions.
Required fields: Code, Status, Effective Start Date. Owner and Type are informational ONLY — they change no behaviour.
Permissions: View Talent Pool nominations is the prerequisite for Add/Edit/Delete and Approve/Reject.
Target population on the pool object controls access to the POOLS, not to the people inside them.
Pending statuses: Pending, Change Pending, Deletion Pending. Maximum 1,000 pending nominees can be approved/rejected at once.
A pool that ever had a nomination cannot simply be deleted — purge it with Data Retention Management → Purge Non-Sensitive MDF Business Data.
Filters only support picklist, string, Boolean and date fields. Add columns via Manage Talent Pool Field Settings.
Pools must be associated with a Job Role to be used in planning. With Job Profile Builder MANY pools can map to one role; with legacy JDM only ONE pool per role.
Memory trick: 'Owner and Type are only decoration.' 1,000 pending max. JPB = many, JDM = one.
THR85🔴 MUST KNOW
Unit 6 — Succession Org Chart (SOC)
The main working screen. Expect lots of questions here, including XML details.
SOC v12 is the Fiori-based hierarchy tool with position cards and talent cards built in.
Bench Strength = taken from the HIGHEST readiness among that position's nominated successors. It only shows if configured and successors exist.
Bench Strength needs three things: the benchStrength element + picklist in the SDM, picklist minValues matching the readiness scores, and a gradientOption of type 'titlegradient' in the org chart XML.
Readiness scale is defined in the org chart XML with gradientOption key='readiness'; it must match the Admin Center rating scale (Check Tool validates this).
Talent icons: maximum 12 on SOC v12. Configured with iconSetOption + icon blocks. Picklist values map on Min Value, so minVal must be made editable in Configure Object Definitions.
The target attribute ('both' or 'successor') works for iconSetOption and textOption only — it is ignored for gradientOption.
The org chart XML has NO import/export — you copy and paste it in Provisioning → Edit Org Chart Configuration.
Nominations Setup (Admin Center) holds options like ranking of successors, hiding pending nominations, emergency cover labelling, excluding nominees from seeing themselves, and nominating external candidates.
Pending nominations appear with an orange asterisk unless hidden.
External successors come from Recruiting and can even be created from the SOC; their pending nominations are NOT included in the pending-nomination e-mail.
Nomination History records nomination, removal, readiness change, ranking change, status change, note change. The 'hide entries prior to date' setting only filters the display — data is kept.
Position Criticality is an MDF picklist; external codes must be numeric and best practice starts at 0 = Not Critical.
The Development Goals shown on the position card are hardcoded — name and status only, not configurable, not removable.
Memory trick: BENCH = Best readiness. 12 icons max (a dozen flags). XML = copy/paste only, no import/export.
THR85🟠 IMPORTANT
Unit 7 — Position Tile View & Lineage Chart
Two extra views. Remember what each one requires.
Position Tile View works with MDF Positions ONLY. It complements, never replaces, the org chart — no hierarchy navigation, you filter and group instead.
Enable it with the Provisioning switch 'Position Tile View' plus succession planner access and position (Miscellaneous) permissions.
Tile filters are added in Configure Object Definitions → Position → Searchable Fields. Picklist fields need the .label suffix (e.g. positionCriticality.label).
Position Title and Code are default filters and cannot be removed.
Lineage Chart shows succession coverage down the line from an incumbent/position, unlimited levels, downloadable as PDF or image.
Lineage Chart needs the Succession Lineage Report switch plus the Succession Org Chart Permission.
Watch out: the Lineage Chart does NOT apply Employee Profile field permissions to talent flags — every configured flag shows for everyone.
Performance-Potential and How vs What. Numbers and precedence rules get tested.
Two reports: Performance-Potential and Objective-Competency (How vs What). Each has its own Provisioning switch.
It is only a '9-box' if both axes use 3-point scales — the number of boxes is scale × scale.
'Matrix Report Permission' grants BOTH reports together — you cannot grant only one.
Rating sources: sysOverallPerformance, sysOverallPotential, sysOverallCompetency, sysOverallObjective, sysOverallCustom1/2. The custom ones can only be imported, typed into People Profile, and shown on the grid — never used on forms or org chart nodes.
Maximum scale size is 20. Maximum users per cell is 5,000. Maximum 8 icon sets (4 or fewer recommended).
Performance FORM ratings always beat Succession Data ratings, regardless of which was changed last.
Ratings on a different scale are automatically normalised on a 0–100% basis. Normalisation cannot be turned off — but Custom Weights can change the distribution.
A rating exactly on a border falls into the LOWER tier.
Custom weights are NOT respected by the org chart or by drag-and-drop in Calibration — so the combination is discouraged.
Custom matrix filters need matrix-filter="true" on the element AND registration in the sysUserDirectorySetting view-template. Default filters are Department, Division, Location.
Retirement Eligibility is calculated from Date of Birth + Hire Date — both must exist in the SDM.
Matrix icons are configured in the Matrix Classifier XML (Provisioning) and shared by both reports. They do not affect org chart icons.
Placement history portlets need background elements matrix1placement (133) and matrix2placement (134) plus the 'Regenerate Matrix Placement History' job.
Memory trick: 20 scale / 5,000 per cell / 8 icons. FORMS FIRST (forms beat succession data). Border falls DOWN.
THR85🟠 IMPORTANT
Unit 9 — Talent Cards & Presentations
The mini profile, and the executive slide tool.
Three talent card types — Succession (org chart, tiles, lineage, pools, matrix), Presentation (slides), Calibration (sessions). One configuration per type per instance.
Layout is fixed and vertical; you can only change the content. Configure via Manage Talent Card.
Field-level visibility on the card is driven by Employee Data RBP permissions — users must log out and back in after a change.
The Nominations section on the card is controlled by VIEW permission on the Nomination Portlet, which also affects People Profile.
Presentations are enabled in the UPGRADE CENTER, not Provisioning: turn on the feature, accept the EULA once for the company, grant the 'Manage Presentations' permission.
Presentations do NOT require a Succession licence.
Live slide types include Analytics, Compensation Review, Matrix Grid, People Grid, People Profile, Performance History, Position Tile, Succession Org Chart, Talent Pools, Team View.
You can hide individual people/positions only on Succession Org Chart and Team View slides.
Hotspots link areas of a static slide to a talent card or URL; the purple boxes only show in edit mode.
Custom Profile Slides cannot be edited after creation — delete and recreate. Keep the population to about 200 people.
Memory trick: 3 cards: SPC (Succession, Presentation, Calibration). Presentations = Upgrade Center + EULA, no licence needed.
THR85🟠 IMPORTANT
Unit 10 — Importing Successors & Calibration
The CSV import, and the small slice of Calibration you need.
Import Successors is 3 steps: export the template, fill it in, import it. The template is generated dynamically based on the active nomination method.
Four ACTION values: ADD, TRANSFER, UPDATE, DELETE. A blank ACTION behaves like ADD/UPDATE (update if it exists, otherwise create).
READINESS in the file uses the numeric Score, not the label text.
SUCCESSOR_USERID is required for ADD and UPDATE. Leaving it blank on TRANSFER/DELETE affects ALL successors of that position.
External successors CANNOT be imported.
Calibration pulls ratings from the same sysOverall… background elements; the rating dates must fall inside the calibration template's date range.
Only three talent flags are editable in Calibration: Risk of Loss, Impact of Loss, Reason for Leaving.
Memory trick: ATUD = Add, Transfer, Update, Delete. Score not label. External = never imported.
THR85⚪ LOW PRIORITY
Unit 11 — Succeeding as a Consultant
Resources and housekeeping. A couple of easy marks, don't over-study.
Certification is required before an implementation consultant gets Provisioning access.
A SAP Universal ID links your S/P user accounts and is needed for community and help content.
Identity Authentication Service (IAS) replaces legacy partial SSO; migrate through the Upgrade Center.
Key dates: SSO certificate and basic authentication end of maintenance 2 June 2025; deletion 1 November 2026.
Business Beyond Bias = features to reduce bias in talent processes. Data Protection & Privacy adoption is the customer's responsibility.
Useful sources: SAP Help Portal, What's New Viewer, Roadmap Explorer, SAP Notes/KBAs, Partner Portal, Implementation Design Principles.
Memory trick: Certify → Provisioning. Universal ID = one key for SAP sites.