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Financial Operations
Labor Distribution System
Appointments: Create

Contents
Overview
Create an Appointment Header
Enter Salary and Distribution Information
Salary Information Fields
Distribution Information Fields

Overview

To create an appointment record for an existing employee, you can enter the information into LDS manually or wait for the month-end process to refresh the appointment data from Payroll records. (When a DLC first begins to use LDS, Payroll records are used to create LDS records. DLC staff do not have to create those initial entries. Persons who are not part of the payroll system, such as Visiting Scholars in the Human Resources Information System (H.R.I.S.) will not appear automatically in LDS; you must enter them yourself if you wish to track their information.)

For all new appointments, submit the correct forms to the Personnel Office (Personnel Action or Appointment Form). If you wish to create the LDS record for the new appointment before the month-end process or if you want to create a "TBA" appointment, you must enter the LDS data yourself.

Create an LDS appointment record in two steps. First enter the basic appointment ID information in the "Appointment Header" screen. Second, enter the salary and distribution information in the "Appointment Salary and Distribution" screen.

Note

There is a button on the "Appointment Header" screen entitled "Transfer-in Users." It has special significance for appointments transferred-in to your department (see Transfer-In below). However, if you are the home department for the appointment being created, you can use the table accessed by this button to grant viewing and/or maintenance authorizations to any LDS user.

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Create an Appointment Header

1. Follow the navigation path, or type in the transaction code from any screen in SAP.

Navigation Path:

- User Menu
- Role ZMIT
- Planning/Budgeting
- LDS
- Appointment
- Create

Transaction Code:

/nzL21

Result: The Set Personnel Area dialogue box appears.

2. Select the appropriate company code from the Matchcode list.

3. Type in your personnel area.

4. Click the Enter button Enter button on the bottom of the box.

Result: The "Create Appointment Header" screen is displayed.

5. Enter information in the following fields:

Field Name

What to Enter

MIT ID

Leave the Lname, Fname, and MI blank if you enter an MIT ID. If there is no MIT ID entry, the Lname field is the only required field.

Enter a nine-digit MIT ID number, or click on the Matchcode button to search. If no MIT ID number is available, complete the following name fields.

Lname

Employee's last name.
(If projecting a salary commitment for a future hire, enter TBA.)

Fname

Employee's first name.
(You may use this field to enter descriptive phrases about the TBA position to distinguish it from other TBA's.)

MI

Employee's middle initial.

LDS Appt ID
(grayed-out)

LDS appointment ID. Field is grayed-out until you save the information on this screen. LDS then generates a unique ID to identify each appointment.

Pay Appt ID
(grayed-out)

Payroll appointment ID. Transferred from Payroll System during the month end process.

Loc
(grayed-out)

Numeric system code representing FY, Payroll's appointment type, and Payroll's appointment sequence. Transferred from Payroll System during the month-end process.

Xref
(grayed-out)

Prior FY locator for appointments cross-referenced to the Payroll system and transferred automatically.

Tuition Xref
(grayed-out)

For an RA appointment, this field contains a pointer to the corresponding Tuition appointment. For a Tuition appointment, it contains a pointer to the corresponding RA appointment. Transferred from Payroll.

Pay Categ
(required)

Enter a four-digit code corresponding to a payroll category, such as 1001 for faculty or 1005 for support staff. Enter the number or use the Matchcode to select.

Appt Type
(required)

Enter a two-digit type code corresponding to the Personnel Office appointment type, e.g., 10 for monthly or 40 for weekly. Enter the number or use the Matchcode to select. This code appears as the first two digits of the LDS-created Appointment ID.

Basis
(required)

Enter the two-digit salary basis code that specifies the number of work periods per year for an appointment. For example, the monthly appointments can have a basis of 9, 10, 11, 12 (months), or fixed fee. The basis for weekly appointments is 52 (weeks), and for fixed fee is 99. Basis determines the range of Pay Categ's available for selection. Enter the number or use the Matchcode to select.

Appt Org
(required)

Enter the HR organization number that maps to the home department of the appointment. In LDS all organization numbers begin with a '7'. Enter the number or use the Matchcode to search and select.

Profit Ctr
(required)

Enter the 7-character SAP profit center number (beginning with 'P') for the profit center or sub-profit center for which you are authorized. Use the Matchcode to search and select.

Appt Title
(required)

Enter the alphanumeric code corresponding to the selected Appointment Title. Use the Matchcode to select. Available codes will vary depending on the Pay Categ described above.

Local Title

Local appointment title. Tables can be set up by each department, lab, or center to contain specific appointment titles required for department use that are not official MIT appointment titles. (See Display Local Appointment Titles.)

Start Date/
Estimated

Enter the start date for the appointment. Check the Estimated box if applicable.

End Date/
Terminated

Enter the expected end date for the appointment if a planned end date is known. Check the Terminated box if employee is not to be paid beyond this date on this specific appointment.

MIT Hire Date

Enter employee's original MIT employment start date as needed.

Cost Element
(required)

Enter the six-digit cost element number with the help of the Matchcode search function. Choices available will vary depending on the code you entered in the Pay Categ field, described above.

Comments

Enter comment text for the appointment if necessary.

For Mac users: Enter only as much text as the field allows.

For Windows users: If you need to enter more than one line of text, click the long text box, then double click on the comment field and enter text in the text editor screen. Save the text by clicking on the Save button Save button. Click on the Back button Back button to return to the "Appointment Header" screen.

Long Text

For Windows users only: A check mark displayed in this box indicates that the user has entered additional comment text.

Transfer-In Users

An "X" or a check mark means that there are transfer-in users. Obviously, the home department user can maintain authorizations for this appointment. The transfer-in user can also display and modify header, salary, and distribution data, depending on the authorizations granted them. Through the Trans-In Users F6 button on the button bar other LDS users can be assigned transfer-in authority. The authorization levels are: "A" for maintaining and displaying all appointment elements, "D" for displaying all appointment elements but only maintaining distributions, and "E" for only displaying the appointment.

6. Click on the Enter button Enter button for LDS to validate your entries.

Result: If the entries are not error free, a message will appear in the status bar and fields displaying incorrect entries are highlighted. To correct the errors and continue processing, press the 'Enter' key and the system will open the screen in an edit mode.

Note

"E" messages are errors that cannot be bypassed and must be fixed. "W" messages are warnings and if you do not wish to change the data all you need to do is press the enter key to bypass the message.

7. Make corrections and click the Enter button Enter button again.

8. Repeat until no more error messages appear.

Note

If you back out of the appointment header screen without entering salary and distribution information, an appointment is created with an ID number and a header record only (you can look it up by organization number using the appointment change or display search function and entering the last name).

9. Click on the Salary and Distr button.

Result: The appointment header information is saved. The Appointment Salary and Distribution screen appears with the LDS Appt ID and other information copied from the Appointment Header screen.

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Enter Salary and Distribution Information

In this screen, you create the specific salary and distribution information. Input for the grayed-out fields is generated automatically by LDS.

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Salary Information Fields

1. Enter the appropriate data in the Salary Information section. The field contents are described below.

Field Name

What to Enter

Start Date

This is the start date for the appointment salary, or the starting point for the salary projection. (LDS supports a date format of mm/dd/yyyy.)

End Date

This is the end date for the appointment salary or the end point for salary projection.

% Appt

Enter the percentage of salary or effort for the appointment.

Note

This percentage can be less than 100%. Part-time personnel, or appointments shared among departments are examples. LDS can also show varying percentages that relate to specific date ranges, e.g., 100% during school year and 25% during summer months.

NWW

(Weekly appointments only). Enter the number of hours of this employee's Normal Work Week.

For Monthly
appointments:
FTE Basis Rate
or Mo Rate

Enter the full-time equivalent (FTE) annualized salary amount in either the FTE Basis field (based on work at 100% effort) or the regular monthly amount in the Mo Rate field. If you complete either field and click the Enter button to validate, LDS calculates the amount for the other field. LDS also calculates the Salary Total, described below.

For Weekly
appointments:
FTE Basis Rate
or Weekly Rate
or Hourly Rate

The Weekly Appt screen has Hourly Rate and Weekly Rate columns in place of the Mo Rate column. Enter data in either field or in the FTE Basis Rate, click the Enter button Enter button, and LDS calculates correct amounts for the remaining fields including the Salary Total fields.

Salary Total
(grayed-out)

Salary amount to be distributed for the period between the Start Date and End Date for the salary. This field will be calculated by LDS, and represents the actual salary (unloaded) amount to be paid over the indicated time period.

Status

Default - Leave blank if the appointment is a regular salaried position. If the appointment has some other type of leave arrangement, choose one of these options: (A matchcode is available.)

L = Leave without Pay

S = Sabbatical (for faculty appointments)

U = Unsalaried

V = Vacation pay-off upon termination

W = Leave with pay

Checkbox Column
(grayed-out)

An "X" or a check mark appears if Supervisor information has been previously entered.

Supervisor(s)
(optional)

Departments may use this field to track supervision in whatever way is appropriate for their operation. One use is to list person(s) responsible for supervising the employee. Click on the Supervisor button to open the Supervisor/s for Salary Dates window. The title of the window will include the date range for this salary period.

 

Enter the supervisor's MIT ID number(s) and the percent of effort for which the supervisor(s) is/are responsible, and click the Save button button. LDS generates the associated name. Whenever a salary line is created, the LDS system automatically enters an MIT ID of "999999999", "DEFAULT SUPERVISOR" in the Name field, and 100.00 in the Percent field. If you add a new salary line, or delete one and add another, the system will also add the default entry. You can always change or delete this entry as suits your needs.

Comment

Enter comment text for the salary line as needed.

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Distribution Information Fields

2. Enter the appropriate data in the Distribution Information section. The field contents are described below.

Field Name

What to Enter

D

Leave blank. When you want to delete a distribution line item, you click on this box. (See Delete Items for deletion instructions.)

C
(grayed-out)

(For weekly appointments only) During change processing, an "X" or a check in the box is generated by LDS after you check the "Other Distribution" box and enter a change in hours.

E

LDS allows you to distinguish between dollars and effort. Leave this blank to set the default distribution (effort and dollars are the same). Otherwise, LDS allows you to enter "E" for distribution by effort only or "D" for distribution by dollars only. For example, for an unsalaried appointment, you may wish to enter "E" to indicate effort only.

Note

LDS allows you to include a mixture of dollars-only and effort-only lines in the same appointment.

Type
(grayed-out)

Type of cost object entered. Generated by LDS after you enter the cost object and click on the Enter button for a validity check.

PR WBS Element

CC Cost Center

OR Internal Order

PO Proposal Object

LD Object

Enter a seven-digit cost object number (CC, OR, WBS, or Proposal Object) for this distribution. For multiple cost objects, use a new line for each cost object. For each monthly appointment in the current fiscal year, the sum of all lines of distribution percentages must total 100%. Use the Percentages button (see below) to verify 100% distribution. (If you want further information on Proposal Objects see Proposal Object Information.)

Cost Elem

The six-digit cost element to be used for this distribution line. Enter a new cost element, or leave blank to automatically copy from header information. To divide charges among multiple cost elements, use a new line for each cost element.

Start Date/
End Date

Enter the start date and end date for distributing salary to this cost object. Use consecutive time periods. You will need a separate line for each new cost object, cost element and/or different time period or percentage of dollars or effort.

%

Enter the percentage of dollars/effort to be distributed to the cost object and cost element. Total salary distribution must equal 100% for monthly appointments in the current fiscal year, regardless of the appointment salary percentage (percentage of salary or effort) displayed in the record header.

Sal Distr
(grayed-out)

Salary amount committed to the cost object for the time period specified. Generated by LDS.

Loaded Sal Dist
(grayed-out)

Loaded salary distribution amount committed to the cost object for the time period specified. Includes benefits (EB), lab allocation, and F&A. Generated by LDS.

Org
(grayed-out)

The eight-digit LDS organization number to which the selected cost object is assigned. Generated by LDS.

Comment

Enter comment text for the distribution line as needed.

3. Click on the Enter button Enter button to validate your entries.

Result: If correct, information appears in system-generated fields. If not, fields displaying invalid entries are highlighted. Look at the status bar at the bottom of your screen to read the Warning or Error message from LDS. (See Handling Error Messages from LDS for the difference between these two error types.) Click on the message itself for more detail.

4. Make corrections and click the Enter button Enter button again.

5. Repeat this process until no more messages appear. You may need to return to the Appointment Header screen and correct invalid entries there.

6. Click on the Save button Enter button.

Result: A dialog box appears with the message: "The Appointment will be saved in LDS and, if applicable, Commitments will be posted in SAP. Proceed?"

7. Click Yes to proceed.

Result: The Salary and Distribution information is saved and LDS commitments are posted. You are returned to the previous LDS screen, with a message in the status bar providing the LDS Appointment number generated for the new appointment.

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SAP for MIT Documentation on the Web
Valid From: 05/21/2001