Understanding Off-Cycle Processing

On cycle processing refers to executing regularly scheduled runs. In Absence Management these are recurring runs for which a period, calendar, and calendar group have been predefined. A pay group with a monthly frequency has twelve regularly scheduled on cycle absence runs each year.

Off-cycle absence processing refers to processing absences and making corrections to finalized results outside of the normal absence schedule. Off cycle transactions are typically made to correct prior absence results or to make termination payments that can't wait until the next scheduled on cycle absence run.

With the exceptions that are explained in this documentation, the concepts that apply to on cycle processing also apply to off cycle processing: retroactivity, segmentation, calendars, calendar groups and running calculations. The primary difference between on and off cycle processing is the way in which you enter instructions for what and whom to process.

Absence Management supports two types of off cycle transactions.

• Corrections

  These are transactions that correct the results of a finalized absence run. An example is reversing an absence entitlement that was made to a payee in error.

• Advances

  Advances are the processing of segments before they are normally scheduled, such as the early calculation of absence transactions in order to pay wages due to termination or to process a leave of absence in advance.

With off cycle processing, you can override supporting elements.

For all off cycle transactions except advances, you can override the values of brackets, dates, duration, formulas, and variables for a given payee and calendar. Advances will take these overrides from the calendar definitions of the calendars being advanced.

You can enter multiple off cycle requests for the same pay group and target period.

To enter requests for off cycle transactions:

1. Create an off cycle group using the Off Cycle On Demand (GP_ONDEMAND) component.

   An off cycle group is a group of payees that are processed together. It identifies which off cycle transactions to process and the processing instructions, including who and what to process (pay group) and when to process it (target calendar ID). Its purpose is similar to a calendar in an on cycle process, except that you enter specific instructions for each payee. Name the off cycle group on the Off Cycle On Demand page.

2. Enter individual requests for off cycle processing.

   The Off Cycle On Demand component prevents you from performing off cycle steps out of order. You will enter a request by clicking either the Create Request or Edit Request button. If at least one request has been create the button is labeled Edit Request.

   Once the button is clicked, you are transferred to the main request page which includes the valid off cycle types for your organization. On this main page, you indicate the payee ID by type of transaction. Next, select the detail link and you are transferred to the individual detail page for the transaction type.

3. Create a calendar group for the off cycle run.

   A calendar group for an off cycle run identifies the off cycle groups to process together (whereas a calendar group for an on cycle process identifies the calendars to process together). Use the same page to create all calendar groups, completing the fields that pertain to off cycle processing.

   You create a calendar group for an off cycle run directly on the Off Cycle On Demand page of the Off Cycle On Demand component by clicking the Create Calendar Group button. When you create the Calendar Group through the dashboard, the system uses the name of the off cycle group (one of the keys) as the name of the calendar group. Also, the system populates the Calendar Group page with the other information required to generate the off cycle calendar group.

   Note: When processing a correction request, ensure the Process Retro field is selected on the Calendar Group page.

To process requests for off cycle transactions:

1. Initiate the off cycle run.

   Use the Off Cycle On Demand page of the Off Cycle On Demand component to initiate off cycle runs by clicking the Calculate button. The calculation is performed as a remote call. The remote call causes the browser to remain on the Off Cycle On Demand page for the duration of the calculation process. Any pertinent messages are displayed upon completion. Each time the calculation is run, the system cancels the payees, identifies the payees that are eligible for calculation, and calculates all elements for the payees.

   Note: Off cycle processing can also be run using the Calculate Absence and Payroll page as it would for an on cycle process.

   When the calculation finishes, it opens the Payee Status page. From this page you can access the Results by Calendar Group page as well as the Payee Messages page. The Payee Status page reflects that the results are calculated. From this page you can review:

   • Payee Calculation Status.

   • Payee Results.

   • Payee Messages.

     Note: When the calendar group is created, you can access the Payee Status page at any time by clicking the View Status and Results link.

2. When you review the processing results, you can choose to:

   • Cancel the calculation. Click the Cancel button on the Off Cycle On Demand page.

   • Calculate again due to changes made to the off cycle transactions. Click the Calculate button on the Off Cycle On Demand page.

   • Finalize the end the absence calculation. Click the Finalize button on the Off Cycle On Demand page. Once this is done, move on to Step 3.

3. Run all post-processes, such as Absence Conversion Programs to Payroll for North America and/or for Payroll Interface and reports.

   Each postprocessing step needs to be run with the same sequence as on cycle.

With off cycle processing, the system automatically suspends affected payees from other runs in which they are active so that they can be included in the off cycle process. (A payee can only be active in one run at a time.)

Here's what the system does when you submit an off cycle request:

• Checks whether the payee is associated with an open calendar group.

• If yes, suspends the payee in the calendar group so that the payee can be calculated immediately in the off cycle group.

Transaction processing varies depending on the type of off cycle request being processed.

The following table provides information about delivered system elements that are used during off cycle processing: