Understanding Extended Absences
This topic provides an overview of:
Attachments in extended absences
Configurable sections in extended absences
The Absence Management self service framework supports extended leave requests, such as FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) and Canadian Leave requests, as well as other extended absences such as Statutory Sick Pay and Statutory Maternity Pay, and so on. The framework for extended absences contains elements that enable you to attach supporting documents and notes to extended absence requests. In addition, the framework provides a mechanism to enable you to implement eligibility validations rules at different levels, for example country, state, customer, and so on, without having to customize PeopleSoft components.
The attachment feature enables you to attach files to a PeopleSoft application. An administrator can add URLs or common files to a component or page. Attachments include PDF files, spreadsheet files, document files, URLs, and so on. You can also define the types of attachments that users can add to a specific row of application data, such as medical or adoption certificates, fitness for duty forms, and so on.
Although the types of attachments you can add to a page are essentially unlimited, attachments are categorized as one of the following:
Attachments are any previously created electronic file that the administrator wants users to be able to download.
URLs are links to dynamic files or web sites.
Notes are free-form text that the user can enter through the attachment framework page in the PeopleSoft application.
Note: Only attachments and URLS are defined on the Define Attachments page. Notes are created by the user through the attachment pages of the PeopleSoft application.
Note: The Define Attachments page enables an administrator to create document definitions, as well as attachments and URLs. Document definitions are types of files that users can upload to the system. For example various medical certificates or evidence of class completion.
Adding Attachments to Extended Absences Process Flow
Here are the steps for defining attachments within the attachment framework for PeopleSoft Absence Management:
Define Authorization ID
These IDs provide users with security authorizations for accessing attachments, such as the ability to create, update and delete attachments.
Define Authorization Entry ID
The Authorization Entry IDs enable you to attach Authorization IDs to planned attachments, notes, or URLs.
Note: The description you enter in for an Authorization Entry ID defines the name of the link as it appears to users on the Extended Absence Request page.
Define Configuration ID
The Configuration ID links Authorization Entry IDs and defines whether an attachment is a downloadable file, a document the user uploads, or a link to a URL.
Define Object Owner ID
Object Owner IDs define where links appear on the Extended Absence component. For extended absences, use the HGA Object Owner ID for Absence Management, and associate your Configuration ID's with the Absence Element Context Key.
This graphic shows the process flow for adding attachments to extended absences.
Example: Defining Authorization IDs
Use the Authorization ID to provide a variety of security authorizations to users regarding the ability to read, write, or view attachments.
For example, the authorization ID K0W_EDITALL has the Edit Attachments, Edit Notes, and Edit URLs check boxes selected. This means that roles with the K0W_EDITALL authorization ID can edit all attachments, notes, and URLS.
The following graphic displays the Define Authorization page with the K0W_EDITALL Authorization ID.
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Define Authorization page - displaying the K0W_EDITALL Authorization ID.
Example: Defining Authorization Entry IDs
Use the Authorization Entry IDs to attach Authorization IDs to each of the planned types of attachments, notes, and URLs.
For example, in the following graphic, the K0W_MEDCERT Entry ID on the Define Authorization Entries page is associated with two or more roles in the Medical Certificate Authorization Entry ID. This allows the manager to view attachments or notes, and the AM EA Administrator and the employee can add, edit, or delete attachments or notes related to the medical certificate.
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Define Authorization Entries page - displaying the K0W_MEDCERT Entry ID associated with two or more roles.
Example: Defining Configuration IDs
The Configuration ID defines whether an attachment is a downloadable file, a document the user uploads, or a link to a URL.
For example, in the following example of the, Define Attachments page the K0W_CERT_LNK Configuration ID describes the Medical Certificate attachment. This attachment uses the Document Definition attachment type, which enables the user to upload word processing documents, PDF files, spreadsheets, and so on.
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Define Attachments page - displaying the Document Definition attachment type for the selected attachment.
Note: The contents of the Description field define the title of the link that appears in the Extended Absence component.
Example: Defining Object Owner IDs
The Maintain Definitions page defines where the links to attachments appear in the Extended Absence component. In the following graphic, the Attachments region of the page indicates that the K0W_MEDCERT_LNK Configuration ID is set up to appear in the Other Links region of the Extended Absence component.
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Maintain Definitions page - displaying the location of the attachment link in the Extended Absence component.
Example: Reviewing Extended Absence History
The Extended Absence Request Details page (click the link in Absence Name field on the Extended Absence Request History page) shows the user details about an extended absence request. Any defined attachments appear in the Related Links or the Other Documents regions. The bottom of the Extended Absence Request Details region displays any links to configurable sections.
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Extended Absence Request Details page (1 of 2).
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Extended Absence Request Details page (2 of 2).
See Managing Extended Absences.
See the product documentation for PeopleTools: PeopleCode Developer's Guide and PeopleTools: PeopleCode API Reference.
The configurable sections functionality in extended absences is a template-based process. The templates are created and configured by a template administrator. The template administrator determines the sections, or logical groupings of fields, that are included in the template and the sequence of sections and fields within sections. The administrator also sets default values for fields, determine which fields can be edited, and which fields are hidden or display-only.
A configurable section is a set of additional fields and controls that enables you to customize data tracking. You can create your own customized pages and link those pages to the core self service pages. You can create your own customized code using the Absence Management Event Handler technology. Configurable Sections enable you to associate user defined records to an extended absence.
For extended family leave absences, using effective dated rows enables you to track legislative rule changes for both federal and state agencies. In addition, you can keep track of medical certification progress. During an extended absence, your employee or the extended absence administrator may have to make multiple medical certification entries for the same day in order to track multiple medical conditions, or other necessary documentation pertaining to an extended leave request.
Note: The record should have the same key-structure as the main record GP_ABS_EA having EMPLID, EMPL_RCD and TRANSACTION_NBR as key.
Process Flow for Setting up Configurable Sections
Setting up configurable sections in extended absences consists of the following steps:
(Optional) Create rules using Global Payroll to store elements that involve extended absence eligibility.
For example, brackets store information for Federal and State rules, such as the number of weeks allowed for FMLA, or a rollover transaction method versus a fixed transaction method.
(Optional) Create an application class.
The application class must contain the necessary PeopleCode, SQL, and so on, to check for extended absence eligibility. For example, balance and availability is calculated using SQL.
Set up the record definition.
Record definitions identify the necessary records and fields.
Set up the section definition.
The identified records and fields are combined into a section.
Define the template.
The template combines each of the previously defined components into the configurable section seen by the user.
Important! The sample rules, the configurable sections setup, and the processing logic for the Validate Sections button (application class GP_ABS_FMLA) that PeopleSoft Absence Management delivers for extended absences should be used as a model only. Customers need to create new rules, configurable section data, and validation logic of their own to meet their individual business needs.
This graphic illustrates the process flow for setting up configurable sections in extended absences.
Example: Setting Up a Record Definition
The following examples guide you through the process of setting up a configurable section. The examples demonstrate the set up using the delivered FMLA eligibility configurable section.
The configurable section in this example is based on the GP_ABS_FMLA_ELG Setup Record Definition. The Setup Record Definition page enables you to specify the necessary record and fields in your configurable section.
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Setup Record Definition page.
Example: Setting Up Section Definitions
Records and fields are combined into the section using Setup Section Definition page.
Note: In order for the application class code to work, the value in the Method Name field must be checkEligibility
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Setup Section Definition page.
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Setup Section Definition page.
Example: Defining the Template
The template combines each of the previously defined components into the configurable section seen by the user.
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Configurable Section Setup - Template page.
The Configurable Section Setup - Sections page enables you to combine the defined sections into an application page that users can access.
Warning! Clicking the Load/Reload Sections button after the section has already been loaded wipes out any existing section fields. You must then manually reenter the section field information.
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Configurable Section Setup - Sections page.
The Template Section Configuration page enables you to specify the section label, the alignment of field labels, and the default value of each field in the configurable section.
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Template Section Configuration page (partial page only).
Example: Viewing the Configurable Section
Access the Request Extended Absence page and locate the link to the configurable section, which is labeled as FMLA Eligibility in the following example.
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Request Extended Absence page.
The configurable section page displays the fields and information specified on the pages specified in the configurable section set up process flow.
This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Request Extended Absence FMLA Eligibility page (example of configurable section page).
