Delivered Elements Naming Convention

Supporting Elements

For supporting elements, such as variables, formulas, dates, durations, and so on, PeopleSoft uses the following naming convention: FFF (or FF) TT NAME.

• FFF (or FF): Functional Area Code (see Functional Area Codes for more information).

• TT: Type of Supporting Element (see List Element Type Codes (PIN_TYPE) for more information).

• NAME (or NAME NAME): An indication of what the element does or is for. (The number of NAME components may vary.)

For example, in the MPF variable MPF VR START DATE, MPF stands for Mandatory Provident Fund, VR stands for variable and START DATE stands for start date. The element's thirty character (maximum) description (DESCR) provides a fuller explanation of what the element does or is for.

Primary Elements

Primary elements, such as earnings, deductions, absence take, and absence entitlement elements often do not contain functional area codes or element type codes in their names. This is because primary elements have names, based on Hong Kong terms, that identify their function and element type without the use of additional codes. For example, the name of the earning element 13MTHPAY clearly identifies this element as an earning, and more specifically, as a thirteenth month (13MTH) payment (PAY).

Additional Clues to the Use of Hong Kong Elements

Many Hong Kong elements contain abbreviations that provide clues (beyond those provided by the functional area codes or element type codes) to their use in the system. For example, consider the following duration element: TER DR DY IN SERV. The functional area code TER indicates that this element is used for termination elements, and the element type code DR identifies it as a duration element. The abbreviations DY, IN and SERV provide additional clues about how the element measures periods of time. The duration is in days (DY) in (IN) service (SERV). As you become more familiar with the payroll rules created for Hong Kong, these abbreviations will help you to further identify and understand the role played by each element.

The following table lists the most common abbreviations used in the names of Hong Kong elements.

Component Names (Suffixes)

In Global Payroll for Hong Kong, suffixes are used to name the components of earning and deduction elements. For example, when you create an earning or deduction element in Global Payroll, you define the components that make up the element, such as base, rate, unit, and percentage. The system automatically generates the components and accumulators for the element based on the calculation rule or accumulator periods. The system also names the components and accumulators by appending a suffix to the element's name.

For example, let's say you define the earning element named EARN1 with the following calculation rule:

EARN1 = Rate x Unit

The system automatically creates two additional elements for the components in the calculation rule: a rate element called EARN1_RATE and a unit element called EARN1_UNIT. In Global Payroll for Hong Kong, all suffixes fall into one of the following types:

• Separator.

• Earnings and deductions and absence entitlement component suffixes.

• Earnings and deductions and absence entitlement accumulator suffixes.

• Deduction arrears component suffixes.

• Deduction arrears accumulator suffixes.

• Recipient suffixes.