SAP HR Infotype Numbers

All infotypes in SAP have their own unique number ID, a full list of which can be seen via the IMG path:

Personnel Management Personnel Administration Customizing Procedures Infotypes Infotypes

or

Personnel Management Personnel Administration Customizing Procedures Infotypes Further infotype texts

With a standard SAP implementation, only the names of the infotypes are displayed in the HR administration transactions (PA20, PA30, PA70 etc).

This makes it more time consuming and laborious for end users to locate the infotypes they require for viewing or maintenance. They are either compelled to search for the correct infotype menu (if they do not know how the infotypes have been grouped) and then perhaps scroll down to find and select the required infotype, or else use a wild card text search, or drop down search in the infotype Direct selection box (provided this field is available within their system):

Faster Access

In order to enable much faster direct access to the information required, and to facilitate end user training in linking the infotype names to their SAP infotype numbers, the name of each infotype can be customized to include the number also:

This then displays the number next to the infotype within the HR admin transactions:

The required infotype can then be accessed much faster by simply typing the number (which will be very quickly learned by the administration staff through daily usage) into the infotype direct selection field.

Pressing enter will confirm the infotype chosen by changing the number for the name:

And thereafter the usual display, overview, change etc options can be chosen without having to navigate to the specific infotype menu.

Improved Communication

Any configuration work involving infotypes which requires the intervention of an IT department or external consultant, will more than likely lead to communication between them and the end user. Familiarity with the back end configuration side of SAP means that the IT representative or consultant is likely to refer to the infotypes by number, since it is easier and quicker to refer to "infotype 1" rather than "the organizational assignment infotype" or "infotype 14" instead of "the recurring payment and deduction infotype". If the end user has prior knowledge of the infotype numbers and can relate these easily to the infotype for which they require issue resolution, then they will be able to confidently explain the issue and understand any directions given.

Easier Searching

In addition, the extremely useful search functionality provided by General Table Display (transaction SE16N) is much more easily utilised if the end user knows the infotype number. For example, if a search is required for all employees with recurring payment wagetype 2000, knowing that the Recurring Payment/Deduction infotype number is 14, enables the end user to simply type PA0014 at the top and press enter to reveal all the searchable fields for this infotype rather than having to search for the table.

Running the Audit report (RPUAUD00) is also easier by being able to directly enter the infotype number in the relevant field, rather than having to search for it:

User Parameters

A quick way, requiring no additional configuration, for the end use to see the infotype number, is to add the following User Parameter to their individual profile:

HR_DISP_INFTY_NUM

with the parameter value set to

X HR

This provides the end user with the infotype number displayed after the infotype name in the header once the user enters the infotype

our thanks to Gary Midgley for providing this useful tip on user parameters