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Chris Solomon

Chris Solomon
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Christopher Solomon has been working with SAP since late 1995/early 1996 when he got his first taste of R/3 3.0d as an interface developer...VB to SAP via remote automation (yep, the beginnings of the BAPI days and RFCs were in full swing). When the rest of the world finally took notice of the "Web" and the business world realized there was a buck to be made there, the Internet suddenly became *THE* interface, and Chris was well positioned to help in any and all ways that this related to SAP. In addition to his work, he also managed to build and maintain two SAP fan sites...the early ABAPcentral.com and the later, SAPwired.com...during those days (maybe you have seen his “SAP Tables Relations document” that has been proliferated about, linked on several sites, discussed in forums, and many times hawked by others as their original work...grrrr!) Presently, not a lot has changed. Chris is still a consultant, still voraciously absorbing all things “tech”, still loves SAP, and is still having fun. Much of his work now centers around all things portal related (both Enterprise Portal and competitive products...yes *gasp*...SAP does have competition) as well as HR related web services (ESS/MSS).

HCM Processes & Forms: Making the case for Case Management
If you are new to HCM P&F, one of your first questions will often be "but how does the magic happen?" Where is the data stored? How does one form know what to pass to another? Where can I see the data before it gets saved? Those familiar with HCM P&F will enjoy having another tool at their disposal for support and auditing. This is the "magic" behind HCM P&F, better known as Case Management. Sep. 28, 2009
Comments: 3   Rank: 4171   Page Views: 3469  (Stats updated nightly)

HCM Processes & Forms: Pest Control 101 (debugging)
When a HCM Processes & Forms process is working, it's a full orchestra making beautiful music. When it is not working, it's like watching a 12 car pile up and determining who was to blame...or worse yet, what little valve, gasket, hose, plug, or bearing in which part of which car caused the wreck. The purpose of this blog is to help provide pointers to more quickly sort through the "wreckage" and find our culprit. In a nutshell, this is debugging 101 for HCM P&F. Sep. 22, 2009
Comments: 0   Rank: 5203   Page Views: 3070  (Stats updated nightly)

HCM Processes & Forms: Start Object?...we don't need no stinkin start object!
What if you want to start a HCM P&F process but don't need, want, or have an employee to select? How can you skip to part 2 or 3 without jumping through hoop 1? Well, learning to build a process to launch without a start object will allow you to do just that! And here's how it's done... Aug. 3, 2009
Comments: 0   Rank: 10154   Page Views: 1132  (Stats updated nightly)

HCM Processes & Forms: Processes in the Process Selection List...how do it know?
Ever wonder why or how those processes show up in your process selection list for HCM Processes & Forms? More importantly, ever wonder how YOU can control what's in that list? Well, ponder this "magic" no more! Lucky for you, there are a number of options at your disposal! Jul. 22, 2009
Comments: 2   Rank: 8800   Page Views: 1824  (Stats updated nightly)

HCM Processes & Forms: Why HCM P&F often fails before it even has a chance
Every conference or sale call I attend here lately, HCM Processes & Forms is always the biggest buzz. It's the latest and greatest. The "must have". So why has HCM Processes & Forms not taken off? For once, it's not about the technology. It's about the dollars. In my opinion, this could be the death knell for HCM P&F before it ever really got it's time to shine. Jul. 8, 2009
Comments: 25   Rank: 7524   Page Views: 2276  (Stats updated nightly)

HCM Processes & Forms: The Evolution of Necessity to Enhancement Pack 4 and beyond
How has HCM Processes and Forms evolved through Enhancement Packages and why was this so necessary so quickly? It's all part of evolution and product maturity pushed by customer demand and expectations. Jun. 30, 2009
Comments: 7   Rank: 5951   Page Views: 2946  (Stats updated nightly)

HCM Processes & Forms: User Exits, Dynamic Actions & Change Pointers.....Please check your expectations at the door!
I have yet to be on a project, talk to a client or prospective client, or hear about other projects where at least one person was not under some kind of assumption that HCM Processes and Forms simply worked "just like regular HR" especially in regards to user exits, dynamic actions, change pointers, and the like. Please check those expectations at the door! Jun. 24, 2009
Comments: 4   Rank: 8005   Page Views: 2199  (Stats updated nightly)

HCM Processes & Forms: Required fields aren't what they use to be!
To me, a "required" field means it is required to have some entry in it before you move forward with anything. Apparently for Adobe Interactive Forms within the HCM Processes and Forms Start/Form application, that's not quite true...and here's why... Jun. 22, 2009
Comments: 8   Rank: 7967   Page Views: 2087  (Stats updated nightly)

HCM Processes & Forms: You spin me right round, Baby, right round, like a record, Baby, right round, round-round
What better way to start a blog than with a "cheesy" 80's song? (1985 by Dead or Alive) But it fits right in with this "cheesy" little problem that often stumps HCM Processes and Forms developers.....the never ending spinning wheel! Jun. 18, 2009
Comments: 5   Rank: 7281   Page Views: 2344  (Stats updated nightly)

MSS: Delegation....the final frontier?
Delegation (also known to some as “substitution”) seems to be one of those last unexplored frontiers for SAP in the area of self-services. However, it comes up in almost every MSS project. The obvious question then is "why has SAP not provided a standard solution?" Oct. 24, 2008
Comments: 2   Rank: 3437   Page Views: 3795  (Stats updated nightly)

HCM Processes & Forms: Getting Attached to Attachments
Ever get sick as a child at school and needed to bring in your doctor’s excuse to your teacher? Ever quit a job and needed to hand in a formal resignation? I am sure we have all been part of scenarios like this which required additional information along with our request. Well, HCM Processes & Forms takes this into account and even does it one step better! Aug. 25, 2008
Comments: 9   Rank: 2238   Page Views: 4705  (Stats updated nightly)

HCM Processes & Forms: BlackBerry-ize your Processes !!!
HCM Processes and Forms is great for building your own Adobe Interactive Form-based and workflow processes for users to access via the portal, but what happens when your user base of managers is more comfortable with using their BlackBerrys? Aug. 21, 2008
Comments: 4   Rank: 9876   Page Views: 1184  (Stats updated nightly)

HCM Processes & Forms: Tips and Tricks for a Successful Project
Want to get up and going with HCM Processes & Forms fast and successfully? Here are a few tips and tricks I learned from going through a real world project.  Aug. 13, 2008
Comments: 11   Rank: 487   Page Views: 8613  (Stats updated nightly)

HCM Processes & Forms: Gotchas, Bugs and Other Curiosities
HCM Processes & Forms offers a world of possibilities for automating HR and other employee related processes. However, as the old maps of the uncharted seas would note "Here there be monsters". Jun. 30, 2008
Comments: 13   Rank: 298   Page Views: 10320  (Stats updated nightly)

Demystifying MSS 1.0 (ECC6) Dynamic Navigation
The MSS 1.0 business package presents some fairly large changes to the previous MSS structure and layout. This new design makes use of some fairly new portal objects and parameter settings to make all of the "magic" happen. Find out how this works through the discoveries I made as I stumbled around to figure it all out! Apr. 2, 2008
Comments: 12   Rank: 1119   Page Views: 6371  (Stats updated nightly)

HCM Processes & Forms: What's new and cool in Enhancement Pack 2 ?
Learn about some of the major improvements to HCM Processes and Forms, the Adobe Interactive Forms driven replacement to PCRs in MSS/ESS and large part of the new HRAS services that are available as of Enhancement Pack 2. Mar. 26, 2008
Comments: 11   Rank: 193   Page Views: 12011  (Stats updated nightly)

My TechEd 2007 experience....a photo tour!
Check out a quick "tour" of sorts of my whirlwind 5 day experience at TechEd 2007 in Las Vegas told through pictures. Oct. 18, 2007
Comments: 8   Rank: 4207   Page Views: 3340  (Stats updated nightly)

Hacking the new Portal iView Personalization Feature
What do you do when the new iView Personalization does not expose the parameters and styles you need? You hack it, of course! Aug. 20, 2007
Comments: 18   Rank: 825   Page Views: 7187  (Stats updated nightly)

Customize the Homepage Framework with Custom HTML Content
Want to add some style and content to your Homepage Area pages with custom HTML content? Here's how! Mar. 6, 2007
Comments: 8   Rank: 752   Page Views: 7423  (Stats updated nightly)

Customize Icons for the Homepage Framework
Want to add your own spiffy images for icons in the Homepage Framework? Here's how! Mar. 1, 2007
Comments: 15   Rank: 639   Page Views: 7880  (Stats updated nightly)

Rapid Portal Content Creation using the Homepage Framework
Create portal content quickly and easily using the *new* Homepage Framework ! Jan. 18, 2006
Comments: 15   Rank: 1110   Page Views: 6428  (Stats updated nightly)

Is MDM in the future of EP / KM?
MDM is still evolving and so is everyone’s' ideas of how to utilize it best. In a very "stream of consciousness" weblog, I walk you through an idea that came to me while studying up on EP and KM for certification. Where does MDM fit in? Why not use MDM to manage unstructured data as well? Is it possible? Could it be? Here's my thinking at least... Nov. 1, 2004
Comments: 4   Rank: 3528   Page Views: 3693  (Stats updated nightly)

Who is the master of your master data?
Just wanted to share my first thoughts/reactions/experiences/etc about working with MDM for the first time and "seeing" what it is and what it can be... Sep. 21, 2004
Comments: 0   Rank: 6862   Page Views: 2317  (Stats updated nightly)

Design, Usability, Branding and more Buzzwords Inside!
Millions of dollars in SAP funding can not be wrong, eh? Usability, "look and feel", branding, etc. are more than just nice buzzwords....let SAP's hard work help you! Mar. 24, 2004
Comments: 4   Rank: 5941   Page Views: 2656  (Stats updated nightly)

Dynamic Roles : Maybe I'm a Visionary or Maybe I am just blissfully unaware....
Dynamic portal roles? Mmmmm now there's a thought....or at least a thought I thought to myself....huh?. Ok Follow me here.... Feb. 20, 2004
Comments: 6   Rank: 10474   Page Views: 814  (Stats updated nightly)