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Sage HRMS
Reference Material Guide
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Table of Contents
Database Terms .................................................................................................. 1
Database File ........................................................................................................................... 1
Database Field ........................................................................................................................ 1
Field Type ....................................................................................................................................... 1
Field Name ..................................................................................................................................... 2
Field Length ................................................................................................................................... 2
Expressions and Functions ................................................................................................... 2
Database Structure ........................................................................................................................ 3
Data Dictionary.............................................................................................................................. 3
Data Dictionary Overview ........................................................................................................... 4
Database Structures ...................................................................................................................... 4
Sage HRMS Attendance Database File List ............................................................................... 5
Sage HRMS Database File List..................................................................................................... 5
Sage Train Database File List ....................................................................................................... 6
Expressions .......................................................................................................... 9
Field.......................................................................................................................................... 9
Relationship ............................................................................................................................ 9
Value ...................................................................................................................................... 10
Build Compound Expressions ........................................................................................... 10
Rules for Using Field Names in an Expression or Function ...................................................10
Use the Expression Builder ................................................................................................. 11
To Build an Expression ................................................................................................................12
Functions............................................................................................................ 15
Functions by Category ........................................................................................................ 15
Miscellaneous Functions .............................................................................................................17
Alphabetical List of Functions ....................................................................................................17
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Sage HRMS
Database Terms
Before using the features of Sage HRMS, it is helpful to review some basic database concepts and
terms.
Database File
A database file is a series of records. If you are familiar with electronic spreadsheet software,
think of a record as a row in the spreadsheet. Each row contains data about one specific employee
in the database. In an employee database file, each record contains data relating to one employee.
A simple employee database file looks like the following table:
L_NAME
F_NAME
SSN
ID_NUMBER
Birkin
Stanley
129-61-7090
101
McTimm
Jake
222-12-0148
102
Thornton
John
322-73-8961
103
Signor
Gina
444-78-2334
104
Kokai
Thomas
552-45-6456
105
There are as many records in the database file as there are employees. The database has a file
name and file extension. The master database file in the system, HRPERSNL, contains basic
information about an employee's identification, Social Security number and address.
Database Field
Each record in the database has one or more fields. Think of a field as one column in the
spreadsheet. Each field contains one item of data relating to the record.
Field Type
A field in a record is categorized by its field type. A numeric field contains only numbers (0
through 9). A character field contains letters of the alphabet, numbers, or special characters
such as commas or dashes. The databases in Sage HRMS have fields with the following field
types:
• Numeric
• Character
• Date
• Memo
• Logical
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Expressions and Functions
Field Name
Every field in the record has a name for identification purposes. Usually the field name is an
abbreviation describing the data in the field. The field name for the employee last name
might be LNAME, L_NAME or LAST_NAME. For example, in the Sage HRMS system, the
last name field name is P_LNAME.
Field Length
Another characteristic of a field is its length. A field for a Social Security number might be
nine characters in length, or 11 if the hyphens in the number are part of the data. The field
length for the employee last name is 25 characters, the length of the longest last name you are
most likely to encounter. The length of a numeric field establishes the largest number that can
be stored in that field and includes both the total length of the field and the number of
positions to the right of the decimal point.
Expressions and Functions
Expressions and Functions are tools to manipulate data. An expression is similar to a
mathematical formula; it is a statement of comparison between numbers or other data.
Certain tasks within Sage HRMS require you to create an expression to help identify the
records you want included in an action or process.
For instance, when using the Mass Update process in Abra HR, you might want to search for
all employees whose original hire date is before January 1, 2010. The expression builder, a
feature which is a part of the process itself, helps you create the following expression:
P_ORIGHIRE < {01/01/2010}
The expression consists of three parts: a field, a relationship and a value. In this case the field
is P_ORIGHIRE, the relationship is "less than" and the value is {01/01/2010}.
A function is a quick way to change how data is represented in the system. For example, the
value of the field L_NAME might be "Nelson." But if you want this name to appear with all
capital letters, the function "UPPER(L_NAME)" does this for you. The value corresponding to
UPPER(L_NAME) is "NELSON."
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Expressions and Functions
Database Structure
The database structure is a list identifying the name, type and length of each field in the
database. In a complex database, the structure might also include a short description for each
field to explain the purpose and use of the field. The database structure for the sample
employee database used here is illustrated by the following table.
Field Name
Type
Length
L_NAME
C
25
F_NAME
C
14
SSN
C
11
ID_NUMBER
N
3,0
The L_NAME and F_NAME fields are both character fields. The SSN field is a character field
rather than a numeric field since it also includes the dashes in the number. The ID_NUMBER
field is three positions, meaning the largest number we can store in the field is 999. The zero
means the ID_NUMBER does not contain any numbers to the right of the decimal point.
Data Dictionary
A data dictionary is a documentation tool which lists all the database files and their structure.
You will find it useful if you use expressions and functions or if you use Crystal Reports.
To obtain the most updated version of the data dictionary, you can run the Data Dictionary
reports.
1.
From the menu, select Reports > System > Data Dictionary Reports. The Data
Dictionary Reports dialog box opens.
2.
To print a list of database files, select Files List. To print a list of all the fields within
each database file, select Fields List. To print a list of the Index Keys, select Index
Keys List.
3.
Select the appropriate check boxes for the products you want to appear on the report.
4.
Click Preview to preview the report. When you are finished previewing, click the
Close button to close the preview window.
5.
Click Print to print the report.
6.
Click the Close button to close the Data Dictionary Reports dialog box.
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Expressions and Functions
Print Data Dictionary
To obtain the most recent version of the database structure, run the Data Dictionary
reports.
To view or print the Data Dictionary:
1.
From the Navigation Pane, select Reports > Data Dictionary Reports. The Data
Dictionary Reports dialog box opens.
2.
To print a list of database files, select the Files List radio button. To print a list of
all the fields within each database file, select Fields List. To print a list of the
Index Keys, select Index Keys List.
3.
Select the products you want to appear on the report by selecting the appropriate
check boxes.
4.
Click Preview to preview the report. When you are finished previewing, click the
Close button to close the preview window.
5.
Click Print to print the report.
6.
Click the Close button to close the Data Dictionary Reports dialog box.
Data Dictionary Overview
The Data Dictionary documents the database structure for all the database files used by Sage
HRMS. You might find this information useful when building expressions within Sage
HRMS or creating custom reports using Crystal Reports.
It is also useful for programmers writing supplemental applications that share Sage HRMS
data. If you want to access your data externally to the Sage HRMS software, you should have
a thorough knowledge of database concepts and the database software you intend to use.
Note:
Time Off databases work with the databases included with Sage HRMS.
Database Structures
Before you access a database file, you might want to have the file layout (the database
structure) available.
The field type codes are as follows:
• C Character
• N Numeric
• T Date/Time
• L Logical
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Expressions and Functions
• M Memo
• I Integer
• G General Note
The Descriptions that accompany the fields in the data dictionaries are shown in Crystal
Reports when you select fields to include in your custom reports.
To obtain the most recent version of the database structure, run the Data Dictionary reports.
Sage HRMS Attendance Database File List
The following table lists the file name, description and alias for each database file. The files
are listed alphabetically by file name.
File
Description
Alias
HATCO
Previous Year Employee Attendance Summary
CO
HATOLD
Previous Year Attendance Transactions
AO
HATPLAN
Attendance Benefit Plan Definition
PL
HATSUM
Employee Attendance Summary
TO
HATTRAN
Employee Attendance Transaction
AT
Sage HRMS Database File List
The following table lists the file name, description and alias for each database file. The files
are listed alphabetically by file name.
File
Description
Alias
BPSPCDET
Check Detail for ESS
BPD
BPSPCMAS
Check Master for ESS
BPM
BPSW4
W4 Data for ESS
BPW4
DDFIELD
Data Dictionary Fields
FLD
DDFILE
Data Dictionary File Names
FIL
DDINDEX
Data Dictionary Index Keys
IND
GENEMAIL
Update Employee E-mail Addresses
GE
HBEDEF
Benefit Rate Setup
DF
HBENBEN
Beneficiary Enrollments
BB
HBENE
Employee Benefit
BE
HBEPLAN
Benefit Plan Table
BT
HBERES
Benefit Rate
RS
HDEPBEN
Dependent Benefits
DB
HDEPEND
Employee Dependent
DE
HEDU
Employee Education History
ED
HEMERG
Employee Emergency Contact
EM
HEVENTS
Employee Event
EV
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Expressions and Functions
File
Description
Alias
HJOBHIS
Employee Job History
JH
HOSHA
Employee OSHA
OS
HPREV
Employee Previous Employment
PV
HREMPATT
Employee Attachments
EA
HRENOTES
Employee Notes
EN
HRLOA
Leave of Absence
LO
HRMAS90
MAS 90 Payroll Setup
MAS90
HRPERSNL
Employee Personnel
PE
HRPHOTO
Employee Photo
PIC
HRSECJOB
Employee Secondary Job
SJ
HRTABLES
HR and Payroll Code Table
TA
HSKILLS
Employee Skill
SK
HTERMJH
Terminated Employee Job
TERMJH
HTERMPE
Terminated Employee Personnel
TERMPE
HWELL
Employee Wellness
WE
OEBEPLAN
Benefit Plan Table for Open Enrollment
OEBT
OEBEDEF
Benefit Rate Setup for Open Enrollment
OEDF
OEBERES
Benefit Rate for Open Enrollment
OERS
SYAUDIT
Audit Trail
AU
SYBACKUP
Backup Transaction Log
BKP
SYCRIT
Criteria Table
CT
SYEMPLOY
Employer Setup
ER
SYENTER
Enterprise Setup
ENT
SYFILTER
Product Group Filters
FILTERS
SYSCHED
Schedule
SCHEDULE
SYSFIELD
Security Group Field Access
FLDSEC
SYSRPT
Security Report Writer Field Access
RWSEC
SYSTEP
Security Steps
STEPS
SYTASK
Security Task
TASKS
SYUSER
Security User
USERS
Sage Train Database File List
The following table lists the file name, description and alias for each database file. The files
are listed alphabetically by file name.
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File
Description
DDFIELD
Data Dictionary Fields
FLD
DDFILE
Data Dictionary File Names
FIL
DDINDEX
Data Dictionary Index Keys
IND
HRPERSNL
Employee Personnel
PE
HRTABLES
HR and Payroll Code Tables
TA
Sage HRMS
Alias
Expressions and Functions
File
Description
Alias
NCATCOUR
Course Catalog
NCC
NCATINST
Instructor Catalog
NIN
NCATLOCA
Training Location Catalog
NLO
NCATPROG
Training Program Catalog
NPR
NCLAINFO
Class Information
NCI
NCLALETT
Class Correspondence Letters
NLT
NEMPCERT
Employee Certifications
NEC
NEMPHIST
Courses Taken
NEH
NEMPINFO
Employee Miscellaneous Training Information
NEI
NEMPLOY
Training Employer Setup
NTS
NEMPPROG
Employee Training Programs
NEP
NEMPREQU
Required Courses
NER
NJOBREQU
Job Requirements
NJR
NPREREQU
Course Prerequisites
NCQ
NPROCURR
Training Program Curriculum
NPC
NSKILLS
Associated Skills
NSK
SYAUDIT
Audit Trail
AU
SYBACKUP
Backup Transaction Log
BKP
SYEMPLOY
Employer Setup
ER
SYENTER
Enterprise Setup
ENT
SYFILTER
Product Group Filters
FILTERS
SYSFIELD
Security Group Field Access
FLDSEC
SYSRPT
Security Report Writer Field Access
RWSEC
SYSCHED
Schedule
SCHEDULE
SYSTEP
Security Steps
STEPS
SYTASK
Security Task
TASKS
SYUSER
Security User
USERS
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Expressions and Functions
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Sage HRMS
Expressions
In some cases, an expression is merely an item of data presented in a different format. For
instance, the last name field of an employee might be "Nelson." That same last name expressed in
all capital letters would be "NELSON." But as it is most commonly used, an expression is similar
to a mathematical formula; it is a statement of comparison among numbers or other data.
For instance, when you perform a Mass Update process, you might want to include all employees
with an original hire date prior to June 1, 2007. Communicating this in words, you might say, "I
want to include all employees who were hired prior to June 1, 2007." For Sage HRMS, you must
communicate this as an expression. The Expression Builder (also called the Criteria Builder) helps
you create the following expression:
PE.P_ORIGHIRE < {06/01/2007}
In most cases, the expression you build will be a comparison between a database field and a
value. The expression therefore, consists of three parts:
Field
The field identifies the database and the field to be used for the comparison. In the preceding
example, "PE." tells the system to look in the HRPERSNL database file (because PE is the "alias"
for the HRPERSNL database file - also called the Employee Personnel file). And "P_ORIGHIRE"
(the Original Hire Date) is the name of the field.
Relationship
The relationship part of the expression defines how the field is compared to the value. The
relationship between the two can be one of the following:
•
Exactly equal to
•
Equal to the same type
•
Less than
•
Less than or equal to
•
Greater than
•
Greater than or equal to
•
Not equal to
In the example above, the less than symbol (<) tells the system that you want the field (Original
Hire Date) to be less than the value (6/1/2011).
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Value
Value
The value is the part of the expression that the field is compared to. The data type of the value
must match the data type of the field. For example, if the field is a date field, you must enter a
date for your value. In other words, you could not enter 999, since you can’t compare a date to a
number.
Here’s another example. If the field in the expression is last name, you cannot enter a date as your
value since a date doesn’t match the data type of a last name.
So, in the example above, since the Original Hire Date (P_ORIGHIRE) is a date data type, the
data type of the value matches because it is a date.
Build Compound Expressions
You can also build an expression that consists of more than one comparison. This is referred to as
a compound expression.
Suppose you want to search for all active employees who were hired before June 1, 2008. Here we
need to create two comparisons: the first one tells the system to find employees who have an
(A)ctive status; the second comparison tells the system that of those active employees, it should
find only those who were hired before 6/01/2008.
Using the Expression Builder, you would build the following compound expression:
PE.P_ORIGHIRE<{06/01/2008} AND PE.P_ACTIVE="A"
The two expressions are divided with the word "AND" telling the system to find the employees
who satisfy both comparisons. If you used the word "OR" to divide the two expressions, Sage
HRMS would find two sets of employees: those who were hired before 6/01/2008 and those who
have an Active status. This would result in a much higher number of employees than if you used
the "AND" function.
Rules for Using Field Names in an Expression or Function
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1.
All field names must be spelled correctly. See the Data Dictionary for correct
spellings.
2.
Alphanumeric (character) data must be surrounded by quotes.
3.
Dates must be enclosed in braces, i.e. {06/01/2011}.
4.
If you are building a compound expression (when you need more than one condition
to be met), the conditions must be separated by the word AND or by the word OR.
You should use parentheses in complex conditional expressions.
Sage HRMS
Use the Expression Builder
5.
6.
Use the following comparison operators:
=
Does a compare between two values of the same type.
The = operator performs a comparison between two values of the same type. This
operator is suited for comparing character, numeric, date, and logical data.
However, when you compare character expressions with the = operator, the
results might not be exactly what you expect. Character expressions are compared
character for character from left to right until one of the expressions isn’t equal to
the other, or until the end of the expression on the right side of the = operator is
reached.
Example:
="GA" will find both GA and GAUI
==
Does an exact comparison of character data.
When two character expressions are compared with the == operator, the
expressions on both sides of the == operator must contain exactly the same
characters, including blanks, to be considered equal.
=="GA" will find GA, but not GAUI
>
Greater than
>=
Greater than or equal to
<
Less than
<=
Less than or equal to
<>
Not equal to
Capitalization is important. For example,"SALESREP" is not equal to "SalesRep". To
avoid capitalization problems, use the UPPERfunction to make comparisons. The
following example tells the system to convert the job code to upper case before
making the comparison.
UPPER(PE.P_JOBCODE)="SALESREP"
Use the Expression Builder
The expression must be formatted correctly so Sage HRMS can understand it. You can always
type the expression in manually if you know exactly what the field, relationship, and value
should be. Or you can use the Expression Builder to help you build the expression. As you work
with Sage HRMS, whenever you see the Expression Builder button, click it to open the
Expression Builder dialog box. Then create your expression.
Note: If you are using a SQL Server database, some functions that are available in the
Expression Builder may not work because they are specific to Visual FoxPro and there is
not an equivalent function for SQL Server. See the list of valid functions that are
supported for both databases.
Reference Material
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Use the Expression Builder
All date fields contain the time in addition to the date. If you use dates in calculations you should
remove the time part of the date using the Foxpro TtoD() function. For example:
INT((Date() - TtoD(hrpersnl.p_birth))/365)
TtoD(hrpersnl.p_lasthire) + 90
You may also want to remove the time from the date when displaying or printing dates.
To Build an Expression
This section will take you through building an expression. Here is the example:
The sample company, Z Systems, Inc., is implementing a new policy. All active employees in
the Sales/Marketing division will no longer have their performance review on their
anniversaries. They will now all be reviewed on October 1.
You’ll use the Mass Update process to change the next performance review date for these
employees. First, select the database file and field to update.
1.
From the Navigation Pane, select mass update for the group with which you want to
work, for example Time Off > Mass Update.
2.
Select Employee Personnel from the Update File list.
3.
Select Next Performance Review Due Date from the Update Field list.
You now need to tell Sage HRMS which employee records you want to update: click the
Expression Builder button below the Records to Update field. The Expression Builder dialog
box opens so you can build your expression.
Refer to the Data Dictionary, for database file aliases.
1.
In the From table list, notice that Pe is selected. Pe is the alias for the Employee
Personnel database file. The file is already selected because you chose it as your
Update File.
2.
The Fields list contains all the fields contained in the Employee Personnel database
file. Double-click P_ACTIVE, the second field in the list.
The field, preceded by the "Pe" alias, appears in the Expression field.
3.
In the Logical list, locate the equal sign (=) and click it.
4.
Click your mouse button to place your cursor at the end of the expression and enter a
space, single quote,A, single quote, space. Your expression should now look like this:
You have just built the first comparison to tell Sage HRMS to look for all employees
with an active employee status.
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Sage HRMS
Use the Expression Builder
5.
In the Logical list, locate the word AND and click it. This starts your second
comparison.
6.
In the Fields list, locate the field P_LEVEL1 and double-click it.
7.
In the Logical list, locate the equal sign (=) and click it.
8.
Click your mouse button to place your cursor at the end of the expression and enter a
space, single quote, SALES/MKTG, single quote. Your expression should now look
like this:
You have finished building the expression. Sage HRMS will find all active employees
who work in the Sales/Mktg division (in ZSI, P_LEVEL1 has already been defined as
the division).
9.
Click OK to save your expression and return to the Mass Update dialog box.
Tip: You can use the Verify button to make sure you’ve used the correct
structure for your expression. For example, if you have an equal sign, it will
confirm that you have a value after the equal sign. When you save your
expression and return to the report or process for which you’re building the
expression, Sage HRMS will check your expression again. If you have built an
illogical expression, a message will indicate what is wrong. Return to the
Expression Builder and fix your error.
10. Finish up your Mass Update process by typing October 1, 2008 in the New Value
field. (Remember, this is the new date on which all employees will be reviewed.)
11. Click OK to complete the process and update the records.
Reference Material
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Use the Expression Builder
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Sage HRMS
Functions
A function provides a quick way to perform an operation on data maintained by Sage HRMS. In
most cases, you can use menus, text fields, lists, check boxes, and radio buttons to enter and
manipulate data. But as described in the preceding section, Expressions, sometimes you need to
build your own expression to define the processing you want to perform. And in some of these
cases, you might need to use a function as part of the value in an expression.
For example, the value of a last name field (P_LNAME) might be "Nelson." Instead, you want the
name to appear in upper case (NELSON). You can use the UPPER function to accomplish this.
Enter:
UPPER(P_LNAME)="NELSON"
A function consists of a function name and, in most cases, one or more parameters that are used
by the function. These parameters are always placed in parentheses following the function name.
Each parameter is separated by a comma. The format of a function then, is as follows:
DESC(parameter1, parameter2, ...)
The following section identifies some of the common functions and shows examples of their
usage. For more information on functions, use online Help (by pressing F1) when you work with
the Expression Builder.
Functions by Category
Date Functions
CDOW()
Gives you the name of the day of the week for a certain
date.
CMONTH()
Gives you the name of the month for a certain date.
DATE()
Gives you the system date of the computer.
DAY()
Gives you the day of the month, expressed as a number.
MONTH()
Gives you the month of the year expressed as a number.
YEAR()
Gives you the year expressed as a number.
Conversion Functions
CTOD()
Converts a date from character-type to date-type.
DTOC()
Converts date-data to character data in the form MM/DD/YY.
DTOS()
Converts date data to character data in the form
YYYYMMDD.
TRANSFORM()
Converts any type of data into formatted character data.
VAL()
Converts character data into numeric data.
Reference Material
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Functions by Category
Numeric Functions
MAX()
Finds the maximum of two numbers or dates.
MIN()
Finds the minimum of two numbers or dates.
Formatting Functions
INT()
Truncates a number to its integer; for example, to the
whole number.
LOWER()
Changes all the characters to lowercase.
LTRIM()
Removes the left-most spaces from the field.
SPACE()
Adds a specified number of spaces to the end of a field.
TRIM()
Removes trailing spaces from the field.
UPPER()
Changes all the characters to uppercase.
Sage HRMS Functions
AGE()
Calculates the employee's age.
AN1000()
Calculates the annual salary of an employee up to the next
1,000.
ANNPAY()
Calculates annual salary as a whole number.
ANNUAL()
Calculates annual salary to two decimal places.
COUNTDEP()
Counts all dependents or those covered by a benefit plan.
DEPENDAGE()
Calculates the dependent's age.
DEPENDSMOKER()
Use to determine if the dependent is a smoker. If you use this
function in an expression in a benefit plan rate table, set the
expression as: iif(dependsmoker()'Y','N') and set the columns
as Y and N.
MONTHLY()
Calculates the employee's salary on a monthly basis.
YEARSOLD()
Calculates the employee's age as a whole number.
YEARSSENIORITY()
Calculates the employee’s number of years with the company.
Note: Sage HRMS functions are unique to the Sage HRMS system. They are not
accessible from within the Expression Builder. To use a Sage HRMS function, you must
manually enter it into your expression.
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Sage HRMS
Functions by Category
Miscellaneous Functions
EMPTY()
Use on fields, other than date fields, to determine whether or not
the field contains any data.
IIF()
Responds differently if different conditions are true.
ISNULL()
Use to evaluate whether a date field is empty. Use the
expression: IIF((Isnull(hbene.b_expdate) or hbene.b_expdate >
Date()), " X"," ")
SUBSTR()
Extracts a specific portion of a field.
Alphabetical List of Functions
Note: All date fields contain the time in addition to the date. If you use dates in
calculations you should remove the time part of the date using the TtoD() function. For
example:
INT((Date() - TtoD(hrpersnl.p_birth))/365)
TtoD(hrpersnl.p_lasthire) + 90
You may also want to remove the time from the date when displaying or printing dates.
AGE()
Description
Parameters
This function
calculates the
employee's age as a
numeric field with
two decimal positions.
AGE(Date1,Date2)
Usage and Examples
Date1 is the date
of birth; date2 is
the basis for
calculating the
age. Neither
parameter is
required.
AGE({01/01/1960},
{07/01/1995})
This would
calculate the age as
35.5.
AGE({01/01/1960})
This would
calculate the age
based on a birth
date of 01/01/1960,
and using the
system date as the
basis.
AGE()
This would
calculate the age,
using the date of
birth in the
employee master
file and the system
date.
Reference Material
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Functions by Category
AN1000()
Description
Parameters
Calculates the
annual salary of
an employee up
to the next 1,000.
AN1000()
Usage and Examples
No
parameters
are
required.
AN1000()
An employee whose annual salary was 35,225
would be calculated with this function as
36,000. This might be useful if you want a
management report showing relative salary
levels, and do not want precise salary
amounts.
ANNPAY()
Description
Parameters
Calculates the
employee's annual
salary as a whole
number.
ANNPAY()
Usage and Examples
No parameters
are required.
ANNPAY()
This function calculates the annual
salary based on other fields in the
database.
ANNUAL()
Description
Parameters
Calculates the
employee's annual
salary to two
decimal places
ANNUAL()
Usage and Examples
No
parameters
are required.
ANNUAL()
This function calculates the annual
salary based on other fields in the
database.
CDOW()
Description
Parameters
Gives you the
name of the day
of the week.
CDOW(Date)
18
Sage HRMS
Usage and Examples
Date
must
be
datetype
CDOW(DATE())
If the system date is July 2, 2008, this
example will give you the name of
the day, Wednesday.
CDOW(DATE()-10)
Gives you the current date and
subtracts ten (10) days, giving you
the name of the day.
CDOW(P_ORIGHIRE)
Gives the day of the week an
employee was originally hired.
Functions by Category
CMONTH()
Description
Parameters
Usage and Examples
Gives you the
name of the month
for a certain date.
CMONTH(Date)
Date
must be
datetype.
CMONTH(DATE())
If the system date is July
10,2008, this example will give
you the name of the month,
July.
CMONTH(P_ORIGHIRE)
= 'July'
Gives you all employees whose
original hire date is in July.
COUNTDEP()
Description
Parameters
You can use
COUNTDEP()
to count the
number of
dependents.
COUNTDEP
Usage and Examples
(Char1,Char2)
Char1 is the benefit
plan code; Char2
specifies the type of
dependent to count.
Neither parameter is
required.
COUNTDEP()
Counts all dependents.
COUNTDEP("All')
Counts all dependents.
COUNTDEP
("Insured only")
Counts the number of
insured-only
dependents.
COUNTDEP("HMO
2007")
Counts all dependents
with the benefit plan
code "HMO 2007."
COUNTDEP
("HMO
2007,"CHILD")
Counts the number of
child dependents with
the benefit plan code
"HMO 2007."
CTOD()
Description
Parameters
Converts a
date from
charactertype to datetype.
CTOD(Date)
Usage and Examples
Date must be
character-type, in
the format
MM/DD/YY.
CTOD()
Use when you are entering a
date in an expression and
want to do date arithmetic, or
if you have stored dates in
character-type miscellaneous
fields.
CTOD('01/01/08')
Takes the character-type date
and converts it to 01/01/08 in
date-type.
CTOD('01/01/08')+180
Takes the character-type date,
converts it to 01/01/08 in datetype, adds 180 days, and gives
you 06/30/08 in date-type.
Reference Material
19
Functions by Category
DATE()
Description
Parameters
Usage and Examples
Gives you the
system date of
the computer.
DATE()
DATE()
If today's date is July 10, 2007, this example will give
you 07/10/07.
DATE()
+ 180
If today's date is January 1, 2007, this example will
give you 06/30/07.
None are
required.
The system date should be today's date. If DATE() does not give
you today's date, use Windows help for instructions on how to
reset the date. You'll use this function frequently in performing
date arithmetic.
DAY()
Description
Parameters
Gives you the
day of the week,
expressed as a
number.
DAY(Date)
Usage and Examples
Date must
be datetype.
DAY(DATE())
If the system date is July 10, 2007,
this example will give you the exact
day,10, in numeric-type.
DEPENDAGE()
Description
Parameters
This
function
calculates a
dependent's
age.
DEPENDAGE(Date)
Usage and Examples
Date is the
basis for
calculating the
age. No
parameter is
required.
DEPENDAGE({07/01/2007})
This would calculate
the dependent's age
as of July 1, 2007.
DEPENDAGE()
This would calculate
the age, using the
date of birth in the
employee master file
and the system date.
DEPENDSMOKER()
Description
Parameters
Returns
whether or
not a
dependent
is a smoker.
DEPENDSMOKER()
20
Sage HRMS
Usage and Examples
No
parameters
are
required.
DEPENDSMOKER()
This returns Yes if the
dependent is a smoker; No if the
dependent is not. If you use this
function in an expression in a
benefit plan rate table, set the
expression as:
iif(dependsmoker()'Y','N') and
set the columns as Y and N.
Functions by Category
DESC()
Description
Parameters
Usage and Examples
This function
accesses code
table
descriptions.
DESC(Char,Num)
Char is the name of
the data item for
which you want a
description. Num is
the desired length of
the description. Only
the first parameter is
required. Without
Num, a length of 25
is assumed. If Num is
zero, the function
will remove any
trailing spaces.
DESC(P_LEVEL1)
This would return
the description
corresponding to
organization level
1. A length of 25 is
assumed.
DESC(P_LEVEL1,30)
This would return
the description
corresponding to
organization level
1. The description
length would be
30.
DTOC()
Description
Parameters
Converts date-type data to
character-type data in the
form MM/DD/YY.
DTOC(Date)
Usage and Examples
Date
must be
date-type.
In order to change the original hire date field to
character-type so that you can use it with
character-type fields, use:
P_LNAME + P_FNAME +
DTOC(P_ORIGHIRE)
Do not use DTOC() to sort by date because it
sorts by month, day and year, which is not the
logical chronological order:
03/01/61
03/05/62
04/01/58
05/31/50
Instead, use DTOS() as described below.
DTOS()
Description
Parameters
Converts date-type
data to character-type
data in the form
YYYYMMDD.
DTOS(Date)
Usage and Examples
Date
must
be
datetype.
DTOS(DATE())
If the system date is July 10, 2007,
this example gives you 20070710 in
character-type data.
When you use DTOS() it sorts by year, month and day,
which puts dates into logical chronological order
(compare to DTOC() above):
05/01/50
(19500501)
04/01/58
(19580401)
03/01/61
(19610301)
03/05/62
(19620305)
Reference Material
21
Functions by Category
EMPTY()
Description
Parameters
Usage and Examples
Determines whether or not a
field contains any data.
EMPTY(Data)
Data can be
any type.
EMPTY()
This returns whether or not
a field contains any data.
IIF()
Description
Parameters
Usage and Examples
Allows the system to
respond differently if
different conditions
are true.
IIF(Cri,Exp1,Exp2)
Cri is the criterion; if it is true, the
result is the first element, Exp1. If
Cri is false, the result is the
second element, Exp2. The
Parameters can be of any type.
The expression
IIF(P_Sex = M', Mr.',
Ms.') says if the gender
is male, use Mr'. If not
male, use Ms'.
INT()
Description
Parameters
Truncates a number to its integer; i.e., to
the whole number.
INT(Num)
Usage and
Examples
Num is the integer to be
truncated.
INT(10000.24) =
10,000
ISNULL()
Description
Parameters
Usage and Examples
Use to evaluate whether a
date field is empty.
NULL(Date)
Date must be
date-type.
IIF((Isnull(hbene.b_expdate) or
hbene.b_expdate > Date()), " X"," ")
LOWER()
Description
Parameters
Changes all the
characters to
lowercase.
LOWER(Char)
Usage and Examples
Char is the field to be
changed and must be
character-type.
LOWER()
This is the opposite of
UPPER(). See UPPER() for
usage and examples.
LTRIM()
Description
Parameters
Removes the left-most spaces
(the blank spaces in front of a
character field) from the field.
LTRIM(Char)
22
Sage HRMS
Usage and Examples
Char must be
character-type.
If you have created miscellaneous
fields with leading spaces, this
function will be useful in mass update
to remove spaces.
Functions by Category
MAX()
Description
Parameters
Usage and Examples
Finds the
maximum of two
numbers or dates.
MAX(Num1,Num2)
Num1 and
Num2 must
both be
numeric- or
date-type.
MAX(P_SALARY,
50000)
Compares the
salary to $50,000
and gives you
whichever is
greater.
MIN()
Description
Parameters
Usage and Examples
Finds the minimum
of two numbers or
dates.
MIN(Num1,Num2)
Num1 and
Num2 must both
be numeric-type.
The expression MIN(P_SALARY,50000)
compares the salary to $50,000 and gives
you whichever is less.
MONTH()
Description
Parameters
Usage and Examples
Gives you the month of
the year expressed as a
number.
MONTH(Date)
Data must
be datetype.
To find all employees who were originally hired
in the first month, or January, use
MONTH(P_ORIGHIRE) = 1.
MONTHLY()
Description
Parameters
Calculates the
employee's salary
on a monthly basis.
MONTHLY()
Usage and Examples
No parameters
are required.
MONTHLY()
Since the employee's salary is
not maintained as a single
number, use MONTHLY() to
calculate the employee's
monthly salary.
SPACE()
Description
Parameters
Adds a specified
number of spaces to a
field so that it is a
predetermined length.
SPACE(Num)
Usage and Examples
Num is the
specified
number of
spaces.
SPACE()
It is very useful to make sure all your
columns are aligned correctly. If you
TRIM() the spaces from fields and
then add them together to form a new
item, the results might not have the
same lengths. This can cause your
columns not to align correctly. For
example:
P_LNAME + SPACE(15) Employee's
last name plus 15 spaces.
Reference Material
23
Functions by Category
STR()
Description
Parameters
Converts
numbers to
characters.
STR(Num,L,D)
Usage and Examples
Num is the number
that you want to
convert; L is the
number of characters
you want the result
to have, and D is the
number of decimals.
L and D are optional.
STR(P_SALARY,10,2)
Gives you the salary with
the result being ten
characters long with two
decimal places (for
example, 9999999.99).
Even though the result
looks like a number, it is
now character-type data.
SUBSTR()
Description
Parameters
Extracts a
specific
portion of a
field.
SUBSTR(Char,N1,N2)
Usage and Examples
Char is the name of the
field from which you
want to extract data and
must be character-type.
N1 is the position of the
first character that you
want to extract. N2 is the
number of characters to
be extracted and is an
optional argument. If
omitted, data is extracted
from N1 to the end of the
field.
You might want to run a report on
all employees who live in area code
813. To select the correct
employees, you have to extract the
area code from the phone number.
To find those employees whose
area code is 813, use the expression
SUBSTR(P_HPHONE,2,3) = '813'.
This example assumes that the area
code is enclosed with parentheses:
(813). The first position is the open
parenthesis and the second
position is the 8.
TRIM()
Description
Parameters
Removes all the
trailing spaces (the
blank spaces to the
right of a field) from
the field.
TRIM(Char)
24
Sage HRMS
Usage and Examples
Char is the field
you want to
trim and must
be charactertype.
TRIM()
Used when you join two character
fields together and you want the
columns in the report to be aligned.
TRIM(P_LNAME + ', ' +
TRIM(P_FNAME) gives you the last
name, followed by a comma and a
space, followed by the first name,
with no extra spaces. The result will
be JONES, FRED.
Functions by Category
UPPER()
Description
Parameters
Changes all the
characters in a
field to
uppercase
letters.
UPPER(Char)
Usage and Examples
Char is the
field to be
changed and
must be
character-type.
UPPER()
Useful when you are searching for exact
matches because it eliminates problems
resulting from differences in
capitalization.
To find all employees with the last
name Adams or ADAMS, use
UPPER(P_LNAME) = "ADAMS".
Without using UPPER(), you would
have only found employees named
ADAMS whose last names were
entered in all uppercase letters.
VAL()
Description
Parameters
Changes
character-type
data into
numeric-type
data.
VAL(Char)
Usage and Examples
Char is the
data to be
changed and
must be
character-type.
VAL()
This is very useful when sorting.
The computer sorts character-type
numbers 1, 10, 11, 12, 2, 20, 21, etc.
To sort numbers correctly, they
must be numeric-type, in which
case they will be sorted 1, 2, 10, 11,
12, 20, 21, etc.
VAL(P_MISC2)
If you have entered a number in
the MISC2 field (which is a
character-type field) and now want
to be able to add up all the
numbers for a range of employees,
this example will convert the datatype to numeric-type so that the
system can perform addition.
YEAR()
Description
Parameters
Gives you the year
expressed as a
number.
YEAR(Date)
Usage and Examples
Date is the
date, and
must be
date-type.
YEAR(DATE())
If the system date is July 10, 2007,
this example will give you 2007.
To select employees whose date of
original hire is 2007, use
YEAR(P_ORIGHIRE) = 2007.
Reference Material
25
Functions by Category
YEARSOLD()
Description
Parameters
This function calculates the
employee's age as a whole
number. The AGE() function
calculates the age including
two decimal places. You might
want to use YEARSOLD()
when you need to compute an
employee's age for benefits
calculations.
YEARSOLD
(Date1,Date2)
Usage and Examples
Date1 is the date
of birth; Date2 is
the basis for
calculating the
age. Neither
parameter is
required.
YEARSOLD
({01/01/1967},
{07/01/2007})
This would
calculate the age
as 41.
YEARSOLD
({01/01/1970})
This would
calculate the age
based on a birth
date of 01/01/1970,
using the system
date as the basis.
YEARSOLD()
This would
calculate the age,
using the date of
birth in the
employee
personnel file and
the system date.
YEARSSENIORITY()
Description
Parameters
This function
calculates active and
LOA employees
number of years with
the company. You
might want to use this
function in a rate table
for a savings plan
whose employer match
is based on an
employee's number of
years with the
company.
YEARSSENIORITY()
26
Sage HRMS
Usage and Examples
No
parameters
are
required.
YEARSSENIORITY()
This calculates the
years seniority,
using the seniority
date in the
employee personnel
file and the system
date. If the
employee is
terminated, the
function uses the
termination date
instead of the
system date.