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SAP Hierarchy Integration

The SAP sFTP integration automates the synchronization of Clients, Jobs, and Tasks from SAP directly into ClickTime. By reading CSV files from a secure server, this integration ensures your project data remains consistent across both platforms without the need for manual data entry.

IMPORTANT: This integration is a managed service enabled by the ClickTime Professional Services Team. It requires an individual implementation fee and your ClickTime account must be on a prepaid 12-month contract.

Interested? Email support@clicktime.com.

Quick Start Checklist

  • ✅ Your account is on a prepaid 12-month contract.
  • ✅ You have Administrator credentials for ClickTime.
  • ✅ You can produce UTF-8 encoded, Comma-Delimited CSV files from SAP.
  • ✅ You have identified an sFTP hosting preference (ClickTime-hosted or internal).

How to Get Started

The implementation is a collaborative process. ClickTime Professional Services will configure the internal "Mapping Profiles," while your administrators will manage the automation via the Data Transport tool:

  1. Access Management: Sign into more.clicktime.com using your ClickTime Admin credentials.
  2. Configure Credentials: Navigate to Open Jobs > Settings. Enter your sFTP Host, Username, and Password.
    • Note: If ClickTime is hosting your sFTP via Couchdrop, these credentials will be generated and provided by your Professional Services lead.
  3. Create a Schedule: Click "Open Jobs" and define your task:
    • Data Type: Select "SAP: Clients Import", "SAP: Jobs Import" or "SAP: Tasks Import".
    • Direction: Select "Inbound".
    • Cron Expression: Set your Cron Expression (schedule)

Scheduling & Cron Expressions

Automation is controlled by Cron Expressions. These strings define the execution schedule across five time-based slots.

Slot Represents Allowed Values
1st Minute 0-59
2nd Hour 0-23
3rd Day of Month 1-31
4th Month 1-12
5th Day of Week 0-6 (Sun=0)

Cheat Sheet Symbols:

  • * = Every possible value in that slot.
  • , = A list of specific values (e.g., 1,15,30).
  • / = Incremental steps (e.g., */30 for every 30 mins).

Common Examples:

  • Daily at Midnight: 0 0 * * *
  • Every hour, on the hour: 0 * * * *
  • Every weekday at 6:00 AM: 0 6 * * 1-5

Monitoring: Once your job has been created, you can use the "View Job Schedules" and "See Jobs Status" options to track progress.

Under "View Job Schedules" you can:

  • See your saved jobs with the following information:
    • Transfer Direction (Inbound/Outbound)
    • Data Type
    • Entity Type
    • Filter Preference
    • Cron Expression
    • Last Run
    • Next Run
    • Schedule Created On
    • Actions (trigger the job to run now/delete)

Under "See Job Status" you can:

  • Toggle between Outbound/Inbound in the top left
    • See Transfer Direction (Inbound/Outbound)
    • Data Type
    • Entity Type
    • Job Status
    • Comments
    • JobCreated
    • JobStarted
    • JobCompleted

Requirements & Hosting

  • File Specification: All files must be UTF-8 without a Byte Order Mark (BOM). Files should be Comma-Separated Values (CSV).
  • Hosting Options: You can use your own internal sFTP server or utilize ClickTime’s hosted solution via Couchdrop.com.  If you choose to use your own internal server, you will need to work with our Professional Services Team to make sure this is configured correctly.

About ClickTime-Hosted sFTP (Couchdrop)

Couchdrop is a cloud-native sFTP provider used by ClickTime to securely bridge data between your SAP instance and our Data Transport tool.

  • Authentication: Couchdrop supports both standard Password authentication and SSH Key-based authentication (RSA/ED25519).
  • IT Whitelisting: If your corporate firewall or SAP environment restricts outbound traffic, your IT team may need to whitelist Couchdrop's static IP addresses. Please contact Support for the current IP list.
  • Directories: The root directory will contain an /inbound folder for your SAP CSVs and a /processed folder where files are moved automatically after a successful run.
  • Administrator Access: Access to the Data Transport tool is restricted to ClickTime account administrators.

 

Technical Specifications & Mappings

The integration matches records using unique SAP identifiers (Object IDs). If a record with that ID exists in ClickTime, it is updated; if not, it is created.

Clients (Pattern: sap_clients*.csv)

SAP Column ClickTime Field Transformation Logic
Customer ID (KUNNR) ClientNumber Exact Match
Customer Name Name Saved as: Customer Name (Customer ID)
Deletion Flag / Block IsActive Null = Active, X = Inactive

Jobs (Pattern: sap_projects*.csv)

SAP Column ClickTime Field Transformation Logic
Project Definition (PSPID) JobNumber Exact Match
Customer ID ClientNumber Matches against existing ClickTime Clients
Project Description Name Saved as: Description (Project ID)
System Status IsActive Requires status code matching (REL = Active)

Tasks (Pattern: sap_wbs*.csv)

SAP Column ClickTime Field Transformation Logic
WBS Element (POSID) TaskCode Exact Match
Project Definition JobNumber Matches against existing ClickTime Jobs
WBS Description Name Saved as: Description (WBS ID)

Custom Fields: To map an SAP column to a ClickTime custom field, the CSV header must be prefixed with SAP_ (e.g., SAP_CostCenter maps to the ClickTime field CostCenter).

 

Data Logic & Validation

  • The Sequence Rule: You must process imports in the order of Clients ⟶ Jobs ⟶ Tasks. If a Job is imported but its parent Customer ID cannot be found in ClickTime, the record will fail to import.
  • Job "Active" Logic: A Job is typically only active in ClickTime if the SAP System Status is REL (Released). Statuses such as CRTD (Created), TECO (Technically Complete), or CLSD (Closed) will result in an inactive ClickTime Job.
  • New Record Safeguard: The integration will not create a new record if it is marked with a deletion flag in the source file. It will only update existing records to an inactive state.
  • Data Formatting: SAP Object IDs are case-sensitive. Ensure exports do not include trailing spaces or hidden characters.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

👆 "No files found matching pattern"
  • Verify the file extension is exactly .csv (not .CSV or .txt).
  • Confirm the file is in the root /inbound folder. Subfolders are not scanned.
  • Check the pattern configuration in the Data Transport tool (e.g., sap_projects*).
👆 "No SFTP Settings found"

This occurs when a schedule is triggered but the user who created it hasn't saved sFTP credentials in the Settings tab of the Data Transport portal.

👆 Parent Record Resolution Failures

If a Task fails with "Invalid Job Number," check the Project Definition column in your WBS CSV. This ID must already exist as a JobNumber in ClickTime.

👆 Permission Denied on File Move (Couchdrop)

If files remain in /inbound after a "Successful" run, the sFTP user lacks Write/Delete permissions to move the file to /processed. If using Couchdrop, contact ClickTime Support; if using your own server, adjust your IT permissions.

 

Feedback & Support

Need help with your SAP integration or want to request a technical test cycle? Email support@clicktime.com.

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