Integral's Blended Solution

Linking InPower HR to Existing Host-Based Payroll Systems

When migrating a host-based HR system to a client/server platform, an organization must also maintain its mission-critical payroll systems. HR is only one component of a total solution, which must also take into account how the linkage between the HR system and the payroll application will be maintained.

Organizations currently employing a host-based payroll system basically have two options when implementing a client/server-based HR system: Move the payroll system onto the client/server platform, or retain the existing payroll system and create an interface between it and the new client/server-based HR system. Many organizations prefer to rely on their existing mainframe-based payroll systems, but need a way to link them to the client/server HR systems now being installed.

Integral's Blended Solution provides the necessary interface to allow critical business information to flow easily between the InPower HR (v 2.0) application and an external host-based payroll system. The Blended Solution provides a framework that allows the interface application processes to be tailored to meet individual interface requirements.

Initially configured to link InPower HR 2.0 with Integral's mainframe HRMS 9.3.3 host payroll application, it can be modified to work with most mainframe- and midrange-based payroll systems, including service bureaus like ADP.

Enhanced InPower Services

To provide the additional guidance and support that may be required by an organization to successfully implement Integral's Blended Solution, Integral offers enhanced versions of their InPower service packages. Integral's Launch Package, Impact Analysis, Quick Start and Critical Success service packages may be expanded to include the additional issues that must be addressed when linking an existing payroll system to the new InPower HR installation.

Integral is also offering its customers a sophisticated interface utility that enables InPower HR data critical to payroll to be passed easily to the legacy payroll system, and vice versa. Initially available for linking InPower HR to Integral Payroll 9.3.x, the interface utilizes a batch process to select essential information from InPower HR and upload it to the Integral Payroll system. In turn, selected information will be downloaded to InPower HR after the payroll has been processed, and employee information such as balances and year-to-date totals are updated.

The Blended Solution Interface

Integral's Blended Solution includes a two-part interface facility that allows InPower HR 2.0 and HRMS Host Payroll 9.3.x to communicate and share business information. One part runs under the InPower HR 2.0 application on a client workstation, and includes the events used to maintain the columns (fields) and the value translations (data). This part of the interface makes full use of the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface to ensure maximum ease of use. The second part of the interface executes on the server, accessing the InPower HR database through its native structured query language (SQL). All of these processes are written in COBOL, maintaining the InPower design philosophy of using COBOL as the primary programming language, and can be easily ported and modified to support any database environment (Oracle, Sybase, DB/2, etc.).

The interface is executed from within InPower HR by clicking on individual icons representing the specific application function request, and then processed in a batch mode. Employee master data is stored in the InPower HR database, the source of all employee and enterprise data. Payroll-significant data is extracted from the InPower database by the interface to update the host employee database. The interface automatically performs the many-to-few translation from InPower HR to Integral Payroll, provides automatic key and employee name derivations and accommodates both current and future time selections. When processing is completed, employee payroll information, such as balances and year-to-date totals, is transferred back to the client/server platform and updated in InPower HR.

Data integrity, a concern to all organizations, is achieved through the use of COBOL audit programs that execute within InPower HR and the host mainframe environments to assure continuity and consistency of data between the two technology platforms. The interface also keeps information in both systems synchronized, although retroactive transactions are accomplished through manual updating from system-generated reports.

With the Blended Solution, customers will be able to use the Crystal report generator for all their ad hoc HR reporting needs, with statutory reports generated, as before, using COBOL. The 9.3 Payroll report, both statutory and mandatory, will continue to be delivered in COBOL, as they are today.

Integral's Blended Solution

Integral's Blended Solution provides the essential link required between host-based payroll systems and the second-generation InPower HR client/server Human Resource Management System. Integral's Blended Solution also reduces risk by allowing an organization to maintain the security and reliability of its existing payroll system, and the substantial investment it represents, while migrating their HR system to the more robust and flexible client/server platform.

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