Naming Elements

Supporting Elements

For supporting elements, such as variables, formulas, dates, durations, and so on, PeopleSoft uses the following naming convention: FFF (or FF) TT NAME.

• FFF (or FF): Functional Area Code (see Functional Area Codes for more information).

• TT: Type of Supporting Element (see List Element Type Codes [PIN_TYPE] for more information).

• NAME (or NAME NAME): An indication of what the element does or is for. (The number of NAME components may vary).

For example, in the garnishment variable DED VR UN ERN ANN, the DED stands for deductions, VR stands for variable, UN stands for union, ERN stands for earning and ANN stands for annual. The element's 30 character (maximum) description (DESCR), Union Annual Earnings Amount in the example, provides a fuller description of what the element does or is for.

Primary Elements

Primary elements, such as earnings, deductions, absence take, and absence entitlement elements often do not contain functional area codes or element type codes in their names. This is because primary elements have names, based on familiar New Zealand terms, that identify their function and element type without the use of additional codes. For example, the name of the earning element ACC MAKEUP clearly identifies this element as an earning, and more specifically, as the familiar Accident Compensation Makeup Payment.

Additional Clues to the Use of Elements

Many New Zealand elements contain abbreviations that provide additional information about their purpose (beyond what the functional area codes and element type codes provide). For example, consider the duration element LVE FM AVG RTE. The functional area code LVE indicates that this element is used for leave rules and the element type code FM identifies it as a formula element. The abbreviation AVG RTE indicates that the formula is used to calculate the average rate. As you become more familiar with the payroll rules created for New Zealand, these abbreviations will help you to further identify and understand the role played by each element.

The following table lists the most common abbreviations used in the names of New Zealand elements.

Component Names (Suffixes)

In Global Payroll for New Zealand, suffixes are used to name the components of earning and deduction elements. For example, when you create an earning or deduction element in Global Payroll, you define the components that make up the element, such as base, rate, unit, and percentage. The system automatically generates the components and accumulators for the element based on the calculation rule or accumulator periods. The system also names the components and accumulators by appending a suffix to the element's name.

For example, let's say you define the earning element named EARN1 with the following calculation rule:

EARN1 = Rate x Unit

The system automatically creates two additional elements for the components in the calculation rule: a rate element called EARN1_RATE and a unit element called EARN1_UNIT. In Global Payroll for New Zealand, all suffixes fall into one of the following types:

• Separator.

• Earnings and Deductions and Absence Entitlement component suffixes.

• Earnings and Deductions and Absence Entitlement accumulator suffixes.

• Deduction arrears component suffixes.

• Deduction arrears accumulator suffixes.

• Recipient Suffixes.

See Defining Suffixes.