In the SAP R/3 System, nearly all input values are validated by a program or against tables or master files. Since some types of validations cannot be standardized, you can use the validations program to create validations for your specific requirements.
The validation function enables you to check values and ranges of values as they are being entered in the SAP R/3 System. Validation rules are stored in the Rule Manager. As data is entered into the system, the Integration Manager validates the data against the validation rules. Because data is validated before it is actually posted, only valid information is posted to the FI-SL application component.
Many values that you enter into the SAP R/3 System are automatically checked against standard validation rules.
The system validates account numbers against a master file or checks that a ledger is assigned to a local company code.
You use validations when you want to create a user-defined Boolean statement to validate an entry in a way that is not defined for the standard system. FI-SL validations allow you to create your own Boolean statements without making any changes to the standard system.
A validation can consist of up to 999 steps. You can therefore validate data against any number of Boolean statements before the data is posted.
A validation step contains the following statements:
The prerequisite statement determines whether the entered value(s) should be checked. If the prerequisite statement is false, then the value is valid and the transaction continues.
The check statement determines whether the entered value(s) are valid. If the check statement is true, then the value is valid and the transaction continues. If the check statement is false, the system displays a message.
You define prerequisite and check statements using Boolean logic. You can define simple statements or create complex statements using rules, user exits, and sets as part of the Boolean statement.
The following table shows examples of user-defined validations:
Prerequisite statement |
Check statement |
If the account is a revenue account, |
then only sales centers can be posted. |
If the currency is US dollars and the cost center is 100, |
then the business area must be 2 and the plant must be 10. |
If the user is contained in set RGUSER-02 and the currency is in set RGCUR-02, |
then the account must be in set RGACCT-02. |
If the user and the currency are contained |
then the account must be in set RGACCT-05. |
The following graphic illustrates how FI-SL validations interact with values entering the SAP R/3 System:
For each validation step:
Validations are part of the Integration Manager along with substitutions, ledger selection rules, and summation rules.
If the prerequisite statement is true, the data is checked against the check statement. If the prerequisite statement is false, the data is valid.
-
True, then the data is valid-
False, then the system displays a messageYou need to correct E (error) type messages before the value you are validating can be posted. You should also correct W (warning) type messages. A (abend) type messages result in termination of validation processing.
For more information about creating Boolean statements, see
Creating Boolean Statements for the FI-SL System.For more information about creating validations, see
Creating a Validation.Matrix Validations
You can also create matrix validations for certain callup points. Matrix validations allow you to execute a validation for the complete document, including the document header and all document lines.
You create a matrix validation to check that a certain combination of accounts is valid. The validation compares the contents of each document line with all other document lines.
You can only use matrix validations together with callup point code 0003 within the Financial Accounting (FI), Legal Consolidation (FI-LC), and Consolidation (EC-CS) application areas.
Validation Messages
When you create validations, you can also define the result of breaking the validation rule. You can create the message and the message long text that should appear on the user's terminal if a check statement is not met. You can instruct the system to send the user an information message or you can require the user to correct the error before continuing with data entry.
Suppose a user cannot post to cost center 200. When the user attempts to post to cost center 200, a message appears and the user is not allowed to continue with processing.
For more information, see
Validation Messages.