Characteristic value for the characteristic subassignment. The system automatically sets the default value if assignment information is missing.

When running a consolidation task, the system supplies the default value if no entry information is available for a given characteristic.

You can specify default values for all subassignments of the consolidation area except for:

• Accounting objects that have a fixed value in their breakdown category
• Transaction Currency
• Year of Acquisition
• Period of Acquisition

You define the default values in a tree structure.

Each subassignment has a root node in the tree structure. If the subassignment has independent characteristics, the independent characteristics are shown as a higher-level nodes.

A breakdown must be provided for each characteristic in the breakdown category, and the default value must be allowed.

In general, default values operate the same way for all consolidation tasks that permit default values.

The operation of default values is explained using interunit elimination as an example:

If the IU elimination method provides a breakdown of the differential item by subassignments, the system needs to know which value is to be posted per subassignment. You can specify one value per each subassignment in method customizing. You can also select the Default indicator. The system uses the following posting logic:

If the default indicator is not selected, you must enter a value for the subassignment. The system always posts the difference with this value.

Exception: If the breakdown is optional, you do not have to enter the value. In this case, the system leaves the subassignment initialized.

If you select the default indicator, the system attempts to derive the subassignment from the data being eliminated.

If you selected the default indicator and the system is unable to derive the subassignment from the data, the system proceeds as follows:

• If you selected the default indicator and specified a value for the subassignment in method customizing, the system posts this value.
• If you did not specify a value, the system posts the general default that was defined in customizing of Default Values.
• If no general default was defined and the subassignment is a required breakdown, the system displays an error message.

• You should uniformly select or deselect the default indicator for all characteristics in a compound (for example, country and region).
• The following applies to interunit elimination in particular:

• all FS items in both selections are broken down by these subassignments, and
• the fixed value of the independent subassignment for the items being eliminated, and the fixed value of the differential accounting objects are identical