Task Sequence (SAP Library - Business Consolidation (SEM-BCS))

Task Sequence

Use

You use this function to determine the sequence of tasks in which they are executed in the consolidation monitor.

Integration

The sequence of tasks is dependent on the consolidation area: Each consolidation area can have only one task hierarchy and, therefore, only one sequence of tasks.

Prerequisites

You have already defined the tasks to be used in the task sequence and inserted them in the task hierarchy.

Features

Required sequence

The system enforces a required sequence of certain tasks, thereby creating an initial, raw structure of tasks. This ensures that these tasks are executed in the correct sequence as required by the system and/or accounting rules.

Internally, the tasks are divided into several blocks. The numbers of these blocks dictate the required sequence. A set of tasks belonging to any given block can be executed in any order.

The following table illustrates the internal blocks and their tasks:

Block	Task
1	Balance carryforward
2	Data entry
3	Validation of reported financial data
	Reconciliations
	Manual posting
	Reclassification
	Allocation
4	Manual posting
	Reclassification
	Allocation
5	Currency translation
	Manual posting (in group currency)
	Reclassification
	Allocation
6	Reclassification
6	Allocation
7	Validation of standardized financial data
8	Manual posting
	Interunit elimination
	Elimination of interunit profit/loss in transferred inventory
	Consolidation of investments
	Reclassification
9	Validation of consolidated data

Example

The collection of reported financial data must be complete before you can translate the (standardized) data into group currency.

Blocks can have multiple occurrences of tasks for manual posting, reclassification, and allocation. Multiple tasks are distinguished by their document types.

Individual sequence

For accounting or organizational reasons you may want to determine a sequence of tasks within a block. Therefore, Customizing lets you determine a required sequence at this deeper level.

Preceding tasks

If a second task absolutely depends on the results of a first task, you can assign the first task as the preceding task to the second task.

Example

If you want to standardize the reported financial data to meet corporate policy, you can decide whether a given task is to be run before or after currency translation.

You can assign two preceding tasks to a task, which then executes the two preceding tasks in parallel.

Example

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text

Also compare the example shown later.

Conditions for the sequence of tasks

The following conditions must be met when you define the task sequence.

You need to adhere to the required sequence.
Only one task of the following task categories can be assigned per task hierarchy:

Balance carryforward
Validation of reported financial data
Validation of standardized financial data
Validation of consolidated data
Currency translation

Each document type you use can only occur once within a task group. However, there is an exception: The same document type can be used by the reconciliation task and its associated task for interunit elimination.

Recursions of tasks are not allowed in the task sequence – that is, multiple tasks may not point to each other. This can happen if the first task is defined (directly or indirectly) as the preceding task of the second task, and the second task is defined as the preceding task of the first task.

Example

The following task definition is not permitted:

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text

Activities

To make the customizing settings for the sequence of tasks, proceed as follows:

To determine the individual task sequence, go to the process view of the workbench and choose Consolidation Monitor ® Task.

Modify the task hierarchy to meet your requirements. To structure the tasks, you can combine tasks in task groups (which represent nodes in the hierarchy). You can then refer to the task groups in the consolidation monitor (for example, to display them in columns and for summarizing the tasks for the task status display).

Save the changes.

The system uses this sequence for the definition of preceding tasks.

To determine preceding tasks, go to the process view of the workbench and choose Consolidation Monitor ® Task Sequence.

Run Task Sequence in change mode.

The work area of the workbench shows the task sequence as previously defined in the task hierarchy.

In the hierarchy, select the task that is the preceding task. Then Drag&Drop it to the task it precedes.

Save your changes.

If the task sequence meets the conditions mentioned earlier, then the system inserts the preceding task. If a condition is not met, an error message is displayed.

The task sequence is reflected in the display of the tasks and in the status management in the consolidation monitor.

Recommendation

Once you have started executing the consolidation process for a period, you should no longer modify the underlying sequence of tasks.

Example

Here is an example of a possible sequence of tasks.

The symbols have the following meanings:

- at the top level: consolidation area

- at the second level: Task without a preceding task

- Task with a preceding task

- Preceding task

Tasks	Description
XY	Consolidation area
BCF	Balance carryforward
DE 1	Data entry task 1
BCF	Balance carryforward (precedes data entry task 1)
DE 2	Data entry task 2
BCF	Balance carryforward
Val RFD	Validation of reported financial data
DE 1	Data entry task 1
DE 2	Data entry task 2
Recl CU	Reclassifications for consolidation units
SE Man	Manual standardizing entries
Recl CU	Reclassifications for consolidation units
CT	Currency translation
Val SFD	Validation of standardized financial data
Pay/Rec	Elimination of IU payables and receivables
Rev/Exp	Elimination of IU revenue and expense
Inv Inc	Elimination of investment income
P/L Inv	Elimination of IU profit/loss in transferred inventory
C/I	Consolidation of investments
C/I Man	Manual consolidation of investments
Recl CG	Reclassifications for consolidation groups
C/I Man	Manual consolidation of investments
Recl CG Man	Manual reclassifications for consolidation groups
Val CFD	Validation of consolidated financial data
Recl CG Man	Manual reclassifications for consolidation groups