Defining Layouts

Purpose

In Profit Center Accounting, layouts are required for the following functions:

Manual entry of

- actual data

- statistical key figures

Manual planning of

- costs and revenues

- balances

- statistical key figures

If you do not wish to use a standard SAP layout, you can define your own layout according to your own requirements.

Process Flow

Define the general data selection
Define the lead columns
Define the value columns

Define General Data Selections

The general data selections determine what data appears in the headings of the layout. The characteristics specified in the general data selections (such as company code, version, fiscal year) apply to the whole planning layout. You can define variables for the characteristics in both the general data selections and the columns. Variables make it possible for the planner to specify which value(s) of that characteristic he or she wants to plan.

Example Example

In a layout for creating a document, you choose the characteristics company code and transaction currency in the general data selections. You use profit center, account and posting line in the lead column.

In a layout for cost and revenue planning, you choose the characteristics “Version”, “Period”, “Fiscal year” and “Profit center” in the general data selections. The value columns contain key figures.

In a layout for a quarterly comparison in the plan version, you choose the characteristics “Version” and “Fiscal year” in the general data selections, and place the period and the profit center in the lead column and value columns.

End of the example.

Defining Lead and Value Columns

The structure of the rows and columns depends on which of the EC‑PCA standard characteristics you choose.

You must specify characteristic values to each characteristic that you choose. For example, you might choose the characteristic “Profit center” and then specify the values “Profit center 4711” through “Profit center 4719”.

Defining Lead Columns

There are two ways you can define lead columns:

You can define one or more lead columns by double‑clicking on the column headers.

This allows you to select one characteristic for each column header.

Example Example

End of the example.

Cost Planning

1st lead column	2nd lead column	1 ^st value column
Profit center	Account	Plan costs
4711 - 4719	400 000 - 403 000 420 000 - 429 000

1st lead column

2nd lead column

1 ^st value column

Profit center

Account

Plan costs

4711 - 4719

400 000 - 403 000

420 000 - 429 000

If you define your lead columns like this, the system proposes all the possible characteristic value combinations of the defined lead columns.

You can define a single lead column by entering individual objects in the rows.

This allows you to choose one characteristic for each row or combine several characteristics.

Example Example

End of the example.

Version Planning

Lead column

1st value column

Version/quarter

Plan costs

Version 1/quarter 1

Version 2/quarter 1

Version 1/quarter 2

Version 2/quarter 2

When you define a lead column this way, you can select specific characteristic values.

Defining Value Columns

There are three different classes of value columns:

You can define a column using a key figure with characteristics or using characteristics only.

In the dialog box for the first value column, you determine whether to use a key figure with characteristics or only characteristics.

To define a value column of the element type “Key figure with characteristics”, choose one key figure from the list of existing key figures. Then you can specify characteristics and characteristic values.

To define a value column of the element type “Characteristic”, choose characteristics and then assign characteristic values.
You can define an attribute column.

Depending on the attributes used, you have two options for defining attribute columns.
- Attribute columns that directly apply to a value column
  
  The attributes Distribution key , Unit , and Action should be assigned to a value column. To create an attribute in this way, choose Edit Columns Append add. fields.
- Attribute columns that do not directly apply to a value column
  
  You can define all other attribute columns by double-clicking on the blank space next to a column.
  
  The Long text indicator shows which data records have long texts defined for them when plan or actual data are created.
You can define a formula column

Formula columns are based on the values of columns already defined. You can see the available value columns in the dialog box where you define the formula. The system calculates the formula columns when you enter the values in the corresponding value columns.

Defining Inverse Formulas

Inverse formulas let you enter values in a formula column and then have the system calculate values for another column. To read about how to define an inverse formula, see Customizing.

Example Example

You plan to give your employees a raise in the form of a percentage. You want the system to calculate the plan value of the current year based on the percentage and plan value of the previous year.

End of the example.

Define the following layout:

Layout

Lead column	Value column 1	Value column 2	Formula column
Cost element	Plan, current year	Plan, previous year	% raise((Plan current - Plan previous) /Plan previous) x 100

Lock the column Plan, current year against user input and make the column % raise as ready for input. Afterwards, create the inverse formula.

Plan (example):

If you copy plan values from the previous year to the current year before beginning manual planning ( Start of the navigation path Planning Next navigation step Copy plan template) End of the navigation path , you can then calculate the new plan costs by entering the percentage raise.

After Copying the Plan Data

Cost Element	Plan, Current Year	Plan, Prev. Year	% Raise
430000	50,000	50, 000	0

After Entering the Increase Manually

Cost Element	Plan, Current Year	Plan, Prev. Year	% Raise
430000	50,000	50, 000	10

After Calculating the New Planning Costs

Cost Element	Plan, Current Year	Plan, Prev. Year	% Raise
430000	55,000	50,000	10