Data Collection Method

Definition

Grouping of multiple data collection procedures into a data collection method

Use

You use the data collection method to integrate the following data collection procedures for reported financial data (totals records), documents, and additional financial data into a data collection task so that you can execute it periodically in the consolidation monitor:

Structure

You can combine various data collection procedures to form a data collection method. The table below gives examples of the grouping of several data collection procedures to form a data collection method.

Example of a data collection method
Data stream	Data collection procedure	Method/data entry group	Pres. server	File name
Totals records	Man. entry	GRP01
Totals records	Flex. upload	FLX01	X	C:\upl.txt
Inventory data	Man. entry	-
Supplier data	...	...		...

You must assign a data stream type to each data collection procedure. Further specifications are required depending on the data collection procedure in question. The table below indicates which specifications are required for the individual data collection procedures.

Data to enter for data collection method
Data collection procedure	Method/data entry group	Doc. type	Pres. server	Log. file	File name
Man. entry of reported financial data	Entry group
Man. entry of additional reporting data	–
Flexible upload	Upload method	X^D	X	X	X
Load from data stream	Load from data stream method	X^D
Copy	Copy method
Delete	Deletion method

Legend: X = required, X ^D = for document data collection only

No specifications are required for the manual entry of additional reporting data because the data entry screens are predefined and fixed.

The following specifications are required for the flexible upload:

You use the Presentation Server field to define whether the File Name field is for specifying a path on the presentation server or a path on the application server.
You use the Logical File field to define whether the File Name field represents a logical file name or a physical file name.
Logical file names consist of variables whose values are determined by the system during the execution of the upload. This means that several physical file names can be derived from a single logical file name. You define logical file names in transaction FILE. The consolidation system (SEM-BCS) provides the following parameters for use in logical file names:
- PARAM_1: The name of the consolidation unit for which the upload is to be executed (the first consolidation unit in the field list of the consolidation area)
- PARAM_2: The name of the consolidation unit for which the upload is to be executed (the second consolidation unit in the field list of the consolidation area); this parameter is for matrix organizations only
  PARAM_3: The fiscal year and period in which the upload is to be carried out, for example 200609
In the File Name field, you specify the logical or physical file name (= path + file name, for example C:\temp\upload_1.txt).

Note the following for the automatic data collection of documents:

In the case of the data collection procedures Flexible Upload and Load from Data Stream, you must specify the document type in the data collection method.
In the case of the copy method, you do not specify the document type in the data collection method. Instead, you can restrict the document type using the target selection in copy method customizing.

Integration

You assign the data collection method to a data collection task. This assignment results in restrictions for grouping together data collection procedures into a data collection method. For further information, see Processing Type in Data Collection Task.

Example

Use of logical file names for flexible upload

You want to load different files for each consolidation unit and each period. With this purpose, you create an entry for the flexible upload in the data collection method. You select the Presentation Server and Logical File indicators and enter the logical file name SEMBCS_FILE.

SEMBCS_FILE is defined as follows in the system: <PARAM_1><PARAM_3>.txt. The logical path SEMBCS_PATH is specified in SEMBCS_FILE and points to the physical path c:\temp in Microsoft Windows systems.

When the data collection method for consolidation unit C1000 is executed in the fiscal year of 2006, period 09, the system determines the following physical file name on the presentation server for the flexible upload: c:\temp\C1000200609.txt.