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 New Asset Accounting: Ledger Approach and Accounts Approach

 

New Asset Accounting is available as of SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA 1.0 (EA-FIN 700). You can handle parallel valuation of your assets using both the ledger approach and the accounts approach.

To be able to use new Asset Accounting, you have to also use new General Ledger Accounting. The values in new General Ledger are managed in at least one ledger. You can record parallel valuation using the accounts approach or the ledger approach:

  • With the accounts approach, you manage parallel valuation using valuation-specific accounts. The values of all types of valuation are then managed in one single ledger.

  • With the ledger approach, you manage parallel valuation using multiple ledgers. In that case, you do not need any alternative accounts; the values of each valuation are managed separately in separate ledgers.

In addition to using new General Ledger Accounting, there are other prerequisites for using new Asset Accounting in SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA. These are explained in the "Effects on Customizing" section.

Note Note

Asset Accounting prior to this is referred to in the following as "classic Asset Accounting" in order to distinguish the two.

New Asset Accounting replaces classic Asset Accounting. Classic Asset Accounting is no longer available in SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA. This applies across your entire system.

End of the note.
Characteristics and Use of New Asset Accounting

You can record the leading valuation of Asset Accounting in any depreciation area of new Asset Accounting. It is no longer necessary to use depreciation area 01 for this. The system now posts both the actual values of the leading valuation and the values of parallel valuation in real time. This means the posting of delta values has been replaced; as a result, the delta depreciation areas are no longer required.

New Asset Accounting makes it possible to post in real time in all valuations (that is, for all accounting principles). You can track the postings of all valuations, without having to take into account the postings of the leading valuation, as was partly the case in classic Asset Accounting. The following details the advantages you gain by using new Asset Accounting:

  • Choice of using the ledger approach or accounts approach

  • Real time postings in all valuations

  • Leading valuation made more flexible

  • Parallel documents for each valuation that post correct values from the beginning

  • Abolition of delta areas for parallel valuation

  • Simplification of your chart of depreciation

  • Valuation-specific postings by means of restriction to accounting principles or depreciation areas; the restriction of transaction types to depreciation areas no longer applies

  • different fiscal year variants for each valuation (restriction: start date and end date of the fiscal year variant must be the same.)

  • Straightforward assignment of accounts for each valuation within an asset class

  • Simplified management of goods that are to be capitalized in accordance with one set of accounting principles, but are to be posted to expense in accordance with a different set

Constraints

In SAP enhancement package 7 for SAP ERP 6.0 SP02, business function FIN_AA_PARALLEL, the restriction applies that you can only use new Asset Accounting for the ledger approach. With SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA 1.0, this restriction does not apply as the new Asset Accounting in SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA also supports the accounts approach.

The following constraints apply:

  • ALE transfer is not available in new Asset Accounting.

  • The batch input method for transactions based on AB01 is no longer available; you can use the changed and new BAPIs for postings instead. For more information on these BAPIs, see the release note about postings.

  • The batch input technique for master data is no longer available. You can use a different transfer method instead for the legacy data transfer, for example the BAPI for master data or direct input.

  • The integrated posting of investment support on assets using FI transactions is no longer supported. Instead, use transaction ABIFL, and post the customer transaction against a clearing account.

  • Impairments from the business function New General Ledger Accounting 3 (FIN_GL_CI_3), SAP enhancement package 5 for SAP ERP 6.0 are no longer available.

  • Joint Venture Accounting, the Lease Accounting Engine, Classic RE, and requests from component PSM-FM and IS-PS are not compatible with new Asset Accounting. For more information, see the section "Prerequisites for the Migration to New Asset Accounting".

Other Release Notes

For more information about new Asset Accounting, see the following release notes:

Effects on Existing Data

Existing Data

Existing master data and transaction data is not changed by your activating new Asset Accounting in SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA 1.0. However, you might possibly have to migrate and adjust your Customizing data. This depends on your situation before the migration.

Existing Customizing settings from classic Asset Accounting or from new Asset Accounting are transferred; this means that to the extent you have already been working with classic or new Asset Accounting, you do not have to make all the Customizing settings again.

You have to migrate, to some extent check, change and add to your Customizing data in these two cases: you are migrating from classic General Ledger Accounting with classic Asset Accounting, or from new General Ledger Accounting with classic Asset Accounting.

If you are migrating from new General Ledger Accounting with active new Asset Accounting - that is, you activated business function FIN_AA_PARALLEL with new Asset Accounting in SAP enhancement package 7 for SAP ERP 6.0 SP02 - then you have to perform a smaller part of the migration of Customizing data.

Note:

  • You cannot reverse documents that originated before the changeover from classic to new Asset Accounting. Instead, you have to make an inverse posting.

  • It may no longer be possible to process worklists that have been created before the changeover to the new Asset Accounting. This involves worklists that create transaction data (however, not master data changes), such as worklists for retirement without revenue, retirement with revenue, intercompany asset transfer, and impairment posting. You should therefore either process these worklists before you activate the Customizing switch, or create them again once you have activated new Asset Accounting in SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA 1.0.

Regarding the restriction of transaction types to depreciation areas, see the release note for New Asset Accounting: Postings. See release note New Asset Accounting: Migration and Customizing for information about the new and changed Customizing settings..

Business Functions of Asset Accounting

The following business functions do not exist in SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA. The functions belonging to these business functions are, however, available, and you do not need to activate them specifically (such as by using a Customizing switch):

  • FI-AA, Asset Accounting (FIN_AA_CI_1), SAP enhancement package 6 for SAP ERP 6.0

    The following applies if you use different fiscal year variants with differing start and/or end dates for your ledgers in General Ledger Accounting: As before, the system only minimally supports the use of differing start and end dates of a fiscal year. In Asset Accounting, you have to use a ledger group, the representative ledger of which uses a fiscal year variant with a start and end date that is the same as that of the leading ledger. As a workaround solution, you can assign an additional ledger with a non-calendar fiscal year in the ledger group. You can use this ledger for reporting. Note in connection with this that the restrictions described in 844029Information published on SAP site remain in effect. If you have assigned different fiscal year variants to your general ledger ledgers, you can only use them in new Asset Accounting if you have assigned the appropriate fiscal year variant to the depreciation areas that manage APC and post in real time.

  • FI-AA, Parallel Valuation (FIN_AA_PARALLEL_VAL), SAP enhancement package 7 for SAP ERP 6.0, SP02

User Interface
Implementation Guide

New Asset Accounting uses its own IMG structure in the SAP Reference IMG under Financial Accounting (New): Asset Accounting (New). This IMG structure contains some of the same activities as are in classic Asset Accounting, some changed activities, and some new activities; a few of the classic Asset Accounting activities are no longer contained in the Asset Accounting (New) IMG structure at all.

The Asset Accounting (New) IMG structure is based on the structure of new Asset Accounting that is available with business function FIN_AA_PARALLEL starting from SAP enhancement package 7 for SAP ERP 6.0 SP02.

Transactions

Some of the classic Asset Accounting transactions have been replaced by corresponding new ones. So that you can make accounting-principle-specific postings, the input fields Depreciation Area and Accounting Principle can be found on the screen for the new transactions. The name of the relevant new transaction ends in "L". Example: The previous transaction AB01 (Create Asset Transactions) is replaced by the new transaction AB01L.

The new transactions are: AB01L, ABAAL, ABAKL, ABAOL, ABAVL, ABAWL, ABGFL, ABGLL, ABIFL, ABMAL, ABMRL, ABNAL, ABNEL, ABNKL, ABSOL, ABSTL, ABUML, ABZEL, ABZOL, ABZPL, ABZUL.

If you enter the transaction familiar from classic Asset Accounting (that does not end in L), you are automatically transferred to the new transaction (that ends in L).

Transaction ABSO_OLD from classic Asset Accounting is no longer available in new Asset Accounting; you can use transaction AB01L instead. All SAP Notes that refer to transaction ABSO_OLD are automatically invalid in SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA.

SAP Easy Access Menu

The SAP Easy Access Menu for new Asset Accounting remains the same as for classic and new Asset Accounting. You can continue to find it under Start of the navigation path SAP Menu Next navigation step Accounting Next navigation step Financial Accounting Next navigation step Fixed Assets End of the navigation path.

The only difference is that you use it to access some new transactions (see the explanation about transactions above).

Effects on Data Transfer

Programs for asset postings that supplied classic Asset Accounting with data using batch input (for example, interfaces to non-SAP systems) can no longer be used (as mentioned above). You have to change over these programs to the new BAPIs. See the corresponding section in the release note for New Asset Accounting: Postings.

Effects on Customizing

Prerequisites for New Asset Accounting in SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA 1.0

In order to be able to use new Asset Accounting in SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA 1.0, the following prerequisites must be met:

  • You have activated the (Enterprise Extension) Financials Extension (EA-FIN) business function.

  • You have activated and configured the application component General Ledger Accounting (FI-GL) (New) (either before installing the SAP Simple Finance Add-on for SAP Business Suite powered by SAP HANA or as part of the migration for SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA).

    • To handle parallel accounting principles, use the ledger approach or the accounts approach.

  • As relates to Asset Accounting, one of the following is your starting situation:

    • You have configured the classic Asset Accounting (FI-AA) application component.

      When you activate the Enterprise Extension Financials Extension (EA-FIN), then the new depreciation calculation is automatically available with the Depreciation Calculation Program (DCP).

    • Or: You are already using new Asset Accounting that is available with business function FIN_AA_PARALLEL starting from SAP enhancement package 7 for SAP ERP 6.0 SP02.

    • Or: If you are not using either classic Asset Accounting or new Asset Accounting, you need to make all of the necessary Customizing settings for new Asset Accounting.

Prerequisites for the migration to new Asset Accounting.

If you want to use new Asset Accounting, you are not allowed to use any of the following components, business functions, or functions:

  • Joint Venture Accounting (JVA)

    You cannot activate new Asset Accounting in company codes in which JVA is active, and the reverse is also true.

    The business function JVA, Integration with New General Ledger Accounting (JVA_GL_INTEGRATION) is also not compatible with new Asset Accounting.

  • From the Financials Extension (EA-FIN): Lease Accounting Engine (LAE)

    The LAE controls postings for the lessor scenario; this scenario consists of the components CRM Leasing (CRM-LAM) and Leasing Accounting (FI-LA).

  • Real Estate (RE), that is, classic Real Estate Management

  • From Funds Management (PSM-FM) or Industry-Specific Component Public Sector (IS-PS): Requests with Reference to Asset

    See the instructions in the Administrator’s Guide and the SAP Notes mentioned there when using industry solutions in SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA 1.0.

If you are already using classic Asset Accounting, the following additional prerequisites also apply:

  • Make sure that the periodic asset postings (with program RAPERB2000) are completed.

  • Also ensure that there are no update terminations from direct postings in the system.

  • Perform a complete period-end closing before the migration. Post the depreciation (using the RAPOST2000 program), and reconcile your asset accounting subsidiary ledger with the general ledger (using the RAABST02 program).

For the leading valuation of the ledger approach and accounts approach and for parallel valuations of the ledger approach, the following is valid: The parallel currencies in the leading ledger in General Ledger Accounting and in the depreciation areas in Asset Accounting must be the same. If you have previously been using parallel currencies in General Ledger Accounting, but you have not implemented the corresponding parallel currency areas in Asset Accounting for all depreciation areas, you must first implement these depreciation areas before you install the SAP Simple Finance add-on. Contact your consultant.

Relationship of New Asset Accounting to Existing Business Functions

New Asset Accounting relates as follows to the business functions listed:

  • CO, Parallel Valuation of Cost of Goods Manufactured (FIN_CO_COGM), SAP enhancement packages 5 and upwards for SAP ERP 6.0

    If this business function is active, you can also use different valuation for investment measures according to different accounting principles. These valuation approaches are activated for each depreciation area when you settle investment measures for assets under construction (AUC) and for the full settlement to completed assets, depending on the accounting principle. Differing capitalization percentage rates from the Customizing activity for calculating the capitalization value of investment measures (transaction OKGK) are taken into account.

  • Materials Management - Enhancements in Procurement (LOG_MM_CI_3), SAP enhancement package 5 for SAP ERP 6.0

    If you use purchase orders for low-value assets (LVA) in Asset Accounting, then in the future it is not possible to note purchase orders if the LVA maximum amount is exceeded. If you want to use the function for noting purchase orders, we recommend that you activate the business function Materials Management - Enhancements in Procurement (LOG_MM_CI_3).

Time of Migration to New Asset Accounting

You can migrate to new Asset Accounting in SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA at any point in time.

The prerequisite is, however, that you have completed all periodic and current posting processes that involve Asset Accounting. You must not make any postings during the changeover. You should reconcile your asset accounting subsidiary ledger with the general ledger.

Recommendation Recommendation

We recommended that you carry out the changeover after period closing has been fully completed.

End of the recommendation.

If you also migrate from classic General Ledger Accounting to new General Ledger Accounting as part of the implementation of SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA, then, at the time of the changeover, you have to observe the rules for the migration to new General Ledger Accounting.

More Information

You can find the application documentation for new Asset Accounting in the new structure Asset Accounting (FI-AA) (New) in the SAP Library.