It is possible to distribute Profitability Analysis (CO-PA) to different SAP Systems which are connected with one another by means of ALE (Application Link Enabling). Thus the systems are still integrated despite the distribution.

Profitability Analysis then runs concurrently on each system. In distributed Profitability Analysis, (new) line items posted in a sender system are also sent to a receiver system which centrally collates the data from the sender systems. Functions such as derivation and valuation occur exclusively in the sender systems.

Distributed Profitability Analysis is supported in both costing-based and account-based CO-PA.

All profitability analyses that are connected by means of ALE must belong to the same operating concern. All operating concerns should therefore have the same name and the same characteristics in all of the systems. You can achieve this consistency most efficiently by maintaining operating concerns in a central system. Customizing can then be transported into the other systems from this central system.

Distributed profitability analysis supports the distinct handling of logistics and accounting. Sales functions occur in several local logistic systems. Line items and summarizations are posted when data is transferred from sales (SD) to CO-PA. Other applications that run locally and that are connected to CO-PA can post to the local system in CO-PA. This applies, for example, to the settlement of internal orders and to cost center cost assessment. Reports can be drawn up to enable local profitability analysis to occur in the local system. Costing can be distributed to local systems so that valuation can be performed with the material cost estimate in the local systems. Data is sent from the local SD systems that perform CO-PA locally to a central receiver system where the individual CO-PA data is collated centrally. Data transfers for applications running centrally, such as Cost Center Accounting or direct postings from Financial Accounting, occur in the central system Planning from the local systems can be combined in central planning.

Costing-based CO-PA can be implemented by using the message CPxxxx (xxxx = operating concern). You have to generate this message type in Customizing for CO-PA.

There are two methods that can be used for distributed Profitability Analysis in costing-based CO-PA:

• Transaction-based distribution

• Periodic rollup

Transaction data in account-based Profitability Analysis is stored as individual CO documents. As in other CO applications, these documents are distributed via message type CODCMT (CO document). The receiver system is always the controlling area system. The functions of the local sender systems are limited to those required for creating the CO documents. This means that total figures are not updated in the local sender systems and it is not possible to create reports.