Top-Down Distribution (SAP Library - Profitability Analysis (COPA))

Top-Down Distribution

Use

With the automatic planning method Top-down distribution, you distribute data from a higher planning level to a more detailed level, using reference data, such as data from the previous year, as the basis. For example, you can plan at the product group level and then distribute the planning data to the individual products on the basis of the distribution of the sales figures for the previous year.

Note that the planning level for which the planning package top-down distribution is to be executed must contain all characteristics relevant for the distribution: both the sender and the receiver characteristics.

Features

In the parameter set, you can specify the following:

You can choose between two top-down methods that determine precisely which values are to be distributed:

On the one hand, you can only distribute values that are posted directly at the higher level, such as the product group level, and that cannot be assigned to the detailed level. This is possible with the method: Only distribute "nonassigned".
On the other hand, you can distribute all values located at the higher level, regardless of whether they were posted there directly or copied to the higher level. This is possible with the method Distribute total value. When you use this method, the values taken from the detailed level are overwritten by the new, distributed value.

For a direct comparison of the results of both methods, see the section Example of Distribution Methods.

You specify the receiver characteristic for the distribution under Receiver characteristic. By choosing

, you can select several characteristics. You can choose any of the characteristics in the planning level. The remaining characteristics in the planning level are the sender characteristics. The combinations of characteristic values are determined by the sender profitability segment.

Under Reference value field, you can enter as the basis for distribution a specific value field for reference data or a key figure calculated from value fields. Alternatively, you can specify that the distribution occurs by value fields. In this way, each value field is taken as the basis for its distribution.

To smooth out incidental differences that occurred from period to period in the reference data, you can select the Aggregate periods indicator (see also Example: Period Aggregation).

You specify the time frame for the reference data that is to be used as the basis for executing the planning method. There are two ways of doing this:

On the one hand, you can have the system automatically determine periods that fall before (or after) the periods at the planning level or those in the planning package. Under Period closing, you enter the number of periods that the system should count back. (If the reference data is to fall in the future, enter a figure with the negative sign.) You can display the current fiscal year variant in order to enter an appropriate value.
On the other hand, you can enter the periods for the reference data directly under Period from/to. The interval that you enter must correspond to the period interval of the currently selected planning package, except in cases where you select the Aggregate periods indicator.

You specify whether the data to be used as reference data is actual data or data from the plan version for the planning package or from a different plan version that is yet to be specified.
You can specify for a sender characteristic that a different characteristic value in the reference data forms the basis for distribution. This means that you can specify that the distribution of product groups to the products in country 1 occurs on the basis of the product data in country 2. For this, use the Transform characteristic values function.
You determine whether the value fields are to be revaluated during top-down distribution.
By making the appropriate setting, you specify, on the one hand, whether the planning method is to be executed in a test run or in an update run, or, on the other hand, whether this decision is to be postponed until the point of execution of the parameter set.
You can jump to a background processing screen.
In the Value fields tab page, you specify which specific value fields are to be distributed.