Purpose
In Profit Center Accounting, layouts are required for the following functions:
- actual data
- statistical key figures
- 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 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.
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.
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:
This allows you to select one characteristic for each column header.
Cost Planning
1st lead column |
2nd lead column |
1st 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 SAP R/3 System proposes all the possible characteristic value combinations of the defined lead columns.
This allows you to choose one characteristic for each row or combine several characteristics.
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:
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.
Depending on the attributes used, you have two options for defining attribute columns.
The attributes Distribution key, Unit, and Action should be assigned to a value column. To create an attribute in this way, choose Edit
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.
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.
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.
Layout
Lead column |
Value column 1 |
Value column 2 |
Formula column |
Cost element |
Plan, current year |
Plan, previous year |
% raise |
Lock the column Plan, current year against user input and make the column % raise as ready for input. Afterwards, create the inverse formula.
If you copy plan values from the previous year to the current year before beginning manual planning (Planning
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 |