Local Close

Technical Data
Technical name of business function	`FIN_ACC_LOCAL_CLOSE`
Type of business function	Enterprise business function
Available as of	SAP Enhancement Package 3 for SAP ERP 6.0
ECC software component	`EA_APPL 603`
ECC application component	Interfaces to Accounting (AC)
Business Intelligence content	Not relevant
SAP Enterprise Services	Not relevant
JAVA software component	Not relevant
Portal content	As of Business Package for Closing Cockpit 1.30
Additional content available in other SAP applications	SAP Central Process Scheduling application by Redwood (CPS) Note See the note in the Integration section. End of the note.
Business function requiring activation in addition	Not relevant

You can use this business function to perform your local close, and to centrally define responsibilities and a schedule for each individual task. You can use the new Web application of Closing Cockpit to manage and execute tasks in your task list for the closing process, adjust the schedules and responsibilities afterwards, and access all information concerning a close (including the status, duration, logs, comments, and documents) for each task.

You can easily accomplish all tasks for a local close within a single ERP system.

If you nevertheless want to run tasks of Closing Cockpit in multiple systems, you can connect the SAP Central Process Scheduling application by Redwood (CPS) to Closing Cockpit. This enables you to centrally run and manage the local close in a distributed system landscape. This business function contains the connectivity options required for this.

Note Note

Regarding SAP Central Process Scheduling, see the note in the Integration section.

End of the note.

In addition to the enhancements to Closing Cockpit, the business function also features enhancements to Intercompany Reconciliation (ICR). These include loading of contact person data into the database of ICR, and optimized reconciliation of intercompany receivables and payables within a system.

Integration

Closing Cockpit is part of the Local Close business process, which is located in the system used for SAP Solution Manager. However, you also can use Closing Cockpit for other business processes.

This business function is based on the functions of Closing Cockpit in Accounting (AC) and is used mainly to coordinate the closing-related steps of Financial Accounting (FI) and Controlling (CO). In Closing Cockpit, you also can run programs and transactions of other components, such as Payroll (PY).

The enhancements to Closing Cockpit for the optional connection of Closing Cockpit to SAP Central Process Scheduling enable you to execute and monitor closing-related steps in multiple systems.

Caution Caution

Note that this is an additional function that is only available if you have implemented SAP Central Process Scheduling (CPS). CPS is not a part of SAP enhancement package 3 for SAP ERP 6.0. However, Closing Cockpit provides a connection to SAP Central Process Scheduling.

For more information about the use, the availability, and the features of SAP Central Process Scheduling, see SAP Service Marketplace in the Master Guide for SAP enhancement package 3 for SAP ERP 6.0, which is located at the Internet address http://service.sap.com/process-scheduling.

End of the caution.

Prerequisites

For you to be able to use the business function, the following criteria must be met:

You have configured SAP NetWeaver Portal or you have installed SAP NetWeaver Business Client.
You have assigned the objects of the Business Package for Closing Cockpit 1.30 to an existing role.
You have assigned the role with the objects of the Business Package for Closing Cockpit 1.30 to the appropriate employees.
You have activated this business function in your system.
You have defined the relevant controlling areas, company codes, and companies in your accounting system: These organizational units build the basis for Closing Cockpit and Intercompany Reconciliation. To check which organizational structures already exist and to define any where necessary, choose the following activities in Customizing under Enterprise Structure:
- To create or change company codes, choose Definition Financial Accounting Edit, Copy, Delete, Check Company Code .
- To create or change controlling areas, choose Definition Controlling Maintain Controlling Area .
- To create or change companies, choose Definition Financial Accounting Define Company .
- To assign the company and the company code to each other, choose Assignment Financial Accounting Company Code Assign Company .
If you have implemented and want to use SAP Central Process Scheduling within Closing Cockpit, you have configured the connection to SAP Central Process Scheduling in Closing Cockpit.
If not already occurred, you have made settings in Customizing for Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable that are required for local Intercompany Reconciliation.
You have made the necessary settings for automatic assignments of intercompany postings - such as number ranges for group references and rules for automatic reconciliation - in Customizing for Financial Accounting under Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable Business Transactions Closing Count Cross-System Intercompany Reconciliation Preparations in the Reconciliation System Data Assignment .

Features

This business function contains the extended configuration of Closing Cockpit and the execution of a local close, and also extended functions for Intercompany Reconciliation.

Functions of Closing Cockpit

On the SAP Easy Access screen, you can find the configuration of Closing Cockpit in several places, for example, under Financial Accounting General Ledger Periodic Processing Closing Closing Cockpit (Manage Templates and Task Lists) .

A Web application is now available for executing the local close. The business function has the following features:

The Web application of Closing Cockpit provides you with centralized access to all closing tasks. The Web interface provides quick access to responsible persons, schedules, and dependencies of the tasks, and lets you easily control the closing process.
The Phase feature provides you with an additional organizational level in the task hierarchy of Closing Cockpit.
You can use the Factory Calendar to automatically schedule your tasks around a specific date (before or after) if that date does not happen to be a working day.
The header of the template or task list now has two new fields:
- Responsible f.TList lets you specify a person responsible for carrying out the tasks of a task list.
- Authorization Group lets you define which of the users with the assigned authorization group is allowed to execute which activity.
You have the option of defining closing tasks in different systems. To do this, you use remote tasks of SAP Central Process Scheduling.

Note
Note that this is an additional function that is only available if you have implemented SAP Central Process Scheduling.

End of the note.

Functions of Intercompany Reconciliation

Loading of contact person data enables you to import or export data of contact persons into or from the database of Intercompany Reconciliation (ICR). For example, you can download your contact data, edit or extend the data, and then upload the data back into the ICR database.
The simplified process in Local Intercompany Reconciliation provides easier execution in intercompany reconciliation if the open items of the customers and vendors are located on the same local system. In this case, a single step takes care of the selection, the automatic assignments, and the results display, but still allows for optional manual postprocessing.

More Information

For more information about this business function, see the following:

Application documentation for Closing Cockpit
Application documentation for Intercompany Reconciliation
Business Package for Closing Cockpit 1.30
Security Guide for Accounting at SAP ERP Central Component Security Guide.