Template for Easy Cost Planning

The template is a dynamic calculation tool that uses functions and formulas to calculate numerical values and determine the results of Boolean expressions.

Templates for Easy Cost Planning are created in environments 200, 205-208, and 214-215. The environment is defined automatically depending on the object being planned (internal order, WBS element, and so on). With the exception of environment 214, you cannot create environments in Customizing. Instead, you can only do so by defining a costing model.

Structure

The template contains a table in which you can make the following entries:

Column	Entry
Item category in template Note The key of this item category is not always the same as that of the costing item. End of the note.	Comment row, process, calculation row (process), cost center/activity type, calculation row (cost center/activity type), costing model, external activities, subcontracting, material, service, base planning object, text item, variable item Note For the item category calculation row, you cannot call the editor or define methods in the object column. End of the note. Note When you insert a costing model into another costing model, the costing model you are inserting must be valid either for all planning objects or for the same planning object as the costing model into which you are inserting it. End of the note.
Description	The description is displayed in the cost estimate as the description for the costing items. For most item categories, the description is determined automatically once you have confirmed your entries. You only need to make an entry here if the description cannot be determined automatically or if you want to overwrite it.
Object	Enter the object (such as a material), depending on the item category specified. You can either enter the object directly or define methods. For item categories of the template J to R, you can use the input help to make the required entries. Always enter a cost element if the system is unable to determine one. This applies to item categories for which the cost element was requested in the possible entries help. With base planning objects, the cost element can be determined via the master data providing you have entered one there. Note If the item does not have a cost element, it is not possible to assign the costs to a cost component. This means the costs cannot be rolled up if they are in a cost estimate which is part of a costing structure with higher-level cost estimates. End of the note. For the categories Process and Cost center/Activity type, you can either predefine an object or determine dynamically one or more processes or cost centers/activity types. For more information, see Object Determination.
Quantity	Enter a quantity or characteristic directly. You can enter the appropriate characteristic by defining a formula. For more information, see Quantity Determination.
Activation	Specify the condition under which an item is active. You can predefine values as active or inactive, or define a method that returns active or inactive dynamically. If you do not enter anything, the item is active. For more information, see Activation.
Price	Price for a variable item. This column is not used for any other item category.

Various functions are available for defining methods and formulas. Which functions are available depends on the item category in the template.

If you want to use a costing characteristic in text items, for example because you want to specify different values (words or sentences), enter the characteristic in the Description column in capital letters followed by an opening parenthesis, a blank space, and a closing parenthesis. This is only possible for characteristics of the type character format.

For more information on the costing item categories, refer to Master Data for Unit Costing.

More Information

Formulas