Activating Excel

Depending on the application you are working in, you should proceed as follows:

In Profitability Analysis (CO-PA), you set the integrated Excel indicator to " active " when you define a parameter set for the planning method Enter planning data or Display planning data (for more information, see the section Set Up Manual Entry of Planning Data ). When you first select this parameter set in the planning framework, the structure that you specified in the planning layout is represented in the upper left-hand corner of an Excel sheet.

In the other applications, select Integrated Excel in Customizing on the Define Planner Profiles screen when you assign planning layouts to the planner profile. This activates Excel as the planning tool for that layout in that planner profile. When you enter planning, the system displays the planning layout you defined in the upper left‑hand corner of an Excel spreadsheet.

When moving the planning layout, you can enter a specific name for the file description. This makes sense, for example, in cases where you intend to use the file description several times. If you do not enter anything here, the system automatically creates a file description when you save your planner profiles. This file description will reflect the position in the profile.

If you want to customize a particular spreadsheet to be used uniquely with that layout in planning, you need to define an appropriate template (see "Defining an Excel Template").

If you want to upload an Excel spreadsheet, you need to edit an Excel sheet template in order that the system can generate a file description. This file description is required for the upload. Furthermore, you need to make several additional settings (see Planning Offline and Uploading into the SAP System ).

Defining an Excel Template

CO-PA:Execute the planning method Enter planning data , using the related parameter set. Doing so takes you to an unformatted Excel sheet. There you choose Settings → Formatting .

Other applications: In the IMG for defining the planner profile, choose Default Parameters and enter values for the variables defined in the planning layout. You must do this so that you can open the spreadsheet in the next step. If desired, you can delete these entries again after you have customized your Excel template.

To open Excel in the SAP window, choose .

In the Maintain File Description screen, you can now customize an Excel spreadsheet as a template for your planning screen.

Note the following:

To move planning data within the spreadsheet, only use the appropriate SAP function. To do this, select the data you want to move using , and then position the cursor on the target location and choose . You save the link between the old position and the new position of the data by choosing Save file description .

The first Excel spreadsheet is protected. Cells that were not locked against entries in the SAP entry screen, such as those that can be defined in the planning layout, are excluded from this protection in Excel. If you want to use functions in Excel that extend beyond editing those cells where entries can be made, you first need to remove the general spreadsheet protection in Excel.

After editing, you should then reactivate the spreadsheet protection in Excel to ensure that, for subsequent planning, the only data that can be entered corresponds to that specified in the SAP System.

You can use the Excel formatting functions (such as different fonts or colors) to format the Excel template.

You can use Excel to create diagrams, macros and formulas and then use these for additional calculations, for example. It is recommended that you insert these into a second spreadsheet to avoid the data conflicting with the actual planning data later. The SAP planning data is imported from the first spreadsheet only.

When you enter formulas in the SAP data area in Excel, they are overwritten by the formula result during posting, and the formulas themselves are then discarded.

You can save the Excel formatting in the SAP System by choosing Save Excel layout.

If you later want to upload files from your PC to the SAP System, you must enter a generic file name (see the section Planning Offline and Uploading into the SAP System ).

Choose in the toolbar . This function will also save the file description and the Excel template.

Data saved with this function is permanent from then on.

Choose .

CO-PA:You then return to the planning framework .

Other applications: You return to the Default Parameters screen. Delete any values you entered for the variables if you do not want to have them displayed as the template in planning. Choose .

The default parameters are only saved temporarily at this point.

For this reason, you should then finish by saving the planner profile. Only then does the system assign a definitive file description to the planning layout and save the values for the variables are saved permanently.