Most of the standard reports that you can call up in Cost Center Accounting are Report Painter reports. To access a Report Painter report, choose Cost Center Accounting → Information system → Reports for Cost Center Accounting.

Select the report group and the report required, and start it using a double-click.

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If the following prerequisites are fulfilled, the system does not display the selection screen, but either the selection screen for extracts or the most current extract matching the selection criteria (see step 10):

– User-specific selection criteria is stored in all the components within Overhead Cost Controlling for all the selection screen fields (see Customizing for Cost Center Accounting under Information System → User Settings → Specify User Settings .

– Extracts exist that match these selection criteria or a variation that encompasses the selection criteria.

– In the implementation guide (IMG) in the settings for extract management, the settings for your user or the standard settings require that existing extracts are used when you call up reports (see: IMG for Cost Center Accounting, under Information System → Specify Settings for Extract Management ).

You can also store settings in the IMG which automatically call up the most current extract. In this case, the system does not display the extract list.

In the Report Painter report selection screen, enter the report parameters under Value selection . Report parameters are:

– Controlling areas

– Fiscal year

– From period

– To period

– Version

Under Set selection , enter the report objects for which you want to call up a report. You can enter individual values, value intervals, or groups. To enter multiple individual values or intervals, choose Multiple selection .

The order of the report parameters and report objects on the selection screen is specified in the library (that uses the report painter report) by entering the position for each characteristic (see: Library ).

If you created a selection variant for the report objects (see: Selection Variant and the Cost Center Accounting IMG under Define Selection Criteria ) call up the report for this selection variant. To do so, enter the < name of the selection variant > under Group + .

The selection screen is dependent on the corresponding report. Some reports require more parameters than others.

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You can save default selection criteria for calling up Report Painter reports. You can define these either as user-specific or as standard settings (see the Cost Center Accounting IMG under Information System → Specify User Settings ) .

Create extract

If no extracts exist that match your selection criteria, you should save the report in an extract. You can evaluate the dataset again at a later time by choosing the corresponding extract (see: Managing Extracts ).

To do so, choose Extract parameters.

Enter the following in the dialog box that appears:

– Activate the Create extract indicator.

– Description:

Enter a descriptive text for the extracts. At a later time, you can display the report without having to repeat your entries in the selection screen. To do so, select the corresponding extract.

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You cannot use the description to find the extract in the system. The system uses the selection criteria you enter and the report group to find the extract.

– Password

One password, which you must enter twice, protects your saved selection data from unwanted access by other users. If, later on you wish to display an extract for which you created a password, you need to enter the password.

– Expiration date

If you want to delete the extract automatically after a given time, enter the number of days in the Expires in field, or the date in the Expires on field.

If you do not want the extract to be deleted, choose No expiration date . This is useful, for example, if you are require report at an unspecified later date, or if the report run takes an extremely long time.

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The system deletes the extracts if the release status is changed (for example from Release 4.0 to 4.5). Once a maintenance level has been changed (for example from Release 4.5A to 4.5B), the extracts that you saved previously are available once again.

– Choose Continue to close the dialog box and save your entries.

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If you wish to execute a report that does not have an extract matching the selection criteria, the system inquires (when you leave the report) whether you want to save the report in an extract. If you choose Yes , the Create Extract dialog box appears.

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If you change a report without it changing the selection screen, then the system is still able to locate previously saved extracts for the report. If by changing the report, you change the selection screen, then the system can no longer locate the saved extracts using the selection criteria. However, these are still available in Extract Management (see: Managing Extracts ).

Output parameters

Choose Output parameters to make further settings for data output.

– Dates for reading master data

You can assign time-based dependencies to the master data texts as well as the Controlling objects. You therefore decide whether the system reads the master data on the current date or on a fixed date that you entered. The system checks whether the Controlling objects have valid master data records.

– Output medium

Under Output medium you enter the medium in which the report should be output.

The following methods are available:

You can display the report on the screen or print it.

You can display the report on the screen or print it using the departmental printer. If a departmental printer is defined in the master data and can be located by the system for the current report, the printer will be used by default.

You can release the report as a text file. Enter a file name in the dialog box that appears. This is the name of the text file to which the Report Painter output is downloaded, on either the application server or the presentation server. Decide whether to save the report in a Local PC file or as a file on a Network server . If you save the report on a server, enter the export format (spreadsheet or word processing). If you save the report on your PC, enter the format, and the relevant program to be started with the report, or enter other parameters for the application.

You can release your report in Microsoft ® Excel format.

You can release your report to the Executive Information System (EIS).

You can send your report to a selected user. Enter the name of the SAPOffice user and set the indicator to specify the recipient type (such as P for Personal distribution list ).

You can decide not to release the report at all. In this case, the system only saves the selection data. If you choose Execute after you leave the dialog box, the system gives you an overview of the number of selected, processed, and summarized records in a selection log. You have the option of selecting your report at a later time from the list of existing extracts (see step 10).

Data source

You can choose the following options under Data source :

– Display extract

If you choose Display extract , the callup of the Report Painter report offers a list of existing extracts that match the selection criteria.

The standard system default is Display extract . You can save standard and custom extract management settings in the Implementation Guide (IMG) under Information System → User Settings → Determining Extract Management Settings . In the IMG, you also specify whether the system displays a list of all matching extracts or whether it displays the most current extract automatically.

– New selection

Choose New selection if you want the report to call up the current data from the database, as long as the user has the authorization. This is useful if you need the most current, second-by-second data available.

– Read data from archives

This option applies only to those reports allowing you to read standard reports from archived data .

If you saved the option for variations in the report definition, variation maintenance appears when you execute the report. To make entries, choose Variation .

In the dialog box, determine for which group nodes (such as Cost Center Groups ) and/or individual values (such as Cost Centers ) of a selected group a report is to be issued .

The default is based on the given report definition.

– The indicator Do not expand causes only one report to be issued for the highest node of the selected group.

– The indicator Expand causes reports to be issued for all nodes and individual values in the selected group.

– The indicator Individual values causes reports to be issued only for individual values in the selected group.

Choose Detail for further variation settings (see Variations ).

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If you enter an object group in the selection screen (such as cost center group or cost element group ), and you activated the variation in the report definition, the system automatically carries out variation by choosing Breakdown . If you do not want to use variation, change the setting under Variation .

The following functions are also available on the selection screen:

– You can delete entries for individual selection rows or all entries for the selection (see: Deleting Selections ).

– You can save your entries in a variant in the initial screen fields and get them again when you next call up the initial screen (see: Processing Variants ).

To run the report, select either Execute or Program ® Execute .

If there are already extracts in the system for your selection criteria, and if you chose Display extract under Data source (but did not set the indicator Display current extract in the IMG), then the system displays a list of the existing extracts in the Choose Extracts in the dialog box, before executing the report.