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 Line Item Based Controlling with Period Close Optimizations

 

As of SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA, period close and reporting processes in profitability and cost analysis are based on line items rather than persistent aggregates. Complex calculations that are performed at period close, such as the calculation of work in process at actual costs, determination of production variances for production orders, and results analysis for sales orders, are pushed down to the SAP HANA database in order to accelerate the close. In addition, the selection of the relevant data for period close processes such as overhead calculation and settlement has been adjusted to take advantage of the SAP HANA database.

Reporting uses a logical document that links the financial accounting (FI) line item, the CO line item, and the CO-PA dimensions (where available) to provide an income statement broken down by market segments.

The profit and loss planning process brings financial accounting (FI) and management accounting (CO) together. This allows target setting by company code and profit center with an automated disaggregation to the associated cost objects, detailed planning by cost center, order, project, and CO-PA dimensions with the ability to automatically roll this data up to the higher level. The ability to aggregate and disaggregate data quickly makes it possible to perform simulations and forecasting much faster than was previously possible.

Effects on Existing Data

Changes that affect existing data include the following:

  • Line item tables are extended to provide a connection between CO and FI.

  • Period close processes are adjusted to read line items rather than totals tables.

  • The following tables have been replaced by views:

    • CO Object: Cost Totals for Internal Postings (COSS)

    • CO Object: Cost Totals for External Postings (COSP)

    The advantage of this change is that you no longer have to store redundant data, thus saving space on your database. You can still use reports that read from the database, including your own reports.

  • For SAP HANA optimizations, new transactions have been created to support certain standard scenarios in results analysis for sales orders, variance calculation, and work in process calculation at actual costs. This can mean that some existing Customizing options are not supported.

Effects on System Administration

There are new period close transactions for results analysis for sales orders, variance calculation, and work in process calculation at actual costs.

You must adjust the close schedule to include new jobs.

Effects on Customizing

The following roles are delivered with SAP Accounting powered by SAP HANA and you can change these as required:

  • Cost Center Manager (SAP_CO_COSTCENTER_MANAGER)

  • Project Planner and Cost Estimator (SAP_CO_PROJECT_PLANNER)

  • Internal Controller (SAP_CO_INTERNAL_CONTROLLER)

  • SFIN Accounting: Actual Costing (SAP_SFIN_ACC_ACTUAL_COSTING)

  • SFIN Accounting: Actual Postings (SAP_SFIN_ACC_ACTUAL_POSTINGS)

  • SFIN Accounting: Budgeting (SAP_SFIN_ACC_BUDGETING)

  • SFIN Accounting: Capital Investment Management (SAP_SFIN_ACC_CAP_INVEST)

  • SFIN Accounting: Closing (SAP_SFIN_ACC_CLOSING)

  • SFIN Accounting: Master Data (SAP_SFIN_ACC_MASTERDATA)

  • SFIN Accounting: Planning (SAP_SFIN_ACC_PLANNING)

  • SFIN Accounting: Product Cost Planning (SAP_SFIN_ACC_PRODUCT_COST)

  • SFIN Accounting: Reporting (SAP_SFIN_ACC_REPORTING)

To take full advantage of the SAP HANA architecture, you should adjust your assessment cycles and settlement rules to ensure they are working with account-based profitability analysis. You can do this in Customizing for Controlling under Profitability Analysis, Flows of Actual Values.

You need to configure the new accounts for cost of goods sold and the cost components that determine the breakdown of these costs.

To take best advantage of the SAP HANA selection capabilities, you must create selection variants in the Customizing activity Create Selection Variants for Projects and WBS Elements.

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