The project team makes multiple basic configuration decisions that affect the life of the SAP system, based on the best options available to them at the time:
Company code to controlling area mapping
Controlling area currency
Group currency
Chart of accounts (length of account)
These decisions may have been the correct choice at go-live, but the business process or organizational requirements have changed over time, and in retrospect, the project team realizes that it could have made better choices. Of course, the project team is not omnipotent and cannot anticipate activities such as the company merging with another company, starting a new line of business, or acquiring a foreign subsidiary.
Rohana Gunawardena goes into great detail about his best practices for setting up controlling areas and the reasons to reduce controlling areas, and explores the possibilities of, for long-standing FI systems, reducing and reorganizing your Controlling Areas.
Do you want to set up your system for multiple company codes to be mapped to a single controlling area? Or one company code to be mapped per controlling area?
For a clearer understanding of exactly what Controlling Areas are and why significant structural changes are often warranted, we'll take a look at Rohana'ss Financials 2013 session, “A practical guide to navigating your Controlling options in SAP, ” Rohana touches on Controlling Area structures as part of his full session on making the most of CO modules and transactions, including CO-PA, Profit Center Accounting, and Material Ledger
Controlling Areas - Enterprise Structure
Rules for organizational relationships are hard-coded
Controlling area to a single operating concern
Company code to a single controlling area
Cost object to a single company code
Linked Operating Concerns, Controlling Areas & Company Codes must use the same chart of accounts and fiscal year variant
Note a ProfitCenter is not a cost object
Controlling Area
The Controlling Area (CoAr) is the key organizational element in CO
Important to understand it is more wide ranging than the FI Company Code (CoCd)
It sets the key currency code for reporting across the whole Controlling Area
This may cover multiple company codes with their own local currency codes
It is common to have only one Operating Concern and one Controlling Area for the whole enterprise
Controlling Area – Changing Structure
Initially, CO was configured with one CoAr per CoCd; now you want a single CoAr
This often occurs if analysts had a FI centric view of CO and now want to implement cross-company controlling
Your company has CoAr currency EUR and FI-GL uses Group Currency USD and you want to align the systems
See SAP Notes 27621 and 39919
For those who are now “stuck” with configuration that is out of synch with CO requirements, Rohana's SAPexperts article describes the solution- a reimplementation of the system -- or another option, a complex correction to current structures which, he notes, while involved, can be a good option but does require outside expertise.
For more from Financials expert Rohana Gunawardena, read his recent Q&A with our members in the Financials discussion thread here, and meet him in person and attend his sessions at SAPinsider’s Financials 2013 conference in Las Vegas, March 19-22.
What is Spend Performance Management, and why, when and how do companies put this solution into place? Kimberly-Clark's Brian Bleck and Matt Boughton shared their experiences with the why's and how's of SPM in a detailed session on SAP's offering -- taking the audience from evaluation and use case to implementation tips and post-implementation concerns.
This session, "Case Study: How Kimberly-Clark Implemented a Global Spend Analytics Platform and Gained Control of Spend Data in Less than 20 Weeks", was presented by SAPinsider'sLogistics and Supply Chain Management 2012 conference. The following tip is an overview of SPM and some quick implementation concepts, taken from their longer, detailed session:
Core Components of SPM Solution
Spend data extraction
From SAP and Non-SAP sources
Master and transactional data
SPM Data Model and Reporting/User Interface
Standard content/Business Intelligence data model
Adobe Flex user interface
Handles all language character sets – Unicode-based
Data Standardization and Enrichment
Spend Classification to a taxonomy
Supplier Enrichment
Supplier Normalization
Language conversion supported by DSE and Bristlecone services
SPM ERP Extractors Will Give You a Start on Acquiring Data
For SAP systems, there are SAP delivered extractors for:
SAP ERP: 4.6C, 4.7, ECC 5.0, and ECC 6.0
The starter kit can be downloaded from SAP Note 1239883
Pay very special attention to the exclusion of data
You DO NOT want all PO and Invoice data
Exclude by GL, vendor account group, material type, etc.
Exclude Employee data; exclude or separate Intercompany spend
NOTE: Extractors are a “starter kit.” You will need to customize them based on exact data requirements, your particular design and to obtain satisfactory performance.
Base Steps to Configure and Run the Extractors
SM30 (ZSA_FFCUSTTABL): Configure the output directory, filename and delimiter (technical)
What happens when the standard process for automatic outgoing payment - typically F110 - isn't enough?
Financials 2012 speaker Kees van Westerop shared his tips on meeting special business requirements - including a Bill of Exchange - in his session "Key Tactics for Automating Outgoing Bank Payments."
In this session, he dives into the details of each of these scenarios.Here we can only cover a quick excerpt - an overview of Bill of Exchange and where to find it in your SAP system and a brief overview of customizing settings:
Standard F110 payments vs. customization
For automatic outgoing payments, most companies use the standard program F110:
Simple procedure
Covers payments to vendors and collections from customers
Many standard file formats
Enables printing of all kind of forms
Generates automated bookings
Payment Medium Workbench (PMW) enables localizations
Nevertheless, the standard doesn’t cover all requirements.
Perhaps you have open items that should not be cleared, but the payment in transit must be booked. You may want to use a Bill of Exchange.
Bill of Exchange: Overview
Used frequently in countries like France, Spain, and Italy
Name depends on the country
It is a “check to yourself”
Can be endorsed by the payee
Usage of bills of exchange can be a complex procedure!
Basic Principles — Payment Program Settings overview
Bill of Exchange requires special settings in the customizing of the payment program F110
Customizing transaction is FBZP
IMG Menu path for individual parts of FBZP: Financial Accounting > Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable > Business Transactions > Outgoing Payments > Automatic Outgoing Payments > Payment Method/Bank Selection for Payment Program
For more details on managing payments in your SAP system,visit Financials 2013 and the Financials Group here on Insider Learning Network.
"A good audit does not just look at security data, but also analyzes how your compliance tools are configured!" That's the advice from James Roeske from his session at GRC 2012 "An In-Depth Analysis of What to Audit — and How — Within Your GRC Landscape"
The session covers specific SAP GRC strategies, challenges, and technologies to effectively audit your SAP BusinessObjects GRC environment.
Here are just a sampling of two tips from James Roeske's session, for avoiding SoD violations: check your rule configuration to elminate SoD violations (so that mitigation is a last resort), and review CUP configuration to maintain SoD compliance.
Incorrect Rule Configuration Is Always the Top Priority
> The purpose of remediation is to determine alternatives for eliminating SoD violations.
> These alternatives should be explored in the following order:
Is this SoD violation caused by an incorrect rule? If yes, then modification to the rule is required to resolve the false positive.
Can access be removed from the role or user to resolve the SoD violation?
Can this SoD violation be addressed using other alternatives, such as utilizing SAP Workflow, user exits, configuration modifications, or business process change?
Can this access requirement be addressed using GRC Superuser Privilege Management for SAP functionality?
If the SoD violation is not resolved in steps 1-4, then Mitigation is required
CUP Configuration Critical to Staying SoD Compliant
> CUP Review
Is your CUP system configured utilizing suggested SAP GRC best practices?
Are SoD violations still able to slip into your system through user access requests?
> Verification of the Stage Configuration
CUP is a critical component to maintain a SoD free environment, only if it is configured correctly
> Verification of escalation is being used to support compliance and proper approval, or just to speed up the provisioning approval process
> Validation of the CUP configuration for RAR integration to close SoD loopholes during the provisioning process
For more tips on SAP GRC configuration and SoD compliance, visit the GRC Group and www.grc2013.com
Avoid common pitfalls in migrating to SAP GRC 10.0 with these tips from SAPexpert author Alpesh Parmar.
At his GRC 2012 session last spring - "Case Study: How Levi Strauss & Co. Improved Global Compliance with an SAP BusinessObjects Access Control 10.0 Implementation" - Alpesh highlighted a number of tips for planning and managing a GRC implementation project.
Here are just some of his tips for migratingto SAP GRC:
Set up filters to exclude data related to certain entry from migration
Set up necessary transformation, e.g., Business Process (B.P.) ID is allowed to have 10 characters in GRC 10.0. RAR (Risk Analysis and Remediation) 5.3 only allowed 4 characters for B.P. whereas CUP (Compliant User Provisioning) 5.3 allowed 40 characters for B.P.
If you forgot to set up transformation/filter for one of the components or wanted to manipulate the file before importing, you can re-import all the data with overwrite option. This will wipe out any relevant data.
Don’t try to migrate workflow data, as it still requires manual effort. GRC 10.0 uses SAP Business Workflow, which is very powerful and flexible so it is better to configure workflow from scratch.
Manipulate exported files to set up easy transformations by using a tool like EditPlus/Notepad++. Don’t use MS Excel as it will change the file format.
Set up at least one staging server before production environment (recommendation is to have a sandbox/development, QA and Production)
Customization of ruleset is a must to remove false positives and identify risks coming from custom Tcodes. Pre-delivered ruleset acts a good starting point.
Design a simple and easy to manage 2-4 stages workflow for Access Requests. Having a complicated workflow would increase request closure time and add complexity while troubleshooting issues.
Query Browser is according to Roy Wells’ session at Xcelsius Dashboard Bootcamp the “easiest to use and maintain” and the first choice when connecting to BW. How does this compare to Web Service Query (previously known as Query as a Web Service)?
This tip compares the two types of Web Services queries, excerpted from a session presented by Roy Wells of Decision First Technologie at SAPinsider’s Xcelsius Dashboards Bootcamp seminar.
The session “Connecting Your Dashboard to Back-End Data Sources: A Comprehensive Guide” took attendees step-by-step through setting up a query with various options selecting the right connection type, and best practices.
This tip takes a quick peek at an overview of these two connection options.
Overview of SAP BusinessObjects Connections
1. Provided out of the box
New in SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards 4.0 Query Browser Connection
Universes or BEx queries
Web Service Query (formerly Query as a Web Service)
Live Office Connections
Crystal Reports Data Consumer
SAP NetWeaver BW Connection
2. Available as an add-on
SAP EPM 7.5 Extended Analytics Analyzer
Web Service Query options
Two kinds of query are available:
Query as a Web Service
BI Service
Both kinds are based on SOAP Web Services and are serviced via the SAP BusinessObjects Web Services application
Can be consumed by ANY application that supports SOAP, including SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards
Comparing the two types
Query as a Web Service allows access to a single query data provider
Queries are built using the QaaWS client tool
BI Service provides access to an SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence (WebI) block, including merged dimensions and variables
Obsoletes Live Office connections
Queries are published from a WebI document
Advantages
Quick execution times
Flexible input parameters for filtering data
Can separate table data from headers and footers
Specific to BI Services
Support for Scheduled Instances
Support for Cross Tab data blocks
Support for merged dimensions and report variables
Disadvantages
Web Service Query creation happens in external applications
Web Service Query creation and implementation is technical
Recommendations for Web Service Queries
If you are connecting to a universe and you need merged dimensions or access to scheduled instances, use it
If you need report-level variable calculations, possibly use it to avoid putting calculations in Excel using Query Browser
With org chart solutions for SAP are based on the Organizational Management (OM) component of SAP. So how do you set up OM for org charting capabilities?
This is one of the tasks covered by Danielle Larocca of spinifex IT in her HR 2012 presentation last spring, “Step-by-Step Instruction for Creating Organizational Charts” by Danielle Larocca.
Among the business needs for org charting are:
To have a single source of organizational data (SAP) that does not require duplicate maintenance
To have the flexibility to modify the design and formatting of the organizational charts with our very specific (and ever-changing) business requirements
The first step is to make sure to set up SAP Organizational Management (OM) module correctly. The OM module (with integration turned on) already supports organizational units, jobs, and positions.
What we needed to add was the hierarchical relationships between the employees (i.e., Nicole works for Mike, Mike works for Patricia, and Patricia works for Chris, etc.)
Organizational Management Overview
There are a couple of options for how to store “who reports to whom”
The most popular is to store it as a relationship maintained in the Organizational Management (OM) component of SAP ERP HCM
There are two main options for this: > Using the Chief Relationship > Relationship assignment POSITION to POSITION
Organizational Management consists of structures of related objects, such as Organizational Units and Positions
Each object contains a meaningful relationship to other objects
Each organization will have different requirements, so let’s take a minute to get an understanding of the two different options:
Sample Organizational Structure — Org Units > SAP Object O = Organizational Units > Objects that denote categories or groupings of employees. These can be based on Geography, Function, or other company requirements. > Hierarchies may be created by having Org Units (O) directly reporting to other Org Units
SAP Object S = Positions > Objects held by employees that denote their place in the organization > Hierarchies may be created by having Positions (S) directly reporting to other Positions
Option 1: Using the Chief Relationship: As the Chief of the Human Resources Organizational Unit, for example, all employees in the Org Unit (O) report to them
Option 2: Using a Position-to-Position Relationship: Every Position can have a relationship to another position, e.g., Director of Benefits position (S) reports to VP HR position (S)
Which Option Will Work for You?
Best Practice is … It depends on your requirements …
However, Option 1, the Chief relationship, is used by Standard MSS by default. It is easier to maintain changes at the org unit level than at the position level as it changes less frequently.
For smaller organizations (or those with various reporting hierarchies) you may want to use the position-to-position method
You have many options on which objects and relationships you wish to use.
Once you pick one that is right for your organization you can move to the next step -- org charts.
How do you not only ensure that your implementation is compliant, but that it remains so over its lifetime?
This is the question addressed in the GRC 2012session “Lessons for Ensuring Your Newly Implemented or Upgraded SAP System Remains Compliant Over Time” presented by Alex Ayers of Turnkey Consulting, who offered extensive tips for designing and building your SAP system for sustainable success – covering everything from user management and access controls to IT monitoring.
Here are just a few of the tips from the session, specifically covering IT controls:
Ensure Appropriate IT Controls Are in Place
Environment-build standards are in place and are followed:
> System parameters > Security components and audit logging
Technical change and release management processes are followed:
> Impact assessment completed by appropriate skilled staff > Changes are tested > Approvers are defined > Changes are documented > Alignment between production stack & project stack (QA and Prod in sync, regression testing)
Don’t Forget Patching!
Process established for managing patches:
> Security patching should be one element in overall patching approach > Where support is outsourced, contract may be “patch on fail” > Assess potential vulnerabilities
Use EarlyWatch alerts to flag when security-critical notes have not been applied
Assess and test security notes in a timely manner:
> Use monthly SAP Security Patch Day to drive review process
Apply patches following standard change and release management process
Ensure that Monitoring Practices Are Implemented
Identify key risk areas to be monitored, especially existing weakness or high-impact areas
Develop KPIs based on good practice and reality of environment:
> Audit/Compliance input > Only measure what you intend to action
Agree on owners for KPIs:
> Who will investigate and take action over variances? > How do you prioritize activities?
Examples of KPIs:
> Number of dialog or service users with SAP_ALL > Number of times Firefighter access has been invoked > Number of end-user roles with direct table access > Number of security incidents logged in a reporting period
KPIs will vary by organization
> Do the KPIs provide useful information to your organization? > Can you measure them? > Do you plan to resolve the issues that are identified?
Be prepared to change your KPIs as new areas of risk are identified!
You'll find more advice on SAP compliance at the next GRC 2013 US conference, Las Vegas, March 19 - 22 - registration information & more details are here. And follow Insider Learning Network for more tips and updates on the conference sessions, along with speaker tips, interviews and discussion forums.
At his session “Navigate Your Options for Creating Sales Orders in SAP CRM”, Christian Matz of ecenta gave a detailed presentation on the different options to create sales orders via SAP CRM (rather than the traditional route, via SD):
SAP CRM Sales Order
SAP ERP Sales Order
Transaction Launcher
Other options
Christian Matz’s session points out some potential challenges with order entry in SD as well as SAP CRM features that empower sales agents to provide additional services, such as cross-selling, integration with campaigns or loyalty programs, and product catalog features.
Christian also points out that in order to use SAP CRM functionality, you don’t have to store your orders in SAP CRM. In fact, one of the many options he details is SAP ERP Sales Order, which uses CRM WebUI and allows you to use additional CRM functionality without rebuilding everything in SAP CRM.
He goes through the pros and cons of SAP ERP Sales Order vs. SAP CRM Sales Order, but here are just some of the basics of SAP ERP Sales Order covered in his session:
SAP ERP Sales Order — Basics
The SAP ERP sales order is created and stored only on the SAP ERP database, while using the CRM WebUI as a front end, which is more user friendly
All business functions are performed directly in SAP ERP, while only certain data is needed in SAP CRM
Partners for searching
Products for searching and product substitution
Configuration
All subsequent processes are directly handled in SAP ERP
CRM middleware is only needed for replicating the master data, but not for order entry
Requires activation of business function SD_01 in SAP ERP
SAP ERP Sales Order — Integration with ERP
The SAP ERP sales order will execute the same code as the order entry transaction VA01 in SAP ERP, including all existing user exits
Especially if Pricing is being performed using the ABAP pricing engine in SAP ERP
The values are filled directly based on SAP ERP configuration
It is not necessary to download the configuration to SAP CRM
If you have an existing SAP ERP system, prototyping this scenario can be achieved quickly!
SAP ERP Sales Order — Integration with CRM
Certain SAP CRM functionality can be used along with the SAP ERP sales order, such as:
Product Proposal (up-/down-/cross-selling)
Select products from the product catalog
The SAP ERP sales order can be a part of CRM processes
Interaction Center
Interaction Record in SAP CRM
SAP ERP Sales Order in ERP
Lead-to-Cash
Lead and Opportunity in SAP CRM
SAP ERP Quote or SAP ERP Sales Order in ERP
Certain SAP CRM functionality can be used along with the SAP ERP sales order, such as:
Product Proposal (up-/down-/cross-selling)
Select products from the product catalog
Christian also noted that SAP ERP Sales Order integration & features are being enhanced and updated, so be sure to check out the latest SAP Notes.
Looking for more CRM advice & updates? Attend the next SAPinsider CRM conference - CRM 2013 - this spring, March 5-8 2013 in Las Vegas. You can also find more from Christian Matz in his past Q&A on Insider Learning Network on CRM 7.0 and on SAPexperts’ CRM hub.
This session – one of the 3 days of sessions presented by dashboard experts including Bjarne Berg, Miko Yuk and others - covers specific steps and advice on connecting live data to your dashboards and selecting the right connection types.
In addition to reviewing managing non-SAP connections (Excel Data Maps, Generic Web services, Flash Vars), Roy Wells covers SAP BusinessObjects Conenctions in detail, including step-by-step instructions for adding a query in the Query Browser.
Here are some tips on Query Browser Connections, new in 4.0, for connecting Universes and BX queries:
Overview of SAP Business Objects Connections
Provided Out of the Box:
New in 4.0: Query Browser Connections
Universes or BEX Queries
Web Service Query (formerly Query as a Web Service)
Live Office Connection
Crystal Reports Connection
SAP NetWeaver BW Connection
Available as an Add-On:
SAP EPM 7.5 Extended Analytics Analyzer
Query Browser Connections (Query Browser):
Authored directly in the Dashboard tool
Drag and Drop query design
Supports BEX queries and UNX Universes
Direct preview of data at design time
Many components now allow direct binding of query data to component without passing data through Excel layer
Much improved developer productivity
Easier ongoing maintenance
No client side aggregation, your query must match the desired display when using direct binding
Can lead to many queries
Query Browser Connections: Advantages
No additional tools required
Direct binding to visual components
Reduced development complexity
Good Performance
Query Browser Connections:Disadvantages
Lack of client side projection means many queries
No Merged Dimensions or Report Level Variables
If you’re not in Chicago this week, you can still catch Bootcamp sessions in Amsterdam this October or in Washington DC this November. For more details on Xcelsius Dashboards Bootcamp, visit www.xcelsiusbootcamp.com.
