Chapter 1 RI AL Configuration Tools TE Featuring: MA Introduction to SAP ff D A New Approach to System Customization ff TE The Implementation Guide (IMG) ff CO PY RI GH The Service Market Place ff
Chapter 1 B efore you undertake your first SAP configuration project, it is important to understand the concepts behind table-driven customization as well as some of the tools, tips, and tricks that can be used. The purpose of this chapter is to provide the foundation for successfully carrying out SAP Finance and Controlling (FI/CO) configuration.
Introduction to SAP configuration scenario you might encounter would be an impossible task, but after reading the book, you will be able to apply what you have learned and configure your system based on your business requirements. SAP has now introduced many areas of functionality from its data warehouse— often referred to as its business warehouse (BW) or, now more correctly, business intelligence (BI)—which includes a host of reporting tools and functionality, not limited to business objects.
C h ap t e r 1 • C o n f i g u r a t i o n T o o l s Variant A variant is a specific setting that is saved when a program is executed. Some data input screens allow you to save and execute variants. Variants can also be created in the program maintenance screen of the program. Using variants is a good way to save time because they allow you to execute a routine transaction without having to enter all of the parameters needed by the program every time.
Introduction to SAP Parameter ID A parameter ID is a special identifier given to some fields in SAP. It can be stored in your user profile with its default values. For example, the parameter ID for company code is BUK. A user who is responsible only for entering documents in company code 1000 would set up the BUK parameter ID with a default of 1000 in their user profile.
C h ap t e r 1 • C o n f i g u r a t i o n T o o l s T I P SAP is an integrated system, which means configuration choices and decisions made by people configuring other models in the system can have an impact on FI/CO. Any business transaction that has a financial impact will have an integration point with FI/CO; therefore, the FI/CO team is often central to all design reviews.
A N e w A pp r o a c h t o S y s t e m C u s t o m i z a t i o n programs. To facilitate these requirements, a new way of customizing systems was needed. This new way of customizing systems is known as table-driven customization, or configuration. By configuring the system via tables rather than changing source code, you now have a very clear logical approach to managing your system. Table-driven customization allows for rapid changes in business requirements with a common set of source code or programs.
C h ap t e r 1 • C o n f i g u r a t i o n T o o l s ff Healthcare ff Higher education and research ff Insurance ff Public sector ff Manufacturing ff Aerospace and defense ff Automotive ff Consumer products ff Service ff Media ff Professional services For small companies that have neither the time nor the resources to undertake a full business process reengineering project, SAP has a very well-researched and well-designed implementation methodology that will help with business process optimization
A N e w A pp r o a c h t o S y s t e m C u s t o m i z a t i o n understand the client concept in this light when you are just starting out in SAP. In the standard project setting, there will be three environments: the development environment, the quality assurance/testing environment (QA), and the production environment. Within each environment there are different clients that are used for specified purposes.
1 0 C h ap t e r 1 • C o n f i g u r a t i o n T o o l s training, data conversion, and user sandboxes. Once the entire project solution has been tested successfully in QA, it is ready to move to production. The production environment is where all day-to-day business activities occur. This is the client that all end users use to perform their daily job functions. There is usually only one production client per SAP installation.
A N e w A pp r o a c h t o S y s t e m C u s t o m i z a t i o n N O T E Most transports record only the changes to the table. However, some transports created by a small number of tables copy the entire table, not just the changes. It is very important that these whole table transports are watched and managed carefully so that only the latest changes are reflected in the target clients. This is especially important once a project is “live” and in maintenance mode.
1 2 C h ap t e r 1 • C o n f i g u r a t i o n T o o l s All programs and a small amount of tables are shared among the clients within an environment. These are known as client-independent objects. For example, table (view) V_T021S is client independent, meaning that, when this table is changed in the configuration client, the setting automatically takes effect in all clients in that environment because there is only one V_T021S that is used by all clients in that environment.
A N e w A pp r o a c h t o S y s t e m C u s t o m i z a t i o n activity, and this transport movement can happen once the system is in production. Remember that it is only necessary to release and move client-dependent transports to the development-testing client. Client-independent transports are already reflected in all clients in the environment. Client-independent transports need to be released and moved only when sending changes from environment to environment. Figure 1.
1 4 C h ap t e r 1 • C o n f i g u r a t i o n T o o l s transaction code SE10, selecting the task, and clicking the Release Directly button, as seen Figure 1.3. When you release a task, it is released (copied) to its corresponding transport request. The transport request is then released for export. The transport request is what is actually moved between clients and environments. F i g u r e 1.
T h e I m p l e m e n t a t i o n G u i d e ( I MG ) F i g u r e 1. 4 The Implementation Guide (IMG) main screen The Project IMG is created by the project team manager or by module team leaders. It contains only those modules and business processes that the creator of the Project IMG (generally a single person or the project manager) deems necessary. It is very important to carefully select what is needed and to not forget anything when generating the Project IMG.
1 6 C h ap t e r 1 • C o n f i g u r a t i o n T o o l s If your project doesn’t use the Project IMG for documentation and status tracking, it is a good idea to use the SAP Reference IMG or the Enterprise IMG to find your configuration steps. You can expect with some certainty that all steps, processes, and tables will be included in the final product. It is not easy to discover what SAP functionality is needed if you do not have access to all of it.
T h e I m p l e m e n t a t i o n G u i d e ( I MG ) An explanation of the specific tasks can be viewed by clicking the note folder to the left of the configuration step, as shown below. The level of detail provided in the documentation can be very useful in determining which steps, or tasks, are suitable for your project. Other Methods of Table Maintenance and Customizing It is sometimes difficult to find the table you need to customize in the IMG.
1 8 C h ap t e r 1 • C o n f i g u r a t i o n T o o l s In those instances when you know the table name and not the customizing view name, the transaction code SM31 (Extended Table Maintenance) can be used to access the table maintenance screen. Simply enter the table name into the SM31 screen’s Table/View field, and click the Customizing button. The first time you use this button, you will be asked for a project number, however this is not a required field and you can hit enter to continue.
T h e I m p l e m e n t a t i o n G u i d e ( I MG ) In this example, say you want to configure a company code. You can use any transaction that references a company code; in this example, we’re using the transaction used to display G/L line items—FBL3N. Figure 1.8 shows the appropriate screen. F i g u r e 1. 8 Displaying/changing line items—FBL3N Once the field is selected, press the F1 key or select the SAP help icon. This displays general information about the selected field, as shown in Figure 1.9.
2 0 C h ap t e r 1 • C o n f i g u r a t i o n T o o l s F i g u r e 1. 9 The help screen that SAP refers to as a Performance Assistant, which you can open by pressing F1 or clicking the help icon, can give you general information about selected fields. The Technical Information box lists the field name and tables of the selected setting (table SKB1, field name BUKRS), as shown in Figure 1.10.
T h e I m p l e m e n t a t i o n G u i d e ( I MG ) F i g u r e 1.10 The table and field names can be discovered by clicking the technical information box. The Dictionary Display is an invaluable tool for viewing table structures as well as finding configuration tables and other pertinent system information. You can use the Dictionary Display to return to the customizing (configuration) table.
2 2 C h ap t e r 1 • C o n f i g u r a t i o n T o o l s F i g u r e 1.11 The table SKB1 is displayed using transaction code SE12. By viewing the structure of table SKB1, you can see that the field name BUKRS has a check table of T001. This is the table you need to configure in this scenario. You know you need to configure table T001 because this is where the primary key for company code (field name BUKRS) resides. In SAP, check tables always refer to the primary table that the field belongs in.
T h e I m p l e m e n t a t i o n G u i d e ( I MG ) T I P In relational databases, a key field is a unique identifier for a table. This field is used as a reference to the same data in other tables. For example, your employer uses your Social Security number as a unique identifier for information about you. Rather than listing all the relevant statistics about you in every table, a relational database connects the various kinds of information through a single key field that represents “you.
2 4 C h ap t e r 1 • C o n f i g u r a t i o n T o o l s F i g u r e 1.13 The options for narrowing the results of transaction code SE16 The fields that are automatically displayed for selection criteria aren’t the only fields that can be used. By following the menu path Settings ➢ Fields for Selection, you can choose additional fields to select. Remember that SAP will generally include the key fields as selection fields.
T h e S e r v i c e Ma r k e t P l a c e You can save it to your hard drive, and then it is a very easy task of importing it into Excel and converting the file. You can use the Data Browser to display data from all different types of tables, including summary and line item detail. This is very useful because reports using the Report Painter or Report Writer can be written only against summary-level tables.
2 6 C h ap t e r 1 • C o n f i g u r a t i o n T o o l s take you to your typical search parameters. Just fill in the criteria you’re looking for (the release of SAP you are working with and the application area), and the applicable SAP Notes will be returned to your screen. If you find a note that applies to the problem at hand, download a copy to your hard drive for yourself, then let one of your Basis teammates know which note you would like applied.
Summary many more. One of the existing ISs may work for your business. If not, work with SAP regarding your business needs; SAP may make—or allow you to make—SAPsupported modifications to your system. SAP also provides what are called user exits in some standard programs. User exits allow developers to create their own code that is called by a standard SAP program. Once the custom code has finished, control returns to the standard SAP program for further processing.
