Time slices

Time slices is an important concept in EDM. Several issues which I have encountered stems from an incorrect time slice selection or comparison, these incorrect time slices issues may be difficult and tricky to find, therefore it is recommended to use the correct time slice selection right from the start.

There can be several time slices scenarios in EDM which will be documented below. For time slices comparison there will always be 2 slices to compare. The slice below is known as the reference time slice, which means that any slices which falls within this reference time slice is required to be processed. An example of how a reference time slice spans is below. (AB = start date, BIS = end date)

The below examples would be the scenarios which may happen when processing time slices. There are total of 9 possible scenarios. The yellow box will represent the 2^nd time slice.

Scenario 1 : Start date < AB and End Date < BIS

Scenario 2 : Start date > AB and End Date > BIS

Scenario 3 : Start date > AB and End Date < BIS

Scenario 4 : Start date < AB and End Date > BIS

Scenario 5 : Start date = AB and End Date > BIS

Scenario 6 : Start date < AB and End Date = BIS

Scenario 7 : Start date = AB and End Date = BIS

Scenario 8 : Start date = AB and End Date > BIS

Scenario 9 : Start date > AB and End Date = BIS

In order to achieve the time slice comparison of all 9 scenarios, the condition would be quite lengthy.

IF (Start date < AB and End Date < BIS) OR

(Start date > AB and End Date > BIS) OR

(Start date > AB and End Date < BIS) OR

(Start date < AB and End Date > BIS) OR

(Start date = AB and End Date > BIS) OR

(Start date < AB and End Date = BIS) OR

(Start date = AB and End Date = BIS) OR

(Start date = AB and End Date > BIS) OR

(Start date > AB and End Date = BIS).

In order to shorten these 9 scenarios, the code below can be used.

IF (Start date <= BIS and End date >= AB)

The below table will confirm the validity of the shortened code for the 9 scenarios.

This document was originaly created in January 2013 by Kosana Avinash Reddy. Since the screenshots were not visible, I decided to rewrite the document, extend it with comments and include the screenshots, for the reference and easier use of others who need the procedure.

Objective

The main objective to load legacy data into SAP using EMIGALL distributed mode is to speed up the process when there is big amount of data to import. EMIGALL distributed mode also reduce efforts in scheduling jobs and easy to monitor them. Document is divided into following four topics:

1. Converting Legacy file into Binary format (SAP format)
2. Scheduling Distributed Import Jobs
3. Changing scheduling parameters
4. Monitoring Distributed Import Jobs

1. Converting Legacy File

     1.1 Go to transaction EMIGALL

     1.2 Double click on Migration Object for which we want to process import file

     1.3 Click Data Import

     1.4 In data import screen, go to menu: Utilities -> Convert migration file

     1.5 Enter Input directory (remember to put “\” at the end of input directory path)

     1.6 Enter input file name (including file extension)

     *Note: Input directory and file name should not be long. Sometimes, long file path and file name will cause system not to recognize file.

     1.7 Enter output directory (remember to put “\” at the end of input directory path)

     1.6 Enter output file name (including file extension)

     1.8 Check Migration company and migration object values

     1.9 After entering values, go to menu: Program à Execute in Background

     Note:Remember the output file path and file name. This will be used in schedule distributed import job.

     1.10 In Background Print Parameters, Press OK

     1.11 Press Immediate

     1.12 After scheduling the job Immediately, press save

     1.13 Go to Transaction SM37 and monitor job till it finishes

2. Schedule Distributed Import

     2.1 Use Transaction EMIGMASSRUN to launch Administration & Monitoring Screen

     2.2 Press Create button

     2.3 Enter Company and enter Migration Object

     2.4 Press OK

     2.5 Enter Migration Path & file name (Output file path & file name which was used earlier to convert input file)

     2.6 Enter Error File (with file extension “err”

     2.7 Enter Input file (generated) with ‘&’. ‘&’ will be replaced by sequence number when file split happens

     2.8 Enter Error file (generated) with ‘&’.

     2.9 Commit Interval: This should be maintained only if this field is enabled for input

     2.10 Press Analyse button adjacent to file name. This will list of import statistics

     2.11 Compare import statistics with legacy file statistics (if shared)

     2.12 Validate number of data types (if there is a relationship). For example in device groups for Meter and Module – Every one record, will have two device data types.

     2.13 After Analysis, go back to main screen

     2.14 Define number of Background Work Processes which we intent to use

     2.15 Enter Mass Import file size

     2.16 Save the Distributed Import identification

     Note: Based on mass import file size, main file will be split into multiple files for parallel processing. This is the number of the master data records per file.

     2.17 Press Import Run

     2.18 Choose option – Start Later

     2.19 Change Start Date and Time well in future

     2.20 Press Distributed Import

     2.21 Distributed import job will be released

3. Change Job Scheduling Parameters

     3.1 Go to transaction SM37

     3.2 List jobs which were released

     3.3 Choose the job whose status is “Released”    

     3.4 Go to menu: Job -> Change

     3.5 Press Step

     3.6 Place your cursor on the step and press change icon

     Note: Job is currently scheduled with user who has created distributed import job identification

     3.7 Change User to “MIGRATION” (or user id which has been setup for migration purpose)

     3.8 Press Save to save step

     3.9 Verify user for job is changed to “MIGRATION”

     3.10 Go back to main screen

     3.11 Press Start condition

     3.12 Press Immediately

     3.13 Press Save

     3.14 Press Save on job main screen

     3.15 Distributed Import job is now started with “MIGRATION” User id

4. Monitoring Job

     4.1 Use transaction EMIGMASSRUN

     4.2 Press “List of Distributed jobs” button and select job with your identification

     4.3 Go to Data for last import for statistics and monitor import job

     4.4 Go to Statistics for import runs for further details

     4.5 Double click on line item for further analysis

Introduction

Electronic bank statement configuration and usage, in a casual contract accounts scenario, spreads through FI module (importing EBS from file to SAP), FI-CA module (parsing the EBS, recognizing the payments and posting them), and then back to FI module (posting to general ledger accounts via reconciliation key). In the next couple of pages I'll try to make a simple scenario which will cover the stated steps. Main goal of this document is to easier set-up the initial configuration which can then be expanded and modified to suit various business needs.

Prerequisites

Since our main focus is the FI-CA module, I'll asume that the basic configuration for the electronic bank statement in FI module is already set. Nevertheless, I'll point out the main configuration items/tasks that you need to check (or carry out, in case theyre not yet set):

1. In case your country has specific input file parameters (as Croatia has), you will have to deal with this first. Go through notes and see the correct way of implementation your specific case. Usualy, you will have to go through expanding include programs and enabling enhancements in CMOD, which is pretty straight-forward process.
2. IMG - Financial Accounting (new) - Bank Accounting - Business Transactions - Payment Transactions - Electronic bank statement - Make Global Settings for Electronic Bank Statement - this is your first stop. Go through the following sections and check if you have the correct configuration:
   1. Create Account Symbols - you should have at least two accounts here: bank account and temporary or transitional account, although common practice is to use one temporary account for incomming payments and the other one for outgoing payments. For the sake of simplicity, we will use just one.
   2. Assign Accounts to Account Symbols - this is where you link the account symbol you created in the previous step with the real general ledger account. You should have, in your system, defined general ledger account for both (or three of them) account symbols from previous step.
   3. Create Key for Posting Rules - in this section, you need to have at least two keys defined. Preferably, make your own key which will be used to define posting of incomming payments, the ones you will transfer to FI-CA and parse there.
   4. Define Posting Rules - for the already stated Key for Posting rules, check that you have defined posting. Usualy, you will have bank accounting posting defined (posting area 1), where you will post debit to bank account and credit to temorary or transisional account.
   5. Create Transaction Type - you should have at least one transaction type existing. When going in its sublevel (Assign External Transactions), you should have covered the possible transactions that will come from your electronic bank statement file, or the enhancement that will parse it.
   6. Assign Bank Accounts to Transaction Types - make sure that you have defined bank accounts for which you will import electronic bank statement.

Shortened: we have defined bank and transitional accounts, transactions that may occur in the file and the rules that tell the system how to post the items.

Having this set, we should be able to successfully import electronic bank statement file from local computer to SAP system and post it between bank account and transitional account.

FI-CA EBS Setup

Importing electronic bank statement in FI-CA can happen by transfering the already imported EBS file (what we are explaining here) and by importing a multicash file directly to FI-CA (which is subject to another post, and will not be covered here). Going with the first method, we have big part of the process already covered. What we have to do next is: import the items that are classified as incomming payments to FI-CA module, and either post them or leave for clarification.

Let's move to the IMG - Financial Accounting (new) - Contract Accounts Receivable and Payable - Business Transactions - Payments - Processing Incoming and Outgoing Payments - Define Transactions for Electronic Bank Statement Transfer configuration item.

Here we need to state which external transaction (check step 2.e) will we use, and what is it for. We can chose among several options: incomming payments, returns, payment orders and cheques. Again, for the sake of simplicity, we will use only one transaction and we will say its incomming payments (1). With this one line, we have enabled everything that we need for transaction FPB7 to import items from EBS that have this type of transaction.

Note to Payee Interpretation

Important process of the electronic bank statement is note to payee interpretation. These steps analyse the data from the item and, using predefined rules, attempts to determine the document number, contract, contract account and/or business partner to which should the payment be assigned. This process should, in short, work like this: you, as an invoice issuer, will state what payer has to put as payment description when paying your invoice.

The best option is to have the reference to the document number. Its the easiest way to identify which invoice has been paid, and, which document is to be cleared with the payment. There are lots of different ways to achieve this, and it would definetly require a document of its own, but again, for simplicity cause, Ill try to give the simple scenario.

Configuration is here: IMG – Financial Accoutning (New) – Contract Accounts Receivable and Payable – Business Transactions – Payments – Processing Incoming and Outgoing Payments – Define Interpretation Rules for Note to Payee. For this example, we will make the SAP document number. We need to create a new entry which we will parametrize. Once done, go to Structure sublevel and enter parameters (field lenght is the lenght of your document number, character set defines wether there are only number or other characters, minimum and maximum values can help you make sure you have the right number out of all the numbers you can get in the electronic bank statement item, and partial transfer can make a beginning or ending offset). Under Assigned Selection Categories make an entry with the Document as selection category. With setup like this, you will be able to identify the exact invoice which is paid and displayed on bank statement.

Another important part is clearing. Once the note to payee interpretation does its magic, and based on the clearing setup, the clearing process is triggered and the documents, again: based on the rules, get cleared. However, clearing process is process of its own, and is already elaborated in SAP documents, and will not be explained here.

Usage

First, let's import the electronic bank statement file from the local computer in the SAP system. Assuming all above written is set, we need to start transaction FF_5. Depending on your case, you need to select the correct electronic bank stamement format. It might be SWIFT MT940 with field 86 structured, XML, Multicash or any other supported format (note: check step 1 for country-specific formats).

Now we have our bank statement imported in FI, and we can check that with transaction FEBA. For incomming payments, we should only have one posting (D: bank - C: transitional account).

Then, we can move to the next step: transaction FPB7. This transaction will check the imported file and pull all items with transaction that represents incomming payments (see above: FI-CA EBS Setup) into payment lot. Depending on the options you set, it will create, create and close, or create, close and post payment lot. Since we want one lot to hold only payments from the one EBS, we should use at least "close lot" option.

Once the lot is created, you can check its parameters and items via transaction FP05. If you havent stated otherwise (in posting area 1005), payment lot name is generated from bank short key, year and bank statement number.

Third step (for this simple scenario) is clarificication. Either through "Postprocess" button in FP05 or transaction FPCPL, we should assign payments to documents, contracts, contract accounts or business partners. Items that appear here are the ones that could not be "understood" by the Note to Payee recognition process.

Finaly, we need to transfer the postings to general ledger. The process, much like the clearing, is out of this scope and I will just point out how its done. Once you post the payment lot, reconciliation key is closed and is ready for transfer to general ledger. You do that via transaction FPG1.

Additional information

There are several articles on SCN regarding different scenarios of electronic bank statement. Some of them are these:

- Lockbox and then FPB7

- Automaticly start FPB7

- Electronic Bank Statements in FICA

- EBS Configuration in FICA

- FI-CA import MT940 file to Multicash

Conclusion

This document describes the simple process of importing electronic bank statement file in SAP, pulling items to FI-CA, interpreting them and finaly transfer postings to general ledger. I hope it will be useful for consultants to set and test the process and give them a quick start in this area.

If you transfere billing line items into Sales Statistic, you have line items where the sign of the quantity is negative, even you see it positiv in your billing document.
The sign of a quantitiy is following the sign of the amount of each line item. If the amount is zero the sign of the quantity is determined from the Subtransaction.

If this system behavior does not match your thoughts you can change it via customer extension EBIA0001 --> EXIT_SAPLEA16JELP_002. For more Details you can check Knowledge Base Article 1537193.

About this Document

This document is intended to share knowledge gained during the upgrade of SAP ERP system from SAP ECC release 600 to EHP7 for SAP ERP 6.0. This document is not the replacement of any other official documents, this has to be seen as one of the knowledge sharing method of a SCN user. For more specific standard issues corresponding release notes has to be checked.

Target Audience

Consultants or users working on SAP Upgrade project within SAP for Utilities solution space.

Problem

Default user-defined layout in EL31 is not selected after the upgrade from SAP ERP ECC release 600 to EHP7 for SAP ERP 6.0.

Reason

After analysis, the reason for this issue is found that, additional fields were introduced in the customizing table TE410S as of IS-UT 605. In these cases, modifications in the source code that are implemented via modification correction instructions (and that may require a SPAU comparison after each SP/EHP upgrade) are not required.

However, these TE410S fields are currently only visible in the maintenance dialog if the EHP5 switch is active.

This affects the following modifications:

902223              TE410S-EL31_COUNT_BLOCK

526696              TE410S-EL31_DEFAULT_LAY

911149              TE410S-EL348_FOLLOWUP

933567              TE410S-ELHR_BEFORE_MRR2

1300006            TE410S-ELHR_PREV_INVALI

Solution

As per the SAP Note 526696, select ‘Default Layout’ from either table maintenance view of table TE410S or below spro path:

Spro -> SAP Utilities -> Device Management -> Meter Reading -> Basic Settings -> Define Technical Control Parameters for Meter Reading Data Processing

After maintaining this, the user-defined layout maintained before the upgrade can be used and selected now.

Henry Bailey, Global Vice President of the IBU Utilities shares his insights from customer and event visits.

Here is the summary of his latest updates. Enjoy reading!

• New:Will Utilities Be Left in the Dark and off the Grid? ( Feb. 2016)
  

• Achieving the Ultimate Sate of Readiness for the Digital Energy Network (Sep. 2016)

• SAP and PSEG Highlight IT/OT Convergence at SAP for Utilities (July 2015)

• Simplifying the Customer Experience at CS Week (May 2015)

• Recap from the SAP Utilities Conference in Berlin: Running Simple in Berlin! (April 2015)     

View video from Berlin:

Henry Bailey about "Why is this year’s International SAP Conference for Utilities in Berlin so important?" (February 2015)

Adapt And Run Simple: How The Utilities Industry Is Using Technology To Face The Future (January 2015)

Top Utility Industry Trends Driving The Need For Ongoing Innovation (November 2014)

The Digital Utility and The Internet of Things: Converging at the Right Time! (August 2014)

At CS Week, an estimated 1500 Utility Customer Service professionals came together in San Antonio (May 2014)

SAP Delivers Multichannel Foundation, Example Apps and Free Workshop! (April 2014)

Utilities are moving to the intelligent level of Transmission and Distribution  (March 2014)

The Convergence of Information Technology and Operational Technology is Already Happening – How Can Utilities Best Adapt? (March 2014)

Insights with Henry - The Digital Utilities on YouTube, published on July 2014:

SAP Innovation Video for Utilities on YouTube, published on June 2014:

"Insights with Henry" video on YouTube, published on May 2014:

Follow us on Twitter @SAP Industries

Overview

Solution Info

Best Practices

Learning       Material

Additional Info

Overview (Back to top)

• Maher Chebbo (VP EMEA, Head of Energy & Natural Resources, SAP) discusses IT/OT Convergence, creating a an end-to-end energy chain and new possibilities for utilities at the European Utility Week 2014, Nov. 2014, view video Interview.
• The Convergence of Information Technology and Operational Technology is Already Happening – How Can Utilities Best Adapt…, by Henry Bailey, March 4, 2014
• Utilities are moving to the intelligent level of Transmission and Distribution by Henry Bailey, February 3, 2014

Solution Info (Back to top)

• New: The HANA based SAP Predictive Maintenance and Service solution is available since March 2016. The utility industry is one of the key industries for this new solution.This video shows how Trenitalia co-innovated with SAP to create a Dynamic Maintenance Management and can serve as an example for other industries; March 2016
• The SAP Data Management solutions are the basis for IT/OT integration.
• SAP Predictive Analytics solutions enable deep insight into combined data from IT and OT systems.
• The SAP Solution Explorer describes SAP solutions for the Intelligent Grid.
  
  

Best Practices (Back to top)

• In "Transmission&Distribution World" PSE&G describes how they enable proactive asset management with SAP HANA; May 2015
• At Teched 2014 Alliander demoed how they use HANA spatial to support predictive maintenance of gas lines; November 2014
• With the SAP HANA platform, Alliander it is gathering and analyzing massive amounts of data to better maintain assets, optimize its grid, and help customers save big on energy bills.
• With the SAP Business Warehouse application as well as SAP Data Services and SAP Information Steward software, data owners at Alliander can take advantage of the latest innovations in reporting and data analysis.

Learning Material  (Back to top)

Additional Info  (Back to top)

Follow us on twitter @SAP Industries

New: Understand why going beyond CRM is necessary for your customer-facing business to succeed now and in the future in this new short blog >>LINK

Also, click the external "Beyond CRM" articles: SAP looks to redefine CRM with three new hybris offerings , SAP Announces New Portfolio of Tools for SAP Hybris

New: August 2015: Learn more about the Customer Engagement & Commerce Platorm from SAP/hybris and what it can do for Utilities. Replay of our partner webinar >>LINK

New: Read the blog about why Utilities do not need better Utilities Customer Service. Utilities need to focus on providing a great customer experience and can learn from successful practices from other industries >>LINK

New: How does the Customer Engagement & Commerce solution portfoilo hang together? Find your way through the Customer Engagement Jungle. >>LINK

Move beyond CRM to SAP Customer Engagement & Commerce (CEC)

Move from managing the customer relationship to engaging meaningfully with your customers in real-time

April 2015: News from Berlin and from our 10th SAP Utilities International Utilities Conference
My colleagues and I learned a lot from listening to you, from utilities, partners, and our SAP colleagues from around the world about the customer-led revolution in Utilities business world-wide.

Below, please replay our presentation about omnichannel customer engagement and commerce and why it is a core solution the digital utility of the future requires.

A short three minute video: SAP Omni channel customer engagement and commerce solution for Utilities Industry - YouTube (3:22 min.)

Please click the following link to replay the session in Berlin (57 min.)

For a broader perspective on customer engagement in Utilities, read the blog series on customer engagement from Juergen Kuhmann, Solution Management Utilities at SAP. He describes the fundamental changes utilities globally are facing and what you can do to stay relevant to consumers.

• Mastering customer engagement - Part 3 of 3: What utilities and retailers should do and how enterprise software can help them win by Juergen Kuhmann on December 14, 2014
• Mastering customer engagement - Part 2 of 3: New technologies are driving consumers away from the utility by Juergen Kuhmann on December 5, 2014
• Master customer engagement & commerce–or die!(?) - Part 1 of 3 by Juergen Kuhmann on November 15, 2014

• New: SAP for Utilities: New Training Sessions for Smart Metering and SAP Intelligent Metering for Germany Available (German only)

Next sessions planned between April-May.

Read more   

• New: Radio Session on Changing the Utilities Customer Engagement with DTE Energy, OpenText and SAP

Online: March, 22nd 9 a.m (Pacific Time)    

Read more

• openSAP: SAP Business Warehouse powered by SAP HANA

Online: April 11, 2016

SAP Business Warehouse powered by SAP HANA (Update Q2/2016) opens with a new module including updates SAP BW powered by SAP HANA 7.5. To support your company’s analysis, reporting and other business intelligence functions, a data warehouse acts as a central entry point and single point of truth for various data sources. SAP Business Warehouse powered by SAP HANA (Update Q2/2016)will introduce the renewed concepts and possibilities of SAP Business Warehouse powered by SAP HANA.

Note: This course is not utilities-specific!

Register here

• Webinar for Partners: Digital Customer Innovation for Utilities with the SAP Hybris Solutions Portfolio

Online: Monday, April 4, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (GTM 2 - Amsterdam,Berlin, Rome, Stockholm,Vienna)

Learn why SAP decided to strengthen the portfolio with sap hybris customer solutions to answer the industries requirements. We show some demos of the SAP Hybris product portfolio for Utilities for call center, self service, commerce and customer engagement. Finally, we plan to discuss our roadmap and the opportunities for our partners and SAP. Registration via SAP PartnerEdge

• Classroom Training - SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilities (MCF)

SAP Labs in Montreal Canada: Monday, April 18, 2016 and Tuesday, April 19, 2016

We are pleased to announce the second official classroom training for North America, WNAUMC - Multichannel Foundation for Utilities will be offered at SAP Labs in Montreal, Canada on the 18th and 19th of April 2016. Registration is now open here.

Read more and register

Past news bites:

• openSAP: Digital Transformation Across the Extended Supply Chain

Online: Tuesday, March 15, 2016 09:00 (UTC) to Wednesday, May 04, 2016 09:30 (UTC)

Digitization is reinventing the global economy: individuals, businesses, and societies are becoming interconnected in real time, leading to a new digital economy that is more collaborative, intelligent, responsive, and efficient, with dramatic increases in productivity and economic value. In this subsequent 6--week course, we will cover trends and challenges faced by businesses executives across the extended supply chain and learn how SAP extended supply chain solutions address these challenges. The course is structured along the SAP extended supply chain value map. Each week will cover a different business priority of the value map.

Read more and register

• For registered partners only: "SAP S/4HANA Enterprise Management – Simplification and Innovation for Utilities Industry" – 25 February, 2016

Read more

• "SAP's Digital Utility Framework - Reimagine Your Utility" Featuring SAP's Global VP of Henry Bailey

This webcast offers SAP’s perspective on where the industry will go and how SAP contributes to the evolution of the Digital Energy Network.

Thursday, February 4 at 12 p.m. ET - 1:00 p.m. ET

Read more

• SAP and OSIsoft Enable Innovative Internet of Things (IoT) Scenarios

DistribuTECH 2016livesession that will also be streamed for our virtual viewers to learn how SAP and OSIsoft enable Innovative Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios through IT/OT integration and convergence.

Wednesday, February 10 at 9 AM Pacific / 12 Noon Eastern

Read more and register

• Traditional IT in a Non-Traditional World

Radio Info Session Live and on-demand with CMS Energy, IDC and SAP

Tuesday, October 27 at 9 AM Pacific / 12 Noon Eastern

Read more

• Digital Transformation for Utilities: Customer Service Innovations

Radio Info Session Live and on-demand

Tuesday, October 6 at 9 AM Pacific / 12 Noon Eastern

Read more

• SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilities: Two-Day Classroom Training

Walldorf, Germany 2015: Oct. 5-6 (German)

Target Audience: Solution Consultants, Developers

Read more and register

You might ask yourself how you, as an SAP customer, can continuously influence and improve SAP products especially for the utilities industry?

Our answer is the current Customer Connection program for SAP for Utilities.

SAP customers have great ideas and tons of experience to add value to SAP Products and Solutions. With Customer Connection you can influence the SAP products you are using productively. This is the channel for small enhancements & improvements. The improvement delivery takes place via SAP Notes and Support Packages.

These developments are based on a close collaboration between SAP customers and SAP employees. For this - proven and well established collaboration models via SAP User Groups/Customer Communities are defined.

What do I have to do to participate?

1. Register or login  under the following link:SAP for Utilities.
   This way, you will be informed about the current status and progress of the project.
   
   From end of April 2016 onward you will find the latest slides, on the page  SAP for Utilities under Documents and Events.
   
   You will find out more about how you can enter improvement requests, will receive invitations to upcoming speaker corner sessions (improvement request owner explains his request).
   
   
2. The influence space will be open for you to submit your own improvement requests and subscribe for other customer's requests on May 4th 2016 until July 15th 2016.
   
   Note: only requests (ideas) with 5 or more subscribers will be qualified for the selection phase.

Here is an overview of the whole process and below is a detailed timeline of the project.

The collection of the ideas will start on May 4th, 2016. If you want to learn more about the project pleased feel free invited to participate in the Kick-off webinar on the same day. Please have a look at our project timeline:

We are looking forward to your contribution!

Make also sure you visit our microforum session on April 12th and 13th at the 11th International SAP Conference for Utilities in the Netherlands.

We'll keep you posted!

Yours sincerely

Holger Schütt and Max Streibl

At a  Glance

Technical Info

Best Practices

Learning       Material

FAQ

Important information: If you would like to get notifications just for this document, please click on "Receive email notifications" in the action box on the right upper corner. You need to be logged in to be able to activate this function.

At a Glance(Back to top)

SAP MCF in a minute!

New:SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilities and Public Sector(MCF) Explained!(Jan. 2016)

New:SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilities (MCF) - Customers around the world (Feb. 2016)

Do we Need a Mobile App for Customer Self Service? (July 2015)

Multichannel self-service for Utilities from SAP is about more than just adding apps (Sept. 2013)

Release Info (Back to top)

Updated:SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilities and Public Sector (MCF) - Support package and release information (April 2016)

Technical Info (Back to top)

User Management

Overview

Enhancements

User Self-Service in standard SAP Gateway (please check very nice video tutorial)

Integration with SAP IDM

User Provisioning with SAP IDM

User Interface

Responsive UI Application Configuration

Responsive UI Application Setup for IS-U only Scenario

Desktop UI Application Configuration

OData Enhancement

Adding Custom Fields

Adding Custom Logic

Adding New OData Entity

Analytics

Web Analytics Integration and Visualization in SAP Lumira

General Channel Analytics and Reporting

OData Services Integration

AngularJS OData Consumption

.NET and C# OData Consumption

Mobile Packaged Applications

New: iOs Packaged Application Setup for Development

New: Android Packaged Application Setup for Development

Best Practices (Back to top)

SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilities: First reference customers / Erste Referenzkunden Aug 2015

Learning Material  (Back to top)

• Cancelled:  2nd Official MCF training for NA WNAUMC Multichannel Foundation for Utilities  will be offered in Montreal, Canada on April 18-19 2016. See announcement blog for more details.
• Updated: WDEUMC (SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilities) training sessions will continue in 2016. Planned training dates at the International SAP training center in Walldorf/Germany: 3-4 March, 20-21 June, 29-30 Sept, 28-29. Courses will be offered in English and German. For more details and registration visit  https://training.sap.com/shop/course/wdeumc-sap-multichannel-foundation-for-utilities-classroom-010-de-en/
• New: WDEUMC will also be offered for the first time in Austria as a virtual live classroom session on 25/26 April 2016 (use same link as above)
• Updated:  SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilities and Public Sector – SAP Help Portal Page
• Learning Map for Consultants / Early Knowledge Transfer Material (EKT_MULTICH10CONS) >>LINK to SAP Learning Hub

FAQ  (Back to top)

    FAQ for SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilties and Public Sector (MCF)

Important information: If you would like to get notifications just for this document, please click on "Receive email notifications" in the action box on the right upper corner. You need to be logged in to be able to activate this function.

Scope: This document provides a solution to the requirement "ending the existing installation facts time slice to a specific date via ABAP program".

Background: We implemented the solution for the above requirement in my current assignment. Before sharing it as a document here, I searched in SCN to see if the solution is already available however could not find any. Below are few unanswered threads on this topic.

http://scn.sap.com/thread/1165065

http://scn.sap.com/thread/10754

http://scn.sap.com/thread/3305647

So I hope this piece of information will be useful to the SAP IS-U developers out there!

Solution: The BAPI BAPI_UTILINSTALLATION_CHANFACTcan be used to achieve this task. Say suppose, there exists a time slice starting 1st January 2016 till 31st December 9999 for an operand XYZ ( assume the operand category as USERDEF ) with a value 123. Now we need to end the time slice to a date 31st March 2016, then the code for this would be as below.

************************************************************************************************************

*----Data Declaration

************************************************************************************************************

DATA : 

  lit_instln_facts_upd      TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF bapi_instln_userdef,

  lwa_instln_facts_upd    TYPE  bapi_instln_userdef,  

  lwa_bapi_return_value  TYPE  bapireturn1,              

  l_installation                TYPE anlage.  

************************************************************************************************************

*----Populate the internal table

************************************************************************************************************

      lwa_instln_facts_upd-operand  = 'XYZ'.

      lwa_instln_facts_upd-fromdate =  '20160401'.    "time slice starting 1st April 2016               

      lwa_instln_facts_upd-duedate  = '99991231'.     "time slice ending 31st December 9999

      lwa_instln_facts_upd-udefval1  =  '123'.                             

     APPEND lwa_instln_facts_upd TO lit_instln_facts_upd.

************************************************************************************************************

*----Call the BAPI for the update.

************************************************************************************************************

      CALL FUNCTION 'BAPI_UTILINSTALLATION_CHANFACT'

        EXPORTING

          number               = l_installation  "Pass the installation number to this variable

          updforce             = 'X'

          auto_delete       = 'X'     "This is the important parameter performing the deletion operation

        IMPORTING

          return                  = lwa_bapi_return_value

        TABLES

          userdeftable        = lit_instln_facts_upd.

     IF lwa_bapi_return_value-type NE 'E'.

          COMMIT WORK.

     ENDIF.

The trick here is to delete the time slice starting from 1st April 2016 till 31st December 9999, so that what gets left is the time slice starting 1st January 2016 till 31st March 2016.

Summary: We have learnt the idea / solution to end the installation facts time slice to a specific date using the BAPI BAPI_UTILINSTALLATION_CHANFACT.

Background:

We have been using the BOR object ISUNBSERVC tocreate and endthe non billable service in our present project. We were able to accomplish most of the requirements such as enrolling the customer into a service provider portfolio ( through BOR methodCreate), terminating theservice of a service provider (BOR method End) and the change of supplier scenario ( working out through End and Create BOR methods ).

It was while working on one of the interface which required changing the start date of an existing service contract we got stuck with no standard method / function in hand to do the job. So we had to write a custom method following the logic of the BOR object methodISUNBSERVC.End.

This document details the development done to achieve the task of changing the start date of a non billable service through ABAP program.

Solution:

A custom method with the existing service contract ( ESERVICE-VERTRAG ) and the to be service start date as input parameters. The sample code is as below,

DATA : lwa_eservice          TYPE eservice,

            lwa_eservice_auto  TYPE isuedi_nbservice_auto.

*--Get the contract details

     CALL FUNCTION 'ISU_DB_ESERVICE_SINGLE'

       EXPORTING

         x_vertrag  = i_service_contract

       IMPORTING

         y_eservice = lwa_eservice

       EXCEPTIONS

         OTHERS     = 1.

            IF sy-subrc NE 0.

*--               Handle Exception

*--               Exit Out

            ENDIF.

*--Get the entire information in the deep structure

     CALL FUNCTION 'ISU_S_NBSERVICE_PROVIDE'

       EXPORTING

         x_vertrag             = i_service_contract

         x_wmode            = '2'

       IMPORTING

         y_auto                = lwa_eservice_auto

       EXCEPTIONS

         not_found            = 1

         foreign_lock        = 2

         general_fault       = 3

         not_authorized    = 4

         invalid_wmode    = 5

         OTHERS           = 6.

         IF sy-subrc <> 0.

*         Handle Exception

*         Exit Out

         ENDIF.

*--Change the start date

      lwa_eservice_auto-eserviced_use = abap_true.

     IF i_service_start_date IS SUPPLIED.

           lwa_eservice_auto-eserviced-service_start = i_service_start_date.

     ENDIF.

     CALL FUNCTION 'ISU_S_NBSERVICE_CHANGE'

       EXPORTING

         x_vertrag             = i_service_contract

         x_upd_online       = abap_true

         x_no_dialog        = abap_true

         x_auto                 = lwa_eservice_auto

       EXCEPTIONS

         not_found            = 1

         foreign_lock        = 2

         general_fault       = 3

         input_error          = 4

         not_authorized    = 5

         OTHERS             = 6.

       IF sy-subrc <> 0.

*       Handle Exception

*       Exit Out

       ENDIF.

Electromobility

The number of Electric Vehicles is increasing. The demand for solutions covering the requirements of the EV drivers is growing. The various players in the market, like SAP with the Utilities solution, car manufacturers or mobility service providers need to invest quickly.

Here are some interesting postings about Electromobilty:

• New: The German energy provider EnBW uses smart lamps to charge eCars. View this video and see how it works:

• Learn more about Electromobility at IUC 2015 in Berlin by Joerg Ferchow on February 19, 2015
• Electric Mobility: New Info Brochures Available by Joerg Ferchow on July 2, 2014
• Electric Vehicles - The Tipping Point for the Smart Grid by Joerg Ferchow  on October 17, 2013
• Electric Vehicles – Innovation in Motion by Michael Lewis on September 28, 2012

and the link to the Electromobiltiy Whitepaper "Electric Vehicles: The Tipping Point for the Smart Grid" October 2013 >>www.global.sap.com

View our new assests:

As prices on electric vehicles continue to drop, millions of people will be looking for places to fuel up. It may seem like a natural fit for utilities to build the charging infrastructure, given their expertise with energy delivery.

And some are doing it, including German utility RWE.

Read more about how they have constructed networks of charging stations for such customers as municipalities, fleet operators, and utilities across Europe. All told, the company operates more than 4,000 so-called smart-charging stations across Europe, with more than 275 in Berlin and its environs alone.

Have a look at some hard facts on the impact of Electric Vehicles on the grid and see how utilities can avoid grid disruptions. Read more .

Here are four ways that electric vehicles will impact utilities and actions you can take:

1. Create New Business Models

2. Become Charging Providers

3. Use Electric Vehicles to Smooth Demand

4. Prepare for the Smart Grid

Read more

Take a journey with Michael as he better connects with his utility provider when purchasing an electric car, installing solar panels and monitoring his electricity usage:

Follow us on Twitter SAP Industries (@SAPIndustries) | Twitter

Background:

EL31 is the transaction for monitoring the meter reading data. These reads are pulled from the table EABL and EABLG. Most of the times because of client requirements the table EABL is enhanced with custom fields. However, the custom fields so added will not be reflected in the transaction EL31 unless we do a small enhancement for that. This document talks about the steps for enhancing the EL31 view with the custom fields.

Steps:

I) Enhance the structure EABLD_EL31.

Note: The above field is pulled from the EABL enhancement structure CI_EABL as shown below.

Also Note: In the same as above, the structures EANL_EL31, ERCH_EL31 and EVER_EL31 can be enhanced for the respective enhancements done in tables EANL, ERCH and EVER.

II) : Change the layout in EL31 to reflect the custom field in the ALV

Henry Bailey, Global Vice President of the IBU Utilities shares his insights from customer and event visits.

Here is the summary of his latest updates. Enjoy reading!

• New:  A Surge of Digital Energy was Spotted in The Hague (April 2016)

• Will Utilities Be Left in the Dark and off the Grid? ( Feb. 2016)
  

• Achieving the Ultimate Sate of Readiness for the Digital Energy Network (Sep. 2016)

• SAP and PSEG Highlight IT/OT Convergence at SAP for Utilities (July 2015)

• Simplifying the Customer Experience at CS Week (May 2015)

• Recap from the SAP Utilities Conference in Berlin: Running Simple in Berlin! (April 2015)    

View video from Berlin:

Henry Bailey about "Why is this year’s International SAP Conference for Utilities in Berlin so important?" (February 2015)

Adapt And Run Simple: How The Utilities Industry Is Using Technology To Face The Future (January 2015)

Top Utility Industry Trends Driving The Need For Ongoing Innovation (November 2014)

The Digital Utility and The Internet of Things: Converging at the Right Time! (August 2014)

At CS Week, an estimated 1500 Utility Customer Service professionals came together in San Antonio (May 2014)

SAP Delivers Multichannel Foundation, Example Apps and Free Workshop! (April 2014)

Utilities are moving to the intelligent level of Transmission and Distribution  (March 2014)

The Convergence of Information Technology and Operational Technology is Already Happening – How Can Utilities Best Adapt? (March 2014)

Insights with Henry - The Digital Utilities on YouTube, published on July 2014:

SAP Innovation Video for Utilities on YouTube, published on June 2014:

"Insights with Henry" video on YouTube, published on May 2014:

Follow us on Twitter @SAP Industries

The SAP S/4HANA 1511 FP stack 02 has been released.

What's In It For Utilities?

Utilities customers can benefit from a Virtual Data Modelfor Analytics in specific areas of SAP S/4HANA Utilities.

The Virtual Data Model is a structured representation of Core Data Service (CDS) views.

Business users can use the example queries provided by SAP to get answers to questions from their daily business about the status of the device roll-out and device inspection processes, or about the consistency and completeness of the billing process:

• How many and what type of devices are installed?
• How many and which devices are to be replaced?
• How many invoices are missing?
• How many billing / invoicing documents have been outsorted?

Here's an overview of the example queries and the KPIs they provide:

More Information

• Innovation SAP S/4HANA Utilities for Analytics and the related Product Features: https://ifp.wdf.sap.corp/sap/bc/ui5_ui5/pct/im_appl/?inno_id=6CAE8B28C5DB1ED596EFA5913A4AAC14
• User Assistance: Virtual Data Model for Analytics in Utilities
• Video about SAP S/4HANA User Assistance in general: SAP S/4HANA: User Assistance Quick Overview - YouTube

Hello Folks,

Regarding SAP Utilities, Cash Desk Configuration is one of the major task. So let us discuss in detail about the cash desk configuration, and see what can be done through simple configuration without going to a technical consultant ... Without much introduction lets move directly to the SPRO nodes.

Wish you a Very Happy Read !!

In order to have the functionality of Cash journal the cash journal needs to be activated. If the cash journal is not activated then the cash desk may be accessed from the tcode: FPCD.

If Cash Journal is activated then the tcode is FPCJ.

The first step in configuring a Cash desk/Cash Journal is go to the IMG node as shown below:

Enter application area (Application Area: R, denotes Utility)

Press Enter.

Upon pressing Enter the following screen appears:

I am going to discuss each portion of the screen separately in order to impart a better understanding of the functionality for each of the screen areas.

Screen part1:

Here we see the application area as the ‘Utility company’ as specified in the initial screen.

Below is the check box to activate the cash journal. If cash journal is activated then we can access the cash desk by the tcode FPCJ, and if not then we access the same by the tcode FPCD.

If cash journal is activated then FPCD will not work and will display the following message:

On the other hand if the cash journal is not active then the tcode FPCJ will show a message

The difference between FPCD and FPCJ can be demonstrated by the screen which opens by entering the tcodes:

FPCD screen:

FPCJ screen:

In this screen apart from Cash desk there are certain more sophisticated options are available they are the buttons provided:

This functions becomes available by checking the Activate Cash Journal Check Box. A more detailed explanation about all the options will make the blog deviate from its main content. So moving ahead with the configuration steps of the cash desk. I will try explaining the functionality of all the buttons in some other blog.

Screen Part2:

This portion of the screen provides the general attributes common to both Cash journal and cash desk. Listing the options available and its functionality:

1. Checkbox: Overpayment Possible Online: If this check box is ticked then it means payment of an amount exceeding the receivable amount from a contract account or business partner can be taken from the cash desk. If you want to restrict over payment to be taken from the cash desk uncheck this checkbox.
2. Checkbox: Display Entry Field for Barcode: If the Invoice sent to the business partner contains the barcode printed over it and has the information of the open items to be cleared then a barcode scanner may be used to take payments at cash desk.

This Barcode entry option becomes visible by checking this checkbox:

1. Checkbox: Display Cash Desk Clearing Act: While a payment is taken in a cash desk, a journal entry is posted by the payment document created:

If this check box is selected then the cash desk clearing account is visible in the cash desk screen.

The following screen shows the payment document posted by a payment received through cash desk

1. Input Field: Number of days for card payment: The number of days added to the payment date to determine the value date for Card Payments. This value will not be considered if value date is not manually entered in the system.
2. Input Field: Number of days for check payment: This is same as stated above for check payment.

Screen Part3:

If ‘Automatic Printing’ is selected then the receipt will be automatically printed as soon as the payment is posted.

If ‘Confirm Print’ is selected then the following pop-up will be displayed to print the payment receipt.

No receipt printing facility will be available if ‘No Print’ radio button is selected.

Screen Part4:

This part of the screen provides configuration only for Cash Journal, when cash journal is activated.

1. Check Box: User Roles: This functionality is provided with the implementation of cash journal. Illustration: Utility may be divided into divisional offices. Each office may have some Cash collectors, some finance managers and one divisional manager. So if this check box is checked then the three different roles can be set in the system and the cash collector, Finance managers and divisional officers may be assigned to the roles so that the users have different level of authorizations. This will be explained in detail in another node of cash desk configuration.
2. Check Box: Activate Cash Desk Closing: If this box is checked then the cash desk closing functionality becomes active in the cash journal. Entries are posted table DFKKCJC if this box is checked.
3. Check Box: No partial withdrawal Possible: After collection of payments in desk the amount needs to be withdrawn from the vault of the cash desk and needs to be transferred to the bank. This activity of taking the money out of the cash desk vault is called ‘withdrawal’. If this box is checked then the user is bound to withdraw the total amount present in the cash desk vault.
4. Check Box: Withdrawal of Negative Amount: If this box is checked then a negative amount can be withdrawn from the cash desk vault.

Screen Part 5:

1. Check Box: Display Cumulated: The checking of the box has the effect that the system displays the monetary cash balance in the cash journal cumulated. The monetary amounts in the display are cumulated specific to the currency and not specific to the process category. So if this box is not checked then the following process categorized display can be found.

• 02 Incoming payment/outgoing payment
• 11 Cash differences
• 12 Withdrawals from the cash desk
• 13 Deposits in the cash desk
• 14 Reversal of withdrawal

1. Check Box: No Check on Outgoing Payments: The system does not check if the amount disbursed as outgoing payment is available or not in the cash desk.

Screen Part 6:

This portion has the same functionality as the Screen Part3 but this is for Special postings in cash desk. Special postings in cash desk include the posting of withdrawal, posting difference etc. A document is printed for such special postings, and the printing confirmation is required or not is fetched from this configuration node.

Screen Part 7:

1. Check Box: Enable Posting of Difference for all payment category: If this indicator is checked then difference can be posted for all payment categories like cash payment, check payment, card payment etc. But if this indicator is not set then difference can be posted only for cash payments.
2. Check Box: Activate Withdrawal of Credit Card Payments: If this box is checked then credit card payments taken at cash desk can be withdrawn.

With this the first node configuration is complete.

Second node for configuring cash desk:

On clicking the node the following screen opens:

Click on New Entries:

If you are configuring a fresh system, then there will be no entries as in the above screen shots.

On clicking new entries the following screen appears.

Enter the Company code (F4 help is available), then the payment category, you can specify separate cash desk clearing accounts for different payment categories. Enter the Cash desk clearing account for different payment category.

After entering the above 3 entries press enter and the short text will be populated automatically. Ensure that the account mentioned here is created in FS00 in the company’s chart of accounts. Then save the entry. Likewise you can maintain the cash desk clearing accounts for different combinations.

Note: The cash desk clearing account determination is dependent only on company code and payment category. In order to post the payments taken to the contract account head the cash desk clearing account mentioned here should be also maintained in the following node: “Define Bank Clearing account for payment lots”

Here the bank clearing accounts for payment lots are maintained and as the payments received in the cash desk are also posted as standard lot, it needs to be maintained in this node: The check boxes present in each line are as follows:

Valid for cash payment lot

Valid for returns

Valid for check payment lot

Valid for card payment lot

Valid for payment order lot

Valid for online check

If you are maintaining separate cash desk clearing accounts for separate payment categories then then maintain accordingly the check boxes.

If you are maintaining different G/L Accounts for different types of payments like cash, check, credit card etc then the general rule to maintain the Bank clearing account for Payment lot is as follows:

The third node for configuring Cash Desk:

Click on the Node

The following page will appear and there will be no entries if you are configuring a fresh system.

In this node the document type is assigned to the documents which are posted to the system after a cash desk payment.

Click on New Entries.

The following screen appears

The F4 help of the payment category is as follows:

The document types are dependent on the company code and the payment category.

In this node different document type can be assigned for cash desk and cash journal, for the same payment category and company code combination. If the cash desk document type is used for both cash desk and journal.

Save the entry.

Fourth Node for Cash desk Configuration:

Click on the node.

There will be no entry here if you are configuring a fresh system.

Click on new entries: Enter the followings:

1. Enter a Short Account Assignment: This is a kind of indicator which identifies the document to be posted to which general ledger account. This Short AA will be visible while making transfer postings.
2. A short description: like Company Asset damage Penalty
3. Company code
4. GL account to which the payment needs to be posted
5. Optional entries are: Business area, Segment, Controlling Account Assignment

If you tick the Item check box then another separate line item is created in the general ledger transfer document for this line item

1. Checking the Workflow Box Causes an event to be triggered that can be used together with the parameters transferred from other systems to start a further processing workflow.
2. Period: This is the number of days after which you can automatically transfer the unclarified items.
3. Tax code: as per the business
4. Authorization group: if you want to restrict the functionality of transfer posting to any authorization object then it can be done here.

Save the entry.

The following screen shots shows the effect the above configuration on cash journal:

If the transfer posting records needs to be mailed to a certain receiver then, you can enter the address in this node and mention what kind of address is specified.

Select a line item and then double click on the Mailing address for transfer posting.

Click on New Entries:

Enter the Short Account Assignment, Address and the Recipient Type. The list of recepent type type as follows:

Save the entries.

The fifth node for Cash Desk Configuration:

Click on the node.

In this node the data of the names of the cash desk branch and cash desk number are configured in SAP.

Illustration: Let us consider your electricity board is having four collection office in your town and in each collection office there are three cash counter for depositing the bill. Then you will define 4 ‘Branch’ and for each branch you will define 3 ‘Cash Desk’.

On clicking the node the following screen appears.

There will be no entries for if you are configuring a fresh system.

Click on ‘New Entries’.

Enter the details and save.

If you want to logically delete any of the cash desk of any branch then you can check the ‘Deletion Indicator’ in the last column of this node.

Sixth Node for Cash desk configuration:

Click on the node and enter Chart of accounts and press enter:

Illustration: Say your business is having a cash desk where 1521 USD cash is collected in a certain day. So there should be 1521USD physical cash in the cash desk vault. But due to some human error while telling the money a difference of 5 cents (5 cents less to 1521USD). So in this case a difference should be entered to the system. There may be cases when the physical cash found in the vault is more than the cash collected at the cash desk. The expense and revenue accounts are maintained in this node to make it possible for these kinds of entries.

The following page appears:

Click on ‘New Entries’.

Enter the ‘Company Code’, ‘Branch’, and ‘Cash Desk Clearing Act’.

The expense and revenue account may be the same in a case business requires.

Save the entry.

Seventh Node for Cash Desk Configuration:

Click on the Node:

Illustration:

After the collection of payments in cash desk, the money is accumulated in the physical vault of the cash desk. In sap the transaction of money and material is traced by posting documents. Now after the whole day’s collection, the cash from the vault is withdrawn and the same is deposited to the bank. This activity of withdrawing the money from the cash desk vault is entered in the SAP system by the ‘Post Withdrawal’. Similarly Cash may be deposited in the Cash Vault of the cash desk.

But for the movement of cash, two general ledger is required to be hit. The G/L s for withdrawal and deposit are maintained in this configuration node.

The following screen will open and there will be no entries if you are configuring a fresh system.

Click on new entries:

Here also the withdrawal and the deposit accounts may be the same according to the business scenario.

Eighth node for cash desk configuration:

Click on the node:

Enter ‘R’ application area for utility:

Eighth node for cash desk configuration:

Click on the node:

Enter ‘R’ application area for utility:

Press enter

Click on ‘New Entries’ and the screen which follows will be explained in parts below:

Screen Part1:

Enter the Role: Choose one from the drop down list. Three levels of role can be assigned to the users.

The following screen shots will illustrate the cashier role, but they will definitely project to project according to the business needs.

Screen part 2

Each of the points discussed here will be accompanied with a screen shot of the cash desk (Tcode: FPCJ) function button, for a better understanding. If you check the corresponding role, then for the users assigned to the role the particular options will be active. It will be inactive if not checked.

1. Check Box: Change Cash Desk: A cashier will not be able to change his/her cash desk, so the same is not checked for the cashier role.
2. Check Box: Determine Cash Desk Content: The owner of the role can determine the contents of the cash desk using the counter template to reconcile the cash desk.
3. Check Box: Open Cash Desk: A cashier should be able to open cash desk
4. Check Box: Close Cash Desk: A cashier should be able to open close desk
5. Check Box: Post Deposit: Generally a cashier is not responsible to post deposit in cash desk. This should be done by cashier with special tasks or the branch manager.
6. Check Box: Post Withdrawal: A cashier should be able to post withdrawal from the cash desk so that the cash may be deposited in the bank
7. Check Box: Close Lot: A cashier generally should not be able to close the lots of payments.

The functions can be accessed by the user from the ‘Cash Desk’ in the menu bar:

Screen part 3

1. Checkbox: Post Difference: As difference is posted if a mismatch is found in the actual cah present in the vault and the collection amount in SAP, so a cashier generally is not given the authorization to use this functionality.

2. Checkbox: Transfer postings: Generally a cashiers are able to do transfer postings to GLs.

3. Checkbox: Reversal of special documents: Special documents like post difference and post withdrawal can be reversed by this functionality.

4. Checkbox: Call Up Cash Desk: Open cash desk from cash journal to take payments.

5. Checkbox: Reverse Payment Document: Payment document reversal in case of erroneous payments taken.

Screen part 4

1. Checkbox: Display Cash Balance: The present cash balance of the cash desk can be checked.

2. Checkbox: Display Historical Data: The historical data of the cash desk. The payments taken in the cash desk, payments reversed etc.3. Checkbox: Display Lot: The lot ids created by the user by taking payment can be seen by providing date filter criteria.

Screen part 5

1. Checkbox: Open All Cash Desks: The branch manager has the authority open all the cash desk for his branch.
2. Checkbox:  Close All Cash Desks: The branch manager has the authority close all the cash desk for his branch.
3. Checkbox: Carry out Cash Desk Closing: Execute cash desk closing and cashiers generally have the authority to close the cash desk.

4. Checkbox: Display Cash Desk Closing: Display the previous cash desk closing activity, in a from date to date filter criteria.

Ninth Node for cash desk configuration:

Click on the node.

There will be no entries if you are configuring a fresh system.

Click on ‘New Entries’

Enter the values as mentioned in the previous screen shot.

Use: If you want to use a currency unit sheet for entering the actual balances for the cash desk closing in the cash journal, you have to define the currency units for the currency unit sheet. To do this, in this activity, maintain the value of the coins and notes currently in circulation for each currency.

Using the currency unit sheet makes entering the actual balances easier; you only have to enter the number of coins, notes, and other currency units in the cash desk. The system then calculates the totals automatically.

The functionality can be seen in the following screen shots:

Click on cash desk closing:

Select the Cash Payment line and then click on ‘Enter Actual Bal.’

The following values will be extracted from the discussed configuration.

This is the entire cash desk configuration process.

Note: The G/L accounts used in the configuration should be first created in the system, else the system will through error.

Please let me know if you liked the discussion, and constructive criticisms are very much welcome. Let me know if I missed something or any of my discussion points may lead to something erroneous.

I will try preparing such detailed discussion on several other business process of SAP ISU module in future, of-course if  you folks find that such discussions interesting.

Bye for now and see you soon in some other topic....

Till then take care of your MOM DAD.....

Hello Folks,

Today I thought to share with you a detailed screen by screen implementations of custom FM in SAP Events in SAP ISU. No step will be jumped and screenshot will be provided for every minute points. It will be taken care that if you try to implement this in your system and find something missing in the literature, you can always refer to the screenshots.

From this blog you will get to know:

1. How to find Events for any standard SAP application.
2. How to implement custom Function Module for the event.

Wish you a very Happy Read !!!!

Step by step process:

First process:How to find Events for a standard SAP transaction:

1. Go to Tcode: SE37
2. Enter function module name: FKK_FUNC_MODULE_DETERMINE

3. Click on Display

4. Go to line number 32 and place a BreakPoint.

5. We will find the events that are hit during Installment Plan creation. (Tcode FPR1)

6. Go to SAP eassy access screen and Enter Tcode FPR1 and press enter.

Note: If you want to find the events that are hit in any intermediate process in any standard transaction (I mean to say not exactly after entry of the Tcode) then follow the same process as stated below but keep pressing F8 until your desired screen is hit.

7. The system will open a debugger session and the function module FKK_FUNC_MODULE_DETERMINE.

              8. Double click on the variable I_FBEVE (as per the above screen shot 1107 is the event number). The value of this variable is the events hit at that time.

               9. Press F8 and if there is any other event that is being hit then the debugger will stop at this particular event and the value of the variable I_FBEVE will change to the event name.

In simple words the event name is the value of the variable I_FBEVE.

10. So by this process you get the entire list of Events that are hit while execution of any standard process in SAP.

Second Process: Implementing Custom Code:

After determining the event name, the next step is to implementing your custom code in the event so that customer’s enhanced requirements can be complemented and the custom code can be executed while execution of the standard TCODE.

Steps are as follows:

1. Go to Tcode FQEVENTS.
2. Click on the binocular sign as shown below and enter the event name.

Note: If at any point the event name search shows not entries found then first click on ‘All Entries’ button and then again do the search.

3. Double click on the Event name

4. The event opens on the right sub-screen: It has two tabs: Documentation and Function modules. From the documentation you will get to know about how and when the event is hit and what are expected if custom enhancements are implemented.

5. In the Function Module tab: You will get the sample function module for each and every event in SAP. The second portion is the Standard Function module. This function module is the SAP provided FM for the event and the logic of this function module can be changed or appended. The sample function module will generally be blank and the standard FM will have some code in it.Now I will explain in detail how to create own custom function module for the SAP event and configure the same to the event.

Detailed Steps:

1. Enter Tcode SE80

2. From the drop down select function module3. Enter the standard FM from the event (if standard FM is not present then paste here the Sample FM)4. The function group will be displayed automatically as shown below:

5. Right Click on the object name of the function group and select copy as below

6. In the next screen which appears, enter your custom function group name, just enter ‘ZFG_’ in front of the standard FG name. Provide a FG text. Click on ‘Copy’.

7. Assign Package and TR and save the function group.

8. Click on the tick sign.

9. Then deselect the function modules and do not copy any of the function modules.

10. As seen in the above screen the object name of your custom FG is seen with the objects that are copied from the standard function module.

11. Now you want to create your custom FM

12. Go to Tcode SE37

13. Paste the standard FM name and click on the Copy button as shown in the screen shot below:

14. Enter a ‘ZFM_’ in front of the FM name, and enter the Custom FG you created as shown below. However you can give any name starting with z or y.

15. Click on Copy

16. Click on Tick

17. You can see the success message as shown below

18. Again in SE37 screen enter your custom FM name and click Change.

19. Click on tick 

20. You can Change or Append the code in our custom FM

21. In the above screen you can provide your code.

22. Save and Activate the FM.

Third Process: Assigning the vustom FM to SAP Event

Detailed Steps

1. Go to the FQEVENTS screen as shown above go to the Function Modules sub-screen, and press the change pencil button as shown below.

2. The following screen appears as shown below:

3. Click on new entries.

4. Enter the sequence number as 0 and the custom function module name which you have created, in the above steps.

5. Save and assign it to a Customizing TR.

6. After assigning the custom FM to the event you will find the activated sign, (torch) have shifted in front of the Installation specific function module.

7. Go to the tcode SE80 enter the custom function group which you created.

8. Right click on the object (FG) and activate the FG.

By this you have completed assigning the custom function module to the Event.

Now it’s time to test whether your custom function module is executed or not while executing the standard Tcode.

Testing:

Detailed Steps:

1. Enter Tcode SE37 and open your custom function module.
2. Pout a break point on the starting of the executable line of your custom function module

3. Enter Tcode FPR1 and press ENTER.

4. Second screen appears, ‘Create Installment Plan: Initial Screen’

5, Enter the required fields namely: Contract Account, Currency, Reconciliation key, and other fields will be auto-populated as per configuration as the above screen.

6. The next screen is as shown below.

VOILA!!!!!! 

The code is right into your custom FM.

So this was all I had to share with you……

See you soon in some other topic…

Until then have some good food, plenty of water, plant trees and save the mother nature !!!!

Bye !!!