Enhancing an Input-Ready Query with a

Comments Column in Integrated Business

Planning for SAP Simple Finance
An Example-Based How-To Guide
Applies to:
Integrated Business Planning for SAP Simple Finance

Summary
SAP customers who use Integrated Business Planning for SAP Simple Finance are often in the situation that
they want to add comments to their plan data. With SAP NetWeaver 7.40 SP08 and SAP Business Objects
Analysis 1.4.9, input-ready queries for planning can be enhanced with additional columns in which users can
make comments. This How-To guide describes step-by-step, using an example, how customers can
enhance content delivered by SAP with Integrated Business Planning for SAP Simple Finance, on-premise
edition 1503 support package stack 1508, by adding comment columns to input-ready queries.

Author: Gnter Graf

Company: SAP SE
Created on: 14 August 2015

Author Bio
Gnter Graf is a Senior Developer at SAP SE in Walldorf, Germany. He has 8 years experience
in developing SAP standard software, the last 4 years in the ERP Financials area.

Table of Contents
Business Scenario .............................................................................................................................................. 3
Background Information...................................................................................................................................... 3
Step-by-Step Procedure ..................................................................................................................................... 5
Step 1: Create Comment Characteristic ......................................................................................................... 6
Step 2: Create DataStore Object .................................................................................................................... 9
Step 3: Add DSO to MultiProvider ................................................................................................................ 12
Step 4: Adjust Aggregation Level .................................................................................................................. 21
Step 5: Adjust Query ..................................................................................................................................... 23
Step 6: Use Comment Field in Planning Function (Optional) ....................................................................... 30
Technical Prerequisites .................................................................................................................................... 33
See Also............................................................................................................................................................ 33
Copyright........................................................................................................................................................... 34

Business Scenario
SAP users can use the queries and workbooks delivered by SAP in Integrated Business Planning for SAP
Simple Finance for financial planning in Management Accounting. These queries and workbooks serve as
examples for different types of planning and can be readily used. For example, an SAP customer can use
the delivered Analysis Office Workbook for Cost Center Planning on Years (/ERP/SFIN_A00_WB01) to plan
costs on the granularity of cost center/cost category/fiscal year in a Microsoft Excel environment (see Figure
1).

Figure 1: Analysis Office Workbook for Cost Center Planning on Years

Users can in fact make an explanatory comment for each planned figure locally in Microsoft Excel (for
example, in an Excel column outside the table area of the data source). However, this comment can only be
saved locally and not centrally in the SAP system.
This How-To guide describes how the Workbook and the underlying objects in SAP Integrated Business
Planning for SAP Simple Finance can be enhanced so that users can make comments in the Workbook that
can be persisted together with the planned figures in the SAP system.

Background Information
SAP delivers planning scenarios for financial planning in Management Accounting as local BW content (that
is, BW content in the ERP system, not in the central BW system), based on the real-time InfoCube

/ERP/SFIN_R01 (Financials Planning). Analysis Office Workbooks constitute part of the planning scenario.
Customers can use these to enter planned figures in a Microsoft Excel environment.

SAP delivers the following Workbooks:

Cost Center Planning on Years (/ERP/SFIN_A00_WB01)

Cost Center Planning on Periods (/ERP/SFIN_A01_WB01)

Internal Order Planning on Years (/ERP/SFIN_A10_WB01)

Internal Order Planning on Periods (/ERP/SFIN_A11_WB01)

Project Planning on Years (/ERP/SFIN_A20_WB01)

Project Planning on Periods (/ERP/SFIN_A21_WB01)

Market Segment Planning on Years (/ERP/SFIN_A50_WB01)

Market Segment Planning on Periods (/ERP/SFIN_A51_WB01)

Profit Center Planning on Years (/ERP/SFIN_A70_WB01)

Profit Center Planning on Periods (/ERP/SFIN_A71_WB01)

P&L Planning on Years (/ERP/SFIN_A90_WB01)

P&L Planning on Periods (/ERP/SFIN_A91_WB01)

Figure 2 shows the technical architecture of the delivered planning scenarios.

BW
Analysis Office Workbook /ERP/SFIN_A<>_WB01

Input Ready Query /ERP/SFIN_A<>_IRQ<>

Aggregation Level ERP/SFIN_A<>

Multiprovider /ERP/SFIN_M01

Real-Time InfoProvider /ERP/SINF_R01

(Plan Data)

Virtual Provider /ERP/SINF_V01 (Actual

Data)

Plan Data

Characteristics /ERP/<>
BW Characteristics
BW Characteristics

Key Figures /ERP/<>

BW Characteristics
BW Characteristics

HANA Views from Content Package sap.erp.sfin.co.pl

Master Data Views FCO_C_<>
Master Data Views
Master Data Views

HANA Information Model

FCO_C_IBP_ACDOCA (Actual Data)

Figure 2: Architecture of the Delivered Planning Scenarios

On the highest level are the Analysis Office Workbooks, with which end users can enter planned figures. The
figures entered in this way are persisted in InfoCube /ERP/SFIN_R01.
InfoProvider /ERP/SFIN_V01 is used to read the actual values from the previous year and compare the
planned values of the current year in the Workbooks. A planning function can also be used to copy the actual
values from the previous year as a template for the planned values of the current year in the Workbooks. The
InfoProvider is based on HANA Information Model sap.erp.sfin.co.pl. FCO_C_IBP_ACDOCA.
The characteristics of both InfoProviders read their master data from the ERP master data tables, which are
accessed in HANA Views FCO_C_<>. For example, master data access for characteristic
/ERP/MATERIAL is based on HANA View FCO_C_PRODUCT, which in turn contains ERP master data
tables MARA and MAKT.

Step-by-Step Procedure
This How-To guide describes how you can enhance the delivered Analysis Office Workbooks and underlying
queries with a comment column. Comments that can be persisted in the SAP system upon saving can then
be entered in the Workbooks and queries. The assignment to planned figures is retained.
The description of the procedure is based on Cost Center Planning on Years (Analysis Office Workbook
/ERP/SFIN_A00_WB01).

In essence, a DataStore Object (DSO) in the Z namespace (in the example, with technical name
ZCMNTDSO) is created as a data store for the comments and is added to the MultiProvider /ERP/SFIN_M01
delivered by SAP. This DSO contains a characteristic for the comments that can be represented as a column
with input fields, analogous to an input-ready key figure in the input-ready queries and Workbooks. To do
this, the comment characteristic (in the example with technical name ZCOMMENT) must be taken into
account accordingly in higher-level objects (aggregation level, query). See Figure 3.
BW
Analysis Office Workbook /ERP/SFIN_A<>_WB01

Input Ready Query /ERP/SFIN_A<>_IRQ<>

Aggregation Level ERP/SFIN_A<>

Multiprovider /ERP/SFIN_M01

Real-Time InfoProvider /ERP/SINF_R01

(Plan Data)

Virtual Provider /ERP/SINF_V01 (Actual

Data)

DataStore Object ZCMNTDSO

(Comments)

Plan Data

Characteristics /ERP/<>
BW Characteristics
BW Characteristics

Key Figures /ERP/<>

BW Characteristics
BW Characteristics

Characteristic ZCOMMENT

HANA Views from Content Package sap.erp.sfin.co.pl

Master Data Views FCO_C_<>
Master Data Views
Master Data Views

HANA Information Model

FCO_C_IBP_ACDOCA (Actual Data)

Figure 3: Architecture with Comment DSO and Comment Characteristics

This guide describes how to proceed if you want to modify the scenario for Cost Center Planning on Years
delivered by SAP. Analogously, you can of course also create your own objects in the Z namespace and set
up your requirements accordingly.

Step 1: Create Comment Characteristic

First of all, create a comment characteristic in the Z namespace.

Use transaction RSD1 to create the new characteristic.

On the General tab page, select data type CHAR with length 250 and select the Lowercase Letters
checkbox.

On the Master Data/Texts tab page, deselect the With Master Data and With Texts checkboxes.

Save and activate your characteristic.

Step 2: Create DataStore Object

Now create the DSO. The comments are saved in this in the desired granularity.

Use transaction RSA1 to create a new DataStore Object.

Change the settings of the DSO. Set the DSO type to Direct Upload and select the Planning Mode
checkbox.

Add the following characteristics as key fields:

o

Fiscal Year 0FISCYEAR

Category (/ERP/CATEGORY)

Chart of Accounts (/ERP/CHRTACCT)

Client (0MANDT)

Company Code (/ERP/COMPCODE)

Controlling Area (/ERP/CO_AREA)

Cost Center (/ERP/COSTCNTR)

Currency Key (0CURRENCY)

Debit/Credit Indicator CO (/ERP/DCINDCO)

Fiscal Year (0FISCYEAR)

10

Fiscal Year Variant (0FISCVARNT)

G/L Account (/ERP/GL_ACCT)

Ledger (ERP/LEDGER)

Add the following key figures/characteristics as data fields:

o

Amount (/ERP/AMOUNT)

Comment (ZCOMMENT) your comment characteristic

When you have added your comment characteristic as a data field, it also appears in the
Characteristics as Key Figures area. Also select the checkbox in the On/Off column.

Save and activate your DSO.

11

Step 3: Add DSO to MultiProvider

Now add your DSO to the MultiProvider /ERP/SFIN_M01 delivered by SAP.
-

Open MultiProvider /ERP/SFIN_M01 in editing mode.

12

Add your DSO to the MultiProvider.

13

Identify the characteristics of the DSO in the MultiProvider.

In the following dialog, use the Down button to run down and assign each characteristic. The
screenshot shows this for characteristic 0FISCVARNT.

14

Enhance the assignment of the following characteristics as shown in the respective screenshots. All
other characteristic assignments remain unchanged.
o

0FISCVARNT
(see above)

0FISCYEAR

/ERP/LEDGER

/ERP/CATEGORY

15

/ERP/CHRTACCT

/ERP/GL_ACCT

/ERP/DCINDCO

16

/ERP/CO_AREA

/ERP/COMPCODE

/ERP/COSTCNTR

17

0MANDT

Confirm the dialog

Transfer your comment characteristic from the Characteristics as Key Figures area of your DSO to
the Key Figures area of the MultiProvider.

18

Select the key figures of the MultiProvider.

In the following dialog, assign the key figure /ERP/AMOUNT of your DSO by selecting the checkbox.

19

Use the Down button

confirm the dialog.

to switch to key figure 1KYF_ZCOMMENT. Select the checkbox there and

Save and activate the InfoProvider.

20

Step 4: Adjust Aggregation Level

In this step, you add the comment field to the higher-level aggregation level /ERP/SFIN_A00 (Cost Center
Planning on Years).
-

Open aggregation level /ERP/SFIN_A00 with transaction RSPLAN in edit mode.

21

In the following screen, transfer your comment characteristic from the Key Figures area of the
MultiProvider to the Key Figures area of the aggregation level.

Save and activate the aggregation level.

22

Step 5: Adjust Query

In this step, you add the comment field to the input-ready query /ERP/SFIN_A00_IRQ0001 (Cost Center
Planning on Years).
-

In the BEx Query Designer, open query /ERP/SFIN_A00_IRQ0001.

Transfer the Comment field from the Key Figures area of the InfoProvider to the Column area of the
query.

23

Open the context menu of the Comment column and select Edit.

24

In the following dialog, restrict the key figure Comment analogously to the plan key figure. That is,
restrict the key figure to the following:
o

The InfoProvider that corresponds to your DSO

The category saved in variable /ERP/P_CATEGORY

The fiscal year saved in variable /ERP/P_0FISCYEAR01

Confirm the dialog with OK

25

In the properties for the Comments key figure, select the Input-Ready option on the Planning tab
page. To specify disaggregation, you can choose between No Disaggregation and Disaggregation
Copy. Analogous to normal key figures, in Disaggregation Copy the comment is also input-ready in
totals lines or on hierarchy nodes. Disaggregation for comments means that the same comment is
simply copied to all lower-level objects.

Save the query.

26

Test the query, for example, with transaction RSRT.

Click Execute and enter suitable selection options in the variable screen. Click Execute again.

27

In the following screen, you should only see the query result with input-ready columns for the annual
plan value and an additional input-ready column for comments.

28

The comments column is also present in the Analysis Office Workbook Cost Center Planning on
Years (/ERP/SFIN_A00_WB01) (see chapter Business Scenario) mentioned at the beginning of this
document

29

Step 6: Use Comment Field in Planning Function (Optional)

The comment field functions like a key figure, so it can also be used like a key figure in planning functions.
That is, planning functions can also be created to manipulate the comments. For example, you can create a
planning function that copies plan figures together with comments from one category to another.
The following screenshots show an Analysis Office Workbook that you can use to do exactly that. This
Workbook is not part of the SAP delivery, but is created as a Z object.

The Workbook contains a Copy Source -> Target button that users can click to copy the plan figures together
with commentary from a source category to a target category.
Clicking the button executes a planning sequence that calls a planning function in turn. This planning
function copies the amounts and the comments from the source category to the target category.

30

The definition of the objects involved can be seen from the following screenshots. The planning sequence,
planning function, and planning filter in turn are not part of the SAP delivery but were created as Z objects.
So was variable Z_TARGET_CATEGORY, which you can also see in the screenshots, in which the target
category is saved at query runtime.
Planning sequence:

31

Planning function:

Planning filter:

32

Technical Prerequisites
To use the short text function, you need at least SAP NetWeaver Version 7.40 SP08.
Regarding front-end technology, there are some restrictions at the time of writing this document. Not
everything works with all front ends. For example, the Bex Analyzer can display the short texts but cannot
save them, and only texts with a limited field length can be saved when using transaction RSRT.
Current front-end technologies such as Bex Web, Analysis Office und EPM Add-in provide unrestricted
support for the functionality; Analysis Office as of Version 1.4x and EPM as of Version 10.0 SP20.

See Also
For the NetWeaver documentation on the new comments function, see the SAP Help Portal under
Editing Short Texts in Queries.

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