SAP ReferencePoint Suite

Getting Started with SAP

Point 1: Getting Started with SAP

Sajan Viswambharan Systems, Applications, and Products (SAP) is a business application software package used to implement Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). A SAP package helps an organization allocate its resources, capital, and manpower productively, while managing all its daily business processes, such as purchase and sales, in a systematic manner. This ReferencePoint provides an overview of SAP and discusses SAP system administration. It also explains the SAP R/3 data dictionary, SAP repository information systems, and the basics of creating SAP applications.

Overview of SAP
You can use SAP R/3 to manage functional systems in an organization. A firm will have functional systems, such as human resource system, sales and distribution, material management. Each functional system has a collection of business application tools and a set of tables to store the application data. For example, the sales and distribution module has the application tools to prepare billing and sales documents. SAP R/3 uses Advanced Business Application Programming (ABAP) language to develop interactive business applications. All the application tools in SAP R/3 are written in ABAP language. A firm can customize standard business applications by modifying the standard ABAP code and using the modified application for its own specific business requirements.

SAP Basics
Before SAP was introduced to the market, organizations had to approach ERP vendors to buy an ERP package for each functional system. It was difficult to integrate these packages into a centralized system. SAP R/3 provides a centralized control over the functional modules in a system. As a result, it is one of the most popular ERP packages in use in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical, banking, insurance, and transport industries. The Role of ERP in Organizations An organization has an aggregation of resources, such as capital, manpower, machinery, raw materials, and functional systems. The functional systems that constitute an organization are listed in Table 1-1-1: Table 1-1-1: Functional Systems in an Organization Open table as spreadsheet

Functional System Human Resource System Logistic System Sales and Distribution Financial Accounting Control Production Planning Materials Management Quality Management Plant Maintenance Cross Application

Tasks Payroll and employee welfare benefits Production and manufacturing Sale and distribution of finished products General ledger, tax, accounts receivable, and accounts payable Cost elements, cost centers, and profit centers Capacity planning, master production scheduling, and material requirements planning Requisitions, purchase orders, goods receipts, and accounts payable Planning, execution, inspections, and certification Labor, material, down time, and outages Workflow, business information warehouse, workplace, and industry solutions

ERP is a collection of application programs, a software package specifically created to manage, administer, and operate the functional systems of an organization. ERP allows for the exchange of data from one functional system to another and stores application data in a central repository. ERP packages currently available in the market are System Applications and Products (SAP R/3), Peoplesoft 8.0, Oracle HRMS/Financials 8i, BAAN, JD Edwards, and MFG Pro. Advantages of the SAP R/3 ERP Package The advantages of a SAP R/3 ERP package are:  Integrates all functional modules to create a centralized system. As a result, application data can be shared between various functional modules.  Is customizable to the needs of an organization.  Is available in several programming languages. In addition, it provides various translation tools. Translation tools are provided by SAP to convert short text, comments, Note and long texts from a source language to a target language. To access these tools, use the SE63 transaction code.  Supports multiple currencies. The ERP package can be customized to conversion and exchange rates specific to a region.  Supports Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS), such as Oracle 8.x, Microsoft SQL Server, DB2/Unix, DB2/AS400, and DB2 MVS.  Integrates with e-mail applications, third party applications, and B2B sites. Hardware and Software Requirements for a SAP R/3 4.6B System

To run SAP R/3, you need to install Windows NT 4.0 or later version, Sun Solaris 2.7, or Linux 7.0. The minimum hardware requirements for a SAP R/3 system are:  Pentium 900 Mhz  60-GB hard disk space  512-MB RAM

Developing SAP Applications

A SAP R/3 module consists of a set of tables, GUI screens, tools, and programs. For example, a sales application consists of:  Application tools: Used to create and manage sales inquiries, sales invoices, and sales orders.  Tables: Used to store sales and distribution data. For example, the Vbrp table is used to store billing information, and the Vttp table is used to store shipping item information.  Programs: Used to process sales orders, sales quotations, and sales inquiries. Roles Involved in the Development Process A SAP development team has different roles assigned to different members. Roles involved in the development process are:  Functional Consultants: Develop the blue print to customize SAP modules and develop ERP applications. The functional consultant must be conversant in creating functional modules and should be able to create the requirement specification documents, database designs, software designs, and execution plans.  Technical Consultants: Implement the blueprint developed by the functional consultant. A technical consultant must possess good ABAP/4 programming skills and should have broad technical knowledge about functional aspects. The tasks carried out by a technical consultant include coding, database creation, customization of modules, and report generation. To develop SAP applications, you need an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), such as ABAP Workbench. ABAP Workbench provides various tools, such as Screen Painter, Menu Painter, ABAP Editor, and ABAP Dictionary. These tools are used to develop the interactive business applications. ABAP/4 Programming Language You can use Advanced Business Application Programming (ABAP) to develop a completely new R/3 application or to customize existing R/3 modules. The features of ABAP/4 are:  Provides Open SQL database connectivity to access and manipulate RDBMS databases.  Provides multilingual support.  Can link to the ABAP/4 dictionary to avoid writing data connection codes.  Is event driven.

Implements internal tables. An internal table provides a snapshot of data at runtime. The table is used to reduce the database access overhead in real-time applications.

Programs developed using ABAP/4 are classified as report programs and dialog programs. Report Programs Report programs process data requests, retrieve data from the database, and present the output in a customized format. Reports are classified into the following types:  Classical Reports: Are static reports having no user interaction.  Interactive Reports: Involve writing code to generate interactive reports.  SAPscripts: Involve generating reports using the SAPscript tool (SE71). Dialog Programs A dialog program consists of the screen, flow logic, and the underlying module pool program. Dialog programming is used to develop interactive Graphical User Interface (GUI) applications, such as a sales invoice form. In a sales invoice application, you can fill the sales invoice information into the appropriate fields on the sales invoice screen and click Create to process and create the sales invoice. Report programs can only retrieve and show data from a database. Dialog Note programs can manipulate records as well as show records from the database. ABAP/4 Workbench SAP provides the ABAP/4 Development Workbench that is used to launch multiple business applications. The development environment of SAP R/3 system is fully integrated into a set of development tools, analysis tools, and a data dictionary. The tools available in ABAP/4 Workbench are listed in Table 1-1-2: Table 1-1-2: ABAP/4 Workbench Development Tools Open table as spreadsheet Tool ABAP/4 Editor Screen Painter ABAP/4 Data Dictionary Menu Painter Data Browser Object Navigator Class Builder Function Builder Use Provides the user interface for programming Enables you to develop GUI-based applications Provides access to ABAP/4 data dictionary objects Enables you to create menus for applications Enables you to browse data in the repository Enables you to navigate through SAP R/3 objects Enables you to develop globally accessible classes Enables you to develop globally accessible subroutines

Transaction Codes You can run a SAP application by using transaction codes. A transaction is a process executed in a R/3 environment. For example, when you open a data dictionary screen,

you execute a transaction. Transaction codes are four letter codes that identify the transaction. Transaction codes are entered in the command box on the SAP menu standard bar. Some frequently used transaction codes are listed in Table 1-1-3: Table 1-1-3: Transaction Codes Open table as spreadsheet Application Name ABAP Workbench Screen Painter Menu Painter ABAP/4 Editor Message Builder Transaction Builder Object Navigator ABAP/4 Data Dictionary Function Builder Class Builder SQL Trace Transaction Code S001 SE51 SE41 SE38 SE91 SE93 SE80 SE11 SE37 SE24 ST05

Naming Conventions for User Defined Objects The names of user-defined objects in SAP begin with the prefix Y or Z. SAP has reserved all other letters for SAP standard objects. For example, the transaction code for the Screen Painter application is SE51. The naming conventions of SAP objects are listed inTable 1-1-4: Table 1-1-4: Naming Conventions Open table as spreadsheet Objects Authorization object Class Data element Development class Domain Function builder Function module Function group Menu Length 4 30 30 30 30 30 26 4 20 User Naming Standards Y* Z* Y* Z** Y* Z* Y* Z* Y* Z* Y_* Z_* Y*Z* XZ* Y* Z*

Table 1-1-4: Naming Conventions Open table as spreadsheet Objects Logical database Message Lock object Pool name/cluster name Length 20 20 16 10 User Naming Standards Y* Z* Y* Z* EY* EZ* Y* Z*

The SAP R/3 System Architecture

In SAP, the business process is separated into the presentation layer, application layer, and database layer. In such a configuration, business rules are stored on an application server, the SAP GUI, which functions as a thin client. As a result, when these business rules change, you only have to update the rules on the server and can avoid modifying the client application. A thin client is software that implements the GUI and accepts input from the Note end user. The client sends the information to the application server and shows the processed output in the desired format. Presentation Layer The presentation layer is installed on the end users workstation as a SAP GUI. The SAP GUI serves as a thin client that transfers user input, keystrokes, and mouse clicks to the application server. The presentation server receives the response from the application server and shows the processed results in the desired format. Application Layer The application layer processes the user input transferred by the presentation server. The tasks performed by the application layer are as follows:  Interprets the ABAP/4 programs and manages input and output  Performs task validation and implements security  Checks the validity of a request and access rights before forwarding a request to the database server  Sends the request to the presentation server Database Layer The database layer is implemented using database servers. Database servers are high performance computers that are loaded with an RDBMS-based database. The database layer accepts database requests from the application server and transfers data to the application server. In addition, relational databases, such as Oracle, can enforce distributed and parallel databases.

Administering a SAP System

An optimum performance of the SAP application servers, database servers, and SAP processes is essential in a real-time development environment. The efficiency of the entire SAP R/3 system has to be monitored and maintained on a daily basis. To monitor the SAP R/3 system, you need to perform a number of system administration tasks.

Roles of a System Administrator

Every SAP team has a group of system administrators. Some important tasks performed by system administrators are listed in Table 1-1-5: Table 1-1-5: Tasks Performed by System Administrators Open table as spreadsheet Role Database Administration (DBA) User Administration Backup Administration Security Administration Network Administration Crash Recovery Administration SAP Basis Administration Task Creates and maintains SAP databases Creates new user profiles and maintains existing user accounts Schedules and implements complete or partial backup of the SAP database Creates security profiles and checks security and access violations Manages network access and performs network maintenance Creates and tests disaster management events Performs client administration, fine-tuning, and background processing

SAP Basis
SAP Basis is a collection of programs that can act as middleware between ABAP/4 and the operating system. The collection provides a runtime environment for ABAP programs. SAP R/2 is an ERP package designed for mainframe systems. To take advantage of the client/server model, it was essential during its design to make SAP independent of the hardware used. SAP Basis was introduced to remove the hardware dependency feature of SAP R/2. SAP Basis achieves hardware portability by translating the ABAP/4 code into machine code for the operating system. Some of the Basis administration tasks are listed in Table 1-1-6:

Table 1-1-6: Basis Administration Tasks Open table as spreadsheet Task Client Administration Fine Tuning Back Ground Processing Security in SAP Using Authorizations Function Enables you to create client profiles and allocate appropriate rights Enables you to check the system for optimum performance and perform database tuning tasks Enables you to perform background tasks Implements a security layer to provide and allow appropriate access to crucial data

System Administration Tasks

SAP provides a set of tools to administer SAP Basis. These tools perform tasks, such as system maintenance, scheduling, and configuring. System administration tasks include loading a database, loading the SAP application server, and performing systemtuning tasks. Loading the Database at Startup The steps to load a database in SAP R/3 are: 1. Navigate to Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Services. 2. Click OracleServiceSID. 3. Select the OracleTNSListener service and click Start to start the service. 4. Start the Server Manager utility (svrmgr23.exe) of Oracle and type connect internal in the Server Manager console. 5. Enter the administrator password. Upon successful connection, the Connected message box appears. This process loads the Oracle database used with SAP R/3. Loading the SAP Application Server Software The steps involved in loading a SAP application server are: 1. Click Start->Programs->SAP R/3->SAP Manager to start the SAP Manager. 2. Click Start to start the dispatcher process and message server. The dispatcher process waits for client connection and handles requests from each client separately. System Tasks SAP Basis supports many tools to perform system tasks. You can use these tools to monitor, evaluate, and optimize the performance of the system. System Monitoring

To monitor the system, navigate to Tools->Administration->Monitor->System Monitoring->Servers. Alternatively, you can use the transaction code SM51. The SAP Servers screen is shown in Figure 1-1-1:

Figure 1-1-1: The SAP Servers Screen The SAP Servers screen gives you statistics of current active instances, processes, and number of users logged onto the SAP system. Checking the System Status To check system status, navigate to System->Status. The System: Status screen is shown in Figure 1-1-2:

Figure 1-1-2: The System: Status Screen The System: Status screen enables you to check system information, such as client details, current user credentials, language, system time, SAP release, database used, and operating system version. Viewing the System Log A system log file records system events. To check the system log, navigate to Tools>Administration->Monitor->System Log. Alternatively, you can use the transaction code SM21. The System Log screen is shown in Figure 1-1-3:

Figure 1-1-3: The System Log Screen In the system log screen, you have the option to specify a range of dates for which you want to view the system log. To view the system log for a specific period, specify the range and click Read in system log. All the system events pertaining to that period are then displayed. Sending a System Message SAP Basis provides a tool to send system messages to all logged on users. To send a system message: 1. Enter transaction code SM02. The System Messages screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-1-4:

Figure 1-1-4: The System Messages Screen 2. Click on Create. A new message is created. 3. Specify the text for the message in the System Message text box and click Send to send the message. A system message is sent to all users by default. You can also select specific Note users by using the System Messages utility.

SAP R/3 Data Dictionary

The data dictionary is a centralized file that stores information pertaining to system and application data. The SAP R/3 data dictionary provides a user-friendly interface to create, manipulate, and maintain consistent data in the database. The ABAP data dictionary is integrated with all the tools of the ABAP/4 Workbench.

ABAP/4 Data Dictionary Concepts

The ABAP data dictionary maintains an entry of data definitions made by using ABAP Data Dictionary tool (SE11). You can create data dictionary objects, such as domain, data element, table, and then view them using the Data Dictionary tool. To activate the dictionary objects, use the Activation button on the application toolbar. Active objects are always available to all SAPR/3 applications. To use the Data Dictionary tool, enter the SE11 transaction code in the Command dialog box and click Execute. The initial screen of the Data Dictionary tool appears, as shown in Figure 1-1-5:

Figure 1-1-5: ABAP/4 Data Dictionary Screen There are several important features of the ABAP/4 dictionary. The dictionary can:  Act as a central repository for all the data definitions.  Provide access to data in the ABAP/4 dictionary throughout the SAP R/3 system.  Implement data integrity rules and events using concepts, such as primary key, foreign key, and fixed range values.

Data Dictionary Objects and Data Types

The ABAP data dictionary is used to create and manipulate database objects. Some dictionary objects are dependent on other objects. For example, you have to define a domain and data element to create a table. The database objects relevant to a SAP data dictionary are:  Domain: The formal definition of a data type. Domains are used to set attribute values, such as data types and length.  Data element: An intermediate object between a domain and a table field. An attribute in a SAP R/3 system is always linked to a data element.  View: A database object that is created by combining two or more relational database tables.  Structure: A table with the exception that a structure does not contain any data. A structure exists only as a definition in the dictionary. To learn more about database concepts, see the Introducing Note ODBMS ReferencePoint.

The data types supported in SAP are listed in Table 1-1-7: Table 1-1-7: Basic Data Types Open table as spreadsheet Abbreviation C N D T X I P F Data Type Character Numeric Date Time Hexadecimal Integer Packed Number Float Size (in bytes) 1 1 8 6 1 4 8 8

Classification of Data
Data can be classified as:  Master data: Data used for multiple business transactions. This data is not frequently modified and has to be protected against accidental manipulation. Examples of master data are customer data, vendor data, and material data.  Transaction data: Data obtained during transactions with external users. This type of data, such as purchase order, sales enquiry, and sales invoice data, is frequently changed.  Control data: Data specific to the organization. This type of data includes company codes, languages, and plant codes.

Tables in the SAP Data Dictionary

Tables are basic database objects in a database. The SAP R/3 system contains approximately 8000 tables. These tables are classified as:  Transparent tables: Provide a logical view of the data in the ABAP/4 dictionary. These tables are independent of the physical storage in the relational database. You can create the logical view of the table using the ABAP data dictionary. When you activate the table, a transparent table is created in the database. Transparent tables are accessed from bothR/3 dictionary and using database tools.  Pool tables and Cluster tables: Store system information such as screen numbers, active object list, and so on. Several logical tables are combined in the ABAP dictionary to form pool or cluster tables. The data is collectively stored in a single table in the database. Pool and cluster tables can be accessed using the ABAP data dictionary.

Internal Tables

To reduce database access time and network traffic, ABAP incorporates the concept of internal tables. When several programs access a database, the programs may accidentally change or delete data in the tables. To avoid this concern, you can use internal tables to fetch only the required records from the database tables. After a program has made the necessary modifications to the data, you can transfer the modified data back to the database tables. Features of Internal Tables The features of internal tables are:  Create intermediate objects at runtime.  Perform the function of data buffers.  Occupy a maximum memory of 2 GB.  Require memory allocation at the start of the program. Using an Internal Table To use internal tables in an application: 1. Declare the internal table. 2. Populate the table with database records. 3. Process the records using Open SQL commands. 4. Commit the work to the database tables. 5. Free the memory allocated for the internal table.

Open SQL
SAP supports Open SQL to provide uniform access to relational databases. Open SQL is similar to generic Structured Query Language (SQL) statements, but it has some SAP specific modifications. Some of the commonly used Open SQL commands are select, insert, update, modify, open cursor, fetch, close cursor, commit work, and rollback work. Advantages of Open SQL Some advantages of Open SQL are:  Time efficiency: Saves coding time. In programming languages, such as Java and Visual Basic 6.0, you have to write a code snippet to set up a database connection and then test whether the connection is successful. Open SQL can access the database interface by just declaring the tables in the table clause, such as Tables: zemp, zdept.  Caching: Increases the performance of the data retrieval process. Caching is a technique used to store data retrieved from database buffers. Frequently used data are directly retrieved from cache instead of the database. As a result, the cache reduces the database access time and minimizes network traffic. Usage Open SQL statements are written within the ABAP/4 program. The code sample given below explains the syntax and usage of an Open SQL statement:

Select * from zask_dept. write:/ zask_dept-no,zask_dept-name. Endselect. The above code retrieves the department numbers and corresponding department names from the department table.

Native SQL
In addition to Open SQL, you can also use Native SQL for database access. Native SQL code snippets are written within the ABAP program. Advantages and Disadvantages of Native SQL Native SQL allows for direct access to tables that are not defined in the ABAP dictionary. For example, tables of an Oracle database, which are not defined in the ABAP data dictionary, can be directly accessed by using Native SQL. Native SQL has the following disadvantages:  There is no automatic client handling for client dependent tables. As a result, data stored by Native SQL will be visible to all users.  No syntax check is performed on code between EXEC and ENDEXEC. On the execution of the code, you will not be able to know where coding errors are being generated in the Native SQL statements. Usage The code below shows the syntax of a Native SQL block: EXEC SQL[PERFORMING <FORM>] <Native SQL Statement>; ENDEXEC. Native SQL statements are SQL statements specific to any relational Note database in use. For example, the Oracle database has its own set of SQL statements.

Repository Information System

The Repository Information System is part of the ABAP Workbench. You can use the Repository Information System to view and search for objects in the R/3 system.

Searching for an Object

You can search for an already existing object by using the Repository Information System tool. The steps to search for an object are: 1. Navigate to Overview->Repository Infosys to load the Repository Information System. The initial screen has a tree-like structure that shows different repository object types. Figure 1-1-6 shows the initial screen of the Repository Information System:

Figure 1-1-6: Initial Screen of Repository Information System 2. Select an object type. For example, to search for a table, select ABAP dictionary objects. 3. Click on the Find option. The Find dialog box appears. 4. Specify the search parameters in the Find dialog box and click Execute. The result of the search operation is retrieved in a minimal basic view as well as in an overall view. By default, basic view is enabled. If you want the overall view to be Note shown, navigate to Edit->Overall View.

Saving the Search Parameters

You may frequently use the same search parameters to find an object. As a result, you might be entering the same search values repeatedly. This process is time-consuming. You can save the search criteria for an object by creating variants. To save the search parameters as a variant:

1. Specify the search parameters. 2. Navigate to Goto->Variant->Save as Variant. 3. Specify a variant name and click Save. The search parameters are then saved as a variant. To use the search parameters after saving them, select the Get Variant option and specify the variant name. All the parameter fields are then filled automatically with the search parameters that you saved earlier.

Environment Analysis
Environment analysis is the process of identifying the external interface of a SAP object. When you are working on a SAPdevelopment project, you may find it necessary to transport your objects from one system to another. The SAP object may require several other objects to function properly. To use such an object, all the linked objects need to be transported. In this case, the environment analysis tool plays a crucial role in developing the simulated environment for the object. The steps to perform an environment analysis to identify the external references for a dictionary object, such as table ZGH are: 1. Open the Repository Information System tool. 2. Place the cursor on the object type you want. 3. Navigate to ABAP Dictionary->Basic Objects->Tables. 4. Select Environment. The Environment Analysis dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 1-1-7:

Figure 1-1-7: The Environment Analysis Dialog Box 5. Specify ZGH as the object name and click Execute. The Environment Analysis for the object starts.

Environment Analysis can be performed in either background or foreground. When the analysis is complete, all external references made by the object, such as foreign key relationships, are listed.

Where-Used Lists
The where-used list is used to determine the location where a R/3 object is used. It is a Repository Information System tool that accepts search parameters of an object as input and shows all the locations where the object is used as output. To use this function, navigate to Utilities->Where-Used list. The where-used List feature is available for any tool in the Workbench environment. To list all the locations where a table XYZ is used: 1. Navigate to Utilities->Where-Used list. The Where-Used List dialog box appears. 2. Specify the type of source object. For example, select data dictionary (table). 3. Specify the table name and click Execute. All locations where the table is used are listed. 4. To navigate to the location where the table is used, select the location object and click Display. The selected program is opened in the ABAP Editor.

Object Navigator
The Object Navigator tool is used to view the SAP R/3 development object repository. To access this tool, use the transaction code SE80. The Object Navigator is shown in Figure 1-1-8:

Figure 1-1-8: Initial Screen of the Object Navigator The components of the Object Navigator are:  Object dropdown: Provides a list to select a development object of your choice. The options in the list include packages, programs, and development class.  Object list window: Shows all the objects of a particular type.  Context menu: Provides a list of functions such as create, display, and change.  Tool area: Enables you to load ABAP Workbench tools, such as ABAP Editor, Function Builder, and Class Builder.

Data Browser
The Data Browser is used to view, create, and update data entries in a table. It is loaded using the transaction code SE16. The browser lists all key and non-key fields of a table. The Data Browser screen is shown in Figure 1-1-9:

Figure 1-1-9: Data Browser The functions of the Data Browser are:  Enables you to view all the records in a table. You have to specify the table name. Data Browser shows all the records in an output list.  Enables you to modify the records in a table. While creating the table, if you have selected the Allow Table Maintenance option, you can change or update the contents of the table.  Enables you to check foreign key relationships. To check the foreign key relationship: 1. Open the table that has the foreign key. 2. Select the foreign key field. 3. Navigate to Environment->Check Table. The corresponding check table element will appear. Foreign keys exist in a child table, and the corresponding definition Note exists in the parent or check table.

Screen Painter
A graphical user interface (GUI) gives a user-friendly image to an application. GUI or the screen is used to hide the complexity of the underlying application. SAP provides the Screen Painter tool to develop screen-based applications. You can use Screen Painter to design the screen and write the flow logic behind the screen. Screens are sometimes referred to as dynpros, a short form for dynamic programs.

Dialog Programming
The screen-based applications developed using Screen Painter involve dialog programming. A dialog program consists of screens, screen flow logic, and a module pool program. Screen The main visual component of a dialog program is known as a screen. The screen renders the interface for the application. Screens are used to take user input and to display processed results. A dialog program must contain a minimum of one screen. For example, a user verification screen has two text fields for username and password. The screen also has a button control that starts the process of verification after accepting input from the user.

Screen Flow Logic Screen flow logic decides the logical sequence of the screens to be loaded. It contains the complete logic behind the dialog program. The two important events or processes in flow logic are Process Before Output (PBO) and Process After Input (PAI). A PBO event is called before the screen is loaded. Each screen has its own PBO. Appropriate user-defined code is triggered on this event. An example of a PBO event is initialization of all the field values on a screen. The PAI event is called after the user has specified the input. For example, if you specify a username and password in the user verification screen and then click Verify, the PAI event is triggered. Module Pool Program The ABAP module program contains the working code for the PBO and PAI processes. Module pool programs contain the program modules that are created in ABAP/4 Editor. In a dialog program, each screen has a screen flow logic. When a dialog program is executed, the screen calls the flow logic. The flow logic in turn calls the appropriate code from the module pool program.

Initial Screen of Screen Painter

To load the Screen Painter tool, use the transaction code SE51. The initial screen of the Screen Painter is shown in Figure 1-1-10:

Figure 1-1-10: The Initial Screen of Screen Painter The user options available in Screen Painter are listed in Table 1-1-8: Table 1-1-8: User Options on the Initial Screen of the Screen Painter Open table as spreadsheet Function Name Create Display Description Enables you to create a completely new screen Enables you to open an existing screen in a display mode

Table 1-1-8: User Options on the Initial Screen of the Screen Painter Open table as spreadsheet Function Name Change Test Description Enables you to modify an existing screen Enables you to test a newly created screen

The sub-component options of the Screen Painter initial screen are described in Table 1-1-9: Table 1-1-9: Sub-Component Options on the Initial Screen Open table as spreadsheet SubComponents Layout editor Screen attributes Flow logic Elements list Description Enables you to create and maintain a screen's layout using the Graphical Layout Editor Enables you to create and maintain the attributes of a screen Enables you to create and maintain flow logic using Flow Logic Editor Enables you to display a list of elements that can be used on the screen

Graphical Layout Editor

Graphical Layout Editor is an IDE to design screens. It has a toolbox and a work area. Screen elements from the toolbox are used to design the screen in the work area provided. The work area contents, taken together, form the GUI screen. The Graphical Layout Editor is shown in Figure 1-1-11:

Figure 1-1-11: Graphical Layout Editor Screen Elements The toolbox or the palette has various screen elements that are used to design the screen. Some important screen elements are:  Text fields: Enable you to label other elements. Text fields have a static position on the screen. They can contain alphanumeric text and icon images.  Input/Output fields: Accept the input and show the output. In addition, you can use these fields as a drop-down list box.  Check boxes: Enable you to select a choice from multiple choices provided as check boxes. Multiple check boxes are assigned to a single group, allowing only a single check box to be selected. However, multiple check boxes can also be selected in a single attempt.  Radio buttons: Enable you to select the choice from multiple options available.  Pushbuttons: Perform a specific task when clicked. Each pushbutton is associated with a function code.  Boxes: Enable encapsulation of screen elements. A frame-like structure is used as a container. A header can be specified for a box.  Tab strip controls: Enable creation of a multiple page application. A single page can be considered to have a single screen.  Table controls: Enable listing of data from an internal table or a database table in a grid format.  Subscreen area: Enables you to load subscreens during program execution. This area cannot contain any other screen elements. You can create a subscreen using the Screen Painter tool.  Status icon: Shows an icon during program execution. Specific icons are shown to indicate different status in an application. Dictionary and Program Fields

You can create fields on a screen that are linked to a data dictionary table field. You can also directly show record values from the database. Dictionary and program fields provide an interface of screen elements with the database. The screen elements are initialized and loaded with values from a dictionary table before the execution of the program begins. To use a dictionary and program field: 1. Click on the Dict/Prog button in the Graphical Layout Editor screen. The Dict/Prog dialog box appears. 2. Specify a table name and click Get from the dictionary. All the fields of the table appear. 3. Select the fields you need to use in your application and click on Continue. Drag the selected fields to the appropriate position on the screen. All the fields are placed in a specified position. When the program is run, the field value is shown in the corresponding field on the screen.

Hello SAP Program

This section demonstrates how to create a GUI application. The input screen of the application has one input/output field and a pushbutton Greet. The application shows the message Hello SAP in the text field when the pushbutton Greet is clicked. The steps to develop the application are: 1. Open the ABAP/4 Editor using the transaction code SE38. Create a program named zgreet. 2. Activate the program. This step ensures that program zgreet exists as an active object. 3. Open the Screen Painter tool using the transaction code SE51. Specify the name of the program as zgreet and assign an arbitrary screen number, such as 0100. 4. Select the Graphical Layout Editor radio button and click Create. 5. Specify the work area of the Graphical Layout Editor. Select the input/output screen element from the toolbox or palette and drag it onto the screen. 6. Click on the input/output field and press F2. The Attributes dialog box appears. 7. Specify the input/output text field name as txtMessage. 8. Place a pushbutton screen element below the text field. Open the Attributes window for the text field and specify the caption of the pushbutton as Greet. In addition, specify the function code as GREET. Function codes are always in UPPER CASE. Note 9. Click Flow Logic. The Flow Logic Editor appears. 10. In the PAI section, double-click on the module user_command_0100. This command will invoke the greet module pool program in the ABAP Editor. 11. In the Declaration section of program zgreet, write the code: Data: txtMessage(15)

This code declares the input/output text field element txtMessage. 12. In the module user_command_0100, specify the following code: 13. 14. Case sy-ucomm. 15. When GREET. 16. txtMessage = Hello SAP. 17. EndCase. sy-ucomm is a system variable that stores the function codes of the Note pushbuttons. Using a case statement, the value is tested for function code GREET of the pushbutton. 18. Save and activate the code. 19. Click the Back button on the standard toolbar to return to the flow logic editor. The application is now ready. The application is ready. When you click the Execute button on the application toolbar to run the dialog program, the application displays the message Hello SAP in the text field.

Menu Painter
The functions of a SAP R/3 application are classified into various categories. In R/3 systems, you can categorize and arrange functions using the Menu Painter tool. You can access the Menu Painter tool using the SE41 transaction code.

Understanding Menus
Every ABAP Workbench tool has its own menu. A user-defined screen can have standard SAP menu components as well as a menu designed by the user. A typical menu inSAP is shown in Figure 1-1-12:

Figure 1-1-12: A Sample Menu As shown in Figure 1-1-12, the components of the menu are:  Menu toolbar: Contains menu items, such as dictionary object, Edit, Goto, and Utilities.  Application toolbar: Contains buttons with icons associated with them. Each button performs a unique function.  Title bar: Shows the title of the screen. Titles are user-defined.

Standard toolbar: Provides functions, such as execute, cancel, print, find, back, and so on. A standard toolbar is available on any standard and non-standard screen. Function keys: Enable you to use shortcut keys in your application. You can assign a key or combination of keys to a specific function.

Initial Screen of the Menu Painter

You can invoke the Menu Painter using the SE41 transaction code. The initial screen of Menu Painter is shown in Figure 1-1-13:

Figure 1-1-13: Initial Screen of Menu Painter The components in the initial screen are listed in Table 1-1-10: Table 1-1-10: Components of the Menu Painter Open table as spreadsheet Component Status list Status Menu Bars Menu List Task Enables you to view the status of GUI for current program Shows the Menu Painter work area Enable you to view the list of all menu bars Enables you to view the list of all menus

Table 1-1-10: Components of the Menu Painter Open table as spreadsheet Component Function List Title List Task Enables you to view the list of all function codes Enables you to view the list of all GUI titles

Menu Painter Work Area

The work area of the Menu Painter enables you to build a menu bar, application toolbar, assign function keys, and customize the standard toolbar. The components that can be built in the work area are discussed below:  Menu bar: Can have six menus. The system adds two default menus, System and Help, to the menu bar. Each menu consists of the function code, text, submenus, and the separators. Separators are used to categorize the menu into smaller parts.  Application toolbar: Can have 35 toolbar items. Each toolbar item is assigned a function code, an icon and a shortcut key.  Function keys: Are shortcuts to perform functions. Function keys are classified into reserved function keys, recommended function keys, and freely assigned function keys:  Reserved function keys: Are reserved by SAP and cannot be altered. Some reserved function keys are shown in Table 1-1-11: Table 1-1-11: Reserved Function Keys Open table as spreadsheet Function key F1 F3 F4
 

Purpose Help Back Search for available entries

F12 Cancel Recommended function keys: Are recommended by SAP for specific operations. Freely assigned function keys: Are used to assign function keys to the function code of your choice.

Related Topic
For related information on this topic, you can refer to the Enterprise Reporting for SAP R/3 ReferencePoint.

Point 2: The FI Financial Accounting Module

Reggie R

The Financial Accounting (FI) module is an application module of SAP R/3 used to maintain balance sheets and ledgers. The FI module is interlinked with other modules, such as Sales and Distribution, Controlling, and Materials Management. When a business transaction is completed, documents are prepared and the databases are updated. For example, if the company buys an asset, the asset account must be updated using the FI module. This ReferencePoint provides an overview of the advantages of the FI module. It also discusses the types of documents that can be generated using this module and the methods to generate these documents.

Benefits of the FI Module

The FI module is used to maintain information about customer and vendor accounts. A company implements the FI module to:  Update entries in general ledgers  Update entries in balance sheets and profit and loss documents  Maintain account documents pertaining to customers and vendors  Manage information about the company's assets and banks

Working with the FI Module

The FI module consists of a number of application components, such as General Ledger (FI-GL), Accounts Receivable (FI-AR), and Accounts Payable (FI-AP). Before you can start working with this module, you need to provide a code that identifies your company and customize the FI module. To access the FI module: 1. Expand the SAP standard menu node to view the subnodes. 2. Double-click the Accounting node. 3. Double-click the Financial Accounting subnode of the Accounting node. Figure 12-1 shows the expanded Financial Accounting node:

Figure 1-2-1: The Expanded Financial Accounting Node

The Financial Accounting node has various subnodes, such as General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Banks, and Fixed Assets.

The General Ledger Node

This node is used to maintain information about ledgers. To start working with general ledgers: 1. Double-click the General Ledger node to view the subnodes, as shown in Figure 1-2-2:

Figure 1-2-2: The Expanded General Ledger Node 2. Double-click the appropriate subnode. The General Ledger node has various subnodes, such as Document entry, Document, Account, Master records, Periodic processing, and Reporting.

The Document entry Node

This node is used to record and store information about documents, such as general ledgers (G/L) and cash journals. To post a G/L account: 1. Double-click the Document entry node to view the available options. 2. Double-click the G/L account posting option. The G/L account posting screen appears. 3. Specify the required information, such as the document date. 4. Click the Save button. The final G/L account posting screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-3:

Figure 1-2-3: The G/L account posting Screen To post a cash journal: 1. Double-click the Cash journal posting option of the expanded Document entry node. The Cash Journal screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-4:

Figure 1-2-4: The Cash Journal Screen 2. Specify the required information, such as the number of business transaction. 3. Click the Post button. The accounts are posted to a general ledger. A document may be completed and posted later. These documents are said to be parked. To park documents: 1. Double-click the Park document option of the expanded Document entry node. The Park Document: Document Header screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-25:

Figure 1-2-5: The Park Document: Document Header Screen 2. Specify the required information. 3. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Park Document: Enter G/L Account Item screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-6:

Figure 1-2-6: The Park Document: Enter G/L Account Item Screen 4. Specify the required information in fields, such as Amount. 5. Click the Save button. To post documents with zero balance amount or to post documents with clearing: 1. Double-click the Post with clearing option. The Post with Clearing: Header Data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-7:

Figure 1-2-7: The Post with Clearing: Header Data Screen 2. Specify the required information in fields, such as Document date. 3. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Post with Clearing: Add G/L account item screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-8:

Figure 1-2-8: The Post with Clearing: Add G/L account item Screen 4. Specify the required information in fields, such as Profit center. 5. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Post with Clearing: Display Overview screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-9:

Figure 1-2-9: The Post with Clearing: Display Overview Screen 6. Click the Save button. To post an incoming payment document: 1. Expand the Document entry node and double-click the Incoming payment option. The Post Incoming Payments: Header Data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-10:

Figure 1-2-10: The Post Incoming Payments: Header Data Screen 2. Specify the required information, such as account number and account type. 3. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Post Incoming Payments: Display Overview screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-11:

Figure 1-2-11: The Post Incoming Payments: Display Overview Screen 4. Specify the required information in fields, such as Account. 5. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Post Incoming Payments: Add G/L account item screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-12:

Figure 1-2-12: The Post Incoming Payments: Add G/L account item Screen 6. Specify the required information in fields, such as Amount. 7. Click the Save button. To post an outgoing payment document: 1. Double-click the Outgoing Payment option. The Post Outgoing Payments: Header Data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-13:

Figure 1-2-13: The Post Outgoing Payments: Header Data Screen 2. Specify the required information. 3. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Post Outgoing Payments: Process open items screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-14:

Figure 1-2-14: The Post Outgoing Payments: Process open items Screen 4. Click the Save button. To post documents about foreign currency: 1. Double-click the Valuate foreign currency option of the expanded Document entry node. The Post Foreign Currency Valuati: Header Data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-15:

Figure 1-2-15: The Post Foreign Currency Valuati: Header Data Screen 2. Specify the required information in fields, such as the Company code. 3. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Post Foreign currency Valuati: Add G/L account item screen appears. 4. Specify the required information in fields, such as Amount. 5. Click the Save button. The Post Foreign Currency Valuati: Display Overview screen appears.

The Document Node

This node is used for changing and displaying the information pertaining to the generated documents. To change the information pertaining to a document:

1. Double-click the Change option. The Change Document: Initial Screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-16:

Figure 1-2-16: The Change Document: Initial Screen 2. In the Change Document: Initial Screen, specify the required information. 3. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Document Overview screen appears. 4. Click the line item to be changed. The Change Document: Line Item screen appears. 5. Change the required information. 6. Click the Save button to store the record in the database.

The Account Node

This node is used to maintain information about documents, such as balance sheets. To display balances: 1. Double-click the Display balances option of the Account node. The G/L Account Balance Display screen appears. 2. In the G/L Account Balance Display screen, specify the information, such as the G/L account number. 3. Click the Execute button. The G/L Account Balance Display screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-17:

Figure 1-2-17: The G/L Account Balance Display Screen

The Master records Node

This node is used to maintain the records in the master database, such as the database of G/L account. To update master database: 1. Double-click the Individual processing subnode of the Master records node to display various options. 2. Double-click the Centrally option of the Individual processing node. The Edit G/L Account Centrally screen appears. 3. Change the document as per your requirements. 4. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Chart of accounts option is used for editing the chart of accounts of a company. To edit a chart of account document: 1. Double-click the Individual processing subnode of the Master records node to display various options. 2. Double-click the Chart of accounts option of the Individual processing node. The Edit G/L Account Chart of accts data screen appears. 3. In the Edit G/L Account Chart of accts data screen, edit information according to your requirement. 4. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Display G/L Account Chart of accts data screen appears.

The Periodic processing Node

This node is used to maintain documents, such as documents showing the interest information. To calculate interest: 1. Double-click the Interest calculation node of the Periodic processing node to display the Balance option. 2. Double-click the Balances option. The G/L Account Interest Scale screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-18:

Figure 1-2-18: The G/L Account Interest Scale Screen 3. In the G/L Account Interest Scale screen, specify the required information. 4. Click the Execute button. A report showing the G/L Account Interest Scale appears.

The Reporting Node

This node is used to view various reports, such as reports pertaining to taxes, EC sales, and foreign trade regulations. The options, for generating various tax reports that are available in SAP R/3, are shown in Figure 1-2-19:

Figure 1-2-19: The General Subnode of the Tax Reports Node To view reports: 1. Double-click the General subnode of the Reporting node. The various options are displayed. 2. Double-click the Advance return for tax on sales/purchases subnode of the General node. The various options are displayed. 3. Double-click the Advance return for tax on sales/purchases option. The Advance Return for Tax on Sales/Purchases screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-20:

Figure 1-2-20: The Advance Return for Tax on Sales/Purchases Screen 4. In the Advance Return for Tax on Sales/Purchases screen, specify the required information. 5. Click the Execute button. The Tax on sls/purch. Adv. Ret. screen appears.

The Accounts Receivable Node

This node is used to maintain accounts receivable documents, such as invoices, credit memos, park invoices, park credit memos, and incoming payments. Double-click the Accounts Receivable node to display various subnodes, such as Document entry, Document, and Account.

The Document entry Node

This node is used to maintain information about documents, such as invoices and credit memos. To create a customer invoice: 1. Double-click the Invoice option of the Document entry node. The Customer invoice Enter screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-21:

Figure 1-2-21: The Customer invoice Enter Screen 2. In the Customer invoice Enter Screen, specify the required information, such as the customer number. 3. Click the Save button. The Customer invoice Enter screen appears, with a message on the status bar indicating you have successfully posted the document in the specific company code. To create a credit memo:

1. Double-click the Credit memo option of the Document entry node. The Customer credit memo Enter screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-22:

Figure 1-2-22: The Customer credit memo Enter Screen 2. In the Customer credit memo Enter screen, specify the required information. 3. Click the Save button. A message appears in the status bar, stating that the document is posted in your company code. To park a document, such as an Invoice: 1. Double-click the Park Invoice option of the Document entry node. The Park Document: Document Header screen appears, as shown inFigure 1-2-23:

Figure 1-2-23: The Park Document: Document Header Screen 2. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Park Document: Enter G/L Account Item screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-24:

Figure 1-2-24: The Park Document: Enter G/L Account Item Screen 3. In the Park Document: Enter G/L Account Item screen, specify the required information. 4. Click the Save button. The document is saved. 5. Click the Cancel button to display the Park Document: Overview screen, as shown in Figure 1-2-25:

Figure 1-2-25: The Park Document: Overview Screen 6. Double-click the Payment fast entry button. The Incoming Payments Fast Entry: Header Data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-26:

Figure 1-2-26: The Incoming Payments Fast Entry: Header Data Screen 7. In the Incoming Payments Fast Entry: Header Data screen, specify the required information. 8. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Incoming Payments Fast Entry screen appears with a message on the status bar stating, Entries are saved, as shown in Figure 1-2-27:

Figure 1-2-27: The Incoming Payments Fast Entry: Screen 9. In the Incoming Payments Fast Entry Screen, specify the required information. 10. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Incoming Payments Fast entry: Process open items screen appears, as shown inFigure 1-2-28:

Figure 1-2-28: The Incoming Payments Fast Entry: Process open items Screen 11. Click the Cancel button, the Incoming Payments Fast Entry: Display Overview screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-29:

Figure 1-2-29: The Incoming Payments Fast Entry: Display Overview Screen To create a payment advice document: 1. Double-click the Payment advice subnode of the Document entry node. The expanded Payment advice subnode is displayed. 2. Double-click the Create option of the Payment advice node. The Create Payment Advice: Initial screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-30:

Figure 1-2-30: The Create Payment Advice: Initial Screen 3. Specify the required information in fields, such as Account type. 4. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Create Payment Advice: Header Data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-31:

Figure 1-2-31: The Create Payment Advice: Header Data Screen 5. Specify the required information. 6. Click the Save button. To create a down payment document: 1. Double-click the Down payment subnode of the Document entry node. The options of the Down payment node, such as Request, Down payment, and Clearing are displayed. 2. Double-click the Down payment option. The Post Customer Down Payment: Header Data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-32:

Figure 1-2-32: The Post Customer Down Payment: Header Data Screen 3. Specify the required information, such as account number. 4. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. To create a Bill of Exchange document: 1. Double-click the Bill of exchange subnode of the Document entry node. 2. Double-click the Request option to display the Enter Bill of Exchange Pmnt R: Header Data screen, as shown in Figure 1-2-33:

Figure 1-2-33: The Enter Bill of Exchange Pmnt R: Header Data Screen 3. Specify the required information, such as account number. 4. Click the Save button.

The Document Node

This node is used to maintain documents, such as parked documents. To change a document: 1. Double-click the Change option of the Document node. The Change Document: Initial Screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-34:

Figure 1-2-34: The Change Document: Initial Screen 2. Specify the required information. 3. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Document Overview screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-35:

Figure 1-2-35: The Document Overview Screen You can revoke or reverse the information that has been added in the database. To change a reverse document: 1. Double-click the Reverse Document subnode of the Document node to display the options. 2. Double-click the Individual reversal option. The Reverse Document: Header Data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-36:

Figure 1-2-36: The Reverse Document: Header Data Screen 3. Specify the required information. 4. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Reverse Document: Display Overview screen appears. To post a parked document of the accounts receivable option: 1. Double-click the Parked documents subnode of the Document node to display the various options. 2. Double-click the Post/delete option of the Parked documents subnode. The Post Parked Document: Initial Screen appears, as shown inFigure 1-2-37:

Figure 1-2-37: The Post Parked Document: Initial Screen 3. Specify the required information, such as Document number. 4. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Document Overview screen appears, showing the information pertaining to the specific document. To change a document about a Cross-CC transaction: 1. Double-click the Cross-CC transaction subnode of the Document node to display the options available. 2. Double-click the Change option. The Change Transaction: Initial Screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-38:

Figure 1-2-38: The Change Transaction: Initial Screen 3. Specify the information, such as Cross-CC number in the Cross-CC no. text box. 4. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button.

The Account Node

This node is used to maintain the account documents. To view a customer balance report: 1. Double-click the Display balances option, the Customer Balance Display screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-39:

Figure 1-2-39: The Customer Balance Display Screen 2. In the Customer Balance Display screen, specify the required information in fields, such as Customer. 3. Click the Execute button. The Customer Balance Display screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-40:

Figure 1-2-40: The Customer Balance Display Screen To clear a customer balance document: 1. Double-click the Clear option of the Account node to display the Clear Customer: Header Data screen, as shown in Figure 1-2-41:

Figure 1-2-41: The Clear Customer: Header Data Screen 2. In the Clear Customer: Header Data screen, specify the required information, such as the account number of the customer. 3. Save data by clicking the Save button. The Clear Customer: Process open items screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-42:

Figure 1-2-42: The Clear Customer: Process open items Screen 4. Click the Cancel button. The Clear Customer: Display Overview screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-43:

Figure 1-2-43: The Clear Customer: Display Overview Screen

The Master records Node

This node is used to maintain records in master database. To create a customer record: 1. Double-click the Master records node. The various subnodes available are displayed. 2. Double-click the Create option. The Create Customer: Initial Screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-44:

Figure 1-2-44: The Create Customer: Initial Screen 3. In the Create Customer: Initial Screen, specify the required information, such as Account group. 4. Click the Enter key or the ENTER button. The Create Customer: General data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-45:

Figure 1-2-45: The Create Customer: General data Screen 5. In the Create Customer: General data screen, specify the required information, such as name of the customer and street address. 6. Click the Save button to display the Create Customer: Company code data screen, as shown in Figure 1-2-46:

Figure 1-2-46: The Create Customer: Company code data Screen 7. In the Create Customer: Company code data screen, specify the required information, such as the reconciliation account number and the cash management group number. 8. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Create Customer: Initial Screen appears with a message in the status bar indicating you have successfully created the customer record.

The Accounts Payable Node

This node is used to maintain documents about the vendor accounts. The information that is specified in the documents created using this node is updated automatically in

the General Ledgers. This node has various subnodes, such as Document entry, Document, and Account.

The Document entry Node

This node is used to create various documents, such as vendor invoices. To create a vendor invoice: 1. Double-click the Invoice option. The Vendor Invoice Enter screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-47:

Figure 1-2-47: The Vendor Invoice Enter Screen 2. In the Vendor Invoice Enter screen, specify the required information, such as the vendor number, the invoice date, and the amount.

3. Click the Simulate button. To create a credit memo document: 1. Double-click the Credit memo option. The Vendor credit memo Enter screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-48:

Figure 1-2-48: The Vendor credit memo Enter Screen 2. In the Vendor credit memo Enter screen, specify the required information. 3. Click the Save button.

The Document Node

This node is used to maintain and post documents about vendors. To view a document:

1. Double-click the Document node. The various subnodes, such as Change are displayed. 2. Double-click the Change option to open the Change Document: Initial Screen. 3. In the Change Document: Initial Screen, specify the information, such as company code and fiscal year. The Document Overview screen appears. The Document Overview screen displays information about the specific document number. To create a reverse statistical posting document: 1. Double-click the Special G/L trans. subnode of the Document node. The options, such as Reverse statistical posting, are displayed. 2. Double-click the Reverse statistical posting option, the Reverse Statistical Posting: Header Data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-49:

Figure 1-2-49: The Reverse Statistical Posting: Header Data Screen 3. In the Reverse Statistical Posting: Header Data screen, specify the required information, such as the company code, the currency, and the general ledger number. 4. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button.

The Account Node

This node is used to maintain account documents of vendors. To view a report displaying information about the vendor balances: 1. Double-click the Account node. The options, such as Display balances are displayed.

2. Double-click the Display balances option. The Vendor Balance Display screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-50:

Figure 1-2-50: The Vendor Balance Display Screen 3. In the Vendor Balance Display screen, specify the required information. 4. Click the Execute button. A report displaying the various balances of the vendor appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-51:

Figure 1-2-51: The Vendor Balance Display Screen Showing Balance Report

The Master records Node

This node is used to maintain information about the documents of master databases. To create a vendor document: 1. Double-click the Master records node to display the various options, such as Create and Change. 2. Double-click the Create option to open the Create Vendor: Initial screen, as shown in Figure 1-2-52:

Figure 1-2-52: The Create Vendor: Initial Screen 3. In the Create Vendor: Initial Screen, specify the required information, such as the vendor number and the account group. 4. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Create Vendor: Address screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-53:

Figure 1-2-53: The Create Vendor: Address Screen 5. In the Create Vendor: Address screen, specify the required information, such as the vendor name and the country name. 6. Click the Save button. The Create Vendor: Control screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-54:

Figure 1-2-54: The Create Vendor: Control Screen 7. In the Create Vendor: Control screen, specify the required information, such as the industry number. 8. Click the Save button. The Create Vendor: Accounting information Accounting screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-55:

Figure 1-2-55: The Create Vendor: Accounting information Accounting Screen 9. In the Create Vendor: Accounting information Accounting screen, specify the required information, such as the reconciliation number and the cash management group. 10. Click the Save button. The Create Vendor: Payment transactions Accounting screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-56:

Figure 1-2-56: The Create Vendor: Payment transactions Accounting Screen 11. In the Create Vendor: Accounting information Accounting screen, specify the required information, such as the payment methods. 12. Click the Save button. The Create Vendor: Initial Screen appears with a message in the status bar indicating you have successfully created the vendor record. The options for changing, displaying, blocking, and deleting a vendor record are available in Master records node.

The Banks Node

This node is used to maintain information about a bank, used by the company, when a transaction is performed. To create a cash journal: 1. Double-click the Banks node to display the various subnodes, such as Input. 2. Double-click the Input subnode to display the Cash journal option. 3. Double-click the Cash journal option. The Cash Journal screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-57:

Figure 1-2-57: The Cash Journal Screen The Banks node has various subnodes, such as Master data node. The Master data node is used to create and maintain information about the bank used by the company. To create a document about the bank: 1. Double-click the Master data node to display the various subnodes.

2. Double-click the Bank master record subnode of the Master data node. The options are displayed. 3. Double-click the Create option. The Create bank: Initial screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-58:

Figure 1-2-58: The Create bank: Initial Screen 4. In the Create bank: Initial screen, specify the required information, such as the bank and the country names. 5. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Create bank: Detail screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-59:

Figure 1-2-59: The Create bank: Detail Screen 6. Click the Save button. The Create bank: Initial screen appears, with a message in the status bar indicating you have successfully created the bank record. You can change, display, set delete flag, and transfer bank data using the various options of this subnode.

The Fixed Assets Node

This node is used to maintain documents about the fixed assets of a company. To create a document for an asset: 1. Double-click the Fixed Assets node to display the subnodes, such as Asset.

2. Double-click the Asset node to display its various subnodes. 3. Double-click the Create subnode of the Asset node to display the various options. 4. Double-click the Asset option. The Create Asset: Initial screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-60:

Figure 1-2-60: The Create Asset: Initial Screen 5. In the Create Asset: Initial screen, specify the required information in the field, such as the Asset class. 6. Press the Enter key or click the ENTER button. The Create Asset: Master Data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-2-61:

Figure 1-2-61: The Create Asset: Master data Screen 7. In the Create Asset: Master data screen, specify the required information. 8. Click the Save button. The Create Asset: Initial screen appears with a message in the status bar indicating you have successfully created the asset record. The options Change, Display, and Delete are also available.

Related Topics
For related information on this topic, you can refer to:  Getting started with SAP R/3  The SD Sales and Distribution Module

Point 3: The CO Controlling Module

Reggie R The Controlling (CO) module of SAP R/3 uses data from accounting databases to maintain documents that contain information pertaining to revenues and costs. This module is usually used in conjunction with the Financial Accounting module and helps in keeping track of various direct and indirect costs incurred by a company. This ReferencePoint provides an overview of the CO module. It also discusses the types of documents that can be generated using this module and the methods to generate these documents.

Benefits of the CO Module

Using the CO module is beneficial in many ways because it:  Updates accounting information about the cost elements. In SAP, the cost elements refer to products.  Updates accounting information about the cost centers, which are the units within a company where the costs are sustained.  Controls information pertaining to product costs.  Updates accounting information about the profit centers, which are the units that control the overall sales operations within a company.

Accessing the CO Module

To access the CO module: 1. Double-click the SAP standard menu to view its subnodes. 2. Double-click the Accounting node to view its subnodes. 3. Double-click the Controlling node. Its subnodes appear, as shown in Figure 1-31:

Figure 1-3-1: The Expanded Controlling Node

The Cost Element Accounting Node

This node is used to maintain detailed information about cost element and cost centers. Double-click it to access its subnodes, such as Master data, Planning, and Actual postings.

The Master data Node

This node is used to maintain information about the master records of the cost accounts of elements. It has various subnodes, such as Cost element, Cost element group, and Accrual Order. The Cost element Node This node is used to maintain information about the cost elements. The Create, Change, Delete, and Display options of this node help manage the documents. To create a cost element document: 1. Double-click the Master data node to view its subnodes. 2. Double-click the Cost element node. 3. Double-click the Individual Processing node to view the available options. 4. Double-click the Create primary option. The Create Cost Element: Initial screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-2:

Figure 1-3-2: The Create Cost Element: Initial Screen 5. In the Create Cost Element: Initial screen, specify the required information, such as the number of the cost element. 6. Click the ENTER button. The Create Cost Element: Basic screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-3:

Figure 1-3-3: The Create Cost Element: Basic Screen 7. In the Create Cost Element: Basic screen, specify the required information. 8. Click the Save button. The Create Cost Element: Initial screen appears, with a message on the status bar stating that the cost element document has been successfully created. The Cost element group Node This node is used to maintain information about groups of cost elements. Options to create, change, and display information about cost element groups are available in this node. To create a cost element group:

1. Double-click the Master data node. 2. Double-click the Cost element group node to view the available options. 3. Double-click the Create option. The Create Cost element group: Initial Screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-4:

Figure 1-3-4: The Create Cost element group: Initial Screen 4. In the Create Cost element group: Initial Screen, specify the required information. 5. Click the ENTER button. The Create Cost element group: Structure screen appears. 6. In the Create Cost element group: Structure screen, specify the required information. 7. Click the Save button.

The Accrual order Node This node is used to maintain information about the accrual orders. Options to create, change, and display accrual orders are available in this node. To create an accrual order: 1. Double-click the Accrual order node to view the available options. 2. Double-click the Create option. The Create Internal Order: Initial Screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-5:

Figure 1-3-5: The Create Internal Order: Initial Screen 3. In the Create Internal Order: Initial Screen, specify the required information in fields, such as Order type. 4. Click the ENTER button. The Create Internal Order: Master data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-6:

Figure 1-3-6: The Create Internal Order: Master data Screen 5. In the Create Internal Order: Master data screen, specify the required information in fields, such as Company code, Profit center, and Currency. 6. Click the Save button. The Create Internal Order: Initial Screen appears, with a message in the status bar stating that the specified order document has been successfully created.

The Planning Node

This node is used to record and maintain information about planning the accrual calculation for cost centers. To create a plan layout for accrual calculation: 1. Double-click the Planning node to view the available options.

2. Double-click the Accrual Calculation option. The Plan Accrual Calculation for Cost Centers screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-7:

Figure 1-3-7: The Plan Accrual Calculation for Cost Centers Screen 3. In the Plan Accrual Calculation for Cost Centers screen, specify the required information. 4. Click the Execute button.

The Actual postings Node

This node is used to store and maintain information pertaining to entries in the ledgers. It has various subnodes, such as Manual reposting of costs, Manual reposting of revenues, and Repost line items.

The Manual reposting of costs Node This node is used to correct documents that have incorrect postings. Options to display and reverse documents are also available in this node. To create a document for manual reposting of costs: 1. Double-click the Actual postings node to view its subnodes. 2. Double-click the Manual reposting of costs subnode to view the available options. 3. Double-click the Enter option. The Enter Manual Repostings of Primary Costs screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-8:

Figure 1-3-8: The Enter Manual Repostings of Primary Costs Screen 4. In the Enter Manual Repostings of Primary Costs screen, specify the required information. 5. Click the Save button.

The Manual reposting of revenues Node This node contains options to reverse and display information about manual reposting of revenues. To manually repost revenues: 1. Double-click the Manual reposting of revenues node to view the available options. 2. Double-click the Enter option. The Enter Manual Repostings of Revenues screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-9:

Figure 1-3-9: The Enter Manual Repostings of Revenues Screen 3. In the Enter Manual Repostings of Revenues screen, specify the required information. 4. Click the Save button.

The Repost line items Node This node provides options to display and reverse documents for reposting line items. To repost line items: 1. Double-click the Repost line items node to view the available options. 2. Double-click the Enter option. The Enter Line Item Repostings: Document Row Selection screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-10:

Figure 1-3-10: The Enter Line Item Repostings: Document Row Selection Screen 3. In the Enter Line Item Repostings: Document Row Selection screen, specify the required information. 4. Click the Execute button. The Enter Reposting of Line Items: List screen appears.

5. In the Enter Reposting of Line Items: List screen, specify the required information. 6. Click the Post button or press the Ctrl and S key. The Enter Line Item Repostings: Document Row Selection screen appears with a message in the status bar stating that the document has been posted.

The Cost Center Accounting Node

The Cost Center Accounting node is used to maintain the records in the master databases of cost centers. This node has various subnodes, such as Master data, Planning, and Period-end closing.

The Master data Node

This node is used to maintain master databases. It has various subnodes, such as Standard hierarchy, Cost center, Activity type, and Statistical key figures. The Standard hierarchy Node This node is used to modify the hierarchy of the cost centers in a company. You can also view the hierarchy of cost centers using the Display option of this node. To change the current standard hierarchy: 1. Double-click the Standard hierarchy node to view the options, such as Change and Display. 2. Double-click the Change option. The Standard hierarchy for cost centers Change screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-11:

Figure 1-3-11: The Standard hierarchy for cost centers Change Screen 3. In the Standard hierarchy for cost centers Change screen, make the required changes. 4. Click the Save button. The Cost center Node This node is used to maintain information about cost centers. It contains option to create, change, display, and delete cost center documents. To create a document to store information about a cost center: 1. Double-click the Cost center node to view the subnodes. 2. Double-click the Individual processing node to view the available options.

3. Double-click the Create option. The Create Cost Center: Initial screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-12:

Figure 1-3-12: The Create Cost Center: Initial Screen 4. In the Create Cost Center: Initial screen, specify the required information in fields, such as Cost center. 5. Click the ENTER button or press the Enter key. The Create Cost Center: Basic screen appears. 6. In the Create Cost Center: Basic screen, specify the required information. 7. Click the Save button. The Create Cost Center: Initial screen appears, with a message in the status bar stating that the specified cost center document has been successfully created.

The Activity type Node This node is used to maintain information about the activity types that are available in the CO module. The activity types are the tasks performed by a cost center. This node contains options to create, change, display, and delete documents about an activity type. To create an activity type document: 1. Double-click the Activity type node to view the subnodes. 2. Double-click the Individual processing subnode to view the available options. 3. Double-click the Create option of the Individual processing node. The Create Activity Type: Initial screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-13:

Figure 1-3-13: The Create Activity Type: Initial Screen 4. In the Create Activity Type: Initial screen, specify the required information.

5. Click the ENTER button or press the Enter key. The Create Activity Type: Basic Screen appears. 6. In the Create Activity Type: Basic Screen, specify the required information. 7. Click the Save button. The Create Activity Type: Initial screen appears with a message in the status bar stating that the activity type document has been successfully created. The Statistical key figures Node This node is used to maintain the documents about the statistical values of cost centers, profit centers, and orders. To create a statistical key figure document: 1. Double-click the Statistical key figures node to view the subnodes. 2. Double-click the Individual processing subnode to show the available options. 3. Double-click the Create option. The Create Statistical Key Figure: Initial screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-14:

Figure 1-3-14: The Create Statistical Key Figure: Initial Screen 4. In the Create Statistical Key Figure: Initial screen, specify the required information, such as number of the statistical key figure. 5. Click the ENTER button. The Create Statistical Key Figure: Master data screen appears. 6. In the Create Statistical Key Figure: Master data screen, specify the required information. 7. Click the Save button. The Create Statistical Key Figure: Initial screen appears with a message in the status bar indicating that the data is saved in the master databases.

The Planning Node

This node is used to store and maintain documents about the planning layouts. It has various subnodes, such as Cost and activity inputs, Activity output/prices, and Cost center budget. The Cost and activity inputs Node This node is used to maintain documents on the cost and activity input planning layouts. You can display the planning layout for a cost element or activity input using the Display option of this node. To change a document: 1. Double-click the Cost and activity inputs node to view the available options. 2. Double-click the Change option. The Change Cost Element/Activity Input Planning: Initial screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-15:

Figure 1-3-15: The Change Cost Element/Activity Input Planning: Initial Screen

3. In the Change Cost Element/Activity Input Planning: Initial screen, specify the required information. The Activity output/prices Node This node is used to store and maintain records about the planning credit layouts of cost centers. You can use the Display option to view the planning layout for an activity type or price. To change an activity output document: 1. Double-click the Activity output/prices node to view the available options. 2. Double-click the Change option. The Change Activity Type/Price Planning: Initial screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-16:

Figure 1-3-16: The Change Activity Type/Price Planning: Initial Screen

3. In the Change Activity Type/Price Planning: Initial screen, specify the required information. The Cost center budget Node This node is used to store and maintain documents about the budget allocation of cost centers. You can use the Display option to view the current budget-planning document. To change a document: 1. Double-click the Cost center budget node to view the options. 2. Double-click the Change option. The Change Budget Planning: Initial Screen appears. 3. In the Change Budget Planning: Initial Screen, specify the required information. 4. Click the ENTER button. The Change Budget Planning: Period Overview screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-17:

Figure 1-3-17: The Change Budget Planning: Period Overview Screen 5. In the Change Budget Planning: Period Overview screen, edit the information according to your requirement. 6. Click the Save button. The Change Budget Planning: Initial Screen appears with a message in the status bar indicating that data has been saved.

The Period-end closing Node

This node is used to maintain the documents that are generated when an accounting period ends. To perform periodic reposting: 1. Double-click the Period-end closing node. 2. Double-click the Single functions node to view the available options.

3. Double-click the Periodic reposting subnode. The Execute Actual periodic repostings: Initial Screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-18:

Figure 1-3-18: The Execute Actual periodic repostings: Initial Screen 4. In the Execute Actual periodic repostings: Initial Screen, specify the required information. 5. Click the Execute button.

The Product Cost Controlling Node

This node is used to record and maintain information about the products. It has various subnodes, such as Product Cost Planning and Cost Object Controlling.

The Product Cost Planning Node

This node is used to maintain information about the planning layouts of manufactured and sold products. Its subnodes include Material Costing, and Reference and Simulation Costing. The Material Costing Node This node is used to store and manage information pertaining to the costs of materials. To edit a document on costing runs: 1. Double-click the Material Costing node to view the available subnodes and options. 2. Double-click the Edit Costing Run option. The Edit Costing Run screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-19:

Figure 1-3-19: The Edit Costing Run Screen

3. In the Edit Costing Run screen, specify the required information. 4. Click the ENTER button. The Edit Costing Run screen reappears, displaying the information on costing runs, as shown in Figure 1-3-20:

Figure 1-3-20: The Edit Costing Run Screen With Costing Run Information 5. In the Edit Costing Run screen, click the appropriate row and make the required changes. The Reference and Simulation Costing Node This node is used to maintain information about the base planning objects. Base planning objects are used for calculating the cost associated with other components. Options to create, change, display, and revaluate the base planning objects are available in this node. To create a base planning object:

1. Double-click the Reference and Simulation Costing node to view the available options. 2. Double-click the Create Base Planning Object option. The Create Base Planning Object: Initial Screen appears. 3. In the Create Base Planning Object: Initial Screen, specify the required information in fields, such as Base planning object. 4. Click the ENTER button. The Create Base Planning Object: Master Data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-21:

Figure 1-3-21: The Create Base Planning Object: Master Data Screen 5. In the Create Base Planning Object: Master Data screen, specify the information, such as company code.

6. Click the Save button. The Create Base Planning Object: Initial Screen appears, with a message in the status bar indicating that the information about the specific base planning object has been saved.

The Cost Object Controlling Node

This node is used to store and maintain information about the costs of products or orders. It has various subnodes, such as Product Cost by Period and Product Cost by Order. The Product Cost by Period Node This node is used to record information about the costs of products at the end of an accounting period. To view the list on master data of products: 1. Double-click the Product Cost by Period node to view the subnodes. 2. Double-click the Master Data node. 3. Double-click the Product Cost Collector subnode. 4. Double-click the Master Data List option. The Overview of CO Production Orders/Product Cost Collectors screen appears, as shown inFigure 1-3-22:

Figure 1-3-22: The Overview of CO Production Orders/Product Cost Collectors Screen 5. In the Overview of CO Production Orders/Product Cost Collectors screen, specify the required information. 6. Click the Execute button. The Product Cost by Order Node This node is used to record information about the costs of products according to orders. Options to change and display information about the costs of products are available in this node. To create a CO production order: 1. Double-click the Product Cost by Order node to view the subnodes. 2. Double-click the Order subnode.

3. Double-click the CO Production Order subnode. 4. Double-click the Create option. The Create CO Production Order: Initial Screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-23:

Figure 1-3-23: The Create CO Production Order: Initial Screen 5. In the Create CO Production Order: Initial Screen, specify the required information. 6. Click the ENTER button. The Create CO Production Order: Master data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-24:

Figure 1-3-24: The Create CO Production Order: Master data Screen 7. In the Create CO Production Order: Master data screen, specify the required information. 8. Click the Save button. The Create CO Production Order: Initial Screen appears, with a message in the status bar stating that the specific order document has been successfully created.

The Profit Center Accounting Node

This node is used to store and maintain information about the units of a company that generates profits. The main aim of this accounting is to determine the profits for a company from every transaction. It has various subnodes, such as Master Data and Actual Postings.

The Master Data Node

This node is used to maintain records in the master databases pertaining to profit centers. It has various subnodes, such as Profit Center and Revenue/Cost Elements. The Profit Center Node This node is used to store and maintain information about profit centers of a company. This node has a subnode called Individual Processing. This subnode contains options to create, change, and display information of profit centers. To create a document about a profit center: 1. Double-click the Profit Center node. 2. Double-click the Individual Processing subnode. 3. Double-click the Create option. The Create Profit Center: Initial Screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-25:

Figure 1-3-25: The Create Profit Center: Initial Screen 4. In the Create Profit Center: Initial Screen, specify the required information. 5. Click the ENTER button. The Create Profit Center: Basic Screen appears. 6. In the Create Profit Center: Basic Screen, specify the required information, such as profit center group. 7. Click the Save button. The Create Profit Center: Initial Screen appears, with a message in the status bar indicating that the specified profit center document has been successfully created. The Revenue/Cost Elements Node

This node is used to store and maintain information about the revenue and the cost elements. Options to create, change, and display information of cost elements are available in this node. To create a cost element: 1. Double-click the Revenue/Cost Elements node to view the available options. 2. Double-click the Create Primary option of the Revenue/Cost Elements node. The Create Cost Element: Initial screen appears. 3. In the Create Cost Element: Initial screen, specify the required information. 4. Click the Enter button. The Create Cost Element: Basic screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-26:

Figure 1-3-26: The Create Cost Element: Basic Screen 5. In the Create Cost Element: Basic screen, specify the required information in fields, such as Name.

6. Click the Save button. The Create Cost Element: Initial screen appears, with a message in the status bar stating that the specified cost element document has been created.

The Actual Postings Node

This node is used to maintain the records containing information about entries in ledgers. To transfer payables and receivables: 1. Double-click the Actual Postings node to view the subnodes. 2. Double-click the Period-End Closing subnode to view the available options. 3. Double-click the Transferring Payables/Receivables option. The Profit Center Accounting: Transfer Payables/Receivables screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-27:

Figure 1-3-27: The Profit Center Accounting: Transfer Payables/Receivables Screen 4. In the Profit Center Accounting: Transfer Payables/Receivables screen, select the row that contains the information of the profit center for which you need to transfer payables. 5. Click the Execute button. The SAP R/3 screen appears. The status bar of this screen shows a message indicating that the test run for the company code is successful. Figure 1-3-28 shows the SAP R/3 screen with the message on the status bar:

Figure 1-3-28: The SAP R/3 Screen To determine the carry forward of the balances:

1. Double-click the Actual Postings node. 2. Double-click the Period-End Closing subnode. 3. Double-click the Carrying Forward of Balances option. The Profit center: Carry forward actual balance screen appears. 4. In the Profit center: Carry forward actual balance screen, specify the required information, such as company code. 5. Click the Execute button. The Balance Carry ForwarLedger 8A for the year 2002 Test run screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-3-29:

Figure 1-3-29: The Balance Carry ForwarLedger 8A for the year 2002 Test run Screen

Related Topics

For related information on this topic, you can refer to:  Getting Started With SAP R/3  The SD Sales and Distribution Module  The FI Financial Accounting Module

Point 4: The SD - Sales and Distribution Module

Reggie R The Sales and Distribution (SD) module is a SAP R/3 application module used to manage the sales and distribution data of an organization. Sales data consists of the sales price and billing information of products. Distribution data includes data about the shipment and delivery of products. This ReferencePoint provides an overview of the SD module. It discusses the advantages of application of the SD module of SAPR/3and examines the implementation of the SD module with the help of a case study.

An Overview of the SD Module

The SD module maintains all information associated with a sales transaction. This information provides support for customer inquiries, quotations, delivery of products, and billing. To perform business activities, the regions in a state or province are divided into sales areas. Each sales area consists of a number of sales organizations, distribution channels, and divisions. In SAP, a sales organization represents the sales unit of a company. Distribution channels are modes through which products and services reach the customers. A division is defined for each product category. The categories in a distribution channel are:  Direct: Sell products directly to the customers  Retail: Sell products through a third-party  Wholesale: Sell products bought for resale purposes The SD module consists of some predefined databases, which can be customized according to the sales structure of a company. The typical sales structure of a company consists of sales offices within a sales area. Each office has sales groups and sales representatives associated with it. A sales group represents the group of people associated with the sale of a product. The number of categories of products or divisions determines the count of sales groups. Each sales group consists of sales representatives who manage the sales activities.

Benefits of the SD Module

The SD module contains databases for generating efficient sales documents. It also provides customer master databases to store information about customers, sold-to party, and business partners. Master records are also maintained for vendors and products. Using the SD module is beneficial in many ways because it:  Updates the master records, such as that of customers and business partners  Updates the data needed for sales support

     

Manages the data about sales activities Updates the shipment and transportation information Manages the billing documents, such as invoices Maintains the credit management information Updates the documents connected with foreign trade or customs Maintains the sales information system

Working with the SD Module

To open the SD module: 1. Select SAP standard menu-> Logistics-> Sales and Distribution. Figure 1-41 shows the SAP Easy Access window with the Sales and Distribution node selected:

Figure 1-4-1: The Sales and Distribution Node

2. Double-click the Sales and Distribution node. The expanded Sales and Distribution node shows various subnodes, such as Master Data, Sales Support, Sales, Shipping and Transportation, Billing, Credit Management, Foreign Trade/Customs, and Sales Information system.

The Master Data Node

This node is used for managing master records. It contains subnodes, such as Business partners, Products, Conditions, Output, and Agreements. These subnodes can be used to update master data, such as records of customers, vendors, and products. Figure 1-4-2 shows the subnodes in the Master Data node:

Figure 1-4-2: The Expanded Master Data Node

The Business partners Node This node has options to manage data associated with business partners of a company. The business partners of a company include:  Customers: Purchase products or avail of services offered by the company  Sales partners: Sell company products and provide services on behalf of the company  Forwarding agents: Provide products ordered by the customers  Sales Personnel: Provide services to the customers and process their orders The Business partners node has subnodes, such as Sales prospect, Customer, Contact persons, Sales partners, Forwarding agent, Sales personnel, and Competitors. The Sales prospect Node The Sales prospects node simplifies the maintenance of master data with respect to business partners. Using the Create option of this node, you can create records of business partners. For creating such records, specify the information of the customer, such as sales organization, distribution channel, and division. Data about customers and business partners is maintained so that other modules, which use this data, use the updated records. The Customer Node This node is used to modify the customer-related data. It provides options to create a record for a new customer and change and view customer information. The amount of data specified for a new customer depends upon the account group of the customer. The account group defines the function of the customer, such as:  One-time customer: Buys products or avails services of the company only once, and is not a regular customer  Payer: Pays the bill for a product that is bought from the company, or for availing services  Ship-to party: Orders products from the company  Sold-to party: Orders products or avails of services from the company The Customer node has options to block and flag a customer for deletion. For example, you can block the sales transaction for a customer, who exceeds the credit limit. This node provides options to modify the data of a specific customer. Use the Sales and Distribution or Complete option of the Customer node to modify the customer information. Figure 1-4-3 shows the highlighted Sales and Distribution option:

Figure 1-4-3: Highlighted Sales and Distribution Option under Change Node The Contact persons Node The Contact persons Node is used to manage the personal information of contact persons. This node has options, such as Create, Change to create, and modify a record of a contact person. The Sales partners Node This node is used to manage the information of sales partners of a company. Figure 14-4 shows the options available in the Sales partners node:

Figure 1-4-4: The Expanded Sales Partners Node The Forwarding agent Node Using the Forwarding agent node, you can create, change, and display the records of forwarding agents. Forwarding agents provide the transportation facilities, such as shipment and delivery services for delivering a product. This node has options, such as Create, Change, and Display to create, modify, and view records of forwarding agents. The Sales personnel Node The Sales Personnel node is used to update information, such as sales organization, distribution channel, and division, about sales personnel. This node has options, such as Create, Change, and Display that can be used to create, modify, and view the records of sales personnel. The Competitors Node

The options in Competitors node enable you to update information about competitors and the strategies deployed by them to market their products. Figure 1-4-5 shows the options of the Competitors node:

Figure 1-4-5: Competitor Options The Products Node The Products node has options that can be used to manage product information of a company. The Products node has various subnodes, such as Material, Item proposal, Listing/exclusion, Value contract Assortment module, Bills of material, and Serial numbers. The Material Node The options available in the Products node are used to maintain information about manufactured products. The manufactured products may be of various types:  Trading goods: Bought and sold by the company.

    

Non-stock materials: Unavailable in the inventory, such as stationery goods. Services: Provided to the customers and do not have a physical form. For example, the after-sales support provided by the sales partners to the customers. Packaging materials: Used for packing the products of a company. Competitive products: Manufactured by other companies in the same field. . Other materials: Do not belong to any of the specified product categories.

Use the Material node of the Product node, to update information about these products. The Item proposal Node This node is used to manage information about item proposals. An item proposal consists of materials, which are regularly ordered by customers. You can also see the list of materials using the List by material option. The Listing/exclusion Node This node is used to maintain information about the products that a customer can or cannot buy. The Display option of this node shows a list of such products. You can create, change, and display listings and exclusions for a customer using the options in this node. The Value contract Assortment module Node Use the Value contract - Assortment module node to create, change, display, or delete value contract documents. The value contract denotes that the customer agrees to receive products or services at a certain fixed value for a fixed period. The Bills of Material Node The options of this node are used to maintain the Bill of Material (BOM) documents. A BOM is a sales document used to perform the task of maintenance of information about the quantity and unit of measure of the components of a product. The different types of BOMs created are:  Material BOM: Maintains information about the parts that form a material sold to the customer  Document structure: Maintains information associated with a complex material or transaction  Equipment BOM: Maintains information about an equipment, such as the parts that form the material, or are used for material maintenance  Functional location BOM: Maintains information that indicate a functional location, such as the location where the product is manufactured  Sales order BOM: Maintains information connected to a sales order The Create, Change, and Display options are used to create, change, and display all the information about these BOMs. Figure 1-4-6 shows the different BOMs that can be maintained:

Figure 1-4-6: Different BOMs The Serial number Node This node is used to manage information about serial numbers of components of products. Allot Serial numbers to these components through the options of the Serial Number node in order to maintain information associated with them. Use the options in this node to create, change, and display serial numbers of components. The Conditions Node This node helps to specify conditions for records of prices, discounts, freight, and taxes, and conditions. The Create option is used to generate condition records on discounts by customer, material, price group, or material group. Use the Change and Display options to change and display the information of such records.

The Output Node The Output node is used to create output documents. Output documents are used to enhance communication between the sales employees and the business partners. Output documents are based on:  Inquiry  Quotation  Order confirmation  Internal output. For example, e-mail  Contract  Credit processing  Scheduling agreement  Cash sale Figure 1-4-7 shows the various options of the Output node:

Figure 1-4-7: The Expanded Output Node The Output node has subnodes, such as Sales document, Shipping, Shipping unit, and Sales activities. The Sales document Node The Sales document node is used to create condition records based on sales organization and output type. Using the Change and Display options of this node, you can change or display these records. The Shipping Node The Shipping node is used to create condition records and can be used to set the dispatch time, medium, and language for the output documents. The Change and Display options can be used to modify and view the documents about shipping.

The Shipping units Node The Shipping units node is used to maintain the output documents for a shipping unit. A shipping unit refers to the unit from where the products are transported to the destination location. Use the options of the Shipping unit node to create, change, and view the information of the output documents about shipping units. The Sales activities Node The Sales activities node is used to create the output documents of sales activities. The options of this node are used to maintain the condition records about various sales activities, such as contract. The Change and Display options are used to change or view the information that pertains to these output documents. The Agreements Node This node is used to manage information about agreements. An agreement consists of terms and conditions that have been accepted by the customer and the company. These agreements may be on the mode of payment or the validity period. Figure 1-48 shows the subnodes in the Agreements node:

Figure 1-4-8: The Expanded Agreements Node The Agreements node has subnodes, such as CustomerMaterial Information, Contracts, Rebate arrangement, Promotion, and Sales deal. The CustomerMaterial Information Node The CustomerMaterial Information node is used to maintain the condition records of materials for a specific customer. Use the Change option to modify any information of such documents. View these records using the Display option of this node. The Contracts Node The Contracts node is used to create, change, and display the documents associated with contracts. A contract defines the agreements between the company and the customer. These agreements cover different sales activities, such as delivery or billing.

The Rebate arrangement Node The Rebate arrangement node is used to maintain the information about discounts given to a customer. You can also modify validity period of the rebate arrangement, such as settlement period. Using the Display option, you can display the information of rebate arrangement records. The Promotion Node The Promotion node is used to manage information about validity period and payment terms, such as payment against delivery. The Change and Display option is used to change or delete promotion records. The Sales deal Node This node is used to create, change, and view records about sales deals. A sales deal relates to the arrangements made by a company to sell a product. These deals may be on validity period, currency, or payment terms.

The Sales Support Node

The options of this node are used to maintain information of sales activities. Figure 1-49 shows the subnodes available of the Sales Support node:

Figure 1-4-9: The Expanded Sales Support Node The Sales Support node has subnodes, such as Sales promotions, Sales activities, and Potential analysis. The Sales promotions Node This node is used to maintain the information about sales activities, such as sales strategies devised by a company. In SD module, four types of sales activities are provided:  Collectively generated sales activities: Sales calls to customers not interacted with, for a long time  Internet mail activities: E-mails to customers to inform them about the products  Mail with follow-up activities: Products gifted to customers followed by sales calls

Mail without follow-up activities: Products gifted to customers not necessarily followed by sales calls

The Sales activities Node This node is used to maintain information about sales activities. A sales activity involves interaction with customers to advertise a new product or to receive customer inquiries. You can perform sales activities using three modes:  Phone call  Sales call  Sales letter To modify the information about sales activities: 1. Double-click the Sales activities node 2. Double-click the Edit option. The Create Sales activity screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-4-10:

Figure 1-4-10: The Create Sales Activity Screen 3. In the Create Sales activity screen, specify information of the contact persons of the customer In this document you can cite the reason to contact the customer. A complete record of the correspondence is maintained. The Potential analysis Node This node is used to maintain information that helps analyzing the capacity of the companys product in the market. The sales of these products are compared to a competitor company in the same field. An in-depth analysis of the product in the market helps in devising better plans to counter the competition. You can create, change, and

display the documents about potential analysis of products using the options of this node.

The Sales Node

This node provides the options to maintain the sales documents associated with a transaction. Figure 1-4-11 shows the subnodes of the Sales node:

Figure 1-4-11: The Expanded Sales Node The Sales node has subnodes, such as Quotation, Order, and Scheduling Agreement. The Quotations Node

The options of the Quotations node are used to maintain the quotations, which includes the price and the quantity of the product. The options of this module are used to change or view the information about the quotations. The Order Node The options of the Order node are used to create, change, and display records about a customer sales order. You can store information, such as the name of the sold-to party, material number, sales personnel, and delivery dates in these records. The Scheduling Agreement Node This node helps creating a document, which displays the delivery dates and the quantity of the material. The options of this node can be used to change the information about the scheduling agreements.

The Shipping and Transportation Node

The shipping and transportation node is used to maintain information about transport and delivery of products. Figure 1-4-12 shows the subnodes of the Shipping and Transportation node:

Figure 1-4-12: The Expanded Shipping and Transportation Node The Shipping and Transportation node has subnodes, such as Outbound Delivery, Picking, Pack, Loading, and Transportation. The Outbound Delivery Node The Outbound Delivery node is used to maintain information of products for delivery to the customers. Using the options of this node you can store information, such as the shipping point and order number. In case a customer is blocked, the record is not added to the database, and an error message appears. The Picking Node

This node is used to maintain information about picking. Picking is the process of transferring the required quantity of a product from the storage house and delivering it to the respective department. The Pack Node The options of the Pack node are used to maintain information about package of products for outbound delivery and transportation. The Loading Node This node is used to maintain information about the loading tools, which are used to load products. A loading group consists of all such tools. It is possible to create, change, or view loading documents using the options of the Loading node. The Transportation Node This node is used to maintain documents associated with shipment information of the products. Shipment information includes shipment type, shipment route, duration, and distance. The options to change or display information about transportation are available in this node.

The Billing Node

This node is used to maintain the billing documents. These documents contain information, such as the prices of products and the quantity delivered. After the creation of a delivery document and delivery of products to the customer, invoke the subnodes of this node. Figure 1-4-13 shows the subnodes of the Billing node:

Figure 1-4-13: The Expanded Billing Node The Billing node has subnodes, such as Billing Document, Invoice List, Rebates, Revenue Recognition, and Environment. The Billing Document Node This node is used to maintain the billing documents. Use the Create option of the Billing Document node to create billing documents. Use the Change option of the Billing Document node to update information about billing documents. Cancel a billing document using the Cancel option. A Billing due list is a list of documents that needs to be billed. You can process such a list using the option Process Billing Due List. You can create a background process that searches for the documents to be processed using the option Background Processing.

The Invoice List Node This node is used to maintain invoices. To create an invoice document: 1. Select Invoice List->Create. The Create Invoice List screen appears. 2. In Create Invoice List screen, specify the information of the billing documents to be processed, such as the billing type and billing date. Use the options Change and Display to change and view the invoice records. To cancel the invoice list created use the Cancel option of the Invoice List node. The Rebates Node This node is used to maintain the information about rebates. Update billing documents using the Update Billing Documents option. To maintain information of Rebate Settlement: 1. Double-click the Rebate Settlement node. The Settlement of Rebate Agreements screen appears. 2. Type the information, such as the organizational data. 3. Click the Execute button. A report showing the information of various rebate settlements is displayed. The Revenue Recognition Node This option is used to maintain information about revenue generated by a company. Use the Edit Revenue List option to update revenue lists. You need to enter information, such as company code, sales document number, and customer data to edit a revenue list. Use the Revenue Report option to create a report, which displays information about the revenue, generated by the company. You can view the list of sales, revenue, and billing data using this option. You need to type the sales document number, which is a required field to activate this option. The Environment Node This node is used to maintain information of accounts receivable. Use the Accounts Receivable option to view line item documents of customers. Specify the information, such as company code and customer account to view this report. The report shows the sales document number and the status of these documents in terms of accounts receivable. The Amount in local currency field shows the amount payable by the customer. Use the Set Billing Date option to set the billing dates of documents.

The Credit Management Node

This node is used to maintain information about credit, such as credit limit of a customer. Figure 1-4-14 shows the subnodes of the Credit Managementnode:

Figure 1-4-14: The Expanded Credit Management Node The Credit Management node has subnodes, such as Exceptions, Sales and Distribution documents, and Account. The Exceptions Node This option is used to maintain sales and billing information using message folders. You can maintain the sales and billing information as messages in the inbox. You can maintain and update blocked sales information using the Blocked SD Documents option of the Exceptions node. The Sales and Distribution docs Node

This node is used to maintain the information about sales transaction and transportation. Use the Released option to maintain released SD information. You can maintain all the sales and delivery information using the All option. Use the Sales document option to maintain the sales information. To view incomplete documents: 1. Double-click the Incomplete SD Documents option. The Incomplete SD Documents screen appears. 2. In the Incomplete SD Documents screen, select the level of incompleteness and type the organizational data. View a report that shows information of blocked sales and distribution documents using the Sales and distrib documents blocked option of the Sales and distribution docs node. The Account Node This node is used to view the information about the sales documents. To view reports of outstanding balances of the customers: 1. Select Account->Display balances. The Customer Balance Display screen appears. 2. In the Customer Balance Display screen, type the customer number, company code, and fiscal year. The document generated shows the period, debit information, credit information, and balance information of the customers. Use the Analysis option to depict the information about account, sales, and deductions/interest of sales documents.

The Foreign Trade/Customs Node

This node is used to maintain all the information associated with foreign trade. There are prohibitions and regulations for the export of products to other countries. Maintain this information using the Foreign Trade/Customs node. Figure 1-4-15 shows the subnodes of the Foreign Trade/Customs node:

Figure 1-4-15: The Expanded Foreign Trade/Customs Node The options of this node can be used for maintaining information about the foreign trade and customs. Using this node, you can also check the information in the master records, such as that of material, vendor, purchase info records, and that of customers

Implementing the SD Module

The entire sales transaction is described with the help of a case study. For example, a company called ABC, Inc., manufactures and sells computers. To complete the sales transaction, the company has to: 1. Create a contract document 2. Create a sales order document 3. Update the documents about delivery of products 4. Update the billing documents

5. Modify the account documents after the collection of payment from the customer These activities constitute a complete cycle to process a sales order. To perform a sales transaction: 1. In the SAP Easy Access window, select Logistics->Sales and Distribution>Sales->Contract ->Create. The Create Contract: Initial Screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-4-16:

Figure 1-4-16: The Create Contract: Initial Screen 2. In the Create Contract: Initial Screen, type the organizational data. 3. Press Enter. Alternatively, click the ENTER button. The Create Value contract: Overview screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-4-17:

Figure 1-4-17: Create Value contract: Overview Screen 4. In the Create Value contract: Overview screen, enter the information for the Item overview, Sales, Item detail, Ordering party, and Reason for rejection tabs. 5. Select Goto->Header->Partner to assign a sales personnel to the contract. The Create Value contract: Header Data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-4-18:

Figure 1-4-18: The Create Value contract: Header Data Screen 6. Save the data. On the status bar, a message appears indicating the successful creation of a contract. 7. Select Logistics->Sales and Distribution->Sales->Order->Create. The Create Sales Order: Initial Screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-4-19:

Figure 1-4-19: The Create Sales Order: Initial Screen 8. Specify the order type and organizational data. 9. Press Enter. Alternatively, click the ENTER button. The Create Sales Order: Initial Screen appears. 10. In Create Sales Order: Initial Screen, if Standard Order in Order Type is selected, the Create Standard order: Overview screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-4-20:

Figure 1-4-20: The Create Standard order: Overview Screen 11. Enter the required information, such as the sold-to party, for the sales order document. 12. Select a blank field from the Delivery block drop-down menu of the Sales tab to remove delivery blocks. 13. Select Goto->Item->Billing to remove the billing block. 14. In the Billing tab, select a blank field from the Billing block drop-down menu. 15. Select Goto->Header->Partner. The Create Standard order: Header Data screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-4-21:

Figure 1-4-21: The Create Standard order: Header Data Screen 16. Type the employee code of the sales personnel in the field Sales employee of the Partners tab. 17. Save the data. A message that shows the successful creation of the sales order appears in the status bar. 18. Select Logistics->Sales and Distribution->Shipping and Transportation>Outbound Delivery->Create->Single Document->With Reference to Sales Order. The Create Outbound Delivery with the Order Reference screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-4-22:

Figure 1-4-22: The Create Outbound Delivery with Order Reference Screen 19. Specify the Shipping point number and order information. 20. Press Enter. Alternatively, click the ENTER button. The Delivery Create: Overview screen appears, as shown in Figure 1-4-23:

Figure 1-4-23: The Delivery Create: Overview Screen 21. Enter the required information, such as the ship-to party. 22. Save the data. A message that shows the successful creation of the delivery document appears in the status bar. 23. Select Logistics->Sales and Distribution->Billing->Billing Document ->Create. The Create Billing Document screen appears, as shown inFigure 1-4-24:

Figure 1-4-24: The Create Billing Document Screen 24. Enter the requisite information, such as billing type and billing date. 25. Press Enter. Alternatively, click the ENTER button to generate the billing document. 26. Select the Change option from the Billing document menu. The Change Billing Document screen appears. 27. In the Change Billing Document screen, click ReleaseToAccounting button, as shown in Figure 1-4-25:

Figure 1-4-25: The Change Billing Document Screen

Related Topic
For related information on this topic, you can refer to the Getting started with SAP ReferencePoint.