SAP Transaction Code Options

Transaction Codes

• Before entering a transaction code, you need to enter "/N" or "/O"
• "/N" opens the transaction in the current session (ending)
• "/O" opens the transaction in a new session (opening)

Search Helps

• Some fields only allow defined values
• You can view allowed values using search helps
• Wildcards can be used in searches
• • masks n-characters (e.g., postal code 89* -> 89456, 89473…)
• • masks 1 character (e.g., name M+yer -> Meyer, Maier…)

Field Types

• Mandatory fields: you must enter something
• Optional fields: you can enter something
• Display-only fields: you can't enter anything

Running Reports

• Differences between running reports in dialog mode and background mode

Financial and Management Accounting

• Financial Accounting: laws and regulations, obligatory
• Management Accounting: no laws, no regulations, no obligation
• Components of SAP Management Accounting:
  • Profitability Analysis: how profitable?
  • Profit Center Accounting: in which areas?
  • Overhead Cost Controlling: where?
  • Product Cost Controlling: for what?
  • Cost Element Accounting: what costs?

Organizational Elements

• Relevant for Management Accounting:
  • Client
  • Controlling Area
  • Company Code
• One or multiple company codes can be assigned to one controlling area
• Each company code can only be assigned to one controlling area
• Prerequisites to combine multiple company codes:
  • Same operational chart of accounts
  • Same fiscal year variant

Overhead Cost Controlling

• Master data objects:
  • Cost elements
  • Cost centers
  • Activity types
  • Key figures
• Purpose of master data objects:
  • Cost element: for what did I spend the money?
  • Cost center: who spent the money, which department, document origin of cost cause?
  • Activity type: what activity is one cost center providing to the company?
  • Key figure: used as an average, you need to know the number of customers and employees

Cost Elements

• Difference between primary and secondary cost elements:
  • Primary: origins are outside the company (external supply market)
  • Secondary: one cost center is charging another cost center, origin is inside the company

Cost Centers

• Difference between primary and secondary cost centers:
  • Primary: can charge costs directly to other objects/products (e.g., watch production)
  • Secondary: only provide services for other cost centers (e.g., canteen)

Statistical Key Figures

• Types:
  • Fixed Value: used for key figures that tend to remain constant over time
  • Total Value: can't be transferred to the following period and must be entered for each individual period
• Used for internal allocations and distribution keys

Master Data

• Time-dependent master data: values can be different depending on the date
• Master data groups: created for all 4 elements (cost elements, cost centers, activity types, key figures)

Hierarchy and Groups

• Difference between standard hierarchy and cost center groups:
  • Hierarchy is always present for cost centers
  • Cost center groups are optional and used to assign cost centers to a group

Planning

• Purpose of planning statistical key figures: enter planned values for each cost center
• Purpose of activity type planning: define which cost center provides which services and plan activity levels

Cost Planning

• Difference between primary and secondary cost planning:
  • Primary: external origin, distribution key can disaggregate costs to months
  • Secondary: internal origin, fixed and variable consumptions, can enter on year level and use distribution keys

Price Calculation

• Plan price calculation: determines planned prices for each cost center/activity type
• Takes primary and secondary costs, adds them, and divides by planned activity

Distributions and Assessments

• Differences:
  • Distributions: allocate costs between cost objects
  • Assessments: allocate costs between profit centers

Commitments and Actual Costs

• Commitments: created by purchase requisitions and/or purchase orders
• Actual costs: transferred from other SAP modules or created by goods receipts and invoice receipts
• Effects of purchase orders, goods receipts, and invoice receipts on Management Accounting