Planning in S/4 HANA without breaking the bank ($$$)

How to do Planning in SAP has changed who knows how many times in the last 15 years. From Classic Planning using the CO Tables in ECC, then adding some sort of planning in BI with NWBC, SAP recommending BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) and some other variations. Once S/4 HANA was launched, they started pushing for BPC Embedded for S/4 (around S/4 1610 version). Then "cloud season" started and they came up with SAC (SAP Analytics Cloud) which is the latest one that they want you to adopt. But for sure it does not come for free and you have to pay an extra fee / subscription to use this Cloud solution.

Now, if you do not want to break the bank and pay extra for a Cloud solution that you might not want. How do you do planning in S/4 HANA ?

Classic Planning using the old totals tables (Ex. CO Planning, Profit Center Planning, COPA KEPM Planning), it is not the preferred option for S/4. It comes already deactivated out of the box and you have to follow a couple of OSS Notes to re-activate that. Also the new series of Actual vs. Plan Fiori Apps, do not read those tables. So if you try to use them for reporting, they will not show you Plan data. There is a way around it to transfer the Classic planning figures so the Apps can report that data, but not the preferred one either (at least for me).

BPC Embedded for S/4 HANA, could be an option. SAP has recommended it at the time of S/4 version 1610 or 1709 but has moved away from it since and it is not recommending it anymore. In fact they have plan to sunset this one too. Also in order to use this option, you need to have an extra license for BPC Embedded ($$$). Not my preferred one either.

Finally, SAC - SAP Analytics Cloud for planning. It is the new kid on the block from SAP for Planning. More and more "planning stories" are being developed and released every year for it and it became a world on its own. SAP wants you to adopt it. For sure, it is extra ($$$) and you have to pay a subscription to be able to use it.

Now ... I have a solution that is hidden out there that is none of these 3 and will not cost you a penny and comes included as part of your S/4 HANA package and license. It is just a small configuration / activation change and it will become available for you.

The solution

The solution is based on the below 2 OSS Notes and an SAP Help link.

 

https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2503495

https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/3033876

 

SAP Help Procedure to EDIT the variable INFOPROV

https://help.sap.com/viewer/74785309615c47a1b7497b1f8942ebd1/1809.001/en-US/3ceafc57bde70f70e10000000a44147b.html

From the Notes

1. The customer could – at system setup – set the default value for the variable /ERP/P_0INFOPROV to Info Cube or ACDOCP.

S/4 HANA out of the box, comes configured with the Info Cube option; which it translates into using BPC Embedded for planning. This is not an option that you would prefer, as it will require you to have an extra license.

If you set it up for ACDOCP, all the Actual vs. Plan Fiori Apps will work correctly and report Plan data.

Also you will be able to upload your Plan data using the Fiori App "Upload Plan Financial Data". This will store the data directly in Table ACDOCP. This applies for COPA Market Segments plan data, Cost Center, Profit Center, P&L, Balance Sheet Planning, Internal Orders, etc.

This App will allow you to plan outside (like in Excel), populate the loading template and then upload it in the App.

 

Step-by-step setup

Tcode RSPLAN

 Click in "Filter" and then in the Filter field, enter any filter which uses the variable /ERP/P_0INFOPROV, for example, any filter starting with /ERP/SFIN_xxxxx and select "Display"

Locate the InfoObject 0INFOPROV (InfoProvider) in the Selections screen area. Choose right next to the Restriction column the "puzzle" icon.
In the View field, choose Variables from the dropdown list

Choose the /ERP/P_0INFOPROV variable in the Variables of Single Values table. Then choose the "pencil" icon to modify.

Note: You are finally in the editing dialog of the /ERP/P_0INFOPROV variable.

Click in the "footprint and yellow arrow" icon twice to get to the Default Value(s) field. 

Choose the InfoProvider of your choice and confirm it

InfoProviders for Plan Data

You can use the following InfoProviders for storing plan data:

• /ERP/SFIN_R01 S/4HANA Financials: InfoCube for Plan Data (this is S/4 out of the box and will use BPC Embedded for S/4, which we do not want to)
  
  
• /ERP/SFIN_V20 S/4HANA Financials: Plan Data from ACDOCP
  Virtual InfoProvider which stores plan data records in the ACDOCP table, which has almost the same structure as the ACDOCA table. (this is the one we want and that costs nothing ($$$) and does not require an extra license)

This solution will allow you to load data using Fiori App "Import Financial Plan Data" and execute all the reporting Fiori Apps that give you Actual vs. Plan data that will retrieve the uploaded data. If you do not modify this system variable, you Fiori Apps will show NO Plan data figures.

Note: This solution is not Transportable, it has to be done manually in each environment and you need the config to be open to do it.

If your Company and/or Project needs to implement this, or any of the functionalities described in my Blog, or advise about them, do not hesitate to reach out to me and I will be happy to provide you my services.

www.dnabusinessconsulting.com

How to create a Fiori Tile for any traditional Tcode ?

Something funny happened to me last week ... I thought I have seen it all in terms of "bad SAP resources" but I keep on getting surprised everyday. I had to teach a "Fiori Consultant" how to create a Fiori tile for a standard traditional SAP GUI Tcode so we could execute it directly in Fiori. He/she should know that by hard as this is the bread & butter of Fiori ...

Creating a Fiori tile out of a standard Tcode is something easy if you have the accesses and permissions. In some cases, SAP has not delivered standard Catalogs and Security roles that will contain the Tcode that you are looking for and you will have to create a Custom Tile. Now a days, more and more projects get delivered with Fiori only accesses, which it should be the way to do it now. So, in those cases, you will need to create a Fiori Tile capable of executing a traditional SAP Tcode.

First thing you need to check, is how the Tcode is defined by SAP in its standard.

Execute Tcode SE91, enter the Tcode you want to convert into a Tile and click "Display" (Ex. F-29)

Down below in the "GUI Support" section, you need to check if your desired Tcode has activated the "SAP GUI for HTML" option. If it has, you will be able to call if from Fiori.

Then you will have to open the Fiori App Library and look for your Tcode as you will need to get certain information from there that it will be needed in subsequent steps.

https://fioriappslibrary.hana.ondemand.com/

Going back to your system, open your Fiori Launchpad Designer (not your regular Fiori Launchpad FLP link, this is the "Designer")

Click in "Catalogs" and click in "+" to add a new Catalog.

Assign a Title for your Custom Catalog and an ID, recommendation is to start with Z*. Then <Save>.

After that, click on "+" in the square to Add a Tile to the Catalog that you just created.

Here we will have to enter different information and parameters, some of them will be ones corresponding to your Tcode information from the Fiori App Library. 

From the searched Tcode in the Library, go to "Implementation Information" then "Configuration"

From there we will need to use "Semantic Object", "Semantic Action", "Parameters".

Now you will start completing the information in the Tile that you want to add.

Enter your desired Title for your Tcode, subtitle you can put the Tcode so you keep reference, keywords too. Icon you can give any icon you want from the list. Then enter the Semantic Object and Semantic Action from the Fiori App Library and the Parameters-value in Parameters. Once completed, click <Save>.

Next is to "Create the Target Mapping", On the top click in "Target Mapping" then at the Bottom part of the screen click on "Create the Target Mapping".

Here you will have to enter similar information that you collected from the Fiori App Library.

Semantic Object, Action, System Alias and Title. On Application Type, select "Transaction" and then on Transaction, enter your Tcode (Ex. F-29). You can also decide if you want this tile to be called on Desktop mode, tablet or even Phone. Then <Save>.

So in the 1st step you are assigning some information and in the 2nd you end up assigning the real Tcode. I know ... it seems repetitive, but it might have a reason, but I am not that much of a Fiori expert to tell you the difference. I just know enough to get around.

Once the Catalog has been created, we will create a Group where we can include this Tile or any other tile that exists out there from any other Catalog.

Click in "Groups" on top of the screen. Then "+" to add a Group.

Assign a Group Name and ID, in this case I kept it equal to the Catalog but it can be different. This Title is the one that will show in your Fiori Groups assigned to you when you will be navigating.

Click in the square "+" to add a new Group

Then look for your Group name created in prior steps. (Ex Z_AR... )

Once selected it will show you Tiles from that group and you just need to confirm / add them by clicking in the "+" underneath each Tile. Once it turns green, it means you added to the Group.

If you added one by mistake, you cannot unclick it. You need to drag and drop to the bottom right corner to delete it.

Now we have completed the Custom Catalog and Group creation. Next step is to create a Security role that will call them. You might not have enough Security accesses in your organization to create this and you might have to work with your Security person.

Execute Transaction PFCG, enter a Role Name (Ex. Z_AR_TEST_AD) and click in Single role.

Assign a description and <Save> the role. Then go to "Menu" tab, click on "Transaction" -> SAP Fiori Launchpad" and Catalog and Group. Assign the names of the Catalogs and Group you created in the prior steps in the Launchpad Designer. Save the role and get the role assigned to your SAP username.

The result will be that you have the Group "Customer - TEST AD" available within the Group lists in your Fiori Launchpad

Then the only Tile that I had added to my group (Ex. F-29) will appear.

Finally your F-29 Tcode can be executed as a GUI HTML from Fiori.

If your Company and/or Project needs to implement this, or any of the functionalities described in my Blog, or advise about them, do not hesitate to reach out to me and I will be happy to provide you my services.

www.dnabusinessconsulting.com

Edit SAP Finance Accounting period (OB52) in DEV and QA

Many, many times over the years during my numerous SAP implementation projects I faced this constraint that in non-Productive SAP environments like DEV or QA; the Accounting Period (Transaction OB52) cannot be edited in DEV or QA and those records have to be transported.

Similar to some other tables like Currency rates (TCURR), the Accounting period; is part of a group of tables that are denominated "current settings". This means that even though these Tables are transportable, once you are in Production, these tables content will be allowed to be maintained directly without the need for a new configuration transport all the way from DEV.

Of course this would not make any sense. These tables like Accounting period, Exchange rates, Costing Sheet rates and many more, are key and central to the Financial operations. How would you be able to operate if any time you need to change these tables, you would need a new configuration transport. It would be insane !

For this reason, tables that are part of "current settings" can be updated in Production directly.

But now ... during an SAP Implemenation project, us Consultants and people doing testing in DEV and QA would also need to maintain and change values in these tables. You will need new exchange rates and to close and open your Accounting periods; among many other things. But if you try to do this in an out of the box DEV or QA environment, you will not be able to do it because you cannot do configuration directly in those environments. You will need to do it via a Transport request.

But it does not make any sense either. For this, with a simple small change in the configuration of the Table, you will be able to allow changes in DEV and QA without the need for a transport.

** Attention: this is a Table change, it will require a Workbench transport. If you are not sure what you are doing, please get it done by an Abap developer or Basis Consultant that will understand what he is doing.

Access Tcode: SE54 

Table/View: V_T001B_COFIB (for the OB52 Accounting period table. This is your table in case you are in S/4 HANA with New/GL active).

Select "Generated Objects" then "Create / Change"

Once in this screen change from "Standard recording routine" to "no, or user, recording routine". Then save it and assign a Transport number.

Source for this Blog post was: OSS Note "2269677 - OB52 TK430 Client XXX has status 'not modifiable' in test system"

If your Company and/or Project needs to implement this, or any of the functionalities described in my Blog, or advise about them, do not hesitate to reach out to me and I will be happy to provide you my services.

www.dnabusinessconsulting.com