Outlining Global Hierarchies

• Global (or universal) hierarchies are any characteristic hierarchies that are maintained centrally in the app Manage Global Hierarchies.

• You can create new hierarchies or copy from existing ones.

• You can import and export hierarchies through worksheet files (from MS Excel for example).

• You can import SAP S/4HANA hierarchies as a node into a consolidation hierarchy

  (for example: an SAP S/4HANA profit center hierarchy can be imported as a node into a consolidation profit center hierarchy).

• Global Hierarchies are stored in a central table and can be consumed by Fiori analytical apps at run time.

Three consolidation hierarchy types support time-dependent nodes and leaves instead of a time dependency of the hierarchy as such. These are:

• Consolidation Unit
• Consolidation Profit Center
• Consolidation Segment.

The time dependency of these three hierarchy types can be defined on node and leaf level while the hierarchy as such has no validity timeframe.

In a hierarchy with time-dependent nodes and leaves, nodes and leaves either carry an explicit validity timeframe or in case their "Valid From/To" is empty, they inherit their validity timeframe from the next higher node with an explicit validity timeframe. In case there is no higher node with a validity timeframe, the validity of a node or leaf is without restriction (i.e. 01.01.1900 – 31.12.9999).

In case a time-dependent node or leaf has an explicit validity timeframe, this must be completely inside the validity timeframe of its superordinate node. Otherwise you receive an error and cannot apply the change.

You can display master data values that are not yet assigned to a consolidation hierarchy. This feature is available for all consolidation hierarchy types except Consolidation Posting Level hierarchies. When you open the consolidation hierarchy and select the Timeframe section you can choose the Unassigned tab in order to display these unassigned master data values.

Users can create multiple hierarchies for the same group reporting dimension to meet various business requirements. For example, a consolidation unit can have a legal as well as a management consolidation roll-up that can be used in consolidation reports.

Users can also generate a matrix-like report by selecting two hierarchies of different dimensions and placing them in rows and columns respectively, for example, consolidation unit by region in rows and profit centers by line of business in columns.

Using the Manage Global Hierarchies app you can also create reporting item hierarchies.

Compared to a mere FS item, a reporting item can be enhanced by assigning it a set of selection criteria of specific data, such as FS items, consolidation units, document types, and subitems.

At group report runtime the reporting item value is calculated.

You can arrange reporting items in reporting item hierarchies as shown in the figure above. 

There are five delivered reporting item hierarchies:

• X1 Statement of changes in equity

• X2: Statement of cash flow

• X3: Statement of comprehensive income

• X4: P&L by function of expense

• X5: IC reconciliation.

Based on the hierarchies of consolidation units, profit centers, and segments, you can display the data for these organizational units eliminated and consolidated hierarchically.

As of SAP S/4HANA 2408 the Fiori application Manage Consolidation Hierarchies replaces the Fiori application Manage Global Hierarchies in Group Reporting.

So far this does not have an impact on the functionality or user experience, i.e. the new Fiori application looks and feels exactly as the one which it replaces in Group Reporting.

Also the already existing consolidation hierarchies can directly be maintained with this new app, as the persistence of the consolidation hierarchies did not change.

From that perspective users will perceive this for now mostly as a changed title of the launching tile.

In fact this is preparation for group reporting specific adjustments in future!