In the SAP system, drill-down reporting is an online reporting tool that allows you to evaluate the data in CO-PA interactively. Drill-down reporting allows you to select the required dataset using any characteristic in your CO-PA system and draw key figures using the dynamic drill-down function.
You can display several profitability segments for a key figure or several key figures for any profitability segment. You can also perform variance analyses in drill-down reporting, such as plan or actual comparisons, fiscal year comparisons, or comparisons of profitability segments. You can use drill-down reporting in both costing-based and Margin Analysis.
Note
Costing-based CO-PA reports select the data from table CE3xxxx (xxx = ID of concerned area) and line item based from CE1xxxx (actual) and CE2xxxx (plan). Margin Analysis reports select the actual data from table ACDOCA (FI), but plan data from table COSP (sum) and COEJ (line item).
In drill-down reporting, you can display basic reports with a simple and fixed layout, and form reports with a more complex structure and formatting.
The drill-down functions are divided into three groups, each with a different scope. You can choose or assign the function level that suits your requirements.
Drilldown: An Overview
The figure, Drilldown: An Overview, shows derived characteristics and then drills down into the report interactively. At each level of the report, display the drill-down list (overview) for extensive information (margin analysis).
Report Output Types
Drill-down reporting allows for the flexible analysis of business data. According to the type of data in the report, drill-down reporting offers different output and navigation possibilities. Each output type has an individual emphasis.
Functions in Drilldown Reporting
The functions of drill-down reporting are divided into the following requirement levels to give users only those functions that they require:
Level 1:
Level 1 is designed for users who do not require all the functions of drill-down reporting. Level 1 contains the basic functions of drill-down reporting and enables you to send reports by SAP mail.
Level 2:
Level 2 contains the rest of the drill-down functions and enables you to display graphics and download reports to Microsoft Excel.
All functions:
This level contains all functions in drill-down reporting, including the print setup function, and the functions for saving report data and defining exceptions. This level is designed for users who need to print and modify reports and access all the interactive drill-down functions.
To define the required level for users, enter the parameter RLV (0 = All functions, 1 = Level 1, and 2 = Level 2) in their user parameters.
The individual function levels are subject to an authorization check.
Grouping in A-, B-, C-Class
You can classify and rank your CO-PA data with the help of various analysis functions.
These analysis functions are as follows:
Cumulative curve
Activity-Based Costing (ABC) analysis
Classification
Ranking Report Data
An exception is a rule that determines whether the performance of a profitability segment differs significantly from what is expected. You can define the exceptions for any key figure in a cell or in an entire column of a report.
An exception consists of two threshold values determining the range of tolerance within which the value might move. If the value exceeds the upper threshold or falls below the lower threshold, the system displays the value in the color that was defined for that threshold (green or red).
There are two types of basic exceptions. You can define an exception for a single cell, which is an intersection between a row and a column, or an intersection for an entire column. You can define an exception on a drill-down list only.
After defining the exception, the exception is also applied to the corresponding detail list and can not be changed from there. This means that the exception is valid for that column on every list at every level of the report.
In the figure, Ranking Report Data, the list on the left contains the revenue for the various countries and their variance compared to the previous year. An exception is defined for the Percentage Variance column.
When you drill down on the country, United States, you see its regions, the revenue earned in each region, and the corresponding percentage variance. The exception rule defined for the second column is also applied to this list. This means that the exception is checked for the individual countries as well as for the individual regions.
When you define an exception for a cell, it only applies to that cell of that particular list. This means that the exception is not visible if you drill down to the next level.
Formatting Options
You can define how to display and print data directly from a current report list using a number of format settings. The settings include, but are not limited to, changing the currency, the characteristic display, and the manner in which the total rows are displayed.
Report formatting options are as follows:
Currency:
The currency option converts the displayed currency to any other currency for the selected columns. The currency translation key is used to find the exchange rate automatically. You can define the currency translation keys in Customizing.
Sort:
The sort option sorts the rows of a list in ascending or descending order, according to the values contained in the column where you have positioned the cursor. The system displays a dialog box in which you can decide whether you want to sort the column or column group alphabetically. Sorting can be performed according to the key or text of the characteristic values, the key figure, a hierarchy, or a hierarchy display, as applicable.
Number format:
The number format option enables you to change the number format and the sign of individual columns. You make settings depending on the report and the list type displayed, which can be a drill-down or detail list.
Executing Reports
When you execute a drill-down report online, the system displays a Selection screen where you specify the data you want to see. You can define the selection variants to simplify this process. A selection variant contains of a set of selection parameters and other settings for a report.
You can also use the selection variants to execute reports in the background. To complete this task, define a variant group and enter the number of selection variants for the different reports in that group. You can then schedule the entire variant group for background processing.
In this way, a variant group enables you to combine separate tasks into one step, such as scheduling different combinations of variables for one report and scheduling variants for different reports.
You can schedule a job after you define the variant group and select the required reports. You can also schedule this job for execution at regular intervals.