Getting More Information on Output Management, Technical Information, and Basics of Accounting Principles

The following figure outlines output determination for billing documents:

In SAP S/4HANA, SAP S/4HANA Output Management is used for billing documents as default. However, it is possible to enable the NAST approach again by setting a specific Customizing parameter (for more information, see SAP Note 2267376).

The SAP S/4HANA Output Management framework is the strategic output management framework in SAP S/4HANA and future developments will only be made in this framework. Adobe XFA is the default technology for form templates delivered within this framework, but legacy forms (SAPscript, SmartForms, Adobe Forms) are still supported. The main benefits of the new approach are the following:

• Extensibility: Broad usage of CDS views

• BRFplus: Flexible and powerful output parameter determination

• Unified solution across the applications: SD, MM, FIN, and so on

• SAP Fiori: Full integration with SAP Fiori apps

• State-of-the-art e-mail support: Flexible configuration, multiple recipients, and e-mail templates

In contrast to the output management based on NAST, the new output management supports only the print, e-mail, XML, and IDoc (for on premise) channels. Other channels are not available by default.

The following figure outlines a decision table:

Decision tables consist primarily of rows and columns. The columns are further divided into condition columns and result columns.

Decision tables are used to determine the different output parameters (output type, receiver, form template, and so on).

When a decision table expression is called, every row is processed in sequence. In each row, every condition column cell is processed from left to right. If the condition in each input column cell of a row is met, the field values defined in the result columns are returned. It is possible to enter expressions or direct values in these cells. It is possible to evaluate the values in each cell by using comparison operators, value ranges, and patterns.

The following figure shows an example of decision tables for output determination:

Using decision tables, you can control the determination of the output type, receiver, channel, printer settings, and form template for billing documents. The table rows can be rearranged so that the most specific conditions are tested first. Tables can also be exported and imported to and from Microsoft Excel.

The following figure gives an overview of the general billing interface:

Besides the app Create Billing Documents and its omnichannel approach you can still use the user exit for the General Billing Interface.

When you are using the general billing interface, you can invoice external documents in the SAP system (that is, orders and deliveries not created in the SAP system).

To do this, you must do the following:

• Prepare the data in a sequential file of a specified format.
• Specify a minimum number of required fields to be filled from the data records.
• Specify the remaining fields required for billing either through the data records for the sequential file or through the system (optional fields).

Some examples are as follows:

• Required fields:

  Customer master and sales organization

• Optional fields:

  Material master and price components

You can enter external reference numbers such as external delivery numbers or external order numbers.

Contents:

• Double-Entry Accounting

• Balance sheet accounts

• P & L accounts

• Sales and Distribution Example

• Materials Management Example

The following figure provides an overview of double-entry accounting:

The basic principle of double-entry accounting is that every business transaction is posted to at least two different accounts, and is therefore posted at least twice. In the most simple cases, only two accounts are affected.

The most important thing to remember in this context is Debit to Credit.

This means that you should post a transaction to the debit side in one account, but to the credit side in another.

Basic principle:

The total for debit postings is always the same as the total for credit postings, regardless of the number of accounts affected.

The following figure provides an overview of balance sheet accounts:

Business transactions are posted to accounts (invoices kept on two sides, in which movements are registered).

In a double entry accounting system it is possible to separate the accounts into different types of basic accounts, which themselves are divided into two partial accounts:

• Balance sheet accounts (property accounts and capital and debtor accounts), to which stocks and changes to these stocks are posted.

• P&L accounts (expense/cost accounts and revenue/sales accounts), to which transactions affecting net income are posted.

The following basic equation applies to the structure of all accounts:

Opening balance + addition – disposal = closing balance

However, the basic accounts above differ on the side to which the opening balance, addition, disposal, and closing balance are posted.

The following figure provides an overview of P&L accounts:

The following figure shows a sales and distribution example:

The following figure shows a materials management example:

You can use the filter-enabled Business Add-In (BAdI) SD_BIL_FLEX_NUMBERING to allocate newly created billing documents of a given billing document type to custom number range intervals (and, optionally, number range prefixes). This enables a flexible allocation of billing documents to number range intervals and prefixes that are dependent on one or more attributes (header fields) of the billing document that is to be created.

The custom logic in the BAdI method determines the correct number range interval for a given billing document by evaluating whether specific billing document header fields satisfy conditions that you must specify when implementing the BAdI. Depending on the result of the evaluation, the system then creates the new billing document number in the number range interval (and, optionally, number range prefix) that you have specified to be appropriate for the situation.

A typical use case example for this BAdI arises when you consider a multinational corporation that consists of eight companies, each based in a different country, including Germany and France. When a new billing document of type F2 invoice is created by the German company, the custom logic tells the system to use the next available number in the number range interval 'G1'. When, on the other hand, an F2 invoice is created by the French company, the custom logic tells the system to use the next available number in number range interval 'F1'. In this way, within each billing document type, a different number range interval can be determined and used for each company. This can, for example, help satisfy legal requirements for invoice numbering, which can vary from country to country.

You can use the filter-enabled BAdI Flexible Billing Document Numbering (SD_BIL_FLEX_NUMBERING) to allocate newly created billing documents of a given billing document type to designated internal number range intervals and, optionally, number range prefixes. This enables a flexible allocation of billing documents to number range intervals and prefixes that are controlled by one or more header fields of the billing document that is being created. The document number of the new billing document is drawn from the number range interval (and, if applicable, number range prefix) that the custom logic determines. For more details please refer to the BAdI documentation: Using Custom Logic (BAdI) to Implement Flexible Billing Document Numbering.

With this feature, the number range intervals used for flexible billing document numbering can be combined with alphanumeric prefixes of up to five characters length. For example, use of the prefix ABC in conjunction with an interval ranging from 0000001 to 9999999 could result in a billing document number of ABC1234567.

There are two main reasons when you want to use Number Range Prefixes:

• The space of possible billing document numbers provided by purely numeric number ranges is insufficient for your business requirements.

  Each prefix opens up a new subspace for number range intervals that enables the creation of entirely new, unique subranges of billing document numbers. For example, if you create the prefix AB and define a number range interval 19 within this prefix, with the same upper and lower limit as the standard numbering interval 19, you have effectively doubled the quantity of numbers available for billing document numbering.

• You want to categorize specific billing documents in a way that helps fulfill legal invoicing requirements or makes them instantly recognizable.

  For example, an international corporation could choose to use the prefix DE for all billing documents created by its German branch, and the prefix FR for all billing documents created by its French branch.

Cash sales have the following characteristics:

• The order and the delivery are created in one step, although you receive a document for each.
• The goods issue is posted at a later time as a separate transaction, so that the customer does not have to wait.

Order type CS is used for cash sales. It has its own output type RD03, which allows you to print an invoice (receipt) from the order.

You can create the actual billing document later, after you have posted the goods issue. To do this, use billing document type CS.

Document type CS is configured as follows:

• It is order-related billing.
• There is no output determination, because this has already been carried out in the order.
• There is no new price determination, because the pricing should not differ from the printed invoice.
• Posting in Financial Accounting is made to a cash settlement account, not to the customer.
• Billing type SV is used for cancellations in cash sales.

SAP Fiori apps reference library is a comprehensive library of all relevant SAP content for the SAP Fiori launchpad.

SAP Fiori is the user experience for SAP S/4HANA. You can access all applications via the SAP Fiori launchpad, and they all have one look via the SAP Fiori visual theme: SAP Fiori apps as well as classic SAP GUI and Web Dynpro applications. For most business roles in SAP S/4HANA, a combination of newly designed SAP Fiori apps and classic applications are needed to cover the full variety of a user’s tasks. SAP S/4HANA now provides SAP Fiori launchpad content for more than 100 business roles.

The roles combine in a meaningful manner SAP Fiori apps and classic applications, visually harmonized with the SAP Fiori launchpad. We have defined more than 7,000 app descriptors, which enable administrators to integrate classic applications with the SAP Fiori theme into business catalogs and roles for the SAP Fiori launchpad.

SAP_BR_BILLING_CLERK

Billing Clerk

SAP standard role for the part billing is called Billing Clerk. You might also be interested in the Internal Sales Representative and Sales Manager roles.

For this course we are using a special role for training.

The following image shows the table structure of a billing document:

The table structure of the billing document:

• VBRK: Billing document: Header data
• VBRP: Billing document: Item data
• VBPA: SD document: Partners
• SADR: Address
• VBFA: SD document flow
• PRCD_COND: Price Condition - Item - Condition (KONV)
• STXH: Texts: Header
• STXL: Texts: Line

The following image shows the table structure of an invoice list: