Analyzing Projects with Financial Reports

The following three types of reports are available for financial reporting:

• Hierarchy reports

• Cost element reports

• Line item reports

Each of these types of reports analyzes a different level of detail. Line item reports are more detailed than cost element reports, and cost element reports are more detailed than hierarchy reports. However, hierarchy reports run faster than cost element reports, and cost element reports run faster than line item reports. A report interface is built into the reports so that you can easily shift from one report to another. For example, you can go from one hierarchy report to other hierarchy reports or cost element reports by choosing the Goto menu or an appropriate icon.

These report interfaces also enable you to go from hierarchy reports and cost element reports to line item reports. Then, you can branch from line item reports to the original documents and to the various accounting documents. This allows you to drill down into the cost structure of the hierarchy report so you can analyze the actual costs in your project. You can select fields in the report and go to a cost element report to carry out further analysis. You can call the line item report where you require the cost element report to display the accounting documents.

Hierarchy reports on costs, revenues, and payments enable you to evaluate your data interactively. Reports of this type can evaluate your data according to specific characteristics. Each report contains a wide range of lists that you can access interactively. The hierarchy reports include user-friendly functions that enable you to work online in these lists.

Using the drill down functions, you can navigate from the basic list to the various levels in the report. You can also change the sequence of characteristics as you proceed. You can select individual elements and analyze their costs in greater detail using drill down lists.

For example, you could start by displaying the planned costs for the entire project, and then display how the planned costs are distributed among the various value categories for one of the work breakdown structure (WBS) elements (for example, WBS 2). You could then analyze the planned costs for one of the value categories (for example, the 620 value category) of the WBS element WBS 2 according to the cost distribution over various periods.

In hierarchy reports, you can perform the following tasks:

• Sort columns and rows.
• Compress or expand hierarchical displays to the required level.
• Use exceptions to highlight values in a different color.
• Call other reports.
• Carry out conversions to different currencies.
• Use graphical display options.
• Send and print data.
• Use export functions in hierarchy reports.

1. Structure for selecting objects
2. Display in Excel or other spreadsheet format
3. Export report
4. Call up report
5. Refresh (menu)

Cost element reports display costs according to cost element.

You can use cost element reports in the following ways:

• In a navigation panel in the cost element reports, you can go to a structure and choose the object whose costs you want to analyze.
• You can use the sort and filter functions, and use different currencies to display data.
• You can print, send, and export data.
• If you want to use a spreadsheet to run calculation functions, you can output the data (in the report itself) in (for example) Microsoft Excel format.

Other reports, such as line item reports, can be called from cost element reports. In the expert mode, you can refresh your data.

1. Original and accounting documents
2. Save the settings
3. Sort and filter
4. Totals and subtotals
5. Data export
6. Flexible column selection and display

All line items are evaluated using SAP List Viewer. This tool standardizes and simplifies the procedure for working with lists in SAP applications.

SAP List Viewer supports the following features:

• Typical list functions, such as flexible column selection, automatic adjustment of the column width, and sorting and filtering data by column

• Calculation of totals and subtotals, and printing, sending, and exporting of data

You can store the settings that you have created for SAP List Viewer as layouts for yourself (user-specific), or you can make them generally available.

In the line item report, you can perform the following tasks:

• Call and analyze every original document, including account documents.
• Analyze line items.
• Call the reports for the line items directly, or use report interfaces to move from one report to another.