Understanding Account Assignment Distribution

Introduction into Account Assignment Distribution

For multi-funded projects or cost centers, it is possible to split budget consumption costs to multiple funds, functional areas, and grants. While this can be done manually, often automatic splitting is required along certain rules. This is, in a nutshell, what account assignment distribution provides. It is the ability to automatically split costs across account assignments according to certain rules.

While cost splitting can also be done with allocation engines such as the universal allocation, account assignment distribution is performed during commitment recording, achieving early split for budget checking and reporting. At this stage, the functionality is implemented for purchase requisitions/orders and earmarked funds. While for purchase requisitions/orders, multiple account assignments are being used, the earmarked funds generate multiple line items. The split account assignments are transferred into the follow-on documents.

Account Assignment Distribution

Before setting up an account assignment distribution, you must understand the objects used/configured for this functionality. The objects are distribution rule group, field profile, action profile, distribution method, distribution rule, and substitution of derivation rule.

Distribution Rule Group (Pre-delivered)

Means of organizing rules
The rule groups SPS1 for budget management and SGM1 for Grants Management are predelivered

Field Profile (Configuration)

Identifies which account assignment fields are available to be filled by a rule.

System screen capture of the Define Field Profiles for Automatic Account: Change page featuring a field profile as described in the preceding text.

Action Profile (Configuration)

Identifies what actions to take when certain events occur during automatic assignment
Events include the following: Fully Assigned, Partially Assigned, Not Assigned, and so on

System screen capture of the Define Action Profiles for Automatic Account: Change page featuring an action profile as described in the preceding text.

Distribution Method

Distribution Method (Predelivered)

This mechanism is for distributing the full amount across multiple assignments. For example Percentage is a distribution method.

The following methods are pre-delivered:

Percentage Distribution:
Allocate based on a predetermined percentage split.
Equivalent Values Distribution:
- Users input at least two equivalent values. Each distribution will receive a proportion of the amount based on their proportion of the total equivalent values. For example, two splits with equivalent values of $400 and $200 receive proportions of 400/600 and 200/600 respectively
- If combined with percentage distributions, the equivalent values proportion is a proportion of the amount after the percentage distributions are deducted
Fixed Amount Distribution:
The specified amount is allocated per item (up to the maximum of amount being posted).

Distribution Rules

Distribution Rule (SAP Fiori App)

Defines one or more sets of account assignment values to be proposed when a given set of input values are processed
Derivation determines which rule applies for a given set of trigger values

The following picture shows a rule, where a line is being split with 80/20 percentage among two account assignment combinations of funds and functional areas.

System screen capture of the Distribution Rule page featuring a rule as explained in the preceding text.

Derivation of a Distribution Rule

When you have set up and activated the distribution rule, you must define the situation in which the rule is applied. This is being done using a substitution rule with the business context Public Sector Automatic Account Assignment Distribution Rule. The following figure, Derivation of a Distribution Rule, shows such a derivation where the rule is only being used for one specific WBS element.

System screen capture of the Distribution Rule page featuring a rule as explained in the preceding text.

When the user has entered the specific WBS element, the system automatically performs the 80/20 split to the different funds and functional areas. Here, no remainder handling (see rule) is needed.

When the splitting has been performed, the account assignment values are handled as if they have been entered by the user, which means that additional derivation rules might still apply. Refer to the "dedicated derivation" chapter. System screen capture of an account assignment split when creating a document line item as explained in the preceding text.

System screen capture of an account assignment split when creating a document line item as explained in the preceding text.

Changing of Documents

The functionality of account assignment distribution is designed for the creation of new document lines. When the splitting of the document line is done, the splitting will not be performed again. As a result, there should be no further splitting once the document line item is being changed. Additionally, when you copy an already split line item, the split account assignments are copied and account assignment distribution is not triggered again.

Grant Cost Sharing Distribution

A distribution rule for grants cost sharing can be set up using the cost sharing percentages from the grant master. The rule type "GM Cost Sharing Rule" must be used in this case. For more information, please refer to the grants management course (Lesson: "Understanding Grants Cost Sharing").