Explaining Field Status Groups

When you enter accounting documents, SAP S/4HANA displays several fields. The fields displayed depend on the application, the posting key and the account that you are using. For example, when you post expenses, you must specify the cost center and tax data. In contrast, you do not need to specify this information when you post cash. The field status controls the information to be entered and displayed for each general ledger account when an accounting document is processed.

Each G/L account field is set to one of three available statuses, which are:

• Suppress / Hide

• Required Entry

• Optional Entry

Some additional rules apply that are dependent on the configuration. For example, entries in the tax field are only possible if the general ledger account is relevant for tax, or the activation of document splitting might make the input of the profit center and segment details mandatory.

In the previous lesson, we discussed that the posting key can control field statuses in the line item. The customization of the field status can be determined at the posting key level. This becomes particularly relevant when considering subledger accounts (AR-AP…), which lack a field status group. In this situation, distinctions in postings are achieved through different posting keys, which is why there's a considerable number of posting keys available for subledger accounts for different scenarios.

Field statuses are also controlled by the G/L account that is used. This is maintained in the G/L account master data at the company code level which makes it possible to use the same G/L account in different company codes with different field statuses to match the needs of individual company codes.

The fields that are controlled by the posting key and the G/L account are the same field. As a result, the customization of the field status can be determined in several places within the system. This may lead to a conflict of field status levels for the same field. For example, the Text field in the posting key is set to suppress and the text field in the G/L account is set to required. To resolve this conflict, there is a priority set for each status.

The statuses in priority from highest to lowest are:

1. Suppress / Hide
2. Required Entry
3. Optional Entry

In our example for the Text field, the status would be determined as Suppressed / Hidden, as that has a higher priority than Required Entry. This needs to be considered when adjusting field status groups.

For each general ledger account group, such as cash or expenses accounts, it's required to clearly define the status of every document entry field.

For instance, when inputting documents for these general ledger accounts, a clear choice must be made to determine whether the text field is required, optional, or suppressed/hidden. Similarly, decisions around the requirements for the cost center field - whether it should be mandatory, optional or hidden - need to be made when the accountant enters the documents for general ledger accounts.

SAP S/4HANA simplifies this complex process by dividing information into field status ‘groups’ for each general ledger account group. These field status groups are assigned to their respective general ledger accounts in the general ledger accounts' master records.

To avoid errors, the field status groups are combined to form one field status variant. This variant is then assigned to your company code. One company can only use one field status variant, but the same field status variant can be shared by multiple companies. No postings can be made until this field status variant has been fully defined. Usually, the same field status variant is assigned in all company codes, ensuring a uniform field status across different company codes and facilitating system maintenance.

The system comes preloaded with various field status groups. It's advisable to copy these standard groups and modify them according to your requirements. Bear in mind that if a document is posted to a subledger account, the field status group from the reconciliation account will be used. This seemingly simple yet structurally complex process is a foundational aspect of managing journal entries in SAP S/4HANA.

G/L Account Field Status Group

When creating a G/L account, and assigning it to a company code, the Field Status Group entry is mandatory. The available field status groups are the ones included in the Field Status Variant that is assigned to the company code.