Creating Forms

Robert, our new consolidation consultant, wants to:

• Understand the settings in the Form Wizard
• Get into the use of filter modes
• Understand how to set up blocks, formulas, and labels
• Get into the behavior of superordinate and subordinate dimensions when a form is run in the Enter Package Date app

When you want to create your own forms, use the Manage Forms app.

Select the custom folder where you want to place the form and, from the Create drop-down menu, select Form.

On the General Information tab, enter the name of the form. It has a character limit of 30 characters. Enter the description of the form. It has a character limit of 60 characters.

Period Mode: Select the period mode to define if data is entered and displayed only for the period or for the year to date.

Read Only: Optionally, select whether you want the entire form to be read-only or if you want only the cells to be read-only which cannot have data:

• If you select the entire form, you can view the form in the Enter Package Data app. However, you cannot edit the form.
• When you run the form in the Enter Package Data  app, if you select only the cells, the cells that cannot have data in the breakdown category are read-only and show in gray. The reason for a cell read-only status is in the cell details.
• When you run the form in the Enter Package Data  app, if you do not select either option, you can make entries in all cells, even cells that cannot have data entry. In this case, the system runs a check when you save your form and an error displays if entries are made where there cannot be data entry.

Document Types in Filter Bar: You can also make the document types read-only in the filter bar of the form. If you select this option when you run the form in the Enter Package Data app, the document types are read-only and cannot be changed in the filter bar.

On the Dimensions Selection tab, select the dimensions for the filters, rows, and columns.

Dimensions entered as filters apply to the entire form.

You must enter at least one dimension in both a row and in a column.

The following dimensions are mandatory. You must include them when you create a form:

• Document type
• Consolidation chart of accounts
• Financial statement item
• Measures
• Version (to support multi-group currency scenarios).

Custom fields are also supported as dimensions in the dimensions list, However, they require further settings.

For details, refer to the SAP Help portal at: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_Group_Reporting_Data_Collection/e29950571a2b4065b1dacaf881c67413/97cb789a410d4e659badd1054c4b9318.html and https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_S4HANA_ON-PREMISE/44ec04bc8de24103b400d261fde99462/d29b957f940a4c9fa496722bbdc5d1bd.html.

Base Unit: When setting up the base unit in forms, the setup must be consistent with the setup in the breakdown category. For example, if there is no base unit in the breakdown category, you must leave the base unit empty in a form and, if the financial statement (FS) item includes a base unit, you must enter a base unit value. Base unit and FS item dimensions must be defined together, either in filters or in the same block.

Superordinate (Compounded) and Subordinate Dimensions: When you add a dimension that has a superordinate dimension to the filters, rows, or columns, the system automatically adds the superordinate (compounded) dimension to the filters. For example, if you add the (optional) subitem dimension to the columns, the system automatically adds the subitem category dimension to the filters. You can then shift it from there into the rows or columns axis.

The dimensions available when creating a form are based on dimensions made available in SAP S/4HANA by the "Master Data for Group Reporting - Read" API (technical name: API_GRMASTERDATA_SRV).

This service enables you to read SAP S/4HANA Finance for group reporting master data, the master data attributes and, if applicable, the hierarchy.

On the Form Designer tab, properties panel, you can structure the form using the Cell View, Rows, and Columns tabs.

To the right of the Form Designer tab, you can enter these form settings. To the left of the Form Designer tab, you see the form layout.

On the Cell View tab, you can set the Filter selections that apply to the whole form.

On the Rows and Columns View tab, you can add the following details:

• Row and column blocks
• Formula rows and columns
• Question rows and columns
• Separation rows and columns

Blocks contain dimensions. Formula rows and columns, question rows and columns, and separation rows and columns do not contain dimensions. In addition, separation rows and columns have no borders and are thinner than other rows and columns.

When defining a form, you can add separation rows or columns in the form. The separation rows and columns can be added anywhere in the form, to insert blank rows or columns between data rows or columns.

You can copy existing rows or columns, move them around, or delete them.

You can define dimension values for each dimension of each block on the Cell View tab or you can define the values on the Rows or Columns tabs.

Enter values using one of the following filter modes:

• One Value
• List of Values
• All Values
• All Values and Empty
• Empty
• Attributes

You can select multiple attribute values:

The value entered for the superordinate dimension determines the list of values available for a subordinate dimension. To display the list of values for a subordinate dimension, you must first enter a value for the superordinate dimension. Otherwise, the field is grayed out and read-only. For example, you must enter a subitem category value to display the list of values for the subitem dimension.

Apart from mandatory values, you can choose to leave the values field empty for filters and instead, when you run the form in the Enter Package Data app, choose the values in the context bar.

Working with attributes as filter mode ensures that the executed form dynamically shows the correct dimension members containing the attribute value assignment.

In the figure, Attributes as Filter Mode, the Other Selection attribute of the FS Item dimension contains the attribute value "ASSETS". If you refer to this attribute value (for example, in a Rows block), the executed form dynamically lists all FS Items that contain this attribute value, such as FS Item 121100 - Receivables, FS Item 13150 - Finished Goods, and FS Item 161100 Lands/Buildings.

The figure, Blocks, shows how to create Blocks.

You can enter formulas in the formula section of the Cell View tab. You can use these formulas to run calculations and calculate amounts instead of entering the data manually. You can also use the formula section to enter a text in the formula cell of your form.

Do not select Read Only in your blocks. If selected, it prevents any formula calculation!

When you enter a formula in the Manage Forms app, you can enter anything. There is no syntax validation. Instead, running the form in the Enter Package Data app validates the formula.

When you enter data from the Enter Package Data app, formulas are calculated and refreshed in real time.

Formulas automatically generate a manual write protection. Data cells containing the formula are grayed out.

When you create the formula and select Save Calculated Amount, and you save the data in the Enter Package Data app, the formula calculation result is saved to the ACDOCU table.

To check which formula syntax was applied in a formula cell, in the context menu of the formula cell in the executed form, select Cell Details.

Using formulas, you can take the following actions:

• Calculate total row or columns in real-time
• Define visual controls in forms
• Define titles, add headlines, and help text directly in the form
• Define automatic reversal of data in addition to data entry scenarios (example C/I control data)

For examples for formulas:

• Deviation in Percent
• Absolute Deviation

For formula syntax, refer to the SAP Help portal at: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_Group_Reporting_Data_Collection/637f05a918e4402e965dfc719046fbc8/12742d009cb14ced91b31496325a3f4e.html?q=Manage%20Forms

You can add labels into the form.

First, set up a formula row or column or a block row or column. Second, switch to the Cell View tab and, in the formula field, enter the label.

The figure, Additions of Labels to the Form, shows two examples, one for a formula row and one for a block column.

When you create a form and select a dimension, you see that you can only select one dimension member. For example, you select the Controlling Area dimension, the superordinate dimension of Profit Center into the Filter, and see that you can only select one dimension member of Controlling Area in the filter section. This is because "'=" (One Value) is the only available filter selection.

For example, if you select the subordinate dimension Profit Center into the rows and choose profit center "Empty" in the first row block and profit center "YB900" in the second block, the value of the Controlling Area superordinate dimension is also "Empty" for the first row block and "A000" for the second row block. However, only "A000" is selected in the Filter!

When the form is run in the Enter Package Date app, the system derives the superordinate dimension value from the subordinate dimension value. If profit center is empty, then the controlling area is also empty. If the profit center is not empty, then the controlling area is equivalent to the value of the controlling area filter.

You can hide some of the rows and columns in the form at runtime, that is, when using the Enter Package Data app.

For example, in the Manage Forms app, choose the context menu for column C and choose Hide Rows and Columns Hidden at Runtime. If you do not choose the Hide Rows and Columns Hidden at Runtime icon, you find that column C is hidden in the configuration. In this case, you cannot obsever which dimension is assigned to the column.

If you choose the Hide Rows and Columns Hidden at Runtime icon, you find that column C is still shown in the configuration. However, the column title changes from C to [C]. You can observe during the configuration of your form which dimensions are hidden. In both cases, you do not observe the hidden dimensions when you execute the form in the Enter Package Data app.

If you want to unhide hidden dimensions, in the Manage Forms app, choose the context menu for the columns in the Form Designer, then choose Unhide at Runtime. You now observe the hidden dimensions again in the Enter Package Data app.

You can change the size of rows and columns to determine how they display in the form at runtime. Using the Show and Change Runtime Row and Column Size icon in the Manage Forms app, you can define the size of each row and column in the following ways:

• Highlight the relevant rows or columns and choose the context menu. Select Row Height at Runtime... or Column Width at Runtime....
• Select Autofit or enter a fixed size.
• Choose one of the highlighted rows or columns.
• In the Manage Forms app, hover over the edge of the row or column. When the row or column slider appears, adjust the row height or column width.