Following the Manual Data Collection Process Steps

Robert, our new consolidation consultant, wants to:

• Get an overview of the applications associated with manual data collection.
• Get into the different types of data that you can enter in data collection forms.
• Understand the concept and process of organizing forms in folders and associating them with packages.

SAP S/4 HANA Finance for group reporting data collection forms enables you to manually enter financial and non-financial data in SAP S/4HANA Finance for group reporting (in the ACDOCU table), either by using SAP pre-delivered content or by creating your own forms.

You can also consult the SAP S/4 HANA Finance for group reporting data in forms. You can do this after releasing journal entry data from table ACDOCA to table ACDOCU or, to correct and complete this data in forms, after the upload of data from another system (file upload or data mapping) into table ACDOCU.

For example, with this manual data collection capability, you can enrich the following released/loaded data not captured in your SAP S/4HANA system:

• Specific movement types and split transaction types
• Additional information required for consolidation or management reporting
• Consolidation of investments
• Adjustments (such as IFRS or group adjustments)
• Partner information for the elimination of profit on inventory
• Non-financial information needed for notes disclosure such as employee or sustainability information

You can also use forms to enter company data outside of your SAP S/4HANA landscape.

Some business scenarios typically require the following data:

• Non-financial data: corporate responsibility/sustainability information / integrated report / statistical information like aging information of AR/AP
• Unstructured or qualitative data/notes:
  • The above
  • Notes to the IFRS statement
  • Notes to the US GAAP statement
  • Appendices data
  • Explanations in any business scenario, for example, regarding an exceeded threshold or the quality of some data
• HR Data
• Comments

Using the Manage Forms app, you can create and edit your own forms. In addition, you can organize forms in folders and associate these folders with packages.

Using the Manage Packages app, you can create and edit package definitions. The package definition allows you to define the data entry environment applied to a package.

Using the Enter Package Data app, you can consult, correct, and complete group reporting data in forms.

For example, you can split transaction types, make adjustments (such as IFRS or group adjustments), add appendices data, enter HR data, add comments, and enter qualitative data.

Using the Manage Forms app, you can create and edit web forms that your subsidiaries can use to manually enter reported financial data into table ACDOCU, to complement ACDOCA released data, non-financials, KPIs, and comments. Alternatively, if you need to meet specific needs, for example, when you have specific FS items, subitems, or other dimensions that are not covered in the predefined forms.

You can either use content forms, create new forms, or copy predefined forms to the custom folder and use them as templates to create enhanced forms.

You also use the Manage Forms app to create folders to organize forms hierarchically in these folders. Folders are associated with packages.

You can move forms and folders within the structure, using either the Move drop-down menu or drag and drop. It is also possible to delete folders and forms.

With the Manage Packages app, you can create, copy, edit, and delete package definitions.

A package definition has the following characteristics:

• It enables you to define the data entry environment applied to a package.
• It is applied for one consolidation version, a range of fiscal years, a list of periods, several consolidation units, and one consolidation chart of accounts.
• It enables you to differentiate from one period to another, from one group of consolidation units to another, and from one version and fiscal year to another.

In the example shown in the figure, Package Definition - General Information Using the Manage Packages Application, a package definition for yearly reporting is created using the Manage Packages app.

You can include several packages in one package definition. However, each package must contain a unique set of parameters.

When you open the Manage Packages  app, the existing list of package definitions displays.

These package definitions are filtered with the values entered for the global parameters using the Global Parameters app.

You can change these default values, for example, by removing the period to see package definitions for all periods.

In addition, you can enter one or several values for the fiscal year in the filter bar. Package definitions display which have a range of fiscal years (start fiscal year to end fiscal year) that contain this fiscal year.

You can also filter by description, for example, actual, forecast, and budget. The search returns package definitions that contain the term you enter.

For example, to search for package definitions with descriptions that contain the terms Actual - Yearly, you must enter at least some of the search terms using the correct case along with the asterisk.

For example, if you enter *Yearly*, the search returns "Actual - Yearly" and "Actual - Yearly - Specific Case". However, if you enter "Yearly, actual - yearly", or *yearly*, the search does not find any descriptions that match your search terms.

When you have created the package definition, you must define the entry steps for the created package definition and assign folders to each data entry step.

For each data entry step and list of folders, you must select the read document types and the write document type centrally that are applied when entering data in the forms of these folders.

You must include a write document type because changes to the amounts are stored on the write document type.

Selecting a read document type is optional because the write document type is automatically added to the list of read document types. The read document types and the write document type can be different from one list of folders to another. The read and write document type are applied when entering data in the forms of these folders.

In the example above, you create a package definition for yearly reporting with the following five data entry steps:

• IC
• P & L
• P & L and BS
• Cons of Investments
• Disclosure

Using the Enter Package Data app, you can see the packages managed by the created package definition.

In the example, we have six package definitions created for version Y10 and fiscal year 2020.

When you open the package for consolidation unit S3000, you can see the five data entry steps defined in the package definition. For each of these data entry steps, you can see the assigned list of folders and forms. In the example, you can see the folders, subfolders, and forms for data entry step P&L and B/S.

If you open a form, you see the document types selection field pre-filled with the read document types defined in the package definition.

When you run a form from the Enter Package Data app, the document types are applied based on the document types defined in the package definition and possibly in the form.

Here are how the document types are applied:

• If you enter the document types only in the package definition, then the document types entered in the package definition are applied.
• If you enter the document types in the package definition and in a form, and if there is a set of document types that is common to both the package definition and the form, then these common document types are used.
• If the write document type is different in the form and the package definition (there is no common write document type), the form is run and displays as read-only.
• If the document types are different in the form and the package definition (there is no common set of document types), the form cannot be run and an error message displays.
• If you do not enter the document types when creating the form, and the "Read Only: Document Types in Filter Bar" checkbox is not selected, then you can select document types in the filter bar when you run the form.

When you open the Enter Package Data app, the package definition list is filtered by default with values set in the global parameters. So, you are only offered packages in the package list which refer to the global parameters you set. You can then change the filter selections in the Enter Package Data app.

Additionally, when you execute a form for your selected package/data entry step combination, the form shows the filter selection values of consolidation version, fiscal year and period, as well as of consolidation unit in the header section of your form.

The package management also supports a staggered close because you can:

• Organize the availability of folders in the package by multiple steps of a staggered close data collection process.
• Assign a collection of forms and folders to packages and steps - define the data entry context of each package by applicable versions, years, periods, and consolidation units.
• Define read and write document type values at package level, instead of form level and thus share the same settings between multiple forms.

In this context, you can structure the staggered close data collection process as shown in the example above with the following data entry environments:

• Monthly reporting, with periods = 01, 02, 04, 05, 07, 08, 10, and 11
• Quarterly reporting, with periods = 03 and 09
• Semesterly reporting, with period = 06
• Yearly reporting, with period = 12.