Managing Consolidation Units

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Maintain consolidation units.
  • Create consolidation unit hierarchies.
  • Extend the consolidation unit dimension.

Create Consolidation Units

Create a Consolidation Unit

As part of the ABC Corporation project, you need to create several consolidation units. There are three ways to create consolidation units:

  1. Manually
  2. Copy from an existing consolidation unit
  3. File upload

To become familiar with the master record, let's walk through the manual creation process.

You can access existing and create new consolidation units from the Define Consolidation Units app.

In the following image, notice that Consolidation Version and Fiscal Year and Period are needed because the master data is version and time-dependent.

View existing Consolidation Units

When you choose Create, enter the following:

  • Consolidation Unit ID:
    • For integrated consolidation units with the preparation ledger on, there are two options:
      1. Enter an id that matches the underlying company in accounting. In this case, no substitution is needed.
      2. Enter a user-defined id up to six characters long. In this case, a substitution is required.
    • For integrated consolidation units with the preparation ledger off, enter an id that matches the underlying company in accounting.
  • Partner Unit Only: A consolidation unit is specified as a partner unit if it isn’t relevant for a consolidation process. If you select this checkbox, the time and version-dependent attributes are disabled.
Enter the ID for a new Consolidation Unit

Basic Data

In the basic data, enter the descriptions, and Country. You can add a URL link that points to a place with further information about your consolidation unit, such as a wiki page.

Attributes with Dependencies

  • Information tooltip: the current time and version is displayed. Due to special versions, multiple versions are affected by any changes.
  • Local Currency: Specify the local currency for the consolidation unit. You can only edit the Local Currency field when maintaining the consolidation unit in period 001 of a fiscal year or when creating a new consolidation unit. The local currency for integrated consolidation units must match the local currency of the underlying company code.
  • Company: Enter the company in accounting that provides data to this consolidation unit.
View the local currency and company for an integrated Consolidation Unit

Time and Version Dependent Attributes

  • Consolidation Unit is Partner Unit Only: This is the same as the Partner Unit Only setting explained previously.
  • Currency Translation Method: The translation method determines the exchange rate used for specific FS items, and how translation and rounding differences are posted. Required if the local currency is different from the group currency.
  • Tax Rate: Percentage used to calculate deferred taxes.
  • Deviating Fiscal Year Variant (FYV):
    • If the preparation ledger is on, this field isn't available for input and will display: Doesn't Apply to Reporting Preparation Ledger. In this case, the FYV in the version needs to match the FYV of the company code for an integrated consolidation unit.
    • If the preparation ledger is off, this field is needed when the FYV for the consolidation unit differs from the underlying version.
  • Universal Data Integration:
    • No Integration: This is for non-SAP S/4HANA companies.
    • Transfer from Universal Journal: This is enabled when the company data from SAP S/4HANA ACDOCA is released to consolidation units in ACDOCU.
  • Upload Method: This is the default method used for file imports.
  • Data Collection Selection: You can assign a value for the data collection selection attribute to the consolidation unit. You can then use the attribute to select consolidation units in package definitions in SAP Group Reporting Data Collection.
  • Partner Selection: You can assign a value for the partner selection attribute to the consolidation unit. You can then use the attribute to select consolidation units with the same value so that they can be processed together.
  • Posting Rule Selection: You can assign a value for the posting rule selection attribute to the consolidation unit. You can then use the attribute to select the consolidation units to be used as a trigger in a reclassification.
  • Validation Selection: You can assign a validation selection attribute to the consolidation unit. You can then use the attribute to select consolidation units with the same value so that they can be processed together.

Note

Values for the selection attributes are maintained in Group Reporting Configuration → Master Data → Define Consolidation Unit Attribute Values.

Note

If the preparation ledger is off, there are two more fields:
  1. Source for Local Currency Key Figure:
    • Pertains to integrated consolidation units.
    • Determines the source field in ACDOCA to update the ACDOCU local currency.
  2. Source for Group Currency Key Figure:
    • Relates to integrated consolidation units.
    • Determines the source field in ACDOCA to update the ACDOCU group currency.

Note

Use this link for more information about Deferred Income Taxes: Deferred Income Taxes
View the Time and Version Dependent Attributes

Language-Dependent Texts

You can maintain, change, and delete descriptions for the selected consolidation unit items in various languages.

View Consolidation Unit Time and Version Dependent Data

Viewing Consolidation Unit Data

When viewing the consolidation unit in display mode, you can choose between the following display options:

  • Show Attribute Values Only: Displays the attribute values assigned to the consolidation unit in the consolidation version and fiscal year and period shown in the context information section.
  • Show Attribute Values and Validity Periods: Displays the same information as the previous option, plus the validity periods of the attribute value assignment. You can also display the attribute value assignments for a selected attribute over time or across versions. You can’t see the validity period in edit mode, you have to switch back to display mode.
    View the Time and Version Dependent Attributes over time and across versions

    To display attribute values over time, choose Show Attribute Values and Validity Periods. To display the attribute values over time, choose the Over Time hyperlink. For example, next to Currency Translation Method, choose Over Time. In the following image, you can see that the currency translation method is S0901 from 012.2023. From 012.2022 to 011.2023, it's U00CM.

    To display attribute values across versions, choose Show Attribute Values and Validity Periods. To display the attribute values for versions, choose the Across Versions hyperlink. For example, next to Tax Rate, choose Across Versions. In the following image, you can see that the tax rate is 36% for versions E10, E11, E12, S10, U00, V00, and X00. You can update all seven versions at once by updating only one.

Create a Consolidation Unit

Business Scenario

You need to create a new consolidation unit for the ABC Corporation project.

What skills will you develop in this practice exercise?

  • Create the consolidation unit.
  • Maintain the time-dependent attributes.
  • Maintain the time and version-dependent attributes.
  • View the currency translation method assignments over time.
  • View the tax rates across versions.
ExerciseStart Exercise

Import Consolidation Units

At ABC Corporation, you have several new consolidation units to create. To import them all at one time, use the Import Consolidation Master Data app.

Display the number of consolidation units imported

With this app, you can import consolidation-related master data entries into group reporting. In this app you can:

  • Download a template file
  • Download a file with existing master data
  • Enter or change master data
  • Upload a completed file and check it
  • Import confirmed master data into the database

To import accounts, chart of accounts, cost center, functional area, profit center, segment for segmental reporting, and transaction type, use the Import Master Data for Consolidation Fields app.

To import consolidation units, follow these steps:

  1. Upload the file.
  2. Check the uploaded data.
  3. Choose Import.

The import file can be accessed from the Actions dropdown in the Import Consolidation Master Data app. In the following image, you can see a sample file with data.

Excel file with Consolidation Unit data including: ID's, descriptions, company, and translation method

After you import the file, and check the data, you're ready to perform the import.

Consolidation Units checked successfully after the import

Note

You can use this process to create new consolidation units and to update existing consolidation units.

Import Consolidation Units

Business Scenario

You need to create several new consolidation units for the ABC Corporation project.

What skills will you develop in this practice exercise?

  • Maintain the source file
  • Import the consolidation unit data
ExerciseStart Exercise

Consistency Checker

At ABC Corporation, you’ve created your consolidation units. Now is a good time to run the consistency checker. To receive and process data from accounting, a consistency check needs to be performed. For example, to check if financial statement (FS) items are mapped to G/L accounts. Or check if companies are linked to consolidation units.

Note

Prerequisites to run the Consistency Check of Accounting Integration app:
  • Include FS items &NOMAPBS, &NOMAPPL, &NORELEASE in the group reporting chart of accounts.
  • Open the period for the version that you are checking.

In the 2022 release, when you run the consistency checker, you need to double-click the log message to access the details. At a minimum, warning messages will display.

Prior to the 2022 release, the output displayed companies that weren’t mapped to consolidation units and G/L accounts not mapped to FS items.

Maintaining Consolidation Unit Hierarchies

ABC Corporation needs consolidation unit hierarchies for roll-ups and matrix reporting. In the Manage Global Hierarchies app, you can import, copy, and manually maintain consolidation hierarchies.

Select a hierarchy type in the manage global hierarchies app

Note

Any hierarchy types that start with the word Consolidation are group reporting hierarchies. More group reporting hierarchies can be enabled in the Define Consolidation Master Data Fields activity in configuration. For example, you can enable the following group reporting hierarchies:
  • Consolidation Cost Center
  • Consolidation Material

To create a new hierarchy, follow these steps:

  1. Create the hierarchy ID.
  2. Select a Valid From and Valid To date.
  3. Edit the new hierarchy.
  4. Add the parent and leaf nodes. You have two options:
    1. Enter the nodes manually.
    2. Choose Export/Import → Import from Spreadsheet → Select the source file.
  5. Save and activate the hierarchy.

When starting with a new hierarchy, you need to create the hierarchy ID first.

Because consolidation unit hierarchies are time-dependent, they have a date range.

Enter the hierarchy type, ID, description, valid from date, valid to date for a new Consolidation Unit hierarchy

In the sample hierarchy below, U10_Legal, America, and Europe are the parent nodes. The leaf nodes are the consolidation units.

View the groups and Consolidation Units in a hierarchy

Create a Consolidation Unit Hierarchy

Business Scenario

You need to create a new consolidation unit hierarchy as part of the ABC Corporation project. The hierarchy needs to mimic the legal investment structure. It will be used for roll-ups in reports. It will also be used to determine the elimination entities in matrix consolidation reports.

What skills will you develop in this practice exercise?

  • Create the legal consolidation unit hierarchy.
  • Create the parent nodes.
  • Insert the consolidation units.
  • Save and activate the hierarchy.
ExerciseStart Exercise

Building Time Dependent Hierarchies

At ABC Corporation, there are at least two or three re-organizations every year. For your reports, you need a single consolidation unit hierarchy but you want to run reports based on different organizational structures by date.

You can use the key date selection in reports to use multiple variations of a time-dependent hierarchy.

In your scenario, you already have a consolidation unit hierarchy. As of 1/1/2023, you need to add another consolidation unit. To add a time interval, follow these steps:

  1. Delimit the existing hierarchy: In this example, the existing date range is 12/31/2022 to 12/31/9999. Change it to: 12/31/2022 to 12/31/2022.
  2. Copy from the existing hierarchy.
  3. In the copied hierarchy, change the date range to 1/1/2023 to 12/31/9999.
  4. Adapt the hierarchy.
  5. Activate the hierarchy.
Maintain the Valid From and Valid To dates in the timeframe tab
Copy to existing hierarchy and enter a new valid from date
One hierarchy id with two different groupings by date

When you run a report with a Key Date in 2022, US00 won't appear in the America node. However, US00 will appear below the hierarchy in the system-generated REST_H node assuming it contains postings.

When you run a report with a Key Date in 2023 or later, US00 will in appear in the America node.

Note

Dimension members won't appear in report rows or columns it they don't have posted data. However, you can change this default setting: In the Group Data Analysis report: Right-click the dimension choose Display → Master Data. You can turn this setting off as well: Right-click the dimension choose Display → Posted Values.

Extending Consolidation Unit Master Data

At ABC Corporation, you need to add a custom attribute to consolidation units. The attribute is called Associated CU and is used to reference consolidation units to each other. This attribute can then be used in selections, validation rules, and analytics. There are two types of consolidation unit attributes that you can define:

  1. Time and version-independent
  2. Time and version-dependent

Using Consolidation Unit as the Business Object

Select Consolidation Unit as the business object for a custom field of type Association to Business Object. As a result, the existing consolidation units in your system appear as values that can be selected for the field.

In this way, you can use the custom field to refer to a consolidation unit in the master data of another consolidation unit. When you create more consolidation units, they’ll appear automatically in the value help.

In this scenario, there's a root consolidation unit that the other associated consolidation units refer to. This is useful when the data of a company is divided into several consolidation units.

In the master data of the associated consolidation units, you can use the custom field to select the root consolidation unit. The associated consolidation units are then all grouped together because of their reference to the root consolidation unit.

Note

To add a custom attribute, you need the SAP Fiori SAP_UI_FLEX_KEY_USER role.

Follow these steps to create a new attribute for the consolidation unit:

  1. Search for the Custom Fields app.
  2. Go to the Custom Fields and Logic app.
  3. Choose +Create.
  4. Configure as follows:
    Create a New Attribute with a Consolidation business object
  5. Choose Create and Edit.
  6. Enable Consolidation Master Data.
    Publish the New Attribute
  7. Choose Save.
  8. Choose Publish.
  9. Go to the Define Consolidation Units app.
  10. Open a master record.
  11. In the user Profile, choose Adapt UI.
  12. Add the new Associated CU attribute to the Time and Version Dependent Attributes section.
    View the new Attribute (associated CU) in a master record for a consolidation unit
  13. Activate the change.
  14. Choose Save and Exit.
  15. Edit a consolidation unit. Use the dropdown next to Associated CU to select a consolidation unit.
    Use the new Attribute (associated CU) in a group journal
  16. Choose Save.

As a result, the new attribute can then be used in selections, totals validation rules, and analytics.

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