ERPfixers Blog Series
ERPfixers
How to Set Up Cross-System Reporting with SAP ...

In March 2024, SAP announced the latest capabilities in SAP Datasphere, focusing on streamlining the business data fabric, which seamlessly connects various SAP and third-party data sources. These advancements are set to transform how enterprises manage and report data, providing a unified platform for real-time data integration and analysis. For example, Hershey’s is using SAP Datasphere in combination with SAP S/4HANA to build a modern data analytics platform that enables business self-service and trusted data models for decision-making.

These new features include the integration of SAP Analytics Cloud with SAP Datasphere for seamless planning and analytics. Business users can now take advantage of advanced capabilities like Monte Carlo simulation for risk analysis and planning adjustments, all powered through a simple chat interface. This kind of integration enhances operational and financial planning by providing a unified model for data preparation, analytics, and planning.

Moreover, SAP has collaborated with leading partners like Collibra and Confluent to expand its data and AI governance capabilities. Collibra AI Governance ensures trusted and compliant use of data within AI models, while the Confluent integration allows for real-time data streaming to and from SAP Datasphere, making the data management ecosystem more robust and user-friendly. These partnerships emphasize SAP's commitment to creating a comprehensive, open data ecosystem that can effectively meet the diverse needs of enterprises.

With all these updates, SAP Datasphere stands out by providing an advanced and integrated data foundation, allowing enterprises to set up cross-system reporting efficiently without sacrificing context, security, or performance. Let’s now dive deeper into the steps you can take to set up cross-system reporting with SAP Datasphere and leverage its latest innovations for your organization.


How to Set Up Cross-System Reporting with SAP Datasphere
ERPfixers Blog Series
ERPfixers
The 2024 SAC Q3 Update: Transforming Financial ...

SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) propels into Q3 2024, leveraging new features that enhance financial planning and strategic decision-making. This quarter, SAP introduces deeper integrations with Microsoft PowerPoint and advanced forecasting tools, paralleling innovations seen in tech leaders like Google and Amazon.

The highlight is the integration with Microsoft PowerPoint, allowing for live data updates directly in presentations—vital for real-time business decision-making. Deeper integration with Microsoft PowerPoint now allows financial planners to present up-to-the-minute financial data directly in their strategic presentations, ensuring decisions are based on the latest insights.

The 2024 SAC Q3 Update: Transforming Financial Planning in SAP Analytics Cloud
ERPfixers Blog Series
ERPfixers
SAP Revamps Advanced Financial Closing Solution ...

SAP has introduced a transformative update to its Advanced Financial Closing (AFC) solution with the introduction of Company Code Groups, allowing finance teams to streamline and organize financial closing tasks more efficiently. For those new to this, AFC is a robust SAP solution designed to optimize the complex process of financial closing by automating tasks, enhancing reporting accuracy, and reducing closing times.

This update marks a significant milestone for global enterprises like Siemens and Nestlé, which now have enhanced capabilities to streamline their financial operations efficiently across various business dimensions.

The new Company Code Groups feature revolutionizes financial closing by allowing more dynamic, customizable groupings of company codes. This means finance teams can tailor their processes to fit distinct business units or geographic regions with unprecedented precision. This tool simplifies handling your finances, making sure everything's up to standard with rules like IFRS and SOX, and lets you check your financial status on the fly, all from one spot.

In this blog, you will discover how SAP’s latest innovation in AFC will significantly reduce the complexity and duration of financial closing processes. We’ll delve into the technical nuts and bolts of Company Code Groups, explore their impact on flexibility and efficiency, and look at real-world applications that demonstrate why this tool is essential for today’s multinational corporations.

SAP Revamps Advanced Financial Closing Solution with New Company Code Groups
ERPfixers Blog Series
ERPfixers
SAP Sets New Standards in Business AI ...

With the ongoing generative AI boom, businesses are seeing unprecedented scalability and accessibility in AI applications, making advanced AI tools available not just to large corporations but to startups and mid-sized businesses as well​. The blend of these advancements with SAP’s innovative approach paves the way for a transformative era in business technology.

SAP Sets New Standards in Business AI Implementation
ERPfixers Blog Series
ERPfixers
Real-Time Reporting in S/4HANA Finance: 5 Key ...

This article delves into the concept of real-time reporting, highlighting the fundamental differences between real-time and traditional reporting. We'll then explore five key advantages that real-time reporting in S/4HANA Finance offers, such as enhanced decision-making, improved operational efficiency, etc.
Additionally, we will discuss the key features of S/4HANA Finance that support real-time reporting, and how businesses can leverage embedded analytics within S/4HANA and SAC for practical real-time FI reporting use cases. 

Real-Time Reporting in S/4HANA Finance: 5 Key Advantages for Your Business

SAP ECC Classic GL to SAP S/4HANA – Direct Conversion Without Requiring a New GL Migration First

SAP ECC Classic GL to SAP S/4HANA – Direct Conversion Without Requiring a New GL Migration First

The new General Ledger on SAP S/4HANA or ECC has certain advantages over Class GL. Examples: usage of parallel ledgers, Document splitting, Profit Center Financial statements, Segment' reporting that is required for segment reporting according to IAS and U.S. GAAP, etc. In addition, Customers can enhance the new General Ledger flexibly, that is, they can enter user-defined fields and update the relevant totals. Many standard reports can evaluate the information from the user-defined fields. Customers can use the 'Document Splitting' functionality to create financial statements at the company code level and, if required, for entities, such as the segment. As a result, we no longer have to carry out time-consuming reconciliation tasks between FI and CO for the end of the period since cross-entity processes are transferred in real-time to the new General Ledger in Controlling.

Starting from 1709, In new installations of SAP S/4HANA, the new General Ledger Accounting is activated by default. The existing ECC customers moving from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA will also get new GL automatically. As a result, ECC customers will also move to New GL on SAP S/4HANA Conversion. However, they cannot implement document splitting or a further accounting principle/ledger during the conversion project. The architecture of the accounting module in SAP S/4HANA from the 1709 version is based on the concept of the former "New GL". The concept of the Subsequent Implementation of Document Splitting in SAP S/4HANA differs from the Migration Scenario 6 of the "New GL".

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An Overview on Rise With SAP Private and Public Cloud

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Customers moving to the Intelligent Enterprise come from a variety of backgrounds and have different end goals. RISE with SAP is designed to address unique customer scenarios. RISE is a Business Transformation as a Service. RISE with SAP supports customers in Modernizing - on the best cloud infrastructure to achieve the lowest possible TCO, Standardizing - on the best intelligent suite to drive process efficiency and scale, Digitizing - on the best transformation platform to innovate faster than your competition

How to Find the Best SAP Resources Online: A Beginner's Guide

How to Find the Best SAP Resources Online: A Beginner's Guide

If you are new to SAP, you might feel overwhelmed by the amount of information available online. How do you know which sites are reliable, up-to-date, and relevant to your needs? As an SAP Consultant myself, this is one issue, I myself have been plagued with. After years of skimming the web, I decided to compile a list of helpful sites I would recommend as go-to for SAP resources. Whether you are searching for tutorials, blogs, forums, podcasts, or courses, these sites will help you learn SAP faster and easier.

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SAP General Ledger Considerations in Central Finance Implementations

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SAP offers multiple pathways to implement SAP S/4HANA latest release. One pathway is Central Finance. A typical use case is customers with different release of SAP systems or non-SAP system can leverage SAP S/4HANA features by implementing Central Finance. SAP offers SAP Central finance solution. a deployment option, to leverage latest innovations of S/4HANA by replication of posting data from different ERP systems to central finance system without disturbing the existing ERP systems. The source system can be SAP, non-SAP systems or customized home-grown systems. There are several advantages with this approach such as shared services, advanced segment/group reporting, and transform business processes to SAP S/4HANA quickly. In addition, Central Finance provides companies with an opportunity to harmonize master data on the fly and enable fast closing.

In this recorded session, you will learn key considerations of General ledger in central finance with FI/CO expert Anand Seetharaju:
- Introduction to Central Finance
- What do you need to know about parallel ledgers when implementing central finance?
- What document splitting features available with Central Finance?
- Key currency considerations you must know.
- Chart of accounts considerations
- Key takeaways
- References

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Tips to Master SAP Controlling Design in Readiness for S/4HANA

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Are you aware of the changes to the Controlling module with S/4HANA? Is your SAP Controlling implementation optimized to make the most of the available functionality? Are you taking advantage of the integrated nature of the SAP system and making the most out of this module?

Watch this recorded session with ERPfixers and SAP Controlling Consultant Ashish Sampat where you can find answers to questions such as below:

- What are the important changes in Controlling under S/4HANA that I should be aware of?
- Which cost allocation method is better - Distribution or Assessment, when should I use one versus another?
- What are the different standard costing methods that are available for use, and under what circumstances should they be used?
- How does one go about correcting various error / warning messages encountered during costing?
- What are the different cost objects that are available for use in SAP Controlling?
- Under what circumstances should I go about automating WIP, Variance and Settlement jobs?
- What various design options can we use to add freight and other incidental costs on procured materials?
- How can we link and analyze Movement Types (in Materials Management) to GL Account (in Financial Accounting)?
- How to separate GR/IR for Intercompany transactions?

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New SAP Press Book: Production Variance Analysis in SAP S/4HANA

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John and Janet’s new book, on publication Jan 26, 2023, immediately entered the SAP Press Bestsellers top ten. The first edition in 2007 was the first-ever book on SAP Controlling (CO), which explains SAP CO in an easy-to-understand way and has continued to attract positive feedback from our SAP Controlling community.

The 2nd edition was released in 2011 with a revised and improved layout and new content based on SAP ERP 6.0, continued as a bestseller, and remained in the SAP Press catalog.

To completely transform the book to the latest SAP S/4HANA version, John asked Janet Salmon, Chief Product Owner of Management Accounting at SAP SE, to co-author with him. They have included S/4HANA version 2021 screenshots and content throughout the book and S/4HANA version 2022 in the new chapter 7 on event-based processing, SAP Fiori Apps, and the future direction of SAP S/4HANA.

Chapter 7 discusses new options for variance analysis delivered with SAP S/4HANA Cloud when you use scope item 3F0 (Event-Based Production Cost Posting) and SAP S/4HANA 2022, with the business function for universal parallel accounting.

In this webinar, John and Janet present a chapter-by-chapter review of the updated contents and structure and, in the process, you'll gain an overview of SAP Product Costing.

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Analytics-Based Enterprise Performance Management

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Enterprise performance management (EPM) is now viewed as the seamless integration of managerial methods such as strategy execution with a strategy map and its companion balanced scorecard (KPIs) and operational dashboards (OPIs); enterprise risk management (ERM); capacity-sensitive driver-based budgets and rolling financial forecasts; product / service / channel / customer profitability analysis (using activity-based costing [ABC] principles); supply chain management; lean and Six Sigma quality management for operational improvement; and resource capacity spending planning. Each method should be embedded with business analytics of all flavors, such as correlation, segmentation, and regression, and analysis; and especially predictive analytics as a bridge to prescriptive analytics to yield the best (ideally optimal) decisions. This presentation will describe how to complete the full vision of analytics-based enterprise performance management.

An Overview on Rise with SAP

An Overview on Rise with SAP

Customers moving to SAP S/4HANA come from different backgrounds and have different end goals.  RISE with SAP is designed to address unique customer scenarios. RISE is not a system upgrade, it's a redesigned method of working that allows customers to change not only once, but to continuously transform. Rise with SAP simplifies a customer's move to the cloud and helps throughout their business transformation journey. RISE with SAP delivers seamlessly with SAP partners, Hyperscaler partners, the Reseller community, and Software partners.  RISE with SAP is designed to help SAP customers.

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Enabling Cost Components for Detailed Analysis of Inventory-Related G/L Accounts

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Cost components break down the costs of a material across the entire production structure into material costs, production costs, material overhead, production overhead, and other costs. However, this breakdown has not been available in the General Ledger before SAP S/4HANA. By utilizing a Custom Enhancement, the Cost Component Split by G/L Account can be available in the ECC system as well. This will provide suitable transparency about cost drivers in the General Ledger, particularly for companies that do not plan an S/4 conversion for a few years, and also positions them with a Splitting Structure that is compatible for an eventual S/4 Conversion. This functionality can be used to split cost components for COGS accounts as well as Inventory accounts and Production Variances, among others. Also, this functionality can be used whether a company uses Material Ledger or not.

Watch this recorded webcast with Controlling expert Rogerio Faleiros to learn:

- Splitting of COGS Accounts based on cost component split.
- Splitting of Ending Inventory based on cost component split.
- Customizing of accounts and posting scenarios.
- Enhancement of program to include Cost Component split for other accounts, such as Scrap, Consumption, Production Variance, etc.
- Viewing Enhanced Drilldown Reports for Product Costing and Material Ledger

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Setting Up Transfer Pricing between Company Codes

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Transfer pricing is a widely used functionality which sets a price between affiliated entities. It is typically setup for cross border transactions and need to conform with the tax laws in the respective countries. In SAP, Material Ledger can be used to enable multiple Valuation Views that can include or exclude the impact of transfer pricing and intercompany profit. In this regard it is used as an internal mechanism that treats every transfer between different company codes as is they occurred within the same entity, by eliminating intercompany profit and reporting in a common currency.

Watch this recorded webcast with FI/CO expert Paul Ovigele, to learn the following:

- What needs to be set up for Transfer Pricing between Company Codes?
- How is standard cost calculated for Profit center Transfer Pricing?
- How does a Transfer Pricing Posting look in the Group Valuation View?
- How is profit in Inventory identified in an Intercompany Posting?
- What changes have been made to the Transfer Pricing process in S/4HANA?

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Simplify Your Journey to S/4HANA Finance

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As SAP ECC customers are planning to move to SAP S/4HANA they want to know how to get started.

Join ERPfixers and Dr. Ravi Surya Subrahmanyam in this recorded webcast to learn more about:

- An overview on SAP S/4HANA & SAP S/4HANA Finance
- SAP S/4HANA transition options
- Tools that support SAP S/4HANA transition
- SAP S/4HANA readiness check for SAP ERP usage and data profiling
- Process discovery for SAP S/4HANA Transformation (evolution of SAP Business Scenario Recommendations)
- Building a business case for SAP S/4HANA transition

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Production Variance Analysis in S/4HANA

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Variance analysis begins much earlier than month end. It begins the previous fiscal year when sales, production, and cost center plans are created. You then create cost estimates for the following fiscal year which provide plan costs for the manufacture of products, and when compared with actual costs, allow variance analysis.

With the introduction of SAP S/4HANA there have been many improvements in SAP Controlling which we'll cover in this Webcast, including new Fiori apps which access the universal journal for improved views of variance analysis.

10 Skills You Should Master as an SAP Consultant

In our last article, we defined SAP Consulting as the activities, processes, and tasks SAP consultants undertake to help SAP customers manage and optimize their business operations. While SAP consulting comes in various forms and flavors, a successful SAP consultant typically excels in certain aspects and qualities, irrespective of his or her domain. In this article, we will cover ten basic skills every SAP consultant needs to be successful and why.

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Fixed Asset Depreciation - A Taxing Situation for ERPs

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Fixed Asset Depreciation - A Taxing Situation for ERPs

Is your company's tax asset depreciation managed within SAP ERP or in a separate tax-specific system? Over the past 30+ years, Kent has encountered many tax managers and some finance managers, with a risk-aversion or reluctance to connect the tax asset depreciation process to SAP.

Join ERPfixers and Kent Bettisworth for this recorded session to discuss:
- SAP fixed asset designs that work for both, finance and tax departments.
- The ERP process and system challenges and suggested mitigation actions.
- Two specific SAP fixed asset designs with choices for finance and tax integration
- The impact of design choice , Tax tight integration or relaxed-integration on the risks.

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Basics of SAP for Young Professionals

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Written By: Ndz Anthony Business Intelligence Expert

SAP, commonly pronounced as 'sæp' or S-A-P (System, Application, and Products In Data Processing), is a software company that offers transformative enterprise management solutions to businesses around the globe. 

The SAP company is a leader in ERP technology and business solutions.

SAP ranks amongst the Fortune 500 as the third-largest publicly-traded company(by revenue) globally. 

One reason for these statistics is their top-tier customer base. SAP solutions are frequently expensive, closed source, and require professionals to implement.

Here at ERP Fixers, we know too well how challenging implementing SAP software can be, hence the need for trained SAP experts, typically known as SAP consultants in the SAP Ecosystem.

This article will discuss SAP Consulting, the types of SAP Consulting, how to become an SAP consultant, and finally, the prospects of SAP consulting.

What is SAP Consulting?

We can define SAP Consulting as the activities, processes, and tasks. SAP consultants undertake to help SAP customers manage and optimize their business operations.

Types of SAP Consulting

There are numerous SAP consultant types; as a matter of fact, there are as many SAP Consultants as SAP Products.

However, we can group sap consultants into two main categories, functional consultants and technical consultants.

Who is a Functional SAP Consultant? 

This category of SAP consultants works closely with the domain experts and developers to set up and enable the use of functional SAP modules deployed within user departments. 

The Key roles & Duties of a Functional SAP Consultant include:

  • Liaising with Heads of Departments during business process design and implementation phases.

  • Liaising extensively with heads of departments and "super users" to understand their SAP requirements and provide solutions to business needs. Enforcement of internal controls within SAP and other business systems.

  • Provide user manuals and training to users of enterprise systems.

  • Provide operational and periodic ad-hoc reports to administration to aid decision-making on SAP and SAP-related Systems.

Examples of functional SAP consultant roles are SAP MM Consultant, SAP PaPm Consultant, SAP HCM consultant, etc.

Technical Consultants:

These categories of SAP consultants are more tech-savvy and work closely with the functional consultants to implement, modify or enhance the existing SAP system.

Their Key roles & Responsibilities include:

  • Based on approval, work together with functional consultants to proactively implement new features, introduce new systems and modify existing business processes to improve efficiency.

  • Oversee and manage projects to modify, enhance, or implement new functionality on SAP and other related products.

  •  Support users on change control and management.

Examples of technical SAP consultant roles are SAP ABAP Developer, SAP BW Consultant, SAP Basis consultant, etc.

How to Become An SAP Consultant

We have found two significant routes to commence your career as an SAP Consultant.

1. The SAP YPP Program

The SAP Young Professional Program is an initiative by SAP Digital Skills Center created to bridge the digital gap existing in today's workforce.

The program is designed to:

  • Sieve top graduates and subsequently equip them with soft skills, accredited SAP certifications, and a sense of belonging within the SAP Community.

  • Set a stage for career growth within the SAP Ecosystem as potential SAP consultants.

  • Balance the demand for SAP consultants across the SAP Ecosystem.

If you are interested in an SAP career and a B.s.c in  Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field, you should consider applying.

2. SAP Certification and Training

Suppose you already have some experience working with SAP, maybe as a superuser in your company. In that case, you might want to consider this path.

  • Pick your preferred SAP module.

  • Invest in the training course for that module

  • Write certification exam

  • Intern or Volunteer to join up with an SAP Consulting firm to gain experience.

With this route, your credibility and experience will be evident to potential employers. You stand a higher chance of being considered for SAP Consultant roles.

Prospects of SAP Consulting

SAP is an in-demand profession, and there are many possibilities within the sap consulting space.

In this section, I will outline a few prospects for sap consulting.

1. High Earnings

SAP software is to the ERP ecosystem what Apple products are to the tech-gadget industry. SAP software is relatively expensive and usually deployed by enterprises with high budgets and large-scale businesses. Hence, the reason for top-notch earnings in the industry. The compensation for SAP consultants ranks among the highest, with opportunities for job growth prospects, salary, quality of life, and other benefits. PayScale estimates an average SAP Consultant salary at $89,129k per year.

2. In-demand Profession

According to most recent articles and employment agencies, jobs in SAP consulting are high in demand. Due to the increased demand for technology solutions, they will continually rise.

3. Top-Tier Firm

According to Glassdoor, SAP ranks as the "best places to work in 2022". Due to its success as an international brand, SAP consultants are highly regarded and respected in the corporate world.

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From R/2 to S/4HANA: Journey of SAP Controlling

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Learn about the history of how SAP software has evolved over the last five decades. Topics will include CO FI Real Time Integration example in ECC; Changes brought in by HANA, cloud and various acquisitions; Important design and configuration changes for Controlling in S/4HANA; Cost Elements are now part of G/L Account; Material Ledger is mandatory in S/4HANA; Cost components and variances break down can now flow to Financial Accounting; Move towards Margin Analysis and Other Features and Innovations.

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How to Consolidate Financial Data in S/4HANA

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The SAP S/4 HANA Finance Group Reporting module is SAP’s latest financial consolidation reporting tool which streamlines month-end close processes by unifying operational entity and financial consolidation group close processes. The new group reporting logic was implemented as of S4 HANA 1909. The new group reporting logic includes a set of features to support legal and management consolidation