AcceleratedSAP

Special Purpose Ledger (FI-SL) Analysis

Overview
Special Ledger is a data collection toolset that provides functionality to collect, manipulate, and enhance data that originates in other SAP modules and external sources. Special Ledgers are user defined structures that allow the customer to alter or extend standard SAP applications without performing modification and without the need for extensive ABAP coding. Special Ledger is a table group of four to five tables, of which reporting is primarily performed on one of two parallel tables: highly summarized Summary records, and unique document level Single item records (optional). Each of these tables is customized to contain the specific fields required by the customer. Reports can be run efficiently on the summarized data in the Summary table, directly on the line item data in the Single item table, and/or incrementally through any level between the two. Special Ledger comes with a wealth of tools to process the collected data, the more significant of these tools are: FI-SL document entry allows direct entry in FI-SL for adjustments, restatements, etc. Validation and Substitution utilities enhance FI-SLs data collection capabilities. Allocations Planning Currency Translation that supports legal reporting requirements. Report Painter and Report Writer Rollup Ledgers for summarization Balance Carry forward utility

Configuration
The first configuration task is to create and install the FI-SL table group in the data dictionary. This is easily accomplished by adjusting the proposed template table group; adding or deleting variable fields per the customers requirements; and following a series of install options to update the data dictionary and regenerate delivered FI-SL programs to recognize your changes. Prior to adapting the delivered table groups coding block, the following fields are already contained in the main reporting table: Client, Ledger, Record type, Version, Year, Currency key, Quantity Key, Debit/Credit Indicator, Period, Company Code, Account, Business Area, Cost Center, and Function Area. Additionally the table group is pre-configured to support three parallel currencies, and two parallel quantities. Depending on your release level slight variations in templates may exist.

Copyright 2002 SAP AG. All rights reserved

AcceleratedSAP
Next the Ledger(s) is configured, this consists of selecting global options such as currency and quantity definition. Company Codes are assigned to the ledger, along with a desired Fiscal Year variant (FI-SLs Fiscal Year assignment is independent of Financials, this allows alternate Fiscal Year reporting in parallel). Activities are selected and linked with their field movements. Activities represent events in the system. FI postings, or MM Reevaluations are examples of activities. Field Movements instruct the system on how to fill in your custom tables fields with which sender fields. An example field movement for an FI posting would move the FI Account (HKONT) to the FI-SL Account (RACCT). The field movement simply maps the data together. Field movements allow for user exits. A commonly used user exit uses Cost Center to populate Cost Center type in FISL. A more robust user exit would use multiple sender fields (Sold-to Customer and Material) to populate customer unique fields in FI-SL. Additional Ledger configuration options: Multiple Ledgers - multiple ledgers can co-exist on the same or different tables. Ledger Selection - allows screening of data (ie: do not post document type XY to ledger Z1) Average Balance Ledger - allows reporting of average period balances (requires additional table configuration). An express installation option is available to assist in easing configuration.

Examples
A common application for Special Purpose Ledger would be to perform a simple manual Consolidation. Assume the following requirements: Ability to report each Companys local Company Code Currency, and a common Group Currency. Month-End Currency translation: Use various rates for different accounts (FASB 52). Lines of reports dependent on: Company, Account, Cost Center type. Ability to report in time intervals same as FI Fiscal Year Variant and also by Calendar Year. Post Corporate Adjustment entries directly in FI-SL. Exclude FI document type ZZ (statutory adjustments). Allow summary to source document drill down. Data must be live, not batch. Actual, Plan, Variance reporting.

The above requirements are easily accommodated in FI-SL. The coding block will be defined to contain variable key fields - Company, Account, Cost Center type. Two Ledgers will be defined one for each Fiscal Year Variant. Both ledgers will use a ledger selection condition on FI

Copyright 2002 SAP AG. All rights reserved

AcceleratedSAP
postings to exclude ZZ documents. Both ledgers will maintain single items (technically, only one ledger needs to maintain the single items). Both ledgers will capture transaction, local, and group currencies. Currency translation will be configured. All activities will be assigned to both ledgers. Live posting will be selected. A user exit to derive Cost Center type will be written in the field movements. FI-SL document entry will be used for Corporate adjustment postings. Report painter will be used for reporting. FI-SL is not limited to Consolidation type reporting. FI-SL can be used to report on virtually any field contained on a document or any field that can be derived from a document. FI-SL can contain SAP fields, and equally well Customer created fields. Documents that are posted within SAP are transferred into FI-SL via the Integration manager. This allows for more data to flow directly into the FI-SL document. Additionally, FI-SLs field movement user exits allow for even greater opportunities when transferring data.

Maintenance
Depending on the use of FI-SL, the customer may have to perform the following on a periodic basis: Maintain exchange rates for Currency Translation. Execute Currency Translation. Execute Allocations. Execute Data Transfer utilities - If subsequent update is desired, FI-SL can be configured to receive data in batch for some or all activities. Subsequent update is rarely used in FI-SL, however the delivered batch programs are very useful for initial data load.

Performance
Report Painter and Report Writer reports select data from one of two tables (Summary Record table and the Single Item table). Generally, the reports initially select from the Summary table. While analyzing the data, the user can then re-select additional data from the Summary table and/or in-turn drill down to the supporting line item records in the Single item table. The length of time to produce the report is directly proportional to the number of records that need to be read. To optimize performance we must simply reduce the number of records that are read by the report. Several design and configuration options allow for significant reduction in the tables maximum number of records: Split large volumes of data into multiple Ledgers. Do not contain excessive fields in your FI-SL coding block(i.e.: consider substituting Cost Center type in place of Cost Center). Adequately index FI-SL tables.

Table Indexing:

Copyright 2002 SAP AG. All rights reserved

AcceleratedSAP
FI-SL functions often select data from tables with only a limited number of fields. It is for this reason that all of the customers data selections (reporting, allocations, line item drill-down, etc.) must be anticipated to properly index the tables of the table group. Example: A financial report does not contain the field Cost Center that exists in the FI-SL total record table. Unless an index exists that excludes the Cost Center field, numerous additional records will need to be read to select the data for this report. Indexes are usually installed at the time of table group configuration, however a Basis Consultant can maintain them at a later time. Commonly the summary table will have two to five indexes to properly optimize reporting. Additional indexes require additional disk space, consideration should be made to properly balance the number of indexes created.

Special Features
Back-filling - FI-SL can easily be implemented after productive postings have been entered by using the delivered Data transfer programs. The data transfer programs facilitate back-filling a newly created ledger with postings from SAP modules and external sources (template program delivered). Delay update - A configuration switch exists to set all FI-SL ledgers for delayed posting. Delayed posting allows the source application document to post prior to posting in FI-SL. The FI-SL document will post automatically when there is less demand on the system. Delay posting is advantageous for customers who experience slow system performance as a result of extensive online posting transactions.

Copyright 2002 SAP AG. All rights reserved