Anand Seetharaju is a certified SAP S/4HANA financial and management accounting consultant. He holds active CPA and CMA licenses and has more than 25 years of experience in business process design, consulting, and implementation of accounting systems. He has led several SAP S/4HANA Finance and Central Finance transformation projects and has presented several topics at SAP conferences. Additionally, he has extensive implementation experience with the SAP classic general ledger, new general ledger, and SAP S/4HANA general ledger, including the conversion from a classic general ledger. Anand's experience includes global SAP finance and controlling implementations and rollouts with an emphasis on Central Finance, receivables management, revenue accounting and reporting, cash and liquidity management, profitability analysis, project systems, product costing, material ledger, capital asset management, leasing, global tax, and legal reporting.

... Preface ... 19

... Objective of This Book ... 19

... Target Audience ... 19

... Structure of the Book ... 20

... Acknowledgments ... 23

1 ... Introduction to Central Finance ... 25

1.1 ... Distributed Systems Landscape Challenges ... 26

1.2 ... Getting Started with Central Finance ... 27

1.3 ... Deployment Options ... 35

1.4 ... Central Finance Use Cases ... 38

1.5 ... Central Finance Road Map Explorer ... 42

1.6 ... Summary ... 50

2 ... Central Finance Processes ... 51

2.1 ... General Ledger ... 52

2.2 ... Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable ... 64

2.3 ... Financial Supply Chain Management ... 68

2.4 ... Projects, Fixed Assets, and Internal Orders ... 86

2.5 ... SAP Shared Services Framework ... 94

2.6 ... Joint Venture Accounting ... 94

2.7 ... Summary ... 98

3 ... Central Finance Architecture ... 99

3.1 ... Central Finance Landscape Components ... 100

3.2 ... Data Flow in Central Finance for SAP-Based Source Systems ... 110

3.3 ... Third-Party System Integration with the Central Finance System ... 113

3.4 ... Summary ... 120

4 ... Master Data Management ... 121

4.1 ... SAP Master Data Governance for Central Finance ... 123

4.2 ... Master Data Cleansing in Source Systems ... 131

4.3 ... Harmonizing Master Data and Organizational Elements ... 136

4.4 ... Central Finance Mapping ... 160

4.5 ... Audit Log for Key Mapping ... 189

4.6 ... Summary ... 194

5 ... Configuring SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server ... 195

5.1 ... Getting Started with SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server ... 197

5.2 ... Setting Up Replication ... 219

5.3 ... Advanced Replication Settings ... 242

5.4 ... Expert Functions ... 261

5.5 ... Summary ... 262

6 ... Configuring SAP Application Interface Framework ... 263

6.1 ... Getting Started with SAP Application Interface Framework ... 265

6.2 ... Understanding Runtime Groups ... 280

6.3 ... Error Handling ... 288

6.4 ... Reprocessing SAP Application Interface Framework Messages ... 306

6.5 ... Reposting Missing Cleared Items ... 310

6.6 ... Retriggering SAP Application Interface Framework Messages ... 313

6.7 ... Alerts Management ... 314

6.8 ... Improving SAP Application Interface Framework Performance ... 324

6.9 ... Error Resolution Content for SAP Application Interface Framework ... 324

6.10 ... Central Finance Cockpit ... 326

6.11 ... Summary ... 330

7 ... Configuring Central Finance and Source Systems ... 331

7.1 ... Getting Started with Configuration ... 332

7.2 ... Important Design Elements in Central Finance ... 344

7.3 ... Configuring Source Systems ... 368

7.4 ... Configuring the Central Finance System ... 386

7.5 ... Running Consistency Checks ... 417

7.6 ... Summary ... 428

8 ... Initial Load, Intermediate Data Retention, and Real-Time Replication ... 429

8.1 ... Initial Load and Real-Time Replication ... 430

8.2 ... Initial Load of Cost Objects ... 447

8.3 ... Initial Load of Financial Accounting-Controlling Postings ... 455

8.4 ... Resetting the Financial Accounting-Controlling Initial Load ... 477

8.5 ... Initial Load Using the Intermediate Data Retention Tool ... 479

8.6 ... Initial Load of Controlling Internal Postings ... 493

8.7 ... Initial Load of Commitments ... 508

8.8 ... Real-Time Replication ... 518

8.9 ... Summary ... 535

9 ... Central Payment ... 537

9.1 ... Overview of Central Payment ... 537

9.2 ... Getting Started with Central Payment ... 540

9.3 ... Configuring Central Payment ... 556

9.4 ... Handling Open Items with Central Payments ... 576

9.5 ... Down Payment Integration ... 586

9.6 ... Impact on Dependent Process ... 595

9.7 ... SEPA-Mandated Replication ... 619

9.8 ... Summary ... 635

10 ... Controlling ... 637

10.1 ... Projects and Work Breakdown Structure Replication ... 638

10.2 ... Centralized Budgeting ... 660

10.3 ... Replicating Classic Profit Center Accounting Documents ... 663

10.4 ... Material Cost Estimate Replication ... 676

10.5 ... Cost Rate Replication ... 686

10.6 ... Activity Type Replication ... 696

10.7 ... Transfer of Plan Data ... 700

10.8 ... Margin Analysis ... 703

10.9 ... Cost of Goods Sold Split ... 713

10.10 ... Price Difference Split ... 718

10.11 ... Additional Considerations ... 719

10.12 ... Summary ... 721

11 ... Accounting View of Logistics ... 723

11.1 ... Getting Started with Accounting View of Logistics ... 724

11.2 ... Configuring Accounting View of Logistics ... 729

11.3 ... Summary ... 763

12 ... Reconciliation and Reporting in Central Finance ... 765

12.1 ... Reconciliation Approach ... 767

12.2 ... Checks and Reconciliations at Various Stages ... 769

12.3 ... Running Central Finance Comparison Reports ... 773

12.4 ... Running SAP S/4HANA Reporting Tools ... 801

12.5 ... Statutory and Local Reporting in Central Finance ... 814

12.6 ... Summary ... 815

13 ... Central Finance Project Management ... 817

13.1 ... SAP Activate Methodology ... 819

13.2 ... Predelivered Adoption Content ... 825

13.3 ... Understanding Change Impact ... 827

13.4 ... SAP Focused Run ... 832

13.5 ... Central Finance Leading Practices ... 832

13.6 ... Summary ... 838

... The Author ... 839

... Index ... 841