Document Control

Hundreds of documents are created by companies as a result of transactions arising from business operations. To be able to manage documents storage in the SAP system, it is important that documents posted in the system are categorized and stored sequentially for easy of retrieval. Once a transaction is posted, then the system generates a document, assigns a document number to the document, and saves the generated document in the system.

Every posting in the SAP system generates a document and the document remains open in the system until the document is cleared and archived. For example, when a transaction is posted in the system, the system generates a document and assigns it a number, and it remains open in the system until cleared.

As mentioned earlier, hundreds of transactions are posted in SAP S4 HANA. Identifying a single transaction in an environment where you have hundreds of transactions stored in the same system can be very daunting. To eliminate this problem, SAP uses a document-control technique that allows the system to structure documents storage in the system in a systematic way using document numbering, company code, and fiscal year.

Document types – Document types are defined at the client level. This makes document types available to all company codes within the client. Document types are used to control different business transactions in SAP R/3.

Posting Key

Posting Key – Used for line items.

Posting keys are defined at the client level and are available to all company codes within the client.

SAP S4 HANA comes with predefined posting keys with the following default posting key values.

We recommend that you use the predefined posting keys supplied by SAP in the system instead of creating your own posting keys, as the supplied posting keys in the system are sufficient for your requirements. To access the screen where posting keys are defined follow this menu path: IMG: Financial Accounting ➤ Financial Accounting Global Settings ➤ Document ➤ Define Posting Keys.

Definition of Number Range Intervals

A document type in SAP S4 HANA must be assigned a number from a predefined number range you have defined. A document type is assigned to a number range. When a transaction is posted, the system will automatically assign a number to the document from the number range you have defined via the document type you assigned to the document. You can either define your own number ranges or you can copy the predefined number ranges provided by SAP in the system.

There are three steps to create number range intervals in SAP S4 HANA. We will be looking at each of these steps in turn in this activity.

In this activity, we will be looking at how to define your own number ranges by copying a subject from another company code.

Defining Document Number Ranges using Copy Subobject Function

The number ranges you defined in the activity will be automatically assigned by the system sequentially to documents during posting. To go to the screen where to define your own number ranges follow this menu path: Financial Accounting ➤ Financial Accounting Global Settings ➤ Document ➤ Document Number Ranges➤ Define Document Number Ranges.

The Edit Intervals: Accounting document. Object RF-BELEG screen is displayed, as in Figure 3-2.

The first Interval button from the right on the screen will allow you to look up existing number ranges in the system. The second Interval button will allow you to create your number interval. Since you want to copy another company code number ranges using Copy Subobject. Click Copy Subobject at the top of the screen. Copy Company Code dialog box appears. Enter the company code you want to copy in the From field and enter your company code in the To field and click Copy at the bottom of the Copy Company Code dialog box. The Number Range Interval Transport message screen will be displayed with the message “The intervals are not included in automatic recording of customizing change…” as in Figure 3-3.

Click Enter, which is the green tick at the bottom right of the screen. The Edit Intervals: Accounting document, Object RF-BELEG screen has the message your source company code was copied to your company code. To view the number ranges you have copied, click the Display Intervals button (this is the intervals button with a goggle icon), which is the first button from the left side of the screen. The Edit Intervals: Accounting document, Object RF-BELEG, Subobject (your company code) screen is displayed (Figure 3-4).

How to Delete Number Range Intervals

To delete a number range interval, go back to the Edit Intervals: Accounting document, Object RF-BELEG using the back arrow at the top left of the screen. Click the Change Intervals with a pencil icon (this is the second button from the left on the screen). Select the number range intervals you want to delete and click the Delete Line at the top of the screen, as in Figure 3-5, and save your work.

Creating your number range intervals from scratch

This is when you decide to create your own unique number range intervals.

The number ranges you defined in the activity will be automatically assigned by the system sequentially to documents during posting. To go to the screen where you can define your own number ranges follow this menu path: Financial Accounting ➤ Financial Accounting Global Settings ➤ Document ➤ Document Number Ranges➤ Define Document Number Ranges. The Edit Intervals: Accounting document, Object RF-BELEG screen is displayed (Figure 3-6). Enter your company code in the Company Code field.

To maintain number ranges for your company code, choose change Intervals button. That is the second button from the left with a pencil icon on the Edit Intervals: Accounting document, Object RF-BELEG screen.

The Edit Intervals: Accounting document, Object RF-BELEG screen subobject (your company code) screen is displayed, as in Figure 3-7.

Update the following fields:

No: This is the field where you will enter your number range identifier. For example – 01

Year: The years you enter here determine the validity of your number range. It is important that you include the current year in your number range.

From number: This is the lower limit for your number range intervals (i.e., the starting point of your number range).

To number: This is the upper limit for your number range intervals (i.e., where your number range ends).

Current number: No entry is needed here. This field shows the current number range that has been assigned by the system. During configuration this filed is always defaulted as 0.

Ext: When this check box indicator is selected, the system will allow the users to assign an external number to documents during posting. If the check box is left blank, the system will assign a number to documents automatically from the number range intervals that you have defined.

Note

Enter two numeric character – 01 or alphanumeric character – A1 or alpha character – AB identifier for your number range intervals. The choice of what character to use is discretionary.

It is important to stress here that the characters used as above are only for illustration. There is no restriction to the digits you can use as your number range identifier. You can use any character as deemed fit, but it is advisable to use meaningful and sequential characters. In the following example, we used numeric characters.

Repeat the same process as above by clicking the change Intervals button and enter another number range interval for Fiscal year – 2023, 2024, and so on.

Once you have completed creating your number ranges for the desired years, save the number ranges you have defined. The Transport number range intervals screen pops up. Accept the warning by choosing the Enter button. The system will then notify you at the status bar below that your changes were saved.

Note

Number ranges must not overlap.

Let’s look at the final step of how to define document number ranges by copying the number range intervals of another company code to your company code.

Copy Another Company Code to your Company Code

To copy the intervals of document number ranges of another company code to your company code follow this menu path: Financial Accounting ➤ Financial Accounting Global Settings ➤ Document ➤ Document Number Ranges➤ Copy to Company Code. The Transport Number Range Intervals screen is displayed, as in Figure 3-3. Click the Enter button at the bottom right of the screen. The Document Number Ranges Copying to Company Code screen is displayed (Figure 3-8).

Update the following fields:

In the General selections section of the screen, enter the start number of the number range of the source company in the Number range number field and the end number range in the To field. Enter the year range you are copying in the Fiscal Year field. You can use our example, as in Figure 3-8. In the Source company code details section, enter the company code you are copying the number range intervals from in the Company code field. In the Target company code details section, enter your company code in the Company code section.

Note

Source company code is the company code you are copying the document number ranges from. In this activity, we copied company code 0001 and the target company is your company code you are copying company code 0001 document number ranges to. In this activity, our company code is C100.

This action will allow you to copy the entire number range for company code –0001.

Finally, let’s look at how to copy document number ranges to fiscal year.

Copying Number Ranges to Fiscal Year

You can also copy document number ranges from an earlier fiscal year to a new fiscal year. To go to the screen where you can carry out this exercise use this menu path: Financial Accounting ➤ Financial Accounting Global Settings ➤ Document ➤ Document Number Ranges➤ Copy to Fiscal Year. The Transport Number Range Intervals information screen pops up with the information that “The intervals are not included in automatic recording of customizing changes…” Press enter on your keyboard or click enter – the green tick at the right bottom of the Transport Number Ranges Intervals screen. The Document Number Ranges: Copy to Fiscal Year screen is displayed in Figure 3-9.

Update the following fields: In General selections section of the screen of the screen enter your company code in the Company code field. In the Source fiscal year details section enter the fiscal year you are copying in the To fiscal year field and in Target fiscal year details section, enter your new fiscal year in the To fiscal year field and click the Execute button at the bottom right of the screen. The Document Number Ranges: Copy to Fiscal Year screen appears displaying a list of all the intervals added to your new fiscal year.

Field Status Variants

Field Status variants are variants that comprise the Field Status group in SAP S4 HANA. A Field Status Group defines the screen layout for a general ledger account entry and also controls document creation within a company code. Based on your specification, the Field Status Group will determine which fields will accept input during documents entry, whether a field should be hidden, displayed or suppressed, required or optional.

In SAP S4 HANA, field statuses are defined at global settings and are assigned Field Status Groups. Field status variants are independent of company codes (that is they are available to all company codes in the client); hence they are created at client level. A Field Status Group is entered in the company code section of the G/L accounts master record during the creation of a G/L account.

A field status group allows you to determine which fields require entry, which fields are optional or suppressed during document entry.

Define Field Status Variants

Problem: You are to copy the Company code 0001 Field Status Variants supplied by Sap in the system and modify them to meet your requirements. As part of this customizing exercise, you are to specify field status variants and assign your company code to the field status variant you have defined.

To access the screen where you will define your field status variants follow this menu path: Financial Accounting ➤ Financial Accounting Global Settings ➤ Ledgers ➤ Fields ➤ Define Field Status Variants. Change View “Field Status”: Overview screen is displayed (Figure 3-10). This is the screen where you define your field status variants and assign field status groups to it.

Since you are going to copy an existing field status variants supplied by SAP in the system, use the Position button at the button of the screen search for the company code whose field status variants you want to copy. You can copy the field status variants of any of the sample company supplied by SAP in the system for your country.

Select the field status variant you want to copy from the list of field status variants provided by SAP in the system (see Figure 3-10 as an example), click Copy as… at the top of the screen. Change View “Field Status Variants”: Overview of Selected Set screen is displayed with details of the field status variant you have copied.

Modify the copied field status to meet your requirements by changing the exiting field status variant in the FStV (Field Status Variant) field to your company code identifier and enter a description you will remember in the Field Status Name field.

Once you have maintained your field status variant click the Copy button at the bottom right of the screen. Specify object to copy screen pops up with three options to choose from: copy all, only copy entry, or cancel.

When you choose the copy all button, this will allow you to copy the entries of the field status variant you copied and its dependent entries. Similarly, when you choose the only copy entry button, only the entries associated with the field status variant will be copied.

Choose the copy all button in order to copy the entry with all dependent entries associated with the field variant you have copied. The Information screen pops up telling you the Number of dependent entries copied. When you click the Continue button at the bottom right of the Information screen, the field status you have defined will appear at the top of the list of field status variants in the Change View “Field status”: Overview screen (Figure 3-12).

To view the field status groups you have copied, use the Position button at the bottom of the screen to search for your field status variant; your field status variant will be displayed at the top of the list of the field status variants in the system. Select your field status and double click the Field status group folder in the Dialog Structure on the left side of the screen, a list of field status groups depending on entries for your field status variant will be displayed, as in Figure 3-12.

As we mentioned earlier, the Field Status group controls the appearance of certain data entry fields in the data screen for G/L accounts. For example, you can decide which field in the G/L account should be suppressed, required entry, or optional entry. For example, let’s assume that your client wants you to make Due Date and Payment terms field a required entry fields during Receivables/Payable clearing.

To go to the screen where you will maintain your field status group for receivables/payables clearing, search for G012 – Receivables/payables clearing in the list of field status groups displayed in the Change View “Field status”: Overview screen (Figure 3-13). Double click the G012 – Receivables/payables, Maintain Field Status Group: Overview screen is displayed. Since you want to make due date and payment terms compulsory entry field, double click Payment transactions from the Select Group section (Figure 3-14).

The Maintain Field Status Group: Payment transactions screen is displayed in Figure 3-15.

Select Due Date and Payment terms under Req. Entry radio buttons, as in Figure 3-15, and save your customizing by clicking the Save button at the bottom right of the screen.

Assign Company Code to Field Status Variants

The final step in this activity is to assign the field status variant you have defined to your company code. The field status variant you assigned to your company code will control the appearance of the data entry field in the data screen. To go to the screen where you will assign your company code to the field status variant you have defined follow this menu path: Financial Accounting ➤ Financial Accounting Global Settings ➤ Ledgers ➤ Fields ➤ Assign Company Code to Field Status Variants. Change View “Assign Company Code _> Field Status”: Variant” Overview screen is displayed (Figure 3-16).

Using the Position button at the bottom of the screen, search for your company code and use the Match code function for your field status variant and assign it to your company code and save your work.

Summary

This chapter explained document control by looking at document types and posting keys and their functions in SAP S4 HANA. As part of the customizing exercise, you learned how to copy document number ranges from predefined number ranges supplied by SAP in the system, how to display the number ranges you defined, and how to delete number range lines. You learned about what field status variants are and the importance of field status variants. Finally, you learned how to create your own field status variants by copying predefined field status variants and field status variant groups and their dependent entries and how to assign a field status variant to your company code.

In the next chapter, we will be looking at how to customize tolerance groups and how to assign a user to a tolerance group.