Document Splitting in SAP New GL General Ledger

SAP ECC 6.0 New GL has a new functionality to create segment financial statements. With the help of document splitting one can allocate an expense line item between two segments. FI Document split and segment is covered via a ‘segment field’ which is a standard field in the
totals table in the New General Ledger FAGLFLEXT. So how does one go about document splitting.

Document splitting needs to be enabled first at the client level customizing. Once this is enabled, then document splitting can be activated / deactivated in each company code. Similarly, ‘Inheritance’ can be activated which provides the level of detail for a document split. To take an example, by activating inheritance one can create a customer invoice from a revenue line item. The business areas or segements are automatically populated in the general ledger view showing the customer and tax line items. Activation of ‘Inheritance’ is recommended with document splitting as this does not require the business to then create ‘rules’ for business processes to ensure that account assignments are projected.

Document splitting in New GL can be divided into passive split, active(rule based) split or clearing lines by document. With passive document splitting, during clearing of a document, the account assignments of the items to clear are inherited to the clearing line items. Active splitting works on the principle of defining splitting rules. Splitting rules are configured which are used by SAP to make a document split. Finally, in case of clearing lines, New GL creates clearing lines automatically to achieve a split. Document splitting is
one of the key functionalities enabled by SAP New GL to help deliver segmented financial statements.

SIMPLE DOCUMENTS

1) Document header contains: Document and posting date, Doc, header text, company code, Reference no, etc.

2) For each FI transaction code (E.g. Invoice, Credit memo, G/L entry – F-02) you can define a document type and default posting key. (You can over write these default values while entering document.)

3) In Enjoy transactions : while entering customer/vendor Invoice/Cr.Memo transactions Vendor/Customer (Business partner) master data can also displayed along side the a/c name, address and bank details, and open line items can be accessed by pressing “Open Items” button. Entry screen also contains a/c balance display.

4) In Enjoy transactions via “Tree” you can access screen variants, a/c assignment templates and held documents at the left side of the screen.

5) You can enter explanatory text for line items with “*” in front of the text so as to print this text in dunning notices and payment advice notes.

6) In customizing you can define text templates under 4 digit key, these text templates are copied into line item when you enter the relevant key (E.g. DP = “DOWN PAYMENT”). While entering 4 digit key “=” needs to be entered before the key.

IMG:FI A/cing>Doc>Line Item>Define texts for line items.

DOCUMENT STRUCTURE / CONTROL

1) A document is saved for every posting. Every Document is uniquely identified by the Document Number, Company Code and Fiscal Year.

2) A Document contains Document header + 2 to 999 line items.

3) Document Type : Controls the Document header and classify the business transactions to be posted.

>> Posting Key : Controls the Line items.

4) Document types are defined at client level. Document types define the following:

a) Number ranges for Document number.

b) Account types permitted for postings. And also

c) The field status of “document header Text” and “Reference number” in the Document header.

d) Whether the invoices are posted with net procedure.

5) Standard Document types are :

KR – Vendor Invoice DR – Customer Invoice.

KG – Vendor Cr.Memo. DG – Customer Cr.Memo.

KZ – Vendor Payment DZ – Customer Payment.

AB – General Document SA – G/L a/c posting.

6) Document numbers can have internal or external number assignment.

7) Up to a future fiscal year – Number range will continue irrespective of year end.

For each fiscal year – At the start of a new year the system starts the number assignment again at the start of the number range. (You need to define number range for every new fiscal year)

8) The document number range must not over lap.

9) Document type AB allows postings to all account types.

10) One number range can be assigned to several document types.

11) Posting keys are defined at client level.

12) Posting keys control:

i) On which type of account the line item can be posted to

ii) The item is posted as a Debit or Credit.?

iii) The field status of additional fields.

In addition to this posting key specifies the following:

>> Whether line item is connected to payment transaction or not.

>> Whether posting is sales relevant.

13) Document line item fields are controlled by :

a) G/L Account specific field status group assigned to the G/L account while creating. (Account specific field status groups are summarized under field status variant which is assigned to company code) If the document is posted to a sub ledger a/c, the field status group of the reconciliation a/c is used.

b) Posting key specific field status group.

(The field status HIDE cannot be combined with the field status REQUIRED entry which causes an error.)

14) Document type does not have default posting key or vise versa. For each FI transaction (E.g. Invoice, Credit memo, Out going payment) you can define a document type and default posting key at:

IMG:FI A/cing>F.A.Global Settings>Document>Default values for document processing>Default values.

(E.g. When posting outgoing invoices, you use the document type “DR” and

posting key “01”. You can store these specifications in the system. They

are proposed by the system when you call up the corresponding

transaction).