SAP ERP Financial Accounting and Controlling: Configuration and Use Management

Book Preface

In this introduction, I explain the meaning of the acronym SAP, the origin of SAP, and the concept of SAP implementation. We will go further to look at Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) as it relates to SAP, the importance of SAP, and the steps involved in implementing SAP ERP.

What Is SAP?
SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products) in data processing is the leading ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) business application software in the market today. The software provides a unified platform that allows business processes integration. SAP is developed by SAP AG, a German software company founded in 1972 by five ex-IBM employees. With its headquarters in Germany, SAP has regional offices around the world. SAP is used by many Fortune 500 companies worldwide as a business solution for processing operational data and for generating reports in real-time, which helps all levels of management make better decisions and enables them to manage business processes effectively and efficiently.

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
ERP is accomplished through business software packages like SAP that are made up of application modules that companies use to store data and manage business processes as a whole. Modules involve accounting, human resources, security, supply chain management, and more. These modules are used to manage the “8Ms,” (Man, Material, Machine, Money, Method, Minutes, Management, and Marketing). The idea is to improve efficient management enterprise resources. Besides SAP, ERP packages are produced by Oracle (PeopleSoft), BAAN, JD Edwards, and Siebel, among others.

The Importance of SAP ERP
Since its inception in 1972, SAP has gained international acceptance across the world by large organizations as the most preferred business solution package. SAP ERP is structured in three-tier layers, which makes it a robust ERP software solution. Apart from being the most widely used application software in the world today, the following benefits are derived from the use of SAPERP.

Contents at a Glance
About the Author ……………………………………………………………………………………….xxi
Acknowledgments ……………………………………………………………………………………xxiii
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………..xxv
■■Chapter 1: Customizing Organizational Structure in SAP ERP ………………………… 1
■■Chapter 2: Defining the Chart of Accounts …………………………………………………. 27
■■Chapter 3: Document Control …………………………………………………………………… 41
■■Chapter 4: Defining Tolerance Groups for G/L Accounts and Employees …………. 55
■■Chapter 5: Creating a General Ledger (G/L) ………………………………………………… 65
■■Chapter 6: Clearing Open Items ………………………………………………………………… 81
■■Chapter 7: Maintaining Currency Types and Currency Pairs ……………………….. 101
■■Chapter 8: Defining Adjustment Accounts for GR/IR Clearing ……………………… 111
■■Chapter 9: Defining the House Bank ………………………………………………………… 117
■■Chapter 10: Defining Tax on Sales and Purchases …………………………………….. 151
■■Chapter 11: Customizing a Cash Journal …………………………………………………. 163
■■Chapter 12: Financial Statement Versions (FSV) ……………………………………….. 173
■■Chapter 13: Integration of FI with Other SAP ERP Modules ………………………… 189
■■Chapter 14: Defining FI Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable ……………. 203
■■Chapter 15: Defining the Dunning Procedure and Correspondence ……………… 263
■■Chapter 16: Customizing Special G/L Transactions ……………………………………. 281
■■Chapter 17: End User – Accounting Document Posting ………………………………. 297
■■Chapter 18: Customizing the Controlling Module ………………………………………. 359
■■Chapter 19: Customizing New General Ledger Accounting …………………………. 421
■■Appendix A: Useful General Ledger Accounts ……………………………………………. 469
■■Appendix B: Some Useful Transaction Codes ……………………………………………. 547
Index ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 555