SAP BW Reporting for Non-Leading Ledger — Extraction and Usage
SAP BI/BW has standardized data sources for preparing FI-GL reports. It lets you do the reporting for the leading as well as non-leading ledgers.
In case of leading ledgers, it is easy. You just have to activate the feature, install data sources and use the standard data-flows. The Leading Ledger Reporting process will be streamlined.
However, the process to configure and utilize non-leading ledgers is a bit different. For this, you will have to follow a different procedure in order to enable and configure data source(s).
Also Read: Your Modern Data warehouse for Elevated Needs — Know about SAP BW/4HANA
In this article, we are going to explain the process to create extractors for non-leading ledgers in SAP BW. But before we explain it thoroughly, let us help you learn the differences in the leading and non-leading ledgers in SAP.
A Quick Overview of the Leading Ledger
The original block that contains all the main entries in the leading ledger. It is essential to add one ledger as the leading ledger. The core principle for this ledger is same as the accounting principle related to consolidated financial statements.
By default, 0L is considered the leading ledger and is assigned to all the company codes. It is integrated with all subsidiary ledgers. So, entries can flow into the non-leading ledger from the leading ledger, so you don’t need to specify them separately later.
While the primary currency remains the same for all company codes and posting periods, second and third currencies can be altered with company codes.
To customize the details related to the leading ledger, you can go to Financial Accounting Global Settings (New). From there, click on Ledgers and navigate to Ledger. Here, look for the option named Define Currencies of Leading Ledger.
Here are the Reporting Data sources for Leading Ledger:
· General Ledger Details: Line Items — 0FI_GL_4
· Accounting data related to the General Ledger: Line Items of the Leading Ledger — 0FI_GL_14
The Non-Leading Ledger — What is it?
These ledgers, as stated above, work in parallel to the leading. Non-leading ledgers can be created as per the local accounting rules in your country/region. However, it is essential to enable the non-leading ledger before using them for separate company codes.
How to Generate Data Sources for Non-Leading Ledgers?
· The transaction code for auto-creating extractors is FAGLBW03, in the case of for non-leading ledgers. These extractors will have the name 3FI_GL_XX_SI or 3FI_GL_XX_TT,
Here, XX denotes the ledger name.
SI is from the actual line items in FAGLFLEXA table and TT is from Totals in FAGLFLEXA tables. Both these values are from the general ledger.
· You can use the transaction code SFW5 to enable the FIN_GL_CI_1 business function.
1> 3FI_GL_xx_TT General Ledger (New): Balances from Any Ledgers (FAGLFLEXT table)
Prerequisites
To customize the details related to the leading ledger in an OLTP system, you can go to Financial Accounting Global Settings (New) from Financial Settings. From here, enable the desired option.
If base table for the FAGLFLEXT table is totals, then there must be an extraction structure, named AGLFLEXB, already.
To utilize your own totals table as base, it is essential that you prepare a corresponding extraction structure. Once you are able to generate this totals table on your own, regenerate the extraction structure and the Data Source.
For this structure, you must use the transaction FAGLBW01, transferring all the fields from the totals table to that new extraction structure.
Activities
1. Call the transaction FAGLBW03 in your OLTP system to fetch the list of all ledgers.
2. Double-click the Assigned Data Source cell, adjacent to the ledger that your generated Data Source will be for.
3. Doing the above will open the Data Source dialog box for you. Edit Data Source name if you want. However, we would suggest you to avoid changing the text in this field, because it is related to the convention cited above. Or at least, skip changing the prefix “3” in this field.
4. Continue to the next step.
The Data Source: You will see the Edit Customer Version screen at this step. During selecting the data or performing the transfer into BW, exclude individual fields of the underlying extraction structure.
5. Prepare the Data Source for utilization and exit after saving settings.
Result: A Data Source for your ledger is created and now, is ready to use. You can now use this to extract data into BW.
2> 3FI_GL_xx_SI General Ledger Accounting (New): Line Items of Any Ledger (FAGLFLEXA table)
Through this Data Source, you may extract line items from a particular ledger to the new General Ledger Accounting. This particular ledger could be any ledger, including the leading ledger.
Prerequisites
To customize the details related to the leading ledger in an OLTP system, you can go to Financial Accounting Global Settings (New) from Financial Settings. From here, enable the desired option.
The extract structure being used by the auto-created generators is FAGLPOSBW here.
Activities
1. Call the transaction FAGLBW03 in your OLTP system to fetch the list of all ledgers.
2. Double-click the Assigned Data Source cell, adjacent to the ledger that your generated Data Source will be for.
3. Doing the above will open the Data Source dialog box for you. Edit Data Source name if you want. However, we would suggest you to avoid changing the text in this field, because it is related to the convention cited above. Or at least, skip changing the prefix “3” in this field.
4. Continue to the next step.
The Data Source: You will see the Edit Customer Version screen at this step. During selecting the data or performing the transfer into BW, exclude individual fields of the underlying extraction structure.
5. Prepare the Data Source for utilization and exit after saving settings.
Result: A Data Source for your ledger is created and now, is ready to use. You can now use this to extract data into BW.
Problems:
1> Error during the data Sources activation from T-Code FAGLBW03
“Extractors for general ledger documents are not yet supported” is the error message that you might receive in this scenario.
Solution: Activate the business function FIN_GL_CI_1 through SBW5 t-code in ECC. It can be done with the help of basis team.
2> Delta mode: Changed & Cleared documents are missing.
When you use the standard Data Source (i.e. 0FI_GL_14) or a generate one (3FI_GL_xx_SI) in delta mode, there are no corresponding entries for the edited or removed documents in the BWFI_AEDAT. So, this data doesn’t reach your BI system.
Besides the above Data Sources, exactly one among the enlisted extractors is used in the delta mode:
0FI_GL_4, 0FI_AP_4, 0FI_AR_4, 0FI_TX_4
If the initialization selections for any of the selected extractors are cleared, BWFI_AEDAT entries for the relevant Data Source(s) for this are also cleared from the source system. It’s the reason for your troubles.
Solution: Add a SAP Note “1938533–0FI_GL_14: Delta mode: Changed and cleared documents are missing” for this. It will let the users know about the reason behind this issue.
3> Poor Performance during delta extraction
Performance issues are the resultant of missing secondary or incorrect indexes, found during the process of delta extraction. Here are the Data Sources, for which, you may face this issue:
1. 0FI_GL_14 (or the self-created Data Source 3FI_GL_xx_SI) — since Release 603
2. 0EC_PCA_3
3. 0FI_GL_10 (or the self-created Data Source 3FI_GL_xx_TT) — For the delta method AIED
4. 3FI_SL_xx_SI (FI-SL line items — For the delta method NEWE)
5. 0FI_GL_11 (or the self-created Data Source 3FI_GL_xx_TT) — For the delta method ADD)
Solution: Deploy the SAP Note 1531175 that says’ Performance is poor for delta extraction’.
4> Program changes for exclusive lock in BW delta extraction
Solution: Follow the steps, specified for 2110876 — Program changes for exclusive lock in BW delta extraction in the SAP KBA.
References
· 1070629 — FAQs: Migration to General Ledger Accounting (new)
