Tool to compare SAP financial statement versions, Configuration and Table

Recently I needed to compare Financial Statement Versions, Configurations and Table data between two SAP systems or clients in order to ensure synchronization across multiple landscape 

While SAP offers great tools to compare ABAP programs and many configurations within the system and across multiple systems, comparing financial statement versions, table data could be tricky. Comparison in Excel may work well for comparing table data, but it becomes a time consuming activity if you need to compare each and every cell 

I stumbled upon a beautiful tool to compare two text files. SAP allows any Financial Statement Version (FSV), Configuration or Table to be downloaded to a ASCII text (.txt) file using menu option System > List > Save > Local File > Unconverted in case of FSVs or Configuration screens 

On screens where the Save Local option is not available a Print option may also be used to download data to an unconverted .txt file. Only precaution required is, files from both the SAP systems or clients you need to compare should be downloaded with exact same procedure.

After downloading the data into two files to be compared, just enter the location of the two data files in the  Exam Diff  tool and it would provide you with usual analysis of entries which are common in both the files, records which exist in one file but do not exist in other file or records which exist in both the files but are different in some way 

ExamDiff is a freeware visual file comparison tool which can be downloaded from PrestoSoft's website at the following location: ExamDiff Download Page  It's also available for download on CNET. 

Conditions Copied from Last Purchase Order

While creating a Purchase Order, If Net Price of the order is found to be zero with the calculation schema, System checks data in the last purchase orders and copies values from the last PO. 

The following conditions must be met before system copies price from the previous purchase order 

1. An Info record exists for the Vendor, Material Combination at the purchase org/ plant. 
2. The last document is not a request for quotation.
3. The calculation schema of the last document is the same as the schema for the Purchase Order being created
4. Net Price of the purchase order is zero based on the calculation schema  

A copy function is executed to copy values from the last document. No checks are made for requirements for the calculation schema.

As a exception to the above, system does not copy the condition records of the subsequent settlement (condition class "C"); instead, they are always determined again to ensure that the condition records are consistent with the field contents 

The copy control can be disabled at user level by maintained EVO parameter as described in SAP Note# 675523

Exchange Rate Based On Document Date for LIV Invoices

For LIV Invoices posted using MIRO transaction the exchange rate defaults based on the posting date, As there is no provision to change the translation date on the MIRO screen, it cannot be substituted with document date.


In order to post all invoices based on exchange rate at the document date instead of the exchange rate at the invoice date, the BADI FI_TRANS_DATE_DERIVE needs to be implemented according to the SAP Note #574583


Detailed steps to implement this BADI are :

1. Go to transaction SE18, enter implementation name as "FI_TRANS_DATE_DERIVE"  and click "Display"
2. Click Menu option, "Implementation" > "Create"
3. Enter an implementation name, for example "Z_BADI_FI_TRANS_DATE_DERIVE"
4. Add country codes where document date is required as translation date in "Attributes" tab
5. Go to "Interface" tab
6. Double click on "DERIVE_WWERT"
7. Activate the code
8. Go back to the previous screen and activate the implementation

The SAP note#574583 shows relevance only upto ECC 6.0, but it can be implemented with ECC 6.04 also. 

Grouping of Payment Items in Automatic Payment Program (F110)

When executing an Automatic Payment program (F110), Various open items can be grouped together to be paid with a single payment document.
The grouping of open items for payment is carried out based on the fields in structure ZHLG1. Items are grouped only if all the fields in this structure are identical

for more details on open item grouping, refer to the following SAP Note
Note 164835 - F110: Clearing credit memos and invoices

RFTBFF00: Import Market Data

RFTBFF00 allows to transfer external market data into the SAP system in file form

It can be used to import the following

• Category 01:  Exchange rates

• Category 02:  Security price information (stocks quotes, bonds)

• Category 03:  Reference interest rates (e.g. LIBOR, FIBOR)

• Category 04:  Indexes

More information on how to use this program and transfer structures is available at the following SAP help link:
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_45b/helpdata/en/35/a7b5629af50d14e10000009b38f9b9/content.htm

With program RFIMPNBS it is possible to automatically import new exchange rates from European Central Bank into the system using an XML file. The following configurations need to be completed before RFIMPNBS can be use: 
Standard quotation for exchange rates,
Exchange rate type,
Translation ratios for currency translation

More details for using this program are available in SAP Note:
Note 1286897 - Import of Exchange Rates from ECB