By Janet Salmon · Historical Q&A with editorial update notes by ERPCorp
This SAP S/4HANA Finance Q&A covers currencies, the Universal Journal, migration, Central Finance, COGS splitting, and custom code. Janet Salmon answered these questions following a webinar previewing her SAP Controlling 2016 plenary session, SAP S/4HANA: Let’s Get Under the Covers.
Release context: The answers below summarize the original 2016 discussion of SAP Simple Finance and early SAP S/4HANA Finance releases. They are retained as historical guidance. Clearly labeled ERPCorp update notes highlight selected changes; confirm the documentation for your target release and deployment before making design decisions.
Table of Contents
- Simple Finance and SAP S/4HANA Finance
- Parallel and Functional Currencies
- Web Dynpro Applications
- New GL Migration and Unicode
- Central Finance Availability
- ACDOCA and Legacy Totals Tables
- Cost Component Splits in CO-PA
- Custom Code and Compatibility Views
- Custom Objects in Central Finance Source Systems
- Legacy FI/CO Tables
- About Janet Salmon
- Conclusion
- Glossary
- Reference Materials
Simple Finance and SAP S/4HANA Finance
What Is the Difference Between Simple Finance and SAP S/4HANA Finance?
2016 answer: SAP S/4HANA Finance was previously known as SAP Simple Finance. The discussion explained the naming transition for releases 1503 and 1605. Older release 1503 documentation would continue to use the SAP Simple Finance name because a retrospective documentation update was not planned.
ERPCorp update note: Read these names in their historical product context. Identify the exact SAP S/4HANA release and deployment when comparing present-day capabilities.
Parallel and Functional Currencies
Can a Company Code Use Different Functional Currencies in Parallel Ledgers?
2016 answer: Janet described company code currency (type 10), group currency (type 30), and additional currencies configured through ledger settings. The discussion contrasted the earlier FI and CO currency limits with expanded currency fields in early SAP S/4HANA Finance releases, including group valuation and profit center valuation.
ERPCorp update note: Parallel currencies and the designated functional currency are different settings. SAP’s referenced on-premise documentation states that the functional currency is the same for all ledgers in a company code and is defined at leading-ledger level. Additional currency fields do not imply a separate designated functional currency for every ledger. See Define Functional Currency and Currencies Managed in Parallel in the Universal Journal.
Web Dynpro Applications
Is Web Dynpro Required?
2016 answer: Yes, for certain applications, including examples in CO master data, FI account data, and reporting.
ERPCorp update note: This answer described the application landscape at the time. Check the implementation requirements and user interface technology of each app selected for your target release.
New GL Migration and Unicode
Must Classic GL Customers Implement New GL Before Converting? Is Unicode Required?
2016 answer: Migration to SAP S/4HANA Finance enriches accounting documents with reporting dimensions such as profit center, functional area, and segment. Combining accounts and cost elements in the Universal Journal changes the former FI/CO reconciliation approach. The original answer also highlighted the then-current restrictions on adding ledgers and document splitting, and the need to plan these requirements separately.
ERPCorp update note: A separate New GL migration is not generally required before an SAP S/4HANA conversion, as SAP explains in its finance data migration guidance. The sequence still depends on the required accounting design. Unicode is a prerequisite for system conversion; non-Unicode systems need the appropriate preparation before conversion. Consult the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition 2023 Conversion Guide and the guide for your actual target release.
Central Finance Availability
Was Central Finance Already Available?
2016 answer: Central Finance had been released with SAP S/4HANA Finance 1503, with features added in subsequent releases. The original discussion also described a planned consolidation direction based on Universal Journal data.
ERPCorp update note: The development roadmap described in 2016 is historical. Evaluate Central Finance replication and consolidation requirements against the current scope of the products in your design.
ACDOCA and Legacy Totals Tables
Does ACDOCA Replace FAGLFLEXA, COSS, and COSP?
2016 answer: ACDOCA takes over the actual-cost role discussed in the webinar (value type 04). The answer distinguished those actuals from other value types, such as planned and target costs, which still used other structures in the releases discussed.
ERPCorp update note: Treat this as a distinction between accounting data categories, rather than a promise that every legacy table has the same behavior in every release. Review the data source for each report during conversion.
Cost Component Splits in CO-PA
Are Cost Component Splits Available in Account-Based CO-PA?
2016 answer: The standard cost estimate’s cost component split could update separate COGS accounts. At that time, the answer stated that actual-cost revaluation from Material Ledger did not provide the same component split and instead updated a single COGS account.
ERPCorp update note: That historical limitation is not a general statement about later releases. SAP now documents splitting the COGS revaluation amount using the actual cost component delta split. SAP S/4HANA 2021 also introduced an Actual Costing (ML) strategy type for COGS splitting. Review the release-specific strategy and revaluation settings. See SAP COGS Split in S/4HANA: Configuration and Example and SAP’s COGS splitting documentation.
Custom Code and Compatibility Views
Must Custom Reports Change Their Table Access?
2016 answer: Compatibility views for removed tables such as COSP, COSS, and COEP were intended to support existing read access. Custom WRITE, UPDATE, and DELETE operations required particular attention because the former tables could be represented virtually. The original answer referred to SAP Note 1976487 (SAP sign-in may be required).
ERPCorp update note: Inventory and test custom code for the target release. Do not assume that compatibility views alone establish functional correctness or acceptable performance.
Custom Objects in Central Finance Source Systems
Does a Separate Central Finance Instance Affect Existing WRICEFs?
2016 answer: Custom objects would continue to run in the source systems, with additional code needed to provide Central Finance connectivity.
ERPCorp update note: Use that answer as architectural context. Include source-system enhancements, mappings, replicated postings, and reconciliation in project testing.
Legacy FI/CO Tables
Do Tables Such as BKPF, BSEG, and COBK Still Exist?
2016 answer: Yes. Janet specifically highlighted BSEG’s continued role for open item management in Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable.
ERPCorp update note: ACDOCA does not mean every earlier table disappears. SAP’s accounting CDS view documentation distinguishes Universal Journal views based on ACDOCA from entry views based on BKPF/BSEG. Check each table’s role and supported access for your release.
About Janet Salmon
Janet Salmon works in SAP S/4HANA product management with a focus on Universal Parallel Accounting. She is an SAP Controlling author and conference speaker, and coauthor with John Jordan of Product Cost Controlling with SAP S/4HANA. Visit Janet Salmon’s speaker profile for her expertise, books, and related sessions.
Conclusion
This Q&A captures the transition from SAP Simple Finance to early SAP S/4HANA Finance. Its core themes remain useful for planning: define the accounting and currency design, understand the reporting data, and test integrations and custom code. Use the update notes and target-release SAP documentation when applying these ideas to a current project.
Planning an SAP Finance and Controlling transition? Work with ERPCorp to review Product Costing, Material Ledger, and reporting requirements.
Continue learning: Explore ERPCorp membership for SAP Controlling conference session recordings and technical learning resources.
Glossary
ACDOCA: The Universal Journal table for integrated accounting actuals.
Central Finance: An SAP deployment approach that brings accounting information from source systems into a central SAP S/4HANA system.
COGS Split: A breakdown of cost of goods sold into separate G/L accounts using cost component information.
Compatibility View: A database view that supports specified access to data represented differently in the simplified data model.
Functional Currency: The currency of an entity’s primary economic environment.
Universal Journal: The integrated accounting data model that brings financial and management accounting information together.
WRICEF: Workflow, reports, interfaces, conversions, enhancements, and forms; a common grouping for custom development objects.