SAP Templates Frequently Asked Questions

by Julien Delvat

SAP templates are often perceived as very complex. Let's dispel that myth and dive into some frequently asked template questions:

1. Do templates work for repetitive manufacturing?

Yes. For those unfamiliar with repetitive manufacturing, here's an example: One of our customers was bottling. They have millions of bottles running through, and you don't want to calculate the cost of each one. They are all the same. You can use the product cost selector, and then there's a special template environment for the product cost collector. This is useful for the cost of setup or the cost of quality checks.

2. Do you need to input actual quantity, like KB31N statistical key figures?

You don't have to. You could use either/or, and you have a different way of working between plan and actual. You could use whatever you want. You could use statistical key figures, for instance, the number of FTEs is a very frequent one or square footage, you could also use that, that's very useful. You could also use the logistics information system, which is like a database like COPA, and you could collect information there, and it's really up to you. You might want to still stick to some plan. 

Looking for more information on SAP templates? Watch this webcast, Introduction to SAP Templates, presented by Julien Delvat. Watch the recording to discover how to leverage your company’s standard SAP CO templates. You will:

• Understand the limitations of traditional costing methods
  
  
• Discover business processes
  
  
• Perform driver-based planning for cost center/activity types and business processes
  
  
• Allocate actual costs with operational KPIs
  
  
• Benefit from best practices in CO template setup and maintenance

Julien Delvat is Sr Program Manager for Finance Transformation at Google. He has more than ten years of SAP Controlling experience and started as a developer for CO maintenance and development at SAP Labs France. Julien is a frequent speaker at SAP conferences and is the Chair of the ASUG Managerial Accounting Special Interest Group. He lives in CA with his wife and two children.

Glossary

Repetitive Manufacturing

Repetitive manufacturing eliminates the need for production or process orders in manufacturing environments with production lines and long production runs. It reduces the work involved in production control and simplifies confirmations and goods receipt postings.