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I’m not sure if anyone on our first SAP implementations truly understood the costing flow. It is one gift to understand SAP technically, and quite another to understand it as an accounting process. I’m sure you’ve had similar experiences, especially in Product Costing and Cost Object Controlling. As a Senior Education Consultant at SAP, my first goal was to educate myself! Once I began working in the classroom with students, I found they were as confused as I had once been. As an SAP educator, I’ve made it my mission to simplify explanations of these intimidating topics.

I look forward to presenting at the Controlling 2015 conference September 21-24 in San Diego. I am passionate about management accounting. My belief is there is much opportunity for accountants to improve the quality of information they provide to internal users to support better decision making.

On Thursday, June 11, 2015 members of the SAP Controlling Community gathered for a webinar presented by Janet Salmon on the latest changes to accounting and controlling in SAP Simple Finance 1503. The webinar was a a sneak peek of Janet's Controlling 2015 plenary session. The webinar Explored how changes in SAP Simple Finance will affect SAP Controlling including how accounts and cost elements will merge, what you can expect to see in Reporting and Planning, and how account-based CO-PA has been enhanced to provide better Profitability Reporting. Keep reading for a list of frequently asked questions that came up during the course of the webinar on SAP Simple Finance 1503.

In this recording from the Controlling 2014 conference, you'll hear from Sydnie McConnell about how Woodward, a leading designer and manufacturer of hydro-mechanical and electronic fuel controls and delivery systems, decided to move its planning, budgeting, and forecasting processes to SAP Business Planning and Consolidation 10.0 (NetWeaver).

On Thursday, June 11, 2015 members of the SAP Controlling Community gathered for a webinar presented by Janet Salmon on the latest changes to accounting and controlling in SAP Simple Finance 1503. The webinar was a a sneak peek of Janet's Controlling 2015 plenary session. The webinar Explored how changes in SAP Simple Finance will affect SAP Controlling including how accounts and cost elements will merge, what you can expect to see in Reporting and Planning, and how account-based CO-PA has been enhanced to provide better Profitability Reporting.

Tip 100 from 100 Things You Should Know About Controlling with SAP (2nd Edition) by John Jordan:

You can reference SAP Note 552486 for answers to frequently asked questions about Product Cost Controlling (CO-PC). Process orders provide you with extra functionality, such as phases and process instructions for process industries. 

The Online Service System (OSS) contains a database of useful information and advice on fixes for SAP system issues, consulting notes, and frequently asked questions. OSS Note 552486 contains advice on 14 SAP Controlling frequently asked questions. In this tip, we'll discuss how to access OSS Note 552486 adn we'll go over the note's first couple of questions and answers. 

I wasn't planning on publishing an SAP user guide. But when respected SAP writer Rehan Zaidi approached me, I realized he was right: SAP users need a clear and effective guide for getting started with SAP. They also need tips and tricks that can go undiscovered for years; Zaidi has plenty of those! So we embarked on our book project. The end result, The Ultimate SAP User Guide, is now available. 

Excerpt from 100 Things You Should Know About Controlling with SAP (2nd Edition) by John Jordan:

With the material ledger, you can carry inventory in up to two additional valuations and at actual costs, described as follows:

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Carry material prices in multiple currencies and valuations

Material inventory values are normally carried in only company code currency. The material ledger enables the system to carry inventory values in two additional currencies/valuations. This is achieved by updating all goods movements in the material ledger in up to three currencies or valuations. Currency amounts are translated into foreign currencies at historical exchange rates directly at the time of posting. 

Value inventory at actual costs

Actual costing valuates all goods movements within a period at the standard price (preliminary valuation). All price and exchange rate differences for the material are collected in the material ledger.

At the end of the period, an actual price is calculated for each material based on the actual costs of the period. This actual price is called the periodic unit price and can be used to revaluate the inventory for the period to be closed. You can use this actual price as the standard price for the next period.

Actual costing determines what portion of the variance is to be debited to the next-highest level using material consumption. The actual bill of materials enables variances to be rolled up over multiple production levels all the way to the finished product. You can choose to have cost center variances also taken into account. 

This category of tips describes how multiple valuations and actual costing work, and the material ledger period-end closing process. It also describes the implementation steps needed during production startup. The actual cost component split and deactivating the material ledger are also explained. 

Keep reading in Things You Should Know About Controlling with SAP (2nd Edition). Use coupon code CTLSP10 for 10% off on www.sap-press.com.

New users have traditionally struggled to understand the way SAP separates Financial Accounting and Management Accounting where most legacy systems see the two as one. While it’s easy enough to understand how a payroll account flows from the profit and loss statement into cost center accounting because the account information stays the same, the situation becomes more challenging as a revenue account flows into profitability analysis and is transformed into a value field, or a cost of goods sold account becomes multiple value fields depending on the cost components involved. In its latest product release, SAP is bringing the two worlds closer together.

New users have traditionally struggled to understand the way SAP separates Financial Accounting and Management Accounting where most legacy systems see the two as one. While it’s easy enough to understand how a payroll account flows from the profit and loss statement into cost center accounting because the account information stays the same, the situation becomes more challenging as a revenue account flows into profitability analysis and is transformed into a value field, or a cost of goods sold account becomes multiple value fields depending on the cost components involved. In its latest product release, SAP is bringing the two worlds closer together.