3.1 SAP S/4HANA For Management Accounting Associates Certification

The highest reporting level in management accounting is the operating concern. This term refers to a specific organizational unit within a company that is responsible for managing and controlling its operations. It typically represents a business segment or division within the company and is used for reporting purposes to analyze and evaluate its performance. The operating concern is important in management accounting as it provides a comprehensive view of the financial and operational aspects of a specific business area.

In SAP S/4HANA, it is possible to assign multiple company codes to a controlling area where the company code currency may differ from the controlling area currency. This means that each company code can have its own currency while still being assigned to the same controlling area. This allows for flexibility in financial reporting and consolidation within the organization.

The correct answer is Primary costs with G/L account and Secondary costs with G/L account. In SAP S/4HANA, primary costs are costs that are directly related to the production of goods or services, such as raw materials or direct labor. These costs are recorded in general ledger (G/L) accounts. Secondary costs, on the other hand, are costs that are not directly related to production but are still necessary for the business, such as overhead costs or administrative expenses. These costs are also recorded in G/L accounts. Therefore, both primary and secondary costs in SAP S/4HANA are associated with G/L accounts.

The object with which you differentiate the planning scenarios for cost centers is the CO version. CO version is a controlling parameter that allows you to maintain different versions of your controlling area data. By using different CO versions, you can plan and analyze your cost centers based on different scenarios or assumptions. This allows for better comparison and evaluation of different planning scenarios within the organization.

You can perform the activities of appending nodes and cost centers to a node of the standard hierarchy and reassigning a cost center to another node of the standard hierarchy while creating cost center hierarchies.

To assign a company code to a controlling area, the fiscal year variant and chart of accounts must be identical for both organizational objects. The fiscal year variant determines the number of posting periods and the fiscal year for which financial statements are created. The chart of accounts defines the structure and content of the general ledger accounts. These settings need to be the same for both the company code and controlling area to ensure consistent financial reporting and integration between the two organizational objects.

Periodic reposting is the process that can be used to credit internal orders during period-end closing. This process involves transferring costs or revenues from one internal order to another. It allows for the redistribution of expenses or income among different internal orders, helping to ensure accurate allocation and reporting of costs. This can be useful in situations where costs need to be reallocated or when there is a need to consolidate costs from multiple internal orders.

The account type in SAP S/4HANA controls the eligible cost element categories for G/L accounts. The account type determines the nature of the account and its usage in financial accounting. Different account types are assigned to different cost element categories, which determine the types of costs that can be posted to the G/L account. Therefore, the account type plays a crucial role in determining the eligible cost element categories for G/L accounts in SAP S/4HANA.

In SAP S/4HANA, profit center accounting is maintained on the organizational level known as the controlling area. The controlling area is a central organizational unit in SAP that represents a closed system for cost accounting and profitability analysis. It is responsible for consolidating and analyzing cost and revenue data from different company codes within an organization. By maintaining profit center accounting at the controlling area level, organizations can effectively track and analyze the profitability of different segments or divisions within the company.

The standard hierarchy of the controlling area is created when the controlling area is defined. This means that the hierarchy is established at the same time as the overall structure and parameters of the controlling area are set up. It is important to define the controlling area before any other actions such as assigning company codes or creating cost centers, as the hierarchy will serve as the foundation for these subsequent activities.

The automatic account assignment can be adjusted in two places: Default account assignment (TA: OKB9) and Substitution (TA: GGB1). In the Default account assignment transaction (TA: OKB9), you can define default values for various account assignment objects, such as cost center, profit center, and WBS element. This allows the system to automatically assign these values when certain conditions are met. In the Substitution transaction (TA: GGB1), you can define substitution rules that determine how the system should automatically substitute one account assignment object with another based on predefined conditions. This helps in ensuring accurate and consistent account assignment in the system.

The predefined characteristics in SAP S/4HANA are Plant, Company code, and Controlling area. These are predefined objects that are already set up in the system and cannot be changed. The Plant represents a physical location or facility where goods are produced or stored. The Company code represents a legal entity or business unit within an organization. The Controlling area represents a specific area within the organization where controlling activities are performed. These predefined characteristics play a crucial role in various processes and functionalities within SAP S/4HANA.

By assigning both cycles to the same cycle run group, you can ensure that the new cycle is executed only after the existing one is completed. This is because cycle run groups determine the sequence in which distribution cycles are executed. When cycles are assigned to the same run group, they are executed in the order they are listed within the group. Therefore, by assigning both cycles to the same run group, the new cycle will be executed after the existing one.

The percentage method for accrual calculation is selected when there are accrue-dependent costs and an appropriate cost element for defining overhead rates is available. Additionally, the percentage method is also selected when there are activity-independent costs and an appropriate cost element for defining overhead rates is available.

In overhead cost accounting, when defining assessment cycles for the period-end closing, you can assign the object "Allocation structure" to the cycle segment. The allocation structure determines how the costs are allocated to different cost centers or cost objects. By assigning the allocation structure to the cycle segment, you ensure that the costs are correctly distributed and allocated according to the defined rules and criteria.

In this scenario, when performing a settlement with a primary cost account that is different from the original expense account, the valid receiver for the settlement would be a fixed asset. This means that the settlement will be allocated to a specific fixed asset, allowing for proper tracking and accounting of expenses related to that asset.

In a status profile, you can define the assigned user status after a business transaction is executed. This means that once a specific business transaction is completed, the user status for that transaction will be automatically updated according to the defined status in the status profile. This helps track the progress or completion of different business transactions and allows for better monitoring and control over the system.

When configuring period-end closing, there are multiple accrual calculation methods that can be used. Two of the correct methods are "Percentage" and "Target equals actual". The "Percentage" method involves calculating the accrual based on a certain percentage of the target or actual values. The "Target equals actual" method involves setting the accrual amount equal to the target or actual values.

In the SAP S/4HANA system, availability control is used to monitor and control the budget. When the budget is exceeded, the system can raise a warning message. In this context, purchase requisitions and incoming invoices can cause the system to raise a warning message if the budget is exceeded. These documents are relevant to the procurement process and can have a direct impact on the budget. Therefore, it is important to closely monitor and control these documents to ensure budget compliance.

The correct answers for this question are "Budgeting on cost element level" and "Budget tolerance limits". These settings can be configured per order type for the budget and availability control. "Budgeting on cost element level" allows for budgeting at a detailed level, specifying the specific cost elements that are included in the budget. "Budget tolerance limits" allow for setting limits on the amount of budget that can be exceeded for a particular order type. These settings help to ensure that budgets are managed effectively and that costs are controlled within the specified limits.

The order type controls the budget profile assigned to the order. A budget profile determines the budgeting parameters and settings for an order, such as the budget categories, tolerance limits, and availability control settings. By assigning a specific budget profile to an order type, the system ensures that the order is subject to the appropriate budgeting rules and constraints.

Commitment management for internal orders can be activated in two places. One is in the controlling area, which allows for overall control and monitoring of commitments across multiple internal orders. The other is in the order type, which enables specific commitment management settings for individual internal orders. By activating commitment management in both the controlling area and the order type, organizations can effectively track and manage their financial commitments related to internal orders.

In overhead cost controlling, one of the customizing activities that is performed is defining cost center categories. Cost center categories help in classifying and grouping cost centers based on specific criteria, such as function, location, or responsibility. This classification is essential for accurately allocating and controlling overhead costs within an organization. By defining cost center categories, companies can effectively track and analyze costs, make informed decisions, and optimize cost management processes.

The internal order settlement profile defines the valid receivers, accounting document type, and whether settlement is necessary. It helps determine who can receive the settlement, what type of accounting document will be generated, and whether the settlement is required or optional.

To configure cycles for period-end allocation, you can define allocation for the same cost center in multiple segments. This means that you can allocate costs from the same cost center to different segments within the cycle. Additionally, you can assign several segments to a cycle, which allows you to allocate costs from multiple segments together. By combining these two approaches, you can effectively configure cycles for period-end allocation.

During activity allocation, the system performs two tasks. Firstly, it calculates the allocation amount by considering the quantity and price of the activity. This helps in determining the appropriate distribution of costs. Secondly, the system derives the cost element from the master data for the activity type. This ensures that the costs are allocated correctly to the respective cost objects.

The source structure is used to settle primary cost elements and secondary cost elements to different receivers.

When performing repost line items (TA: KB61), the line item needs a reference to an FI document, which is not the case with manual reposting of costs (KB11n). Additionally, the line item values are validated against the original document during repost line items, ensuring accuracy and consistency.

You use an assessment instead of a distribution when you need to transfer secondary costs and when you want to consolidate allocated expenses. Assessments are used to allocate costs from one cost center to another, typically for secondary costs such as administrative or overhead expenses. This allows for the transfer of these costs to different cost centers. On the other hand, distributions are used to allocate primary costs, such as direct material or labor costs. They do not allow for the transfer of secondary costs or the consolidation of allocated expenses.

The main elements that are configured for the overhead costing sheet are the overhead rate, calculation base, and credit key. The overhead rate determines the percentage or amount of overhead costs to be allocated to a particular cost object. The calculation base is the basis on which the overhead costs are calculated, such as labor hours or machine hours. The credit key is used to determine how the overhead costs are distributed among different cost centers or cost objects. These three elements are crucial in accurately allocating and tracking overhead costs in a company's accounting system.

In costing-based CO-PA, transfer structures are used to assign costs and revenue to the value fields. Transfer structures define how data is transferred from other modules, such as FI and MM, to CO-PA. They specify the source fields and the corresponding value fields in CO-PA. By using transfer structures, costs and revenue can be accurately allocated and analyzed in CO-PA.

The correct answers for the levels of internal order planning are integrated planning and overall planning. Integrated planning involves the coordination and integration of various aspects of planning within an organization. It ensures that all departments and functions work together towards common goals. Overall planning, on the other hand, refers to the comprehensive planning of all activities and resources within an organization. It takes into account all the different levels and functions of the organization to create a cohesive and effective plan.

The correct answer is "Manual entry, manual allocation" and "Manual entry, no allocation". These options allow for the quantities and values to be directly entered into the time sheet without any automatic allocation or determination. This ensures that the data is posted accurately in Management Accounting without any additional calculations or adjustments.

When creating an activity type, you can specify the secondary costs G/L account for internal activity allocation. This allows you to allocate costs to specific accounts for tracking and analysis purposes. Additionally, you can specify the activity type category for allocation, which helps in organizing and categorizing the activity types based on their purpose or function. Lastly, you can specify the valid sending cost center types, which determines the cost centers that can send costs to this activity type for allocation.

When using cross-company-code cost accounting, there are three management accounting currencies that can be used for evaluation. The first is the company code currency, which represents the currency used by each individual company code. The second is the controlling area currency, which is the currency used for controlling purposes across multiple company codes. The third is the transaction currency, which is the currency used for specific transactions. These three currencies allow for evaluation and analysis of costs across different company codes and transactions.

Assigning a selection variant to an end node allows you to define a dynamic group for internal orders. A selection variant is a set of criteria that you can use to select specific orders based on certain characteristics. By assigning this selection variant to an end node, you can dynamically group internal orders that meet the specified criteria, making it easier to manage and analyze them.

In cost center accounting, statistical key figures are used to measure and analyze non-monetary data such as quantities, hours, or units. This helps in evaluating the performance of cost centers. Secondary cost accounts are used to allocate costs that cannot be directly assigned to a cost center, such as overhead costs. Non-operating expense accounts are used to track expenses that are not directly related to the core operations of the business, such as interest expenses or legal fees. These three objects are important in cost center accounting for accurate cost allocation and analysis.

In order for the overhead amount to be calculated using the quantity-based overhead approach, it is necessary to have cost accounts with the option to record quantity. This means that the cost accounts should have the capability to track and record the quantity of the activity being performed. This information is essential for accurately calculating the overhead amount based on the quantity of the activity. Without cost accounts that can record quantity, it would not be possible to calculate the overhead amount using this approach.