Using Predictive Accounting in S/4HANA Finance
Introduction
Predictive accounting allows businesses to obtain the most recent data from areas in SAP S/4HANA outside of Finance, such as Sales; other integrated products, such as SAP Concur; or external systems, and use it to predict future results at any time. With this functionality, the finance users have a better understanding of what the accounting results at the end of the current period or quarter might look like, and why.
This blog explains in a practical way what the main features for the predictive accounting functionality are, the configuration steps to activate it in SAP S/4HANA and a sample flow for sales processing considering the powerful reporting capabilities available out of the box
What is predictive accounting?
Predictive accounting is a standard functionality available in SAP S/4HANA designed to analyze forecast of finance results based on the most up-to-date data. Once activated, it creates predictive journal entries based on:
Using the postings in the prediction ledger, along with the actual data from the underlying ledger, it is facile to predict future figures, such as the revenue forecast for one product. It is also possible to display and analyze the data in detail but also at a higher level using multiple analytical Fiori apps, for example, in a balance sheet report.
Main Features
Since all postings such as expenses or revenues both actual and predicted are stored in one place, the universal journal, it is simple to drill down from the profit and loss statement or the balance sheet to the individual journal entries in the general ledger and analyze the corresponding line item.
?Predictive accounting can be classified in the two main areas for which the source documents are analyzed:
Sales Process
Travel Expenses
Main Customizing Steps
To activate the functionality in SAP S/4HANA for sales order processing, only four basic steps are performed:
Step 1: Define Extension Ledger
Step 2: Assign Extension Ledger
Step 3: Activate Predictive Accounting
Step 4: Maintain Sales Document Item Categories
It is important to consider, that predictive accounting only creates and processes predictions based on sales orders and travel requests that are created after the activation steps mentioned in the previous steps. If this functionality has been activated after some transactional data was created, SAP delivers a Report to generate Predictive Journal Entries. For that, it is required to execute the report FINS_PRED_REPOST- Repost Predictive Accounting Data to insert the missing predictive journal entries for sales orders created before activation. Find below a sample execution of this report:
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Process Flow within SAP S/4HANA
This section explains the predictive postings that are created in an example of standard flow for Sales order processing in SAP S/4HANA:
Sales Order Creation
When a sales order that is relevant for predictive accounting is created, the universal journal entries are updated in the predictive ledger ZE with the stock consumption and the expected revenue based in the values entered in the sales order.
Find below the entries in Journal Entry and the balance sheet figures in the predictive ledger ZE:
Post Goods Issue
Once the goods issue is posted, the universal journal entries are updated in the predictive ledger ZE with the reverse of the stock consumption. In the leading ledger the actual stock consumption is posted.
Find below the entries in Journal Entry and the balance sheet figures in the predictive ledger ZE:
It is important to consider that in the finance reports, the ZE Ledger considers also 0L postings (underlying ledger)
Post Billing Document
To finalize the sales flow, when the billing document is posted, the universal journal entries are updated in the predictive ledger ZE with the reverse of the revenue posted during the Sales Order Creation. In the leading ledger the actual revenue is posted with the amounts entered in the invoice.
Reporting
In addition to the common balance sheet and the line-item report that have the capability to filter by ledger, the following three useful Fiori Apps can be used to analyze the predictive figures:
Gross Margin – Presumed/Actual
Incoming Sales Orders – Predictive Accounting
Display Line-Item Margin Analysis
CERTIFIED S4 HANA FINANCE | CFIN CONSULTANT
7 个月Nice document mate.....????
Senior SAP FICO Consultant
7 个月Muhammad Naufal Imaduddien Kenny Fabio Namira Hauda Azlin