Checklist: Package Data Entry
SAP Financial Consolidation is a very powerful tool for managing financial data but it could also seem very confusing for beginners due to its high customizability.
A very common question is “Why can’t I input data in the package?” The answer: There are about a dozen settings that are involved.
This blog tries to list all the possibilities that prevent you from entering package data in a report, mainly from four aspects: Category Builder, Security, RU Organizer and Package Manager
Category Builder contains hundreds of settings so let’s focus on the ones that have a say in whether or not data entry is allowed.
Category Builder – Options Step – Restrictions Tab
Here you can define the read-only flow(s) and read-only periods. So in the example above, the amount for flow F00 will be read-only if there
is an opening balance.
The Data entry restrictions define in general which data is selected for entry, it can apply to package amount as well as journal amounts.
Please note that these settings on the Options Step- Restrictions Tab in Category Builder are only default settings for the associated Reporting IDs and Reporting Unit Organizers. So be sure to check these objects too.
Category Builder – Flows Behaviors Step
This step manages the flows behavior on each account family, which are defined in the Account Families step.
Find your Flow/Account Family combination and make sure “Authorized in package schedules” is checked.
“Authorized comment” allows you to put comments on the amount.
Category Builder – Dimensional Analysis Step
With proper dimensional analysis, you can breakdown your data input to a certain level.
In the example above, you’ll be able to input data for at the AN level {AC=A1110; FL=F00; AN=XXXX}, but the amount for {AC=A1110; FL=F00} is
calculated automatically (as breakdown total) so it would be read only.
Category Builder – Formulas Step
Similarly, if a formula is in place to calculate a certain value, this value would also always be read only.
Security
Administrators have unlimited access to the application but for standard users, there are restrictions.
User himself has to have certain access right to see and edit data.
This is managed in functional profiles. Check that the user functional profile has the necessary access right, here is an example of one who has access to see and modify package data.
There are also circumstances where only a certain range of the data is visible to a certain group of users.
This is managed by Data Access Group.
In this example, the user is not able to edit the amount for accounts other than A1111.
If Data Analysis Access is also set to DEAA then he wouldn’t even be able to see the amounts for accounts other than A1111. He would see blank data instead.
RU Organizer – Roadmap Tab
Roadmap restricts access right to a specific package (generated by the associated RU Organizer)
If you are set to No Access, or if you are at a lower level, you’ll see this error when opening the package.
Package Manager
If the package is protected or locked, you’ll see this when opening it.
And of course if you checked the Read-Only option on the FC desktop
then you open everything in read-only mode.
Having checked all these settings above, you should now be able to open the package in read-write mode and see the data you wish to modify with a nice little blue triangle right in front of it.
