This blog post is the starting point of my new blog series on the main product capabilities of SAP Sustainability Footprint Management. In this edition I will describe how you can re-use existing ERP data which have the highest value to be used in the calculation of sustainability footprints. I’m covering:
If you are not yet familiar with the application, I recommend you start reading my blog post Introducing Carbon Accounting with SAP Sustainability Footprint Management here in the SAP Community first.
SAP Sustainability Footprint Management provides vast reuse options for leveraging existing ERP data which have the highest value according to your calculation goal. This includes master data and transactional activity data with information on material flows and production documents. Out-of-the-box, an integration is provided to SAP S/4HANA Cloud and S/4HANA (2021 and later). SAP ECC and any other ERP systems can be connected via Public APIs that are available on SAP Business Accelerator Hub. Please be aware that this requires an IT project and that there are also specific service offerings available from SAP Services to support you. Another option is to import data from any source via flat-file upload. Templates (in .xlsx-format) are available for download in the application directly.
Your company’s master data is the basis for calculating your corporate and product footprints as it contains essential information about your company, plants, products, suppliers and more. Check SAP Help Portal for a list with descriptions of all Master Data Entities.
The Import Master Data app allows users to select a source system for importing master data entities. The default source system is SAP S/4HANA, but other systems can be chosen if connected. Configuration options control the visibility of specific master data entities. After this configuration, import requests can be initiated for every master data entity. Those requests trigger a live replication from the source system, pulling the data into SAP Sustainability Footprint Management. For importing xlsx-files, the templates for the respective master data object can downloaded in the app directly, the prepared templates can then be uploaded, and the data is visible. The app also automatically checks the consistency status, referring to the completeness of the imported master data information. If inconsistencies occur, those will show up so you can check and correct the data in the source system or the uploaded file. For more details check the application help: Using the Import Master Data Application.
Besides the master data, also the business transactional data needs to be imported into the system, which is done via the Import Business Transactions app. This data represents transactions on an aggregated level that happened during the defined period in the ERP source system, such as Goods Receipts, Goods Issues, Transfers, or Returns. For a complete list of all entities with descriptions see Business Transaction Entities. The import and replication are triggered similarly to the master data, via connection to SAP S/4HANA, S/4HANA Cloud, or another connected ERP system, or via file upload. Each import is done for a specific inventory scope and a specific period, usually monthly. The data is also validated for consistency automatically. More information can be found in the application help: Using the Import Business Transactions Application.
With the current release, the calculation of freight transport footprints is not yet integrated to the connected S/4HANA or ERP system but done based on file upload. In the Manage Data app the respective master data entities, such as plant or supplier locations, can be imported and managed. This app further provides a lot of data as starter package: For example, it includes location information on global seaports, airports, barge and rail terminals, as well as vehicle information for trucks, ships, planes, and rail. More information can be found in the application help: Using the Manage Data Application.
For the existing SAP S/4HANA and S/4HANA Cloud integration further enhancements are planned like the replication of results from Product Cost Estimates from CO-PC-PCP for using BOM-like plan data in the calculation of footprints. Through a full integration of the replicated ERP data into the freight transport calculation the master data can be re-used here as well in the future.
We also plan to provide additional integration options in future releases: Through an integration with SAP EHS Environment Management, GHG Scope 1 & 2 can be incorporated in the footprint calculation. An integration to Business Networks such as SAP Ariba and industry networks like Catena-X enables collecting and sharing actual data from your network directly, supporting the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Partnership for Carbon Transparency (WBCSD PACT) standard. Further, we plan an integration to SAP Sustainability Data Exchange to receive actual emission data from suppliers.
For an overview of all planned innovations and their benefit for you and your company, have a look into SAP Road Map Explorer.
- Integration Options
- Importing Master Data
- Importing Business Transactional Data
- Freight Transport Data
- Outlook
If you are not yet familiar with the application, I recommend you start reading my blog post Introducing Carbon Accounting with SAP Sustainability Footprint Management here in the SAP Community first.
Integration Options
SAP Sustainability Footprint Management provides vast reuse options for leveraging existing ERP data which have the highest value according to your calculation goal. This includes master data and transactional activity data with information on material flows and production documents. Out-of-the-box, an integration is provided to SAP S/4HANA Cloud and S/4HANA (2021 and later). SAP ECC and any other ERP systems can be connected via Public APIs that are available on SAP Business Accelerator Hub. Please be aware that this requires an IT project and that there are also specific service offerings available from SAP Services to support you. Another option is to import data from any source via flat-file upload. Templates (in .xlsx-format) are available for download in the application directly.
Importing Master Data
Your company’s master data is the basis for calculating your corporate and product footprints as it contains essential information about your company, plants, products, suppliers and more. Check SAP Help Portal for a list with descriptions of all Master Data Entities.
The Import Master Data app allows users to select a source system for importing master data entities. The default source system is SAP S/4HANA, but other systems can be chosen if connected. Configuration options control the visibility of specific master data entities. After this configuration, import requests can be initiated for every master data entity. Those requests trigger a live replication from the source system, pulling the data into SAP Sustainability Footprint Management. For importing xlsx-files, the templates for the respective master data object can downloaded in the app directly, the prepared templates can then be uploaded, and the data is visible. The app also automatically checks the consistency status, referring to the completeness of the imported master data information. If inconsistencies occur, those will show up so you can check and correct the data in the source system or the uploaded file. For more details check the application help: Using the Import Master Data Application.
Import Master Data (Products)
Importing Business Transactional Data
Besides the master data, also the business transactional data needs to be imported into the system, which is done via the Import Business Transactions app. This data represents transactions on an aggregated level that happened during the defined period in the ERP source system, such as Goods Receipts, Goods Issues, Transfers, or Returns. For a complete list of all entities with descriptions see Business Transaction Entities. The import and replication are triggered similarly to the master data, via connection to SAP S/4HANA, S/4HANA Cloud, or another connected ERP system, or via file upload. Each import is done for a specific inventory scope and a specific period, usually monthly. The data is also validated for consistency automatically. More information can be found in the application help: Using the Import Business Transactions Application.
Import Business Transactional Data (Goods Receipt from Supplier)
Freight Transport Data
With the current release, the calculation of freight transport footprints is not yet integrated to the connected S/4HANA or ERP system but done based on file upload. In the Manage Data app the respective master data entities, such as plant or supplier locations, can be imported and managed. This app further provides a lot of data as starter package: For example, it includes location information on global seaports, airports, barge and rail terminals, as well as vehicle information for trucks, ships, planes, and rail. More information can be found in the application help: Using the Manage Data Application.
Manage Data App – Locations (Preconfigured Content)
Outlook
For the existing SAP S/4HANA and S/4HANA Cloud integration further enhancements are planned like the replication of results from Product Cost Estimates from CO-PC-PCP for using BOM-like plan data in the calculation of footprints. Through a full integration of the replicated ERP data into the freight transport calculation the master data can be re-used here as well in the future.
We also plan to provide additional integration options in future releases: Through an integration with SAP EHS Environment Management, GHG Scope 1 & 2 can be incorporated in the footprint calculation. An integration to Business Networks such as SAP Ariba and industry networks like Catena-X enables collecting and sharing actual data from your network directly, supporting the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Partnership for Carbon Transparency (WBCSD PACT) standard. Further, we plan an integration to SAP Sustainability Data Exchange to receive actual emission data from suppliers.
For an overview of all planned innovations and their benefit for you and your company, have a look into SAP Road Map Explorer.
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