Technical Articles
Group Reporting Migration Accelerator for Historical Data
Launch of the Historical Data Loader tool – Migration accelerator
Hi Group Reporting enthusiasts !
We at the Content Hub are happy to deliver the Historical Data Loader, a migration tool enabling you to load your historical consolidated data from your legacy tool into Group Reporting. This tool can greatly reduce the effort of your overall data takeover as part of your Group Reporting implementation project.
This tool was initially limited to the migration of historical data for existing Financial Consolidation (FC) customers but is also open for all SAP legacy consolidation tools.
The Historical Data Loader is an ABAP program that loads CSV formatted files containing legacy consolidated historical data into Group Reporting.
You can use GRDC to produces these CSV formatted files. For FC only, a pre existing mapping exists.
It is not intended and permitted to use any other Group Reporting standard functions beyond analytics such as reprocessing consolidated data or running balance carry-forwards based on the data.
Process concept:
E2E Process
Functionality :
- Able to load your legacy historical data from SAP legacy tools into Group Reporting
- Performs basic validation checks on, the loaded data.
- Able to load data for multiple consolidation units and periods at the same time.
- Able to load Consolidated level data in GR which is otherwise not possible and thus avoiding the need to reconsolidate your legacy historical data.
- Able to load any kind of data as long as it meets the CSV format and field requirements.
- Able to load CSV files produced by the transformation/mapping capabilities of Group Reporting Data Collection.
When to use this migration tool :
- You are implementing Group Reporting and have the need to takeover historical data from your legacy tool
- You want you load consolidated level data for comparative reporting.
- You want to load consolidated data that does not need to be re-consolidated
- You have SAP S/4HANA for Group Reporting, on-premise, private cloud edition (GR) version 2021 or higher
Installation and Configuration
The Data Loader is released as an ABAP export package, that you need to import in the target S/4HANA environment.
The CSV file – key Requirements :
The date needs to be prepared in CSV format for import by the tool. Any data that confirms to the requirements can be loaded into GR. Special attention should be paid to the mandatory fields and making sure the file fits the provided format.
- The tool only accepts file in CSV format with comma separators
- The first line of the CSV file should have the header fields
- The last column of the CSV file should contain value
- The tool does not support CSV files in ZIP archive
- The tool can only handle file size less than 2GB
Scope of the solution – limitations :
There are some important limitations to be considered
- Only to be used for Consolidated Data; no reconsolidation can be performed on the loaded data and there are measures taken to ensure that attempts to reprocess loaded consolidated data are limited.
- The tool is only available from version 2021 and higher for On Premise and Private Cloud editions. The tool is NOT available in public cloud i.e., « S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition »
- This tool is provided by SAP Consulting / Content Hub and is not part of the standard product code delivery. You need to implement the loader as a customer program in the customer name space.
- No standard maintenance is offered.
- Customers will need the support of SAP consultants to solve issues.
- Customer messages on data records created by this tool cannot be answered by standard SAP support (CSS incidents).
Warning :
Warning ; this tool is delivered as is, at no additional cost by SAP and intended for use by SAP consultants only
Stay tuned !
Stay tuned for Jana’s blog containing with much more detailed product information as well as User and Installation guidance !
Please use the ‘Add Comment’ section for posting comments or questions.
The Content Hub for Group Reporting team :
Jana Annapureddy – Content Hub Contributor – Technical Lead and Architect
Bart De Schepper – Content Hub Member – Global Group Reporting Expert
Thanks a lot Bart.
Really helpful that it will now work with any SAP legacy cons tool.
Could you please confirm that would it also work for non-SAP tools like HFM.
Regards
Vineet
Hi Vineet,
If you can get the data in the right form and format you theoretically should be able to source your consolidated, historical data from anywhere.
The loader allow you to load it on consolidated level but you will have to get your data ready to be loaded.
Best Regards
Bart
Thanks Bart for this useful blog.
By reading it, looks like GRDC will be required for this tool to use. Can you please confirm, will it also work for customers who don't have GRDC license.
Thanks
Rahul
Hi Rahul !
You will need to get you historical consolidated data in the correct format so you will have to either use GRDC or any other ETL tool (or alternatively even manually using excel) to get your data ready for the historical data loader to be able to load it in ACDOCU.
Best Regards
Bart
Dear Bart,
Thanks for sharing your knowledge which is extremely useful I've added it to my learning journal and this for sure has intrigued my inquisitive mind to find out about the latest version.
Regards
Daksha
This sounds really promising! Is there anything one needs to consider from a configuration parameters perspective? (E.g., task groups or document types defined effective the earliest period of historical data vs. period when GL postings start?) I'm reading this as a posting level 30 posting, which presumably allows documents prior to the first consolidation date without triggering any in the PCC task?
Chris
This looks great.
What is meant with:
Does the data get loaded to various Postinglevels / document types especially to have an opening balance on the correct document type?
Yes you can load on different Doc Types and Posting levels but the data loaded this was should not be reconsolidated and/or used to generate an opening balance for a go live for example.
Hi Bart
That was an insightful blog on the much awaited topic. Thank you for sharing!
Trying to understand the statement "...used to generate an opening balance for a go live for example."
Typically the Consolidated Closing balance in uploaded in the last period of the previous year - with the needed Posting Level breakdowns. This is then carried over to the current year of go-live with BCF task to form the Opening Consolidated balance.
Is this the way we do also in the Migration Accelerator tool? Please supplement or correct my understanding.
Best Regards
Gayathri
Nice tool!
Waiting for Jana's blog for further product information.
Regards
Madhu
Hi,
This is really interesting article. Are you able to confirm that we can load data in period 000?
Regards,
Pawel Cymbor