Free SAP Tip #1 - How to Use Substitutions in FI

Nice article on How to Use Substitutions in FI module.

http://techbays.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/sap-tip-how-to-use-substitutions-lakshman-tandra1.pdf

Enjoy!

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SAP IS-U Billing Tariffs

Hey guys!

Do you have problems with setting up an IS-U Billing rate or something related to EDM in your current project. Let me help you. Send me your rate structure / EDM issue and I'll help you.

You can sent me an email at danieltoba at yahoo dot com or daniel.toba at gmail dot com.

Who's gonna be the first?

Free SAP Tips

Every day I discover new things in SAP. I want to share them with you.

If you want to receive free SAP Tips when I discover them just send an e-mail to freesaptips at gmail dot com.

Here is the first one:
=============================
Free SAP Tip
by Daniel Toba @ SAP Blog

ABAP debug

You want to enter in debug mode but you are in a modal window and cannot access the T-code box to type /H. Here is what you need to do to get into debug.

Open Notepad.

copy and paste the following line:

[FUNCTION]Command=/HTitle=DebuggerType=SystemCommand

Save the document as debug.txt

Open the Windows Explorer and drag and drop the debug.txt file ontop of the SAP modal window. Voi la, you are in debug mode!

You can subscribe to Free SAP Tips newsletter by sending a mail to freesaptips at gmail dot com with subject line Free SAP Tips. Or press here:
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What is my typical day as an SAP Consultant?

I got inspired by the previous post and wanted to share some of my daily SAP activities. I'm not doing all the bellow actions in one day, of course:
So, here they are:
1) A good day is starting with a good coffee. Back when I was working in Romania I had two ways of drinking coffee depending where I would have been. When I was going to my company office I would drink the coffee at the office while reading my emails. Sometimes I was doing the same when I was going to the client’s site. But sometimes I just drank the coffee after the breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
2) Read my emails. I start each day reading my emails and response to the ones in need of one.
3) Attend to meetings. SAP Consulting is about meetings, getting information and requirements about the client’s business processes. Interact with client’s team members or other SAP Consultants to design the SAP processes. There are a lot’s of meeting during the Blue Print phase of the project. Of course each meeting should be documented and meeting notes should be posted on the project’s document repository.
4) Design and document the business processes. Of course meeting’s results should be documented in the TO BE SAP business processes. Usually the processes are documented using plain English and Process Diagrams. Then you discover there are some gaps between the client’s processes and SAP processes so you need to think about ways to fill the gap: usually a manual step in the process, an external application which needs to be interfaced with SAP or a SAP ABAP Development (report, form, enhancement, user-exit).
5) Configuration and testing. This is what I like the most. Configuring the system and finding ways to solve client’s problems with standard SAP system. Testing is also a lot of work.
6) Writing technical specs. Once you identified a gap you need to write a technical spec about how that gap will be filled. Then the technical spec goes to a ABAP technical consultant who is creating the ABAP object to fill the gap.
7) Presentations. Design and Create PPT presentation for the client to demonstrate SAP functionalities / business process flows. Usually the presentation is created to sustain a deliverable
8) ABAP coding and debugging . Back when I was working in Romania I’ve done a lot of ABA coding and debugging. And I’m like doing it. Actually my hobby is SAP Workflow.
9) Lot’s of other stuff. List is open you can contribute. Please leave a comment.

What does an SAP Consultant do?

This is an interview with an SAP Consultant working for IBM.

The IS-U house / Business Partner

The IS-U House is a famous picture among IS-U Consultants as it depicts a real house and how it is modeled in IS-U as IS-U Master Data.
Here is the IS-U House.


As you can see real life objects has been modeled as IS-U Master Data.
Connection Object = building
Premise = Apartment
Device Location = The location where a device is installed (e.g. Hall, Basement)
Meters = Meters
Installation = this is an object without real life correspondence and it is used for billing purposes
Contract = a contract for a specific type of utility
Contract Account = grouping of one or more contracts under the same umbrella for financial transactions
Business Partner = the customer


Let’s see what kind of data are stored at each master data level.

Business Partner
A business partner can have multiple roles within the SAP IS-U:
- Contract partner
- Installer
- Prospect
- Contact person

At the Business Partner Level we can store the following data:
General:
- Name
- Address
- Legal Form
- Group
- Search Term


Addresses
- Standard addresses
- P.O Box addresses
- Other addresses

Communication
- Telephone
- Fax
- Extension
- Internet
- E-mail

Payment Transaction
- Bank
- Bank Account

Biller Direct

Relationships
- Hierarchical
- Equal
- Connected

Additional Data
- Status
- Identification Number
- Register entry

Free e-book: How to write your SAP Consultant CV

I have wrote an e-book on how to write your SAP Consultant CV. If you want to receive a free copy you must subsctibe to my SAP Blog feed. You can subscribe either by email or if you are using a reader you can subscribe in that reader.
Here you can subscribe by email:

Updates via email:

Here you can subscribe in a reader:

Subscribe in a reader
If you subscribe in a reader send me an email at danieltoba at yahoo dot com to send the e-book.

SAP IS-U FAQ

SAP IS-U FAQ

I get a lot of IS-U questions and I'll use this post to start group them in some way.

Billing:

1) Can we use Payment scheme with DPC back billing ?

A: As far as I know you can use DPC with Budgetbilling ( I guess with payments plans as well because they are a type of budgetbilling) starting with version 4.7.2

2) In DPC should estimate consumption during billing ? If yes, then what is the advantage?


A: If you estimate the consumption durring billing then you will not have any Meter Reading Result in the system (no entry in EABL, EABLG table). The system is estimating a consumption and then based on the consumption it is determining a reading. If you need to print estimated readings on your invoice that would lead to inconcistencies from one billing perioad to another. The advantage is that you do not store the Meter Reading Result in the database.

3) Is UTILIT98 starting a workflow!
Yes it is starting an workflow. Actually it is triggering the event BillingEvent01 of BILLDOCAUT business object. Then you can link your workflow to this event. You can use it to send alerts or to start a business process as an action to a billing result.

SAP Solution Manager 7.0

Today I was browing the SAP Portal and I found out some cool Ramp up Knowleadge Transfer documents for SAP Solution Manager.
For the ones who don't know yer, SAP Solution Manager is a product used to drive an SAP implementation project or to support an already implemented SAP Solution.

This is what SAP has to say about Solution Manager on it's Portal:
"Managing your entire SAP solution landscape is a challenging task, but SAP has the answer: the SAP Solution Manager.

The SAP Solution Manager is a platform that provides the integrated content, tools, and methodologies that you need to implement, support, operate and monitor your enterprise's solutions from SAP.

With SAP Solution Manager, companies can minimize risk and increase the reliability of their IT solutions.

SAP Solution Manager helps reduce TCO throughout the solution life cycle.
SAP Solution Manager helps companies manage their core business processes and link business processes to the underlying IT infrastructure.

SAP Solution Manager supports both SAP and non-SAP software and helps companies get more from their existing IT investments.

Current release of the SAP Solution Manager is: SAP Solution Manager 7.0, SP15. "



I haven't yet been in a project where the Soltution Manager would be used as a implementation tool but I cant wait to land such a project. Until that time I can go through almost 40 hours of SAP Solution online training.

Here is a pic of all the topics covered:

Here is the link:
https://websmp202.sap-ag.de/~form/sapnet?_SHORTKEY=01100035870000633637&

Of couse you need to have a user with the right authorization on SAP Portal to access it.

SAP IS-U Overview II

SAP R/3 and IS-U can be implemented under the SAP IS-U Client or in different clients.

Implementing SAP IS-U and SAP R/3 in the same client:

This is the best solution as the interfaces between SAP R/3 and SAP IS-U is native. IS-U practically extend some of the R/3 functionalities.

Examples:

- an IS-U device is a serial number of a device category. In R/3 a device category is a material in the Logistics Material Master.

- FI-CA posts closed reconciliation keys in the General Ledger.

- a device location and connection object is a functional location in PM

- a work management order is a PM order.


Implementing SAP IS-U in a different client than SAP R/3:

This is a solution suitable for large implementations with large number of customers. The interfaces are kept at minimum.

For example:

FI-CA posts reconciliation keys in the local General Ledger. Then the posting in the local General Ledger needs to be transferred in the R/3 General Ledger using an interface usually ALE.

The utility company buys new meters. This are managed in SAP R/3 from the logistic and accounting point of view: purchase order, goods receipt and invoice. But in the same time a interface (manual / automatic) needs to be established to make the meters available in IS-U for the device installation process.


There could be other examples as well but these are the ones are most common.


IS-U and R/3 Integration.

Let’s see the integration of IS-U and R/3 in depth detail.

As I already told you, the IS-U is sometimes extending existing R/3 functionalities to cover the need of the utility business. But of course other functionalities were newly developed.

Device Management is fully integrated with the PM and MM and AM modules. A device (e.g.: meter, transformer) is a serial number of a device category and in the same time a piece of equipment. The device category is defined as a material in the material master.

Work Management is fully integrated with MM, SD, PM/CS and Controlling modules. Here the utility company can implement a broad range of billed or non-billed services offered to the customers. For example a work management order is an extension of a PM/CS order and can be linked to IS-U objects such as Business Partner, Contract Account, Connection Object.

Billing & Invoicing is fully integrated with SD. For example we can implement a process where some services are billed in SD and Invoiced in IS-U.

Contract Accounts is fully integrated with Financial Accounting. CA is a sub-ledger of General Ledger.



IS-U and external applications integration.

IS-U can be integrated with external applications such as: GIS, SCADA, External Billing Systems, Automatic Meter Reading Systems, other CRM Systems.

IS-U in deregulation markets.

IS-U has evolved along with the utility market. In the last 10 years the European market but other markets as well has adopted a new business model. That is the unbundling of a classic utility company into: generation, transmission, distribution and supply. The unbundled utility market had several stages such as:

- accounting unbundling – the utility company would present different P&L accounts for Generation, Transmission, Distribution and Supply

- informational unbundling – accounting unbundling + the prevention of sales (supply) users to access the distribution data of customers supplied by other supplier

- legal unbundling – splitting of the utility company in separated legal entities responsible with generation, transmission, distribution and supply.

The deregulation market model leaded to a lots of changed in a utility company processes. The most important change was about the data exchange process between the utility companies. Because a customer has the right to change it’s utility supplier lead to a process called “Change of Supplier” where the suppliers and distributor need to exchange data about that customer such as: Billing Tariffs, Meter Readings, Unpaid bills.

In order to support such processes SAP developed a new module for this called SAP IDE which supports the following processes:

Change of supplier

Billing of Distribution Services to Supplier

Sending Meter Readings to Distributor / Supplier

SAP IS-U Billing Job in Poland and Estonia

Ecrm Consulting requires a Team of Consultants for 2 Greenfield CC&B Formally SPL (Cordaptix) for projects in Poland and Estonia. We require consultants with excellent working knowledge of Billing Project Ideally CC&B (Cordaptix) who have excellent functional Architectural skills in Billing. The project is length is approximately 18 Months. Please send your updated resume; We are willing to wait for the correct consultants to become available.

Please contact Andrew Mickel at andrew.mickel at ecrm-euro dot com.

Andrew Mickel
CRM, Oracle, BI Specialist EMEA
ERP, eCM & CRM Business Development
eCRM Euro
Part of the Euro Group Managed Service.
2 / 2 Burnets Close, 156 High Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH1 1QU

ORACLE CERTIFIED PARTNER

(Tel: +44(0)131 550 1150 - (Mob: +44 (0) 7595360893 - ÊFax: +44 (0) 131 550 1165 -

SAP IS-U Overview I

Overview of SAP IS-U CCS modules

The IS-U CCS is a Industry Solution from SAP which address the needs of a customer oriented utility company. In the next pages we’ll refer to SAP for Utilities Industry Solution simply as IS-U or CCS.

IS-U comprises the following modules:

Master Data and Basic Functions
Customer Services
Work Management
Device Management
Billing & Invocing
Energy Data Management
Contract Accounts

A complete SAP for Utilities solution should also contain the following SAP products:
CRM – Customer Relationship Management
BW – Business Warehouse.

The CRM solution is design to cover all the marketing, customer acquisition, sales and customer services processes of a utility company. It is fully integrated with the IS-U: CRM works as a front end (contracts, customer services, market campaigns and IS-U as a backend (billing, payment processing, work management, etc). For example when using a CRM as a front end system, a contact created in CRM is replicated automatically in IS-U where the necessary master data is created automatically using Master Data Templates.

The Business Warehouse solution is used for reporting. Is comes with a Business Content which already contains a lot of predefined Info Cubs and reports.

Where can IS-U be implemented?
The traditional value chain in the energy industry is:
Generation, transmission, Distribution, Supply and Customer Services and Billing.
The IS-U has been successfully implemented and design for the Distribution, Supply and Customer Services and Billing. However IS-U (mostly EDM) has been implemented in Transmission companies as well. Of course with a few/a lot of developments depending on which of the business processes were covered in IS-U.

Typical landscape for a SAP for Utility Solution

World's SAP IS-U implementations

Here is how the IS-U implementations are spread out in the world.

Courses: IUT225 and IUT235

On 11th of August 2008 I went to Poland to deliver the IUT225: EDM Overview and IUT235 Real Time Pricing to a group of people from Poland, Bulgaria, Check Republic and Russia.

I had a good time durring this course as I got a chance to pass my knowledge to others. I didn't get the courses evaluation yet but I guess I taught them good ;).

Some of them was part of the same group I taught IUT230 Billing and Invocing for 4 days in April.

Here are some pictures.






Later Edit: WOW! I got 6.9 in the instructor evaluation. Thank you guys, it is really great you enjoyed it so much!

ISU Master Data Template: How to create an EDM Profile

This mini article explains how you can create a simple master data template and a simple ABAP program to create an EDM Profile.

First step is to create the master data template.

To create a new master data template go to transaction EPRODCUST


Choose the MD Template Category as EDM_PROFHEAD. Unfortunately this MDT exists only in ECC6.0.







Configure the Template’s attributes as in the image below.

Save the Template.

Let’s now test the template.

In the same transaction EPRODCUST press the test button.


Fill in the parameters and then press Adopt button.
Now press execute.




The Master Data Template was executed successfully and by pressing on the log button we can see the profile which has been created.



Let’s display the profile header. Go to transaction EEDM08

Voila!


You have created a profile using the master data template.



Now, let’s create a small ABAP report to create the profile.
The FM we need to call is ISU_PRODUCT_IMPLEMENT.
We need to provide 2 parameters: Master Data Template and the container.

In the container we need to specify all the parameters we created in the master data template and theirs values. For this we create an internal table it_container and fill each line with a parameter. The parameters must be provided in the table in the ascending order.



DATA it_container TYPE CCMCONT_T.
DATA wa_container LIKE LINE OF it_container.
DATA it_NEW_KEYS_TAB TYPE ISU_PROD_NEWOBJECT_KEYS_TAB.
DATA wa_NEW_KEYS_TAB LIKE LINE OF it_NEW_KEYS_TAB.
DATA it_DONE_NODE_TAB TYPE ISU_EPDNODE_TAB.

DATA : l_LOGID TYPE GUID_32,
l_SCRIPT_INFO_TAB TYPE ISU_SCRIPT_INFO_TAB,
l_IDE_STARTED TYPE EBA_FLAG,
l_MDG_COMPLETED TYPE EBA_FLAG.

clear wa_container.
wa_container-element = 'DATEFROM'.
wa_container-elemlength = '255'.
wa_container-type = 'C'.
wa_container-value = '20080101'.
Append wa_container to it_container.

clear wa_container.
wa_container-element = 'DAY_OFFSET'.
wa_container-elemlength = '255'.
wa_container-type = 'C'.
wa_container-value = '000000'.
Append wa_container to it_container.

clear wa_container.
wa_container-element = 'INTSIZEID'.
wa_container-elemlength = '255'.
wa_container-type = 'C'.
wa_container-value = 'DAY'.
Append wa_container to it_container.

clear wa_container.
wa_container-element = 'MASS'.
wa_container-elemlength = '255'.
wa_container-type = 'C'.
wa_container-value = 'KWH'.
Append wa_container to it_container.

clear wa_container.
wa_container-element = 'PROFILE'.
wa_container-elemlength = '255'.
wa_container-type = 'C'.
Append wa_container to it_container.

clear wa_container.
wa_container-element = 'PROFTEXT'.
wa_container-elemlength = '255'.wa_container-type = 'C'.
wa_container-value ='Profile Test FOR SAP BLOG'.
Append wa_container to it_container.

clear wa_container.
wa_container-element = 'PROFTYPE'.
wa_container-elemlength = '255'.
wa_container-type = 'C'.
wa_container-value = '21' .
Append wa_container to it_container.

clear wa_container.
wa_container-element = 'PROFVALCAT'.
wa_container-elemlength = '255'.
wa_container-type = 'C'.
wa_container-value = '1' .
Append wa_container to it_container.

clear wa_container.
wa_container-element = 'SPARTE'.
wa_container-elemlength = '255'.
wa_container-type = 'C'.
wa_container-value = '02' .
Append wa_container to it_container.

clear wa_container.
wa_container-element = 'TIMEFROM'.
wa_container-elemlength = '255'.
wa_container-type = 'C'.
wa_container-value = '000000' .
Append wa_container to it_container.


CALL FUNCTION 'ISU_PRODUCT_IMPLEMENT'
EXPORTING
X_PRODID = 'Z_PROFIL'
X_CONTAINER = it_container
X_RAISE_NO_EVENT = 'X'
X_NO_BPCONTACT = 'X'
* X_CONTRACTDATA =
X_NO_ENV_SELECT = 'X'
X_INDUSTRY = 'U'
IMPORTING
Y_LOGID = l_LOGID
Y_SCRIPT_INFO_TAB = l_SCRIPT_INFO_TAB
Y_IDE_STARTED = l_IDE_STARTED
Y_MDG_COMPLETED = l_MDG_COMPLETED
CHANGING XY_NEW_KEYS_TAB = it_NEW_KEYS_TAB
XY_DONE_NODE_TAB = it_DONE_NODE_TAB
EXCEPTIONS
GENERAL_FAULT = 1
INPUT_ERROR = 2
AMBIGUOUS_ENVIRONMENT = 3
OTHERS = 4.


IF SY-SUBRC <> 0.
* MESSAGE ID SY-MSGID TYPE SY-MSGTY NUMBER SY-MSGNO* WITH SY-MSGV1 SY-MSGV2 SY-MSGV3 SY-MSGV4.
ENDIF.

clear it_container.
READ TABLE it_NEW_KEYS_TAB index 1 into wa_NEW_KEYS_TAB.
move wa_NEW_keys_tab-VALUE to P_l_profile.refresh it_new_keys_tab.refresh it_DONE_NODE_TAB.

IS-U Consultants Wanted by Axon

Axon Global Solutions is in need of outstanding SAPers in U/CCS (at all experience levels) in the areas of Billing(BI), Device Management(DM), Customer Service/Customer Interaction Center(CS/CIC), or Finance-Contracts(FI/CA) to join our fast-growing company.

These are full time positions with a great base/bonus & benefits plan. May require travel Mon-Thu. YOU CAN LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE US OR CANADA-your call. {:>)

If qualified and interested, send resume in MS WORD doc format to Joanne.Gaitanis@axonglobal.com.

Axon Global Solutions is a Business Transformation consultancy that designs, implements and supports solutions to complex business issues faced by multinational organizations that have chosen SAP as their strategic enterprise platform.

..check us out at www.axonglobal.com !


SAP IS-U/CCS Consultant

You will participate in SAP project implementations, upgrades, support and specific client initiatives. Your consulting expertise, hands on approach and a team oriented approach will drive successful implementations and initiatives.

Requirements:

- The successful candidate will have at least 2 years experience in 1 of the following SAP IS-U/CCS modules:Billing(BI), Device Management(DM), Customer Service/Customer Interaction Center(CS/CIC), or Finance-Contracts(FI/CA).

- At least 1 full lifecycle implementation.

- The ability to demonstrate a depth of understanding and skills in configuration is essential.

- Experience with all phases of an implementation including business process blueprint, detailed design, configuration, testing, and support

- Excellent communication skills.

- The ability to work in a team, as a teal lead or without supervision if required.

- Travel as required.

Send resume in MS WORD doc format to Joanne.Gaitanis@axonglobal.com.

SAP IS-U Billing advance topics workshop

I've put together a 1 day SAP IS-U Billing advance topics workshop.
The workshop contains the following topics:
Dynamic Period Control
- DPC scenarios
- DPC configuration
- DPC billing rate structure

Reset the yearly consumption to zero starting on 01.01.NNNN from the billing schema
- variant program creation
- use of seasons

RTP Billing
- EDM Overview
- RTP Component
- RTP Interface
- EDM formulas
- RTP billing


If you are interested drop a mail (danieltoba at yahoo dot com ) and I'll let you know further details about the dates, location and price.

New SAP IS-U group

Hi All,

As IS-U group is not longer working I would like to take the
opportunity to create a new SAP IS-U group where we can continue to
learn new things from each other.

The new SAP IS-U group address is:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAP-ISU

Thank you,

Daniel Toba
SAP IS-U Group

Free subscription at SAP Insider

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The registration process takes up to 5 minutes.
Go to http://www.sapinsideronline.com/ to register now!!!!

Question from ISU Forum

Hi, Want to know if it is pre-requisite to activate "Deregulation settings" (Supply scenario and service provider agreement) for carrying out "Settlement". Is there any training document (in line with IUT210/220 etc) released by SAP for deregulation and settlement? Thanks in advance Ajay

Hi Ajay,
It is not mandatory to activate the deregulation settings to carrying out Settlement.
The deregulation settings is used to automatically determine Supply Scenario and the deregulation settings are picked from Agremmnets between Service Providers (for example the INVOUT agreeement is used to send the grid invoice to the supplier).
There are some standard SAP Workshop for this topics:
IUTW44 - Master Data for Deregulation and Data Exchange Processes
IUTBIL - EDM Settlement

In in a project which requires both functionalities to be implemented so I'll keep posting about this topics from now on. So stay tune!