COPA Difference Search by PIKON

Problem

It's a recurring phenomenon: As if the period-end closing doesn't place significant demands on controllers anyway due to the usual tight time schedule, that even after completing all relevant period-end closing activities, there is the additional problem of differences in reporting that crop up between the SAP Financial Accounting (FI) and the Profitability Analysis (CO-PA). In order to guarantee accurate reporting to the internal and external stakeholders, there's no alternative but to commence the frequently time-consuming and nerve-racking search for the differences - the proverbial needle in a haystack. Yet this search doesn't even include a guarantee that the differences can be located and explained and certainly not within the tight time frame of the period-end closing especially since the controller, who is an acknowledged expert in his own world of figures, all too often finds himself challenged by the SAP technology.

Vision

It would be ideal if a simple evaluation could provide a complete overview of how the differences that appear between the Financial Accounting (FI) and the Profitability Analysis (CO-PA) at the end of the period-end closing were caused, and what system settings can explain them. This would facilitate a rapid correction of the figures and guarantee reliable reporting in the period-end closing, thus drastically reducing the time needed by the responsible controller for the period-end closing, as they would no longer have to make a laborious search to find and explain the occurrences at the root of the problem.

Solution

With its product CO-PA Difference Search by PIKON, PIKON has made this vision a reality. The figures from the modules Financial Accounting (FI) and Profitability Analysis (CO-PA) of the ERP system are incorporated into BW reporting, where by means of suitable data queries different comparisons can be made in order to identify the differences.

The most important information that the CO-PA Difference Search by PIKON provides is:

• Identification of the differences between Financing Accounting and Profitability Analysis, graded according to different categories of value flows (e.g. a comparison of the turnover or comparison based on individual CO objects such as cost centres, orders, etc.).
• Itemisation of the differences based on the original CO object (e.g. cost centre, order, etc.).  Based on the information about which CO object has caused a difference in the period, and to what extent, one can enter the running SAP system using the object number and understand the processing details within the period. So no time is wasted in finding the source of the problem and the cause can be dealt with straight away.

To correct the differences in the current period-end closing, the following procedure can be followed:

• The differences displayed in the tool can be incorporated into the reporting at the period-end closing.
• Analysis of the differences based on special original objects.
• Correction of the original objects in SAP (cancellation of e.g. CO accounts but also processing steps from earlier modules is possible).
• Correction of faulty or detrimental settings in the customizing of the SAP system in case these settings were the cause of differences.

Requirements

Use of SAP ERP with FI and CO-PA as well as SAP BW.