script logic and business rules in BPC

Script logic – or the application of specific business rules to achieve a certain planning or consolidation function within SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation –was on of the most talked about topics at the BPC Bootcamp in Chicago, June 13-15. While the benefits of script logic are clear, the execution piece can sometimes present a challenge.

Here are some tips pulled from the SAP PRESS book, SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation by Sridhar Srinivasan and Kumar Srinivisan, to help you get started with script logic in BPC:

Script logic can be executed in two ways. It can be either included in the file DEFAULT.LGF and automatically executed when users enter or load data to an application, or it can be executed using a data manager package.

DEFAULT.LGF is a special type of script logic file that is executed when you load data or enter data using an input template. The SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation system runs the default logic indicated in the DEFAULT.LGF file of the application.

You can also execute a script logic file from the data manager. Using a data manager package, you can develop script logic to perform specific data management tasks and execute the script logic.

After delving into a few specifics and figures, outlining the details of script logic, the authors go on to discuss business rules which, similarly to script logic, can be used to perform unique planning and consolidation tasks (without the need for code). Here is an overview of the different types of business rules you can create in BPC, pulled from section 6.3 of the book, SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation:

Instead of writing code, you can also configure business rules to perform certain tasks related to planning and consolidation. The code is already available in SAP function modules; you just need to call them in a script and pass the appropriate parameters to perform the desired function.

In this section, we will provide a brief introduction to the different business rules that can be configured in SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation.

1. Account transformation

Account transformation reads and aggregates the values posted to specific combinations of accounts, flow types, and data sources, and posts an aggregated amount under an alternate destination account, flow type, and data source combination.

2. Intercompany booking

Accounting transactions between two different entities within an organization need to be eliminated when reporting consolidation financial results. The intercompany booking business rule allows business users to set rules to post intercompany transactions to an elimination entity; this rule automatically generates the postings needed to eliminate intercompany transactions when reporting financial results.

3. Carry-forward

The carry-forward business rule is used to transfer the closing balances of a particular period into the opening balance of a subsequent period. This procedure is used to initialize the opening balance of a new reporting period with the closing balances from the last period.

4. Automatic adjustments

The most important of the necessary adjustments for legal consolidation relate to the elimination of intercompany transactions between the various reporting units, and reclassifications and supporting of the applicable rules for the accounting of long-term investments. The automatic adjustment business rule supports the calculation and generation of these postings.