High- Level Specification

Functional Overview

In the new S/4 HANA system, a standard SAP Fiori application will be deployed which allows for upload of manual journal entries in batches via Excel upload functionalities.

The standard Fiori application does not provide a functionality to automatically attach the uploaded Excel template as supporting document to the journals created as part of the upload batch. At Syensqo, internal controls exist around existence of supporting documents for manual journal entries posted in the system to be able to retrospectively explain the purpose of journal entries during internal or external audits. This is in line with industry best practices and also recommended with view to the expected heightened focus on internal controls in the context of SOX compliance in the future.

The purpose of this enhancement is to equip the standard Fiori application for mass journal uploads via Excel functionality (also known under its current Fiori app ID of F2547A) with a built-in functionality to automatically attach the Excel file used in the upload process to all journal entries created via the respective batch upload.

Scope and Objectives

The scope of the enhancement shall be limited to the prevailing version of the Excel upload functionality for manual journals in the latest S/4 HANA version deployed at Syensqo. At the time of writing, the enhancement shall therefore just apply to Fiori application F2547A.

The enhancement addresses the gap of the SAP standard delivery of the Fiori application to attach supporting documents automatically as part of the upload process. Some code analysis of the existing programs revealed that SAP seemed to work on such a feature in the past but decided not to implement it for unknown reasons (code snippet has been commented out). Further clarifications were sought for from SAP on whether it is intended to add the functionality as a standard feature in the foreseeable future but no roadmap items or feedback were obtained from SAP that would point into this direction.

With this enhancement, compliance with internal controls regarding supporting documents for manual journals posted in the system will be system-assured. Furthermore, efficiency gains are expected due to the preventive nature of the enhancement request preventing journals without supporting documents from being routed for review and approval where such journals would need to be rejected by the reviewers/approvers.

Assumptions

• File capturing feature implemented as part of this development must support Excel files with multiple tabs. For each journal added to the upload batch in the upload file, the user will be instructed to create a separate tab with supporting documentation relevant to each journal requested. As such, it is important that the entire file gets captured and stored in the same format as prepared by the end-user.
• The uploaded file must not be modified/altered by the custom development. It is expected that the file can be downloaded from the journals' attachment section in the exact same format and structure as uploaded by the user without loss of information.
• File size limitations for file capturing feature implemented via this custom development shall follow the file size limitations as defined by SAP or the technical team, whichever is lower.
• Fiori applications evolve over time as SAP is constantly improving its current product offerings. At the time of writing, the enhancement is applicable to journal entries posted via Fiori app F2547A available in S/4 private cloud environments. If new apps are released by SAP in future releases that offer significantly better useability for journal entry processing, Syensqo may adopt these applications as new default entry methods for journal entries. The enhancement may need to be extended to those successor applications as well in future releases.

Dependencies
If the link between the upload file and the journal can only be established upon submission of the journal, the validation checks implemented via ERP-557 may need to be bypassed.

Apart from that the below dependencies ought to be considered:

• Fiori apps need to be deployed with all required Odata services actively running.
• Master data readiness for posting journal entries in S/4 HANA systems.
• Base configuration for posting journal entries needs to be in place to commence testing.

Security, Integrity and Controls

No specific security or export control requirements applicable to this enhancement. The standard authorization checks of the calling program shall be followed and accesses as well as authorizations to the underlying Fiori application shall be granted according to the swim lane assignments in Signavio.

Configuration Requirements

Not applicable. Call-up point of enhancement is not dependent on system configurations.

Language Requirements

The error message issued by the enhancement shall be translated into the four logon languages defined in 'KDD055 - Multi-Language Support'. The four core languages endorsed in the KDD are:

• English
• French
• Italian
• Mandarin

Special Requirements

Not applicable. No special requirements identified for this custom development.

Design Rationale

Functional Requirements

The standard Fiori application for Excel-based journal entry uploads in S/4 HANA (current ID: F2547A) is a newly introduced system capability in S/4 HANA. It is intended to replace the current custom programs used at Syensqo for mass journal uploads via Excel upload templates. 

In the SAP standard application F2547A, the functionality to automatically attach supporting documents during the upload is unfortunately not supported. This would be a breach of internal control requirements at Syensqo which stipulate that all manual journal entries require adequate justification/support explaining the nature/purpose of the manual journal. In order to comply with these internal control requirements and to increase process efficiency in the journal entry review process, the Excel upload template shall be attached automatically to all journal entries created by the respective batch upload file.

Proposed Technology to Use

For this custom development it is likely that an implicit enhancements in the app's OData services are needed to capture the uploaded batch file in order to link it to the journals created. 

Data Source Considerations

This section is not applicable to this custom development.

Data Validation Considerations

This section is not applicable to this custom development.

Custom Tables

This section is not applicable to this custom development.

Selection Screen Enhancement

This section is not applicable to this custom development.

Processing Logic

The processing logic for this enhancement shall perform the following steps in the given sequence:

1.) Upon successful upload of the journal entries via Excel templates using Fiori app F2547A, the Excel file shall be captured and stored in an internal storage space. 

2.) In the standard Fiori application, the user has the ability to change/withdraw the uploaded data before it gets submitted for approval. Hence, the link to the uploaded file is not necessarily required at this early stage. However, it is desirable to establish the link between the attachment and the upload file at this stage to assure the user that the file has been attached when opening the journal in the foreground prior to its submission. If technically feasible, the link should therefore be made during the upload so that the attachment becomes available/visible prior to journal submission.

3.) The file shall be attached as supporting document to every journal created in one upload batch. This can be up to 999 journal entries in one batch.

4.) If the file size is larger than the allowed limit in the S/4 HANA systems, an error shall be output during the upload of the journal entries batch:

• Error Message: ' File size too large. Reduce file size to a maximum of <Allowed file size as per SyWay rules> MB.' (Variable: <Allowed file size as per SyWay rules>; to be populated dynamically from configurations).

5.) Once uploaded, the journal shall be visible and retrievable for end-users via the 'Attachment' tab available in the journal entry editing/viewing transactions (e.g. Fiori application 'Manage Journal Entries').

6.) The attached file shall must also be visible and retrievable for journal entry reviewers/approvers in the respective Fiori inbox notifications sent out by the flexible business workflow for G/L journals. It shall be available for downloads under tab 'Attachments' in the notifications sent to the approvers/reviewers via the 'MyInbox' Fiori application.

Volumetrics

The volume of manual journals in S/4 HANA is expected to decrease due to process re-designs and other innovative features available in the S/4 HANA systems that reduces the need for manual adjustment journals at period-end. 

The current volume of manual journals per period ranges between 8,000 to 10,000 journals per accounting period. This is expected to drop by a significant amount in S/4 HANA, assuming an 80% reduction of manual journals would result in a range of 1,500-2,000 journals per period across all S/4 HANA instances. It is expected that the majority of the journals will be created via the Excel upload functionality. 

Performance Considerations

During peak days for manual journal entries, typically towards the end of an accounting period especially during quarterly or yearly closes, the volume of manual journal can spike up. The enhancement should be able to handle such sudden spikes of concurrently processed journals in an efficient manner. Per batch file uploaded to S/4 HANA, a maximum of 999 journal entries can be created.

Error Handling

Special error handling is not required. IT support tickets must be raised should the user detect any journal entries that were posted via the mass upload functionality without attached Excel upload template. This would need to be investigated further by the technical team to identify glitches in the code that prevent the automatic linkage of the journal entry with the upload template.

Testing

How to Test

1.) Ensure the necessary roles for accessing Fiori apps F2547A are assigned to your user ID.

2.) Use the batch upload file stored here for testing purposes and upload it into the application's staging table. (Note: Upload templates get modified by SAP in regular intervals. If the provided file is no longer accepted, please download a new template from the most recent version of the Fiori application available in the S/4 HANA systems. Use the same journal entry details as provided in the reference file for your testing).

3,) Once uploaded and the temporary IDs are generated, click on the temporary ID. Via hotspot functionality, you will be re-directed to the foreground entry mode view. Switch to tab 'Attachment' to check if the file has been uploaded and linked to the journal entries.

4.) Return to the previous page showing the temporary staging table with the uploaded journal entries from the current batch.

5.) Press button 'Submit' to route them for review and approval.

6.) Check the MyInbox notification. Under tab 'Attachment' the file should be available and download-ready for the reviewers/approvers. 

7.) Approve journal entries via MyInbox notification.

8.) Launch Fiori application 'Manage Journal Entries'. Retrieve the approved journal entries and view journal entry details. Ensure the attachments are available in journal entry view under tab 'Attachment'. 

Test Conditions and Expected Results

Test Considerations/Dependencies

No dependencies other than overall dependencies of basic FI configurations and master data to be in place before testing can be commenced.

Other Information

Development Details

Package

Enhancement Implementation

Other Development Objects

Appendix

Custom Authorization Group Naming Convention

This table is based on the Syensqo development standards document. It provides the naming conventions for authorization groups to associated with custom reports and tables to comply with security requirements.

See also

Change log