What Is CADE?
CADE (China Audit Data Extraction, 中国审计数据摘取) is SAP's solution for generating structured financial data files per Chinese national standard GB/T 24589.01-2010. It produces XML output covering four modules: Common Information, General Ledger (GL), Accounts Payable/Receivable (APAR), and Fixed Assets (AA).
Supported versions: S/4HANA Public Cloud 2011+ | S/4HANA Private Cloud / On-Premise 1709+
Who Needs It — Broader Than You Might Think
GB/T 24589 was originally mandated by the China National Audit Office (CNAO) for the Golden Audit (金审工程) program — enterprises nominated by the CNAO must submit financial data in this format for a specified period.
But in practice, the reach goes further. Professional audit firms — including Big 4 and local CPA firms — increasingly request data in this format during annual statutory business audits. It gives auditors a clean, structured, machine-readable extract of the general ledger and sub-ledgers, which significantly streamlines their audit procedures.
In our customer engagements, we have seen companies use these reports primarily for business audit purposes — not because of a government nomination, but because their external auditor requested the data in this format as part of the annual audit engagement.
Any China legal entity that undergoes professional auditing should have this capability ready.
The Solution at a Glance
SAP delivers four XML report components under a single configuration framework:
Report Content
| Common Information | Enterprise master data, currency, exchange rates, vendor/customer profiles |
| General Ledger (GL) | Journal entries, account balances, cash flow items |
| AP/AR | Receivables and payables statements |
| Fixed Assets (AA) | Asset cards, changes, retirements |
One thing worth noting upfront: all XML element names in the generated files are in Chinese, as defined by the GB/T 24589.01-2010 national standard. SAP's implementation preserves this exactly. When you open the output or troubleshoot an empty section, the element names you encounter will be Chinese — this is by design, not a localization gap. Part 2 of this series lists key elements with English labels to help you navigate.
The process is straightforward:
- Configure — Fiori app: Define Settings for Standardized Data Interface – China
- Generate — Fiori app: Run Statutory Reports
- Submit — Deliver XML files to the audit authority or external auditor
Official Documentation
For step-by-step configuration, the Help Portal is your primary reference:
- Public Cloud: China Audit DRC Reports | Define Settings for Standardized Data Interface – China
- Private Cloud / On-Premise: China Audit DRC Reports | Define Settings for Standardized Data Interface – China
Once you have read the official docs, head over to Part 2 of this series for the practical tips and gotchas that save you time during implementation.
Reference: SAP Note 3285703