With each quarterly release, Group Reporting continues to expand its capabilities to help you automate, streamline, and modernize your consolidation processes.

Group Reporting release 2608 adds ownership-driven group structure management – enabling you to calculate consolidation percentages automatically and generate system proposals for consolidation unit assignments based on ownership information.

Release 2608 also brings enhancements across the financial consolidation process: new SAP Best Practice content for automatic posting rules, enhanced conditions and group percentage calculations in the rule engine, improvements in Group Reporting Data Collection for both data mapping and forms, authorization-based views in the Data Monitor, and a preview of enhanced reporting rules.

In the sections below, you'll find an overview of the main enhancements delivered with 2608 and how they can support your financial close and reporting processes:

• Ownership-driven group structure management
• Rules for automatic postings: conditions and calculation of group percentages
• SAP Best Practice (1SG) content for automatic posting rules
• Apply group structure changes across hierarchies
• GRDC Data Mapping enhancements including SAP Datasphere view as a source
• GRDC Forms enhancements including enhanced form designer
• Data Monitor's focused view by authorization
• Enter Totals with Delete All mode
• New log for realignment job
• Reporting rules enhancement (2608.1 SAP Labs Preview)

Download Group Reporting 2608 feature deck

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Ownership-driven group structure management

Release 2608 introduces ownership-driven group structure management. You can collect the number of shares (issued and owned) and calculate consolidation percentages – including direct ownership percentage, control percentage, and group share percentage. The system generates proposals for assignments of consolidation units to consolidation groups based on ownership information, including suggestions for consolidation method assignment based on control percentage and configurable thresholds. You can use the buttons “Follow System Proposal” or “Reject System Proposal” to apply your decisions to the selected rows.

How it works

The system analyzes the ownership network starting from a given parent unit and provides proposals for:

• Creating new assignments (first consolidation)
• Recommending consolidation methods based on group control percentages
• Identifying divestitures when no direct or indirect relationship exists

Direct ownership percentages, voting rights percentages, and control settings (such as “control enforced” or “control suppressed” because of contractual agreements) can all be taken into account.

Group percentages in the app

Group percentages (Group Share %, Direct Share %, Group Control %, and more) are now available directly in the “Manage Consolidation Group Structure” app – both on the overview page and the details page.

Ownership-driven assignment dialog

The “Assign” button on the overview page now offers two options:

• Driven by Ownership: Launches the new ownership-driven assignment dialog
• Manually: Launches the existing manual assignment dialog

When you select “Driven by Ownership,” the system:

1. Analyzes all pairwise ownership information starting from the parent unit
2. Identifies consolidation units with a direct or indirect relationship that aren't yet assigned to the consolidation group
3. Calculates preliminary group ownership values
4. Proposes either “Create new assignment” or “Do not consolidate” based on configurable thresholds

You can review system proposals, follow or reject them, and then specify assignment details such as first consolidation period and consolidation method. The system proposes a consolidation method based on the calculated group control percentage and your configured thresholds.

Configuration

A new SSCUI “Define Settings for Group Structure Management” allows you to configure:

• The task for calculating and reading group percentages
• Thresholds for group control percentages
• Consolidation method assignments for each threshold

The system applies a “greater than” logic – when a threshold is exceeded, the respective consolidation method is proposed.

More information: Consolidation Group Structure | SAP Help Portal

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Rules for automatic postings: conditions and calculation of group percentages

Release 2608 continues to enhance the consolidation rule engine with new capabilities for conditions and group percentage calculations.

Using conditions in automatic postings

With release 2608, you can define conditions in posting rules and posting lines using a formula builder. Conditions can include text, numbers, brackets, operators, variables, fields, attributes, and functions. When a condition isn't met, the posting rules or posting lines aren't processed.

You can define conditions in posting rules and posting lines to control when rules are executed. Conditions use expressions such as:

• SOURCE_LC > 0
• VARIABLE > 0
• SUBITEM = “915”
• CONSOLIDATIONUNIT.LOCALCURRENCY = PARTNERCONSOLIDATIONUNIT.LOCALCURRENCY

Combine conditions using AND, OR, and parentheses for complex logic:

• CONSOLIDATIONUNIT.COUNTRY = PARTNERCONSOLIDATIONUNIT.COUNTRY AND PROFITCENTER != PARTNERPROFITCENTER
• SOURCE_LC > 0 OR (SOURCE_LC != 0 AND SOURCE_QTY > 0)

Scenario examples:

• Reclassify FS items from assets to liabilities depending on the sign of the balance
• Eliminate interunit transactions only for consolidation units with identical attribute values (country, local currency, and others)
• Define different posting lines within the same rule depending on the source subitem

When a condition defined for a posting rule isn't met, the rule isn't processed and doesn't appear in the log. When a condition defined for a posting line isn't met, the rule is processed but that specific posting line isn't created.

Calculation of group percentages

The rule engine now supports calculation of group percentages through two rule types:

• Postings for Consolidation Units: Calculate direct ownership %, direct voting rights %, and direct control % from source data such as number of shares
• Postings for Consolidation Groups: Calculate group share %, direct share %, group control %, and control setting from direct percentages

Multiple scenarios are available depending on your data collection approach – whether you collect percentages directly or calculate them from portfolio of shares. Options 3 and 5 enable the ownership-driven assignment feature in group structure management, as they calculate both group control % and control setting.

More information: Automatic Posting Rules | SAP Help Portal

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SAP Best Practice (1SG) content for automatic posting rules

Release 2608 delivers SAP Best Practice (1SG) content for automatic posting rules for group postings with pre-delivered posting rule groups.

Three new posting rule groups:

• S3_01 – Consolidation of Investments (72 rules, doc types 3D/3E/3F/3X/3Z)
• S3_02 – Cash Flow Statement Adjustments (10 rules, doc type 3Y)
• S3_03 – Calculate Group % (1 rule, doc type 38)

S3_01 Consolidation of Investments

Performs automatic consolidation of investments postings for consolidation units accounted for using either the Purchase Method or the Equity Method. The delivered rule group supports investment lifecycle scenarios such as:

• First consolidation
• Subsequent consolidation
• Capital increase/decrease
• Equity transactions (acquisition of further interests and partial disposals)
• Consolidation method changes
• Total divestiture

Posting rules are activated automatically based on key consolidation group structure attributes, such as the consolidation method assignment, first consolidation period, divestiture period, ownership changes, and method-change settings.

S3_02 Cash Flow Statement Adjustments

Reclassifies investment-related cash flows from default SCF reporting items to the correct group-level SCF reporting items, depending on the investee status and change (or no change) of control. This addresses IFRS/IAS requirements to distinguish:

• Acquisition/disposal of equity instruments of associates as investing activities (IAS 7.16)
• Obtaining/losing control of subsidiaries as a separate investing line (IAS 7.39)
• Ownership changes without control change as a financing activity (IFRS 10.B96)
• Non-cash gains/losses on disposals excluded from cash flows (IAS 7.43)

S3_03 Calculate Group %

Reads ownership percentage data and computes the chain-multiplied Group Share % and Direct Share % for every consolidation unit. These percentages are subsequently used by the posting rules in rule group S3_01 to perform non-controlling interests and equity method calculations.

More information: Automatic Posting Rules | SAP Help Portal

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Apply group structure changes across hierarchies

As of S/4HANA 2602.1, you can apply changes maintained in the “Manage Consolidation Group Structure” app to multiple hierarchically related consolidation groups. You can now maintain consolidation groups as hierarchy nodes in consolidation unit hierarchies (besides the already existing text nodes) and leverage these implicitly established hierarchical relationships in the new “Manage Consolidation Group Structure” app to maintain group structure changes – such as new assignments, divestitures, and method changes – consistently across multiple hierarchically related consolidation groups in one rush.

Available since release 2602.1, this feature allows you to apply changes maintained in the “Manage Consolidation Group Structure” app to multiple hierarchically related consolidation groups in one operation.

Consolidation group nodes in consolidation unit hierarchies

Consolidation unit hierarchies are enhanced with the option to use consolidation groups as hierarchy nodes. This establishes the hierarchical relationship between consolidation groups – for example:

CG World
——-CG Europe
————–CG North Europe
———————CG Scandinavia
————–CG South Europe
——-CG America

By using validity timeframes on node and leaf levels, you can establish time-dependent hierarchical consolidation group information.

Automatically derived consolidation group hierarchies

When your consolidation unit hierarchy has a single consolidation group node as the first node below the root, the system automatically derives and stores a consolidation group hierarchy. This hierarchy:

• Syncs automatically with the corresponding consolidation unit hierarchy
• Contains only consolidation group nodes (text nodes and consolidation unit leaves are not included)
• Shares the same name and description as the source hierarchy

New unified “Manage Consolidation Group Structure” app

A new unified app replaces the previous “Group View” and “Unit View” apps. In the new app:

• Both consolidation group and unit filters are multi-value enabled and optional
• You can see all assignments across consolidation units and groups in a given version and fiscal year period
• Three places allow you to apply changes to multiple consolidation groups:
  • Assign dialog: Create assignments for multiple consolidation units to multiple consolidation groups
  • Copy dialog: Copy all assignment details from one assignment to other unit-group combinations
  • Save to Multiple button: Apply a prepared change (such as a divestiture) to multiple existing assignments along a hierarchy

Example: Applying a divestiture across hierarchies

When you maintain a divestiture for a consolidation unit in one consolidation group, you can use “Save to Multiple” to apply the same change to all related consolidation groups in the hierarchy instead of maintaining each assignment individually.

More information: Consolidation Group Structure | SAP Help Portal

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GRDC Data Mapping enhancements including SAP Datasphere view as a source

Group Reporting Data Collection (GRDC) Data Mapping receives several enhancements in release 2608.

Enhancements in mapping definitions

• Use an SAP Datasphere view as a source by creating an analytic model on top of the view
• Copy definitions and jobs
• Create a data mapping job directly from within a valid data mapping definition
• Download standard templates and create definitions even when a source instance is unavailable

Display data mapping jobs and runs

Your ability to view data mapping jobs and their runs now depends on access restrictions and role assignment:

Local accountants with access limited to specific consolidation units:

• Can only view job runs that they initiated
• Cannot view runs initiated by other users, especially for units outside their authorized scope

Group accountants responsible for a broader organizational scope:

• Can view all job runs that include at least one consolidation unit within their authorized scope (based on access restrictions defined in mapping definitions)
• Require the SAP_GRDC_RDM_READ_ALL_JOB_RUNS role assignment

Performance and auditability

• Enhanced performance when running OData Custom jobs by reducing number of API calls when reading data
• Enhanced traceability log performance by generating the log during the import process instead of at download
• Strengthened traceability log auditability by showing the actual mapping file used at runtime, even if updates occurred afterward

More information:
Create a Data Mapping Definition with SAP Datasphere as Source | SAP Help Portal
Display Data Mapping Jobs and Runs | SAP Help Portal
Define Access Restrictions | SAP Help Portal
Data Mapping | SAP Help Portal

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GRDC Forms enhancements including enhanced form designer

Release 2608 introduces a new method “Values from Selection” for selecting dimension values in the form designer.

This method:

• Applies for one dimension in the form and is time- and version-dependent
• Complements existing methods (select one or several values, select all amounts, assign by attribute)
• Can be used in row, column, and filter axes

Benefits:

• More flexibility: Define a selection with a combination of several types of attributes and elementary values, instead of selecting via a single attribute
• Easier maintenance: A selection can be used in several forms and other Group Reporting objects (such as balance validations), and is maintained in a single location in the Define Selections app
• Better data quality: Define the grouping of selected values more precisely, providing more guidance during data entry

Example: Create an FS Item selection based on multiple values of the attribute “Elimination Selection” to define intercompany receivables and payables forms.

More information: Forms | SAP Help Portal

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Data Monitor's focused view by authorization

From release 2602.4, customers can choose to restrict the Data Monitor view by authorization. 

Example: A local accountant authorized for MZ_CU_01 and MZ_CU_02 only sees those two units under each group they belong to, with aggregated group status hidden.

Group structure view (no consolidation group or unit entered in global parameters)

• Consolidation groups for which the user is authorized are shown with all their lower-level consolidation units
• Consolidation groups for which the user isn't authorized but which contain at least one authorized lower-level unit are still shown – however, the user cannot see the overall group status or execute tasks at consolidation group level
• Consolidation groups with no authorized underlying units are hidden

Specific consolidation unit entered

• If authorized, the unit is shown normally
• If not authorized, the unit is not accessible

Specific consolidation group entered

• If authorized for the group, it's shown with all underlying units
• If not authorized for the group but authorized for at least one underlying unit, the group is shown with only those authorized units (aggregated group status is hidden)
• If no authorization for the group or any units, it's not accessible

More information: Data Monitor | SAP Help Portal

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Enter Totals with Delete All mode

The enhanced Enter Totals feature now additionally supports Delete All update mode, enabling you to use Delete All update mode together with the Enter Totals feature.

From release 2602.4, you can use the Enter Totals feature (TOTALS = 1) in combination with the Delete All update mode in the upload file for importing reported data. You use this combination if you want to make sure that only the entries mentioned in the upload file will be reflected in the database, but you provide data on a total level.

Activate this feature using the toggle “Enable Enter Totals with Update Mode: Delete All” (FINCS_DTXI_ET_DEL_ALL) in the Activate Features configuration activity.

Use case example:

When collecting data at period end with existing balance carry forward data, you can:

1. First import cumulated intercompany values from accounting for early intercompany reconciliation
2. Then import the trial balance without partner and subitem details, using TOTALS = 1 with Delete All mode
3. The system calculates deltas from loaded values to existing values, ensuring only the FS items in your upload file remain in the database

More information: Import Reported Data | SAP Help Portal

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New log for realignment job

From release 2602.4, you can display a detailed log for the Realignment job in the Task Logs app with improved UX and drill-through functionality.

Access the log:

• From the job details after the scheduled job for “Realign Group Reporting Preparation Ledger” finishes
• Directly from the Task Logs app by filtering task category 0E (Realignment Function)

Log features:

• Header messages with a quick summary including number of processed entries and realigned entries
• Navigation panel to filter by consolidation units
• Display of all 7 group reporting fields from the Group Reporting Preparation Ledger
• Message text summarizing which field was updated during realignment
• Drill-through navigation from “Amount in Balance Transaction Currency” to “Display Line Items in General Ledger” app

The drill-through navigation filters the view based on context from the Task Logs app, combining both original and realigned records.

More information: Task Logs | SAP Help Portal

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Reporting rules enhancement (2608.1 SAP Labs Preview)

Note: This feature is an SAP Labs Preview in release 2608.1.

A new Fiori app “Manage Reporting Rules” allows you to define, edit, copy, and delete reporting rules for Group Reporting. You can use selections to configure reporting items, and custom fields can be part of reporting item configuration. You can choose either hierarchy or flat values for fields.

Key capabilities:

• Selections can be used to configure reporting items
• Custom fields can be part of reporting item configuration
• Hierarchies are supported
• Multiple reporting items can be assigned to reporting rule variants
• Language-dependent texts can be created for each reporting rule
• Use the “Reverse” checkbox to reverse key figure values in analytical reports

The new reporting rules can be used in both the “Group Data Analysis with Reporting Rule” and “Group Financial Statement” apps.

More information: Reporting Rules | SAP Help Portal

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More information

• Group Reporting 2608 feature deck
• Group Reporting 2608 help portal
• Recap of Group Reporting new features
• Group Reporting community
• Group Reporting customer influence platform

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