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Rithin Shah
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FIN (Finance)
erp financials | fico | financials | ledger | sap erp financials
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https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 1/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
A customer field is a database table field that is created and defined by the
customer. Such fields are therefore not delivered in the SAP standard system. The
inclusion of customer fields has effects across the whole system (as well as
across all clients in a same server) because customer fields entail repository
changes.
From Release SAP ECC 5.0, you can include customer fields directly in new
General Ledger Accounting, without having to implement an FI-SL solution in
parallel, as was required in previous releases. Customer fields can be added
to the standard set of tables in new General Ledger Accounting and can be
valuated using the standard reporting tools. This may mean that customer
developments (such as customer-specific reports) that were used previously
then become superfluous if you have created special valuations on the basis
of existing posting data.
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 2/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
Below customized table displays mapping between customer field (Add free
Info) and GL account code
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 3/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
How to configure
Customizing Customer Fields
Prerequisites:
a. a) Before you create a customer field, you must always run a data
backup and proceed as per SAP guidelines mentioned above
b. b) No postings may occur at the time when the field is created and at
the time of the transport to the production system.
Note that you can no longer delete a customer field from the coding block as
easily (that is, not with standard means).
To avoid naming conflicts, the customer fields must have names falling within
the customer namespace. For more information about customer namespaces,
see SAP Note 16466 and the related notes.
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 4/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
I. In the first step, you have to include the customer field in the coding
block. You do this in the following IMG activity: Financial Accounting
(New) Financial Accounting Global Settings (New) Ledgers Fields
Customer Fields Edit Coding Block.
Note: This can be created with the help of ABAP technical team.
The data elements are created by ABAP technical team. Let us illustrate this
with an example.
Data element ZZ0001 is created with Add Free Info as its description
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 5/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
Similarly the other data elements ZZ0002, ZZ0003, ZZ0004, ZZ0005 are
created. Once the data element is created they need to be assigned to the
Coding block setting.
The newly created data element fields are updated in the Customer Include
structure. No posting transactions may be performed while including the
customer field. It is recommended using the light (activation) mode. For this,
you only need to make the following entries so that all necessary changes to
the dictionary and to the tables are performed automatically in the background
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 6/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
Depending on system performance, this may take some time. The system
outputs the result in a log. For detailed information, see the documentation on
the IMG activity Edit Coding Block
To change the field status groups for the G/L account, perform the IMG
activity under the following path: Financial Accounting (New) Financial
Besides the field status groups for G/L accounts, you also have to open the
field in the field status for the posting key. You do this in the following IMG
activity:
Since only G/L account items can have additional account assignments in the
form of a customer field, only the posting keys for G/L accounts can be used
here. We recommend including the customer field in the posting keys for G/L
accounts as an optional field and using the field status groups for further
control. It may be possible to define the customer field as a required entry field
for some of the G/L accounts selected, and as an optional field for other G/L
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 7/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
You can include more than one field in the totals table. Note, however, that
each additional field increases the data volume. Other than customer fields,
you can also include standard fields in the totals table. Ensure that you reach
a decision on this in good time. For more information, see Customer Field.
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_erp60_sp/helpdata/en/52/185a40aba66f13e1000
0000a1550b0/content.htm
For reporting, however, it is both necessary and logical to add the customer
field (or even just selected customer fields) to the totals table in new General
Ledger Accounting. If you work with your own totals table, note that you should
always use the standard totals table FAGLFLEXT for the leading ledger. You
can add customer fields to the totals table using the customer include
CI_FAGLFLEX04
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 8/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
To update a customer field in the desired ledgers, you have to assign the field
to your ledgers in the following IMG activity: Financial Accounting (New)
Financial Accounting Global Settings (New) Ledgers Ledger Assign
Scenarios and Customer Fields to Ledgers.
You can assign customer fields to the leading ledger as well as to non-leading
ledgers. If, for example, you portray group accounting in the leading ledger
and only need the customer field for local purposes, you can assign it just to
the relevant non-leading ledger.
When you have included a customer field in the coding block, you can enter
any information in this field but this data is not checked. Since a customer
field is generally applied for specific structured data or a limited number of
characteristic values need to be entered, we recommend that you always run
a check. You have the following options for this:
A validation can consist of up to 999 steps. You can therefore validate data
against any number of Boolean statements before the data is posted.
Validations are created at 3 levels via, Header level, Item level and complete
document level.
You can use a validation in Financial Accounting to check the entries or the
substituted field contents. This is useful if the validation rules are kept
relatively simple and in a manageable number. You set up the validation by
performing the following IMG activity:
Prerequisite statement
Check statement
The check statement determines whether the entered value(s) are valid. If the
check statement is true, then the value is valid and the transaction continues.
If the check statement is false, the system displays a message.
Call Up Point: Call up point 2 indicates that the validation is at the line item
level
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 10/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
Set: Sets are used in many components and sub components of the SAP R/3
System (such as reporting, planning, and currency translation). Before you
can begin working with these components, you must first create the sets that
you want to use.
Sets simply hold a number of values for a field. The set is created to check
whether the pre requisite is met or not. You define the set in the following IMG
activity:
OR T-code GS01. After the Set is created enter the GL account against which
the validation check is created
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 11/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 12/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_46c/helpdata/en/5b/d221ac43c611d182b30000e8
29fbfe/content.htm
Once the configurations for customer fields are completed, the fields will be
ready for input in FI transactions. The customer fields will also be available for
special selection for any FI report execution (refer point 3 below).
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 13/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
So finally we have seen what is customer fields, what is the business scenario
where this customer fields can be used and the various steps of customizing.
SAP Notes:
Alert Moderator
10 Comments
Mohammed Kalim
Hello Rithin,
Regards,
Kalim
Rohidas Shinde
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 15/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
Dear Rithin,
Regards,
Rohidas
rajendhar gadipelly
Hi Rithin,
Thanks,
G Rajendhar.
Lakshmi Sama
Hello Rithin,
Lakshmi S
giri gundam
Hi Rithin
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 16/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
Regards
Giri
Erwin Leitner
Hello
Super document
Consultant Khan
Hi Rithin,
Regards
KIM Khan
Philippe Gauthier
Hi Rithin
I need to add characteristics on reporting only (like account group). I have seen OSS
note 395894 Numeric variables in reports , but I cant arrive to do it, have you any idea
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 17/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
to do it ?
Thanks
Philippe
Zunaid Hingora
Hi Rithin,
Very good document. We can bypass account based copa by doing this customization.
Regards
Zunaid
Martin W
Hi!
To add the field in the table FAGLFLEXT, and to do reporting in transaction FGI2.
Thanks
Add Comment
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/01/13/adding-customer-fields-in-fi-new-gl-functionality/ 18/19
11/17/2017 Adding Customer Fields in FI New Gl functionality | SAP Blogs
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