Financial Accounting: Procedure for Line Item Extraction

General Comments on Extraction Procedure

The consistent data extraction in the delta procedure is possible for line items from General Ledger
Accounting (FI-GL) and selected subledgers (Accounts Receivable (FI-AR) and Accounts Payable (FI-AP))
and tax reporting with effect from SAP BW 3.1 Content. The extraction procedure delivered with the
business content for SAP BW 2.0B, which is based on the DataSources 0FI_AR_3 and 0FI_AP_3, can be
replaced. This is described in note 410797.
The decisive advantage of choosing R/3 line item tables as the data source is that additional fields can be
transferred to the BW. These are not available for the transaction figures. This provides more extensive
and flexible analysis options in BW.
To enter a consistent delta dataset, you can use any of the following InfoSources (with the
corresponding DataSources and extractors in SAP R/3):
Application InfoSource Name
FI-GL 0FI_GL_4 General ledger: Line Items
FI-AP 0FI_AP_4 Accounts payable: Line Items
FI-AR 0FI_AR_4 Accounts receivable: Line Items
FI-TX 0FI_TAX_4 General ledger: Data for taxes on sales and purchases
For the General Ledger, selection is made from the tables BKPF and BSEG, while selection for the
subledgers is made from tables BSID/BSAD (Accounts Receivable) and BSIK/BSAK (Accounts Payable).
InfoSource 0FI_GL_4 transfers only those fields that are relevant for General Ledger Accounting from
the Financial Accounting document (tables BKPF and BSEG) to the BW system.
The consistent recording of data from General Ledger Accounting and Subledger Accounting is provided
by means of coupled delta extraction in the time stamp procedure. General ledger accounting is the
main process in delta mode and provides subsidiary ledger extraction with time stamp information (time
intervals of previously selected general ledger line items). This time stamp information can also be used
for a loading history: this shows which line items have previously been extracted from the SAP R/3
system.
Delta Method
Delta extraction enables you to load into BW only that data that has been added or has changed since
the last extraction event. Data that has already been loaded and has not changed is not extracted and
does not need to be deleted before a new load. This improves performance compared with periodic
extraction of the entire dataset.
Financial Accounting line items are read by extractors directly from the tables in SAP R/3. A time stamp
on the line items serves to identify the status of the delta data. Time stamp intervals that have already
been read are stored in a time stamp table. The delta dataset is transferred to BW directly, without
records being transferred to the delta queue in SAP R/3 (extractor delta method).
The Financial Accounting line items are extracted from SAP R/3 in their most recent status (after-image
delta method). This delta procedure is not suitable for filling InfoCubes in BW directly. Therefore, firstly,
the line items must be loaded in the BW system in an ODS object that identifies the changes made to
individual characteristics and key figures within a delta data record. Other data destinations (InfoCubes,
ODS objects) can be provided with data from this ODS object.
If the ODS object permits BEx Reporting, queries can be defined directly there.
Time Stamp Method
With Financial Accounting line items that have been posted in SAP R/3 since the last data request, the
extractors identify the following delta dataset using the time stamp in the document header (BKPF-
CPUDT).
When a delta dataset has been selected successfully, SAP R/3 logs two time stamps that delimit a
selection interval for a DataSource in table BWOM2_TIMEST:
Field Name Key Description
MANDT X Client
OLTPSOURCE X DataSource
AEDAT X SYSTEM: Date
AETIM X SYSTEM: Time
UPDMODE Data update mode (full, delta, delta init)
TS_LOW Lower limit of the time selection (time stamp in seconds since 1.1.1990)
TS_HIGH Upper limit of the time selection (time stamp in seconds since 1.1.1990)
LAST_TS Flag: 'X' = Last time stamp interval of the delta extraction
TZONE Time zone
DAYST Daylight saving time active?
The time stamps are determined from the system date and time and converted to the format seconds
since 1.1.1990, taking into account the time zone and daylight saving time. To ensure correct and unique
reconversion to date and time, the time zone and daylight saving time must be stored in table
BWOM2_TIMEST.
Table BWOM2_TIMEST therefore serves to document the loading history of Financial Accounting line
items. It also provides defined restart points following incorrect data requests.

To provide a better overview, the time stamps in the example table are entered in the date format. The
columns TZONE and DAYST were omitted:
OLTPSOURCE AEDAT/AETIM UPD DATE_LOW DATE_HIGH LAST_TS
0FI_GL_4 16.05.2004/20:15 Init 01.01.1990 15.05.2004
24.05.2004/16:59 Delta 16.05.2004 23.05.2004
02.06.2004/21:45 Delta 24.06.2004 01.06.2004
15.06.2004/12:34 Delta 02.06.2004 14.06.2004
21.06.2004/18:12 Delta 15.06.2004 20.06.2004 X
0FI_AP_4 18.05.2004/21:23 Init 01.01.1990 15.05.2004
30.05.2004/12:48 Delta 16.05.2004 23.05.2004
10.06.2004/13:19 Delta 24.06.2004 01.06.2004 X
0FI_AR_4 17.05.2004/18:45 Init 01.01.1990 15.05.2004
04.06.2004/13:32 Delta 16.05.2004 01.06.2004
16.06.2004/15:41 Delta 02.06.2004 14.06.2004 X
0FI_TX_4 17.05.2004/18:45 Init 01.01.1990 15.05.2004
04.06.2004/13:32 Delta 16.05.2004 01.06.2004
16.06.2004/15:41 Delta 02.06.2004 14.06.2004 X
Constraints
Per day, no more than one delta dataset can be transferred for InforSource 0FI_GL_4. The extracted
data therefore has the status of the previous day. For further data requests on the same day, the
InfoSource does not provide any data. However, you can change this standard delivery. For more
information, see note 485958.
In delta mode, data requests with InfoSource 0FI_AR_4 and InfoSource 0FI_AP_4 do not provide any
data if no new extraction has taken place with InfoSource 0FI_GL_4 since the last data transfer. This
ensures that the data in BW for Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable Accounting is exactly as up
to date as the data for General Ledger Accounting.
Recording Changed Line Items
In the case of Financial Accounting line items that have been changed since the last data request in SAP
R/3, there is no reliable time stamp that can document the time of the last change. For this reason, all
line items that are changed in a way relevant for BW must be logged in the system. Changed line items,
together with the document key and the time of the last change are recorded in table BWFI_AEDAT:
Field Name Key Description
MANDT X Client
BUKRS X Company code
BELNR X Accounting document number
GJAHR X Fiscal year
AEDAT Date of last document change
AETIM Time of last document change


MANDT BUKRS BELNR GJAHR AEDAT AETIM
600 1000 1900000010 2001 21.02.2001 10:23:17
600 1000 1000000016 2001 21.02.2001 10:28:34
Using the log table and the time stamp procedure described above, the extractors can find a delta
dataset from changed Financial Accounting line items. The changed line items are recorded in the
following transactions:
Manual changing of Financial Accounting line items
Clearing line items
Changing dunning data for a line item
Prerequisite
To be able to record changed line items, various update programs in SAP R/3 need to be changed.
Therefore, the following support packages must be implemented:
Release Support Package
4.0B 64
4.5B 42
4.6B 30
4.6C 22
If these support packages are not implemented in your system, see note 401646.
Recording of the changed line items must be started a reasonable amount of time (see notes 401646
and 663539) before the first data request in update mode initialization of the data method. For this
purpose, add the following entry in table TPS31 using transaction SM30 (view maintenance):
Process Lnd Applic. Function module
00005011 BWFIP_WRITE_AEDAT_POINTER

If you delete the last initialization selection in the source system for the InfoSources 0FI_*_4 in the BW
system Administrator Workbench, the entry from table TPS31 is also removed. This stops recording of
changed line items in table BWFI_AEDAT. Existing data in table BWFI_AEDAT is also deleted. Before a
new data request can be made in the update mode initialization of the delta method, the entry must be
added again to table TPS31.
Linking InfoSources
As of Plug-In 2002.2, it is no longer necessary to have DataSources linked. This means that you can now
load 0FI_GL_4, 0FI_AR_4, 0FI_AP_4, and 0FI_TX_4 in any order. You also have the option of using
DataSources 0FI_AR_4, 0FI_AP_4 and 0FI_TX_4 separately without 0FI_GL_4. The DataSources can then
be used independently of one another (see note 551044).

As soon as DataSource 0FI_GL_4 is loaded, it is the leading DataSource with regard to the time limits
such as maximum time (CPU date) up to which data extraction is allowed. Therefore, when the
transition is made from having data requirements in Delta Init mode to having them in pure Delta
operation, the data requirement in delta mode of leading DataSource (OFI_GL_4) must be processed
first.
Linking of DataSources in the delta helps to ensure consistent extraction of FI data with regard to time
limits. Consistency with regard to the data extracted has to be ensured via the init selection criteria (see
below).
Partioned Initial Data Requests
As of Plug-In 2002.2 SAP BW 3.1 Content, selections by company code and fiscal year/period are
possible for DataSources 0FI_AR_4, 0FI_AP_4 and 0FI_TX_4. Partioned data requests are therefore
possible in Delta Init mode. Selections for data requests in Delta Init mode are then managed separately
for each DataSource.

If you want extraction to be consistent, you have to choose the same Init selection criteria (company
code and fiscal year/period) for all DataSources.
Customer Enhancements of the Extraction Structure
You can enhance the extraction structures for DataSources 0FI_GL_4, 0FI_AP_4, 0FI_AR_4, and
OFI_TX_4 in the SAP R/3 system by creating user-defined include structures or using transaction RSA6.
The following customer includes are supported:
Application DataSource R/3 Table Include Structure
General Ledger 0FI_GL_4 BSEG/BKPF CI_BSIS
Accounts Receivable 0FI_AR_4 BSIK / BSAK CI_BSIK
Accounts Payable 0FI_AP_4 BSID / BSAD CI_BSID
Taxes 0FI_TX_4 BSET CI_BSET
If all fields in the customer include structure are contained in the above-mentioned R/3 table, no
further ABAP programming is required. In this case, the fields in the customer include structure are
automatically supplied with data by the DataSource extractor.
If there are fields in the customer include structure that are not contained in the above-mentioned R/3
able, these fields cant be filled using a function module created by the user. For more information see
note 410799. Alternatively you can use the BW standard exits for extractor enhancements. Programs
from the SAP standard are not modified by this customer interface.
Global Settings
For the transferal of line items from Financial Accounting, important global settings can be made in SAP
R/3 in table BWOM_SETTINGS. To do this, change the table using transaction SE16 (table maintenance):
OLTPSOURCE PARAM_NAME PARAM_VALUE Default Value
<space> BWFILOWLIM YYYYMMDD 19910101
<space> BWFISAFETY <Days> 1
<space> ORGSYSONLY <space> or X <space>
<space> DELTIMEST <Days> 60
<space> BWFIOVERLA <space> or X <space>
<space> BWFITIMBOR <Time> 020000
BWFILOWLIM
Here, you can set the lower time limit of the time stamp selection for data requests in update mode
initialization of the delta method. Together with the selection criteria, this parameter is a decisive factor
for the data volume with data requests in this update mode.
BWFISAFETY
Here, you can set the upper time limit of the time stamp selection for data requests in all update modes.
If the parameter has a value 1, the upper time limit of the time stamp selection is the previous day.
Where the parameter values are larger than 1, the upper time limit of the time stamp selection is the
corresponding number of days in the past.
Note that you cannot select a parameter value smaller than 1, since this would mean that the delta
dataset would not be determined completely.
ORGSYSONLY
If your SAP R/3 system is part of an ALE scenario, set this parameter to X. This ensures that only those
line items that were originally posted to the BW system will be transferred there from the SAP R/3
system. This prevents line items being transferred several times to BW from various SAP R/3 systems.
DELTIMEST
With this parameter, you can set the retention period of entries that are no longer required in time
stamp table BWOM2_TIMEST. The default setting for deletion of entries that are no longer required in
the time stamp table is 60 days.The minimum retention period for entries in the time stamp table is 15
days. When entries are deleted from table BWOM2_TIMEST, the corresponding entries for the changed
line items are deleted simultaneously from log table BWFI_AEDA2.
BWFIOVERLA
The logic of this parameter prevents records with the previous day as their CPU date from still being in
the update at the time of extraction.
- If X is set for this parameter, selection is made up to the previous day if the time limit is not reached.
- If <space> is set for this parameter, selection is made up to the day before the previous day if the time
limit is not reached.
BWFITIMBOR
This parameter designates 02.00 (2 A.M.) as the time limit for extraction. If this limit is not reached, the
system uses a security interval of one day to determine the To-value of the selection. If extraction is
started before 02:00 therefore, the selection takes place only up to the day before the extraction run.

SAP recommends that you do not change the standard value.