SAP BPC - Interview Questions

SAP Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) allows your organization to improve its financial and operational performance management. SAP EPM supports various functionalities with SAP Business Planning and Consolidation BPC-NW or BPC-MS like financial consolidation, financial information management, supply chain performance management, strategy management, and many other areas.

• SAP BPC NetWeaver
• BPC MS

Star Schema for Exceptional Reporting − SAP BPC uses NW InfoCubes to store the data. The dimension model used is extended Star Schema so it makes BPC with NW system an exceptional system for reporting.

No Database Dependence Version − BPC NW version is not dependent on database version and can run common databases like DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, etc.

BW Accelerator Support − SAP NetWeaver BW accelerator tool is an additional feature that can be used to enhance the performance of reporting in the system even if you are using large datasets. It indirectly helps in saving the cost for a company as less number of report performance issues are reported.

BAdI Development and ABAP Support − SAP BPC with NetWeaver allows you to use ABAP programming to develop K2 script logic. It enables to create business add-in BAdi interface in the back-end system, which can be called later from script logic developed in BPC system. It helps in solving the complex business requirements and reducing the development time for an organization.

Dimension Logic − This can be configured in BPC system using simple mathematical formulas.

Business Rules − This allows you to create rules in BPC system to perform specific functions.

K2 Script Logic − This is used to perform some specific functions which can’t be achieved using out-of-box functionality to meet the business requirements. You can create K2 script logics to perform certain functions, which can be performed in a standard system.

Requirement − SAP NetWeaver ABAP 7.3 or 7.31

Database − Any of the above version of SAP NetWeaver support.

Operating System − Any supported version of SAP NetWeaver system and database engine.

This layer is responsible to store all the data in database. SAP NW back-end system is responsible to create objects and data stored for BPC system. NetWeaver supports most of the databases like SQL Server, DB2, Oracle, and many more.

To meet the Business Planning and Consolidation requirement of an organization, you need to build a model in an environment, which is defined as a collection of several dimensions.

Logic Scripts is defined as a set of SQL or MDX programming structure to perform some customized functions for flexibility and manage data models. When some specific requirements are not achieved using business rules, those can be met by the use of Logic Scripts.

C_Acct (A) − For maintaining charts of account.

C_Category (C) − To define category.

Groups (R) − Like GROUP A (USD), GROUP B (EUR), and GROUP C (RMB).

Entity (E) − It contains the business unit used to derive process.

C_Datasrc (D) − Data Source Dimension.

IntCo (I) − It determines the level of the entity hierarchy at which level the elimination needs to be performed.

Time (T) − Time in all dimensions.

Flow (S) − To keep track of movements in Consolidation.

R_Acct (A) is used for maintaining different types of Rate.

• Standard Model
• Embedded Model

Embedded model is different from Standard model and includes data access to all community users. For Embedded design model, initial versions used were SAP BW Integrated Planning and Planning Application Kit i.e. BW-IP and PAK.

In Standard model, BPC environment contains the BPC applications or models and each model generates a BW InfoCube which is hidden.

Enter the name of dimension and description. Click ‘Copy’ button.

Transformation file provides the mapping of fields from BW to BPC and is an excel file in BPC. It contains transaction data from InfoObjects in BW with BPC dimensions defined in the administration console.

There are three sections defined for mapping file −

• Options − Contains the general settings.

• Mapping − Used to assign dimension in BPC system with a source column in BW InfoObject.

• Conversion − Contains the link of other Excel sheets to apply the conversion routine.

A conversion file is used to apply the conversion rules for BPC dimension and is an Excel file. It contains three sections −

• External − Contains the value from external source.

• Internal − Contains the value it should be having for BPC dimension.

• Formula − Defines the conversion formula applied to each record.

• Using Default Templates
• EvDRE Builder
• Drag and Drop Interface
• Blank workbook

Go to EPM Ribbon → More → EvDRE Migration.

Spread − Spread modeling option allows you to send a value to specific destination cells. This value can be spread equally or weighted by the range of values.

Trend − Trend modeling method allows you to spread a value or a percentage and spread it by a growing factor in destination cells. You place the source value in first destination cell and rest of the cells are fields with increased value by some amount or percentage.

Weighted − It allows you to allocate a set of values by weighted factor in the excel sheets. In this, you select some values, grow them and then allocate the new amount based on weights of selected cells.

To define member dimension formula, you have to put a Square bracket around the dimension and there is dot between two.

[PRODUCT].[PRODUCT1] – [PRODUCT].[PRODUCT2]

[SALES].[SALES1] / [SALES].[SALES2]

Standard Arithmetic functions have to be used in dimension formula - addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), division (/) - are used in SAP NetWeaver.

Simple Conversion

• There should be a Rate application where you store the exchange rates.

• You should have an account dimension, which includes RATETYPE.

• Entity dimension should include a property CURRENCY.

• FXTRANS logic should be available and DEFAULT logic should include a call to FXTRANS logic.

• Entity dimension should include the property TRANSALATE_TO.

Complex Conversion

• There should be a Rate application where you store the exchange rates.

• Application should contain a CURRENCY type dimension.

• There should be property REPORTING for the CURRENCY dimension.

• Entity dimension must include the property CURRENCY.

• Account dimension must include property RATETYPE.

• FXTRANS logic should be available.

• DEFAULT logic should include a call to FXTRANS logic.

Work status is used to lock a region of data in a model. This is used to override the user’s member access privilege to write to a particular region.

There are multiple dimensions defined for a region with one property called as OWNER. While defining the work status, following are defined −

• Work States − It belongs to physical state of data.

• Security − You can set different levels of security on changing data in the system –All or Locked. You can set who can change the work state − Manager or Owner.

• Data Update − This defines how data will be updated by the customer.

• Push − This option is used to push the same work state for all the children of a member.

You can publish books to BPC web. Administrators and Power users have an option to create books of reports by collecting series of reports.

You can select an output as Printer copy or .pdf file, which can be stored on the server. You can use Book Publishing wizard for this. Go to ePublish option and select Book Publishing wizard from there.

Audit functions allow you to create reports that contains history of user sessions and system information.

You can create Audit reports on the following topics −

Business Process Flows − You can create these reports in BPF.

• Standard
• Step
• Audit

Security − You can create these reports in Security.

• User
• Team
• Task Profiles
• Data Access Profiles
• BPF

General − You can create these reports under general.

• Work Status
• Administration Activities
• Comments
• Data Changes

Journals in BPC are used to update data in database. This is normally done to post quarter end or year-end data in BPC.

Example − Suppose the administrator has uploaded general ledger information into an application for the Area manager to review using data manager. The Area Manager can make necessary changes to the data using journal entry.

Following are the tasks that can be performed using Journal manager. If you have any open journal entry, you can perform these from Journal options.

Custom menu content is defined by two sections in custom menu template - Default section and Menu item section.

Menu Item section includes the following parameters −

• Menu Item − Text description that the user can select for the menu item.

• Actions − Highlight, custom menu function or menu command.

• Level − Level can be selected from section, item or sub item.

• Parameters − For custom menu functions.

• Normal Screen − Default is full screen. This is set to true, open custom menu in normal screen.

• CVOverride − This is used to change current view dimensions while switching applications

We use reporting models for analysis purpose. Non Reporting modules include Driver and Rates model and are used for currency rates, price, ownership data, etc.

Types of Reporting Models −

• Consolidation
• Finance
• Generic

Types of Non Reporting Models −

• Rate
• Ownership

You can do reporting on non-reporting models but you cannot assign work status to them.

To perform currency conversion and intercompany eliminations, you need a dimension type - Intercompany dimension (I). To execute intercompany elimination, an application should have the following −

• Dimension Type “I” for intercompany elimination.
• Dimension “I” should include a property ENTITY.
• Account dimension should include the property ELIMACC.
• Entity dimension should include the property ELIM.
• You should set the appropriate business tables.
• There should be DPT package to execute intercompany logic should be available.