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Expert on Phone Newsletter February 2009

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Notes

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Editorial

Welcome to the February edition of the EoP Newsletter. This month has been

exceptionally cold with record-breaking cold spells over many parts of Europe.

In this edition you are shown how to find out the description of a field in SAP

Business One, the hierarchy of the default layouts when printing, in-depth

workings of the Special Pricing functionality, what is a key pre-requisite for

posting the journals generated from the Period-End Closing function and

much more.

Thank you for the comments that we have received to date on the bumper

edition for 2008 wherein we put all the articles from the 2008 editions.

Should you have any comments/feedback please send to d.shah@sap.com.

Index

What is the hierarchy of the default Print layout?

What Price does the price field in the Special Prices for Business Partners main

window reflect?

Why an error message relating to date deviation appears in Period-End Closing

function?

How to see the remaining quantities to be delivered to the customer?

How to Insert a Watermark in a Printed Marketing Document?

Why is the system giving this message: ‘Confirmation amount must be greater than zero [Message 173-18]’?

Is there a quick way to access the explanation of a specific field in SAP Business One?

Non-Included Transactions in the Payment Wizard

How to record the validity of tax exemption certificates?

How to cancel a journal entry using today as posting date?

Please note that we will endeavour to keep this document up to date, but for the most current information please refer to the individual wiki. articles.

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What is the hierarchy of the default Print layout?

When creating a print layout design template, it is possible to set it as default for all users or for specific users and for all Business Partners or specific Business Partners.

When several templates exist, for a specific document type, and each template has a different default user and Business Partner structure, the template defined as default for all users and all Business Partners will be highlighted in bold. In the following example, several different templates are defined for the sales quotation document. However, the template ‘NL_Watermark’ is highlighted because it is the default template for all users and all Business Partners.

Likewise, if a template is assigned to a specific default user, that template will always be highlighted as the default template for that user. However, if a template is assigned as default for a specific Business Partner and a specific user, then the template will only be highlighted as default when both conditions are met.

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In summary the hierarchy for selecting the layout for printing is set out in the following table:

Hierarchy for Selecting Template for Printing

Scenario User Business Partner Template for Use

1: Use the template assigned to the specific Business Partner and the specific user.

Specific Specific This template is used when the specific user is in an open document for the specific Business Partner.

2. Use the template assign to a specific Business Partner and all users.

All Specific This template is used when a document is open for that specific Business Partner by any user.

3. Use the template assigned to the specific user and all Business Partners

Specific All This template is used when a specific user opens a document for any Business Partner

4 Use the template assigned to all users and all Business Partners.

All All This template is used when none of the above scenarios are met.

In order to see which layout is assigned as default to which user, a query such as the following one should be saved to the query manager and used when required. This report displays the templates which are assigned to specific users or Business Partner. If a layout has no specific Business Partner or user assignment, then that layout will not appear in this report.

/* This query displays the list of Layouts assigned to a Business Partner or a User giving the document and layout name set as default for them.*/ Select T1.Name [Document], /*Document Name*/ T2.DocName [Layout], /*Layout name */ Case When T0.CardCode in (Select CardCode from OCRD) Then T0.CardCode Else ''/* will be blank when not assign to a specific BP*/ End [Business Partner], Case When USERID in (Select Internal_K from OUSR) Then (Select U_Name FROM OUSR Where Internal_K = T0.UserId) Else ''/* Will be blank when not assign to a specific user*/ End [User] from RDFL T0 /* Table for the default*/ inner Join RTYP T1 on /*Table with the document type*/ DoumntDode = Code /*Table with the document name*/ inner join RDOC T2 on T2.DocCode = T0.DfltReport

When this report is run for the example used in this article, it returns 3 results. The first shows that the layout ‘BP’ is assigned to the Business Partner ‘PNT’. The second result shows us that the layout ‘User’ is not assigned to a specific Business Partner but is set as default to the user ‘Yomismo’. The Third shows us that the layout ‘User and BP’ is set as default for the Business Partner ‘MC’ and the user ‘Yomismo’.

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1. Use the template assigned to the specific Business Partner and the specific user. The report shows that the template ‘User and BP’ is set as default for both the user ‘Yomismo’ and the Business Partner ‘MC’.

When sales quotation number 15, for the customer ‘MC’, is printed by the user ‘Yomismo’ the template ‘User and BP’ is used. This template is given preference over all other templates defined for the Business Partner because it is set as default for both the user ‘Yomismo’ and the customer ‘MC’.

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Note: If a template is assigned to both a specific user and a specific Business Partner, and the current user does not match the user assigned as default to the template, then the system will ignore point 1 and proceed with the hierarchy to point 2, 3 or 4. 2. Use the template assigned to a specific Business Partner and all users. When a template is set as default for a specific Business Partner and for all users, it will be used when any user prints that document for that Business Partner. For example, in the report the template ‘BP’ is set as default for the Business Partner ‘PNT’ for all users.

When the user ‘Yomismo’ prints sales quotation number 10, for the customer ‘PNT’, the layout ‘BP’ is then used as it is the default for this Business Partner and for all users.

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3. Use the template assigned to the specific user and all Business Partners When there is no specific template defined as default for a Business Partner the system checks for templates which are assigned as default to the user. In the report below, the template ‘User’ is set as default for the user ‘Yomismo’ and for all Business Partners.

In the following example, the user ‘Yomismo’ prints sales quotation number 8 for the customer ‘TIE_C’. In this scenario, the template ‘User’ is used for printing the sales quotation because no Business Partner specific template exists for the customer ‘TIE_C’ and the user ‘Yomismo’ has the template ‘User’ assigned as its default template.

4. Use the template assigned to all users and all Business Partners. When no Business Partner or user specific default templates exist, the document is printed using the template which is set as default for all Business Partners and all users.

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For example, in the report there is no specific template assigned to the user ‘manager’ and the Business Partner ‘LocalC’.

Consequently, when the user ‘manager’ prints sales quotation number 13, for the customer ‘LocalC’, the layout ‘NL_Watermark’ is used. This is because the layout ‘NL_Watermark’ is the general default layout set as default for all users and all Business Partners.

Note: Business Partners always have an assigned default layout which is either a specific default layout or the layout which is set as default for all users and all Business Partners.

Index

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What Price does the price field in the Special Prices for Business Partners main window reflect? EoP Wiki Article: How is the default item unit price determined in marketing documents? Note 1308599 The ‘Special Prices for Business Partners’ window allows the creation of discounts for specific items for specific Business Partners. These discounts can be generic discounts, discounts granted over a range of periods (Period Discount) or discounts granted for a specific quantity (Volume Discount). Each of these types of discounts is defined separately in the Special Prices for Business Partners. Generic discounts are defined in the main ‘Special Prices for Business Partners’ window. If no sublevel period or volume discounts have been defined, the line entry is shown in black. For example, in the following screenshot, the item ‘Flour’ has a defined generic discount of 5%, giving a ‘Price After Discount’ of GBP 1.43, in the ‘Special Prices for Business Partners’ window. However, it has no defined period or volume discounts. Consequently, the colour is black.

Period Discount The discount granted over a certain period of time is defined in the ‘Period Discount’ window. The item ‘Sugar’ has a generic discount of 5% defined giving a ‘Price after Discount’ of GBP 0.95. The entry for this item is shown in blue indicating sublevel period or volume discounts exist. To check the defined period or volume discounts, click on the line detail button. For the period from 01.03.2009 to 31.03.2009, a 10% discount is defined for the item, giving a ‘Price after Discount’ of GBP 0.90. This period discount does not affect the discount defined in the generic ‘Special Prices for Business Partner’ window. Its ‘Price After Discount’ in the generic ‘Special Prices for Business Partners’ window remains at GBP 0.95. The entry for the item ‘Sugar’ in the ‘Period Discount’ window is shown in Black which indicates that no further Volume discount exists for this item.

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Volume Discount The discount scheme granted in terms of quantity is defined in the ‘Special Prices - Volume Discount’ window. In this example, the item ‘I_Eggs’ has both a period and a volume discount defined. In the generic ‘Special Prices for Business Partner’ window, the item ‘I_Eggs’ has a discount of 5%, giving a final ‘Price After Discount’ of GBP 0.95. A period discount of 15% has been defined and is valid from 01.03.2009 to 31.03.2009. This gives a ‘Price after Discount’ of GBP 0.85. The period discount is shown in blue which means that another sublevel discount is available. Click on the line detail button to access the volume discount defined for this item.

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Based on the information from the Period Discount and Volume Discount windows:

If a quantity between 200 and 399 units is sold, between 01.03.2009 and 31.03.2009, then a discount of 20% is given, reducing the price to GBP 0.80.

If a quantity of over 400 units is sold, between 01.03.2009 and 31.03.2009, then a discount of 25 % is given. The ‘Price After Discount’ will now be GBP 0.75.

If the posting date of the marketing document falls within the validity period of the 'Period Discount', then the 'Prices After Discount' values are taken from the 'Period and Volume Discounts' function; otherwise, it will be from the main ‘Special Prices for Business Partner’ window.

None of these period or volume discounts affect the ‘Price after Discount’ displayed in the main ‘Special Prices for Business Partners’ window. It remains at GBP 0.95 according to the discount of 5% in that window.

In order to view the special prices (generic, period and volume discounts) assigned to items for specific Business Partners, a user query is required. To access the full query, please refer to the Wiki Article and in Note 1308559. The screenshot below shows the report for the above example using the query in Note 1308559. The item ‘Flour’ appears once showing a discount and price after discount at the general level. The item ‘Sugar’ also appears once in the report showing the discount and ‘Price after Discount’ for both its generic and period discounts. The item ‘I_Eggs’ appears twice in the report, once for each of its volume discounts.

Note:

1. Due to space restrictions, some of the column names have been modified. The screenshot has been edited to show the generic, period and volume discount sections of the report.

2. The term ‘Disc.’ Refers to ‘Discount’.

Index

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Why an error message relating to date deviation appears in Period-End Closing function? In the ‘Period-End Closing’ function, after clicking the ‘Execute’ button to complete the posting of the 31.12.2008 closing transactions, an error message such as this appears:

‘Posting Date deviates from the defined range. To complete the operation, define the posting period to match the entered Posting Date.’

The Period-End Closing process triggers the posting of two (2) journal entries.

Journal Entry 1 The balance of a Profit and Loss G/L Account is posted to the Period-End Closing account on the last day of the old period. If the last day of the fiscal year currently being closed is 31.12.2008, this journal entry is posted on that date.

Journal Entry 2 The balance of the Period-End Closing account is then transferred to the Retained Earnings account on the first day of the new period. In this case, this journal entry is posted on 01.01.2009.

In order to proceed with the posting of the transactions, check the following:

Verify that the new fiscal year exists. If it does not, create the fiscal year in the Administration -> System Initialisation -> Posting Periods function.

Verify that the posting periods covering the two posting dates are ‘Unlocked’ for posting. If the period is ‘Locked’, the system will not allow you to proceed with the posting. Instead, an error message such as this appears:

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To unlock the period, access the posting period and set the ‘Period Status’ field to ‘Unlocked’. Then, click on ‘Update’.

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When the period-end closing transactions are posted successfully, the journal entries are shown as follows: Journal Entry 1

Journal Entry 2

Index

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How to see the remaining quantities to be delivered to the customer?

When viewing partially delivered orders, customers may want to see the remaining quantities in backorder, those awaiting delivery. Depending on the marketing document currently viewed, the quantity columns hold different information. In a Sales Order document for example, the relevant columns are:

Quantity

Open Qty

Delivered Qty When creating the document, the value in the ‘Open Qty’ column will always equal the one in the ‘Quantity’ column. The ‘Open Qty’ pertains to the unprocessed units, those not yet covered by target documents. The value in the ‘Open Qty’ column will be reduced as Delivery and/or A/R Invoices are created based on the Sales Order.

For a Delivery document, the relevant columns are:

Quantity

Qty to Ship

Ordered Qty The value in the ‘Qty to Ship’ column gets updated when entering a value in the ‘Quantity’ field. The ‘Qty to Ship’ column gets updated with the difference between the initial ordered quantity and the actual quantity in the Delivery document.

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Thus, when a partial delivery for Sales Order 207 shown above is posted for 4 units each, the ‘Qty to Ship’ is updated to 6 units each, representing the quantity in backorder. The ‘Qty to Ship’ column can be made visible in the Delivery template/layout to enable the customer to see the items in backorder.

Sales Order 207’s ‘Open Qty’ column is also updated.

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To view the summary of backorders, access Sales/AR -> Sales Reports -> Back Order.

Index

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How to Insert a Watermark in a Printed Marketing Document?

SAP Notes: 921237

The print out of documents, for example sales or purchasing invoices, may require a photo, logo or watermark in its

background. To implement this it is necessary to add a picture to the document layout in Business Print Layout

Designer (PLD) layout.

In the case of a watermark, first the picture has to be saved as watermark using editing software. For example, the

following picture has been saved as a watermark and needs to be added to the Sales Quotation printout.

Once the picture is edited and suitable for the printout, it needs to be added to the print layout design template of

the required document. To do this:

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Open the document and go to the print layout designer by using either Tools-> Print layout designer or the little pen

icon.

Click on the section of the document where the picture should be included. This will automatically display the area

properties.

In the area properties, go to the content tab where the picture can be uploaded. To do this click on the ‘Browse’

button and select the picture from its saved location.

In order to see the background watermark, all the fields in the area should be selected in order to remove the check

box for the Highlights, Frame and Background (properties multiple file-> colour).

Also ensure that on the border tab all fields are set to zero.

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When this is done the picture will be visible in the layout. In the following example, the above watermark has been

added to the ‘Page Header’.

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The Picture will now also be visible in the print out of the document. In the example used in this article, the picture

will appear as a watermark in the header level.

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Remember, only the picture’s path is saved in SAP Business One, therefore, any changes made to the picture will be

reflected in your print out. If the picture is selected from a path different from the one defined in SAP Business One

(Administration -> System initialisation -> General Setting -> path tab), a copy of this picture will be saved at the path

defined under the path tab. Therefore, any change to the picture should be done in this copy.

Index

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Why is the system giving this message: ‘Confirmation amount must be greater than zero [Message 173-18]’? EoP Wiki Article: How to reconcile a Down Payment request? Note 1121093 When trying to reconcile transactions in Banking -> Incoming / Outgoing Payments with matching amounts (one positive and the other negative), the following system message is displayed:

The above message relates to the ‘Total Amount Due’ field of the Incoming / Outgoing Payment function. The system presumes that when a transaction is posted in the Incoming / Outgoing Payment function, the transaction involves the receipt or disbursement of Cash; hence affecting the Cash G/L Account. If the ‘Total Amount Due’ field is zero, this requirement is not fulfilled. Thus, this system message is shown.

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Solution: The appropriate function to use to reconcile these transactions depends on the document types to be reconciled. In the screenshot above, an AR Invoice (IN) and an AR Credit Note (CN) need to be reconciled. These transactions should be reconciled in the Business Partners -> Internal Reconciliation window.

Alternatively, these transactions can be reconciled in conjunction with an actual payment, i.e. where a total amount due is actually received:

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Right-clicking on the header of the saved document & selecting ‘Reconciled Transactions’ brings up the ‘Reconciled Transactions’ window where all transactions are displayed that are reconciled with the current document.

Index

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Is there a quick way to access the explanation of a specific field in SAP Business One? In SAP Business One the online help offers a detailed explanation of fields in a specific window/module. It can be

accessed by going to Help -> Documentation -> Context Help or by pressing the F1 button on the keyboard.

In the following example, the context help was accessed by pressing the F1 button in the Business Partner Master

Data window. In this scenario, the context help file will open at the general information page for Business Partner

Master Data. The user will need to search to find the information regarding specific fields.

If an explanation of a specific field is required and not an explanation of all fields in the module or window, then the

‘What’s This?’ help can be used.

The ‘What’s This?’ help opens up in a small pop up window with a detailed explanation of the specific field. It is

accessed in one of two ways. To access it, click into the required field and:

1. Go to Help -> Documentation -> What’s This?

2. Press the SHIFT + F1 keys, on the keyboard, at the same time

In the following example, in the Business Partner Master Data, information is required regarding the business partner

‘Type’ field only. In this case, the ‘What’s This?’ help is accessed by clicking into the field and pressing SHIFT + F2 at

the same time. The ‘What’s This?’ help window opens up providing the information regarding that field only.

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Index

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Non-Included Transactions in the Payment Wizard

When running the Payment Wizard in the module ‘Banking’ the proposed payments may not match the user’s expectations. Step 6 of the Payment Wizard, the ‘Recommendation Report’, incorporates the report ‘Non-Included Transactions’. These transactions would have matched the selection criteria & could have been included in the payment run, yet due to an error they are not. These errors are documented in the ‘Non-Included Transaction’ Report.

When clicking on the button ‘Non-Included Trans.’, a report is displayed. The column ‘Error Description’ gives reasons why specific transactions were not included. Please see below for some explanations of error descriptions. CASE 1: There are no payment methods linked to the BP.

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Clicking on the orange navigation arrow beside the ‘BP code’ will lead to the display of the ‘Business Partner Master Data’. If, on the tab ‘Payment System’, the grid for ‘Payment Methods’ is blank &/or no available payment method is ticked in the ‘Include’ column, the payment wizard cannot include transactions linked to this BP. At least one ‘Payment Method’ must be defined & included in order to enable the payment wizard to process payments related to the BP.

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CASE 2: Payment Method Restrictions Missing Field in the BP Master Data. Field: Default Bank. This error highlights missing data in the Business Partner Master Data. Here the field ‘Default Bank’ on the ‘Payment Terms’ tab, is not populated. In order to enable the payment wizard to process payments relating to the BP, the BP’s bank details must be correctly defined.

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CASE 3: House Bank data in the Business Partner Master Data does not match the data in the Payment Method. In this case there is a need to compare the ‘House Bank’ defined in Business Partner Master Data -> Payment System tab with the house bank defined in the ‘Payment Methods Set-up’ window linked to the BP.

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‘House Bank’ definitions must match.

CASE 4: Document total amount is less than the min. amount allowed in the payment methods linked to the BP.

The document total amount is displayed in the report under the column ‘Amount’. In this example the total amount is GBP 9.40. The error description indicates that in the payment method attributed to the BP there is a minimum amount defined. Go to Business Partner Master Data -> Payment System tab & click on the orange navigation arrow next to the relevant payment method code. The ‘Payment Methods – Setup’ window will be displayed. The ‘Minimum Amount’ per single check defined here is ‘10’, hence the payment for ‘9.40’ cannot be created.

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Please be aware that the cases shown here are given only as examples. Further cases require similar setting investigations in several different areas, including, but not limited to Business Partner Master Data, Payment method – Setup window & House Bank – Setup window.

Index

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How to record the validity of tax exemption certificates?

In many countries some organisations such as charities or churches are exempt from paying tax. These organisations

may be in receipt of a tax exemption certificate with a definite validity period. Some localisations of SAP Business One

have an integrated functionality that caters for this requirement, others don’t. The following workaround is for

localisations where this functionality is not integrated.

1. Create several user-defined fields (UDF) on the header level of the business partner (BP) master data as

follows:

a. Field 1: Tax Exemption Certificate Number (Alphanumeric – 20 characters is an example, please

follow localisation specific requirements)

b. Field 2: Valid from (Date)

c. Field 3: Valid to (Date)

2. Enter the data into the UDF attached to the BP master data & assign the appropriate VAT Status:

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3. Save a query that will highlight imminent tax exemption certification renewal requirements, such that either

the VAT status of the BP can be changed accordingly or the number of a new, valid tax certificate can be

entered, for example:

Select

t0.cardcode,

t0.cardname

from

ocrd T0

where

T0.U_cert is not null or T0.U_cert <> ''

and

datediff(d, getdate(), T0.U_date2)<= 30

for browse

The query result will display all BP codes & names where the expiry date of the tax exemption certificate is

within the next 30 days (counted from the system date).

4. The query can then be linked to an alert for an appropriate user & set to trigger automatically at set

intervals:

5. The user to be notified will then receive an alert like such & can act upon it:

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Index

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How to cancel a journal entry using today as posting date? Note 1304853 The utility of the tick box 'Reverse' in the header area of a journal entry is designed to semi-automate and facilitate the easy and reliable reversal of manual journal entries at a later date. This functionality is primarily used in the period end/year end process. Once the tick box is checked, the application will display a date field below the tick box where the user is prompted to enter a date for reversal of the current journal.

If the entered date is the same or prior to the posting date of the original journal, the error message 'Reversal date must be later than posting date' is displayed in a red bar at the bottom of the screen and the journal cannot be updated.

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The journal entries for reversal will be displayed in the ‘Reverse Transactions’ function on its reversal date. In the screenshot below, Journal Entry 1125 is shown in the window when the system’s current posting date equals the Journal Entry’s reversal date (e.g. 24.02.2009). Clicking the ‘Execute’ button will set the reversing entry’s posting date as 24.02.2009. The user will not be able to edit the reversing entry prior to posting it.

In order to reverse a manual journal entry where the posting date is to be the same as the one on the original journal, follow the steps below:

1. Open the journal entry to be reversed. 2. Right-click in the header area and select 'Cancel' or go to 'Data' in the Menu and select 'Cancel'.

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3. The system message 'Create reversal for this transaction' is displayed, click on 'Yes'.

4. The reversal of the original journal is now displayed in 'Add' mode, the posting date of the reversal defaults to the posting date of the original journal and the 'Remarks' field is populated with the text '(Reversal) -' and the original journal number. Click on 'Add'.

5. As a result of this action, the original journal is updated with new information. The checkbox 'Reverse' is replaced by the checkbox 'Cancelled' and a tick is placed in the box. The box is greyed out.

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In order to find the exact journal that cancelled a particular journal entry, the General Ledger report may be used. Click on the ‘Expanded’ button in the ‘General Ledger Report – Selection Criteria’ window. Enter the text ‘Reversal - XXX’ , where ‘XXX’ is the original journal entry number, into the ‘Details contain’ field & place a tick in the checkbox in the ‘Expanded Selection Criteria’ window, here using the example of finding the reversal of journal entry 707:

Click on ‘OK’ & then again on ‘OK’ in the main selection criteria window. The result clearly shows that the original journal 707 had been reversed by journal entry 708:

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This journal entry can be directly accessed from this window by clicking on the yellow navigation arrow next to the transaction number to access the journal. Alternatively, a query may be executed as follows:

1. Go to 'Tools' Menu and select 'Queries' and then 'Query Generator'.

2. In the 'Query' window click on the button 'Execute' and ignore the red error message displayed at the bottom of the screen.

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3. Click on the pencil icon in the top left corner of the upper window to activate the query syntax field, it will change colour from grey to white.

4. Click in the syntax field, it will now change colour from white to pale yellow.

5. Copy and paste the following query into the syntax field:

SELECT

T0.[Number],

T0.[TransId],

T0.[RefDate]

FROM

OJDT T0

WHERE

T0.[Memo] = '(reversal) - XXX'

6. Replace 'XXX' with the number of the journal that had been cancelled and click on 'Execute'.

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The result will display the cancelling journal. Click on the yellow navigation arrow next to the transaction number to access the journal.

Index