SAP Group Reporting Data Collection: create form-specific master data (ad hoc it...

SAP Group Reporting Data Collection: create form-specific master data (ad hoc items)
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We’re glad to announce the general availability in Q1-2022 of the SAP Group Reporting Data Collection (GRDC) ad hoc items feature that enables you, as form designers, to create forms-specific master data during form design.

In this blog, you’ll find insight on:

Ad hoc items benefits and use cases
How to create ad hoc items
How to design a form using ad hoc items
Simplified architecture diagram

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Ad hoc items benefits and use cases
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By using ad hoc items, you can now use SAP Group Reporting Data Collection (GRDC) to create form-specific master data during the design of a form, and:

Split existing numbers into additional categories
Collect new numbers that exceed the scope of the regular consolidation data model
Create forms where non-financial and qualitative data need to be collected

The form-specific ad hoc item master data creates dimensions that are:

Controlled by SAP Group Reporting Data Collection (GRDC) users
Created during form design – with no group reporting governance involved
Combined with any other SAP S/4HANA for group reporting dimension, including financial statement items and custom dimensions

Our new ad hoc items help you create data collection forms for business scenarios such as:

Notes to the annual statements – see the example of maturity below
Tax reports
Sustainability or integrated reports following for example the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) or the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals monitoring

You can use SAP Group Reporting Data Collection (GRDC) ad hoc items as additional dimensions for a financial statement item where you need to collect data values for a consolidation unit or consolidation group in group reporting. The ad hoc items facilitate the naming, collection, and reporting of a set of values that are supplemental to the modeled financial data.

With ad doc items, you can:

Empower business users to design a data-collection process including additional required master data
Increase flexibility for users to create master data ad-hoc with no need for group reporting related master data governance
Enable your business users who design a data collection process to use the extra master data where they are needed (such as for a specific report) and avoid adding them to everyday business

In the illustration below, ad hoc items are used in a form to collect data related to budget portions spent with local suppliers, as per Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards.

The illustrative form above is designed as follows:

Columns A and C – the Financial Statement item “Trade Payables” is broken down by Functional Areas
Columns E and G – two ad hoc items are used to provide a detail by local supplier, in amount and in percentage
Columns I and J – check whether the % of local supplier is compliant from a sustainability perspective (in this example, 90% or more spent on local suppliers is compliant with the corporate sustainability goals)

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Create your ad hoc items
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Ad hoc items behave much like other dimensions of SAP S/4HANA for group reporting:

Ad hoc items’ master data is stored in SAP S/4HANA for group reporting master data table
Ad hoc items’ data is stored in SAP S/4HANA for group reporting data table (ACDOCU)
They can be considered in currency translation, intercompany eliminations, breakdown with other dimensions and validation rules

You can create your ad hoc items in the “Define Ad Hoc Items” app of SAP Group Reporting Data Collection (GRDC), as depicted below.

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Design forms using ad hoc items
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Once your ad hoc items are created, you can use them in a form definition in the “Manage Forms” app. Ad hoc items work like any other dimension – including their combination. The selected financial statement item (FS item) defines attributes like currency translation. In cases where there is no FS item available because you want to collect completely new numbers, a dummy FS item can be used.

When creating the form, the ad hoc item appears in the list of available dimensions, just drag and drop the ad hoc item in the Dimension Selection tab. See the example below, where ad hoc items go in columns.

Then, in the Form Designer tab, select the ad-hoc items you want to be collected.

You’re all set, and supplemental data is ready to be collected on ad hoc items.

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Simplified architecture diagram
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Below is a simplified architecture diagram depicting the supplemental numbers / ad hoc items master and transactional data flow.