Record to Report Automation
Leveraging SAP Products for Continuous and Faster Closing
Nijat Wendisch
Product Owner, Global Finance COO
INTERNAL
Agenda
Why Change? Shared Services Advanced Financial Q&A
Framework redesigns Closing – key pillar
Record to Report of Continuous Close
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Closing Today
Reporting & Analysis
Work Load
Closing Activities
Work Days in Month
Closing of Tomorrow
Reporting & Analysis
Work Load
Closing Activities
Work Days in Month
Manual Postings done by Record to Report
Compensation
Accruals
Revenue entries 24%
26%
Deferred Charged
10%
Manual Accruals
27%
Other
13%
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Organizational Setup
Record to Report
• Expenses
Customers Governance
• Center of Expertise • Fixed Assets
• Global Controlling • Local Chief
Etc.
Accountants
• Human Resources
etc. • Corporate Finance
Reporting
EMEA
• Shared Service
AMERICAS
Centers
Etc.
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Manual Journal Entry Process Flow
Controller Expert Agent
• Prepares draft template based on • Finalizes the template
• Sends over key facts in email
email
• Sometimes fills out template • Attempts to post in system yet
• Enhances the template with further faces errors
• Expects quick service data
• Needs to check with CoE and
• Has no visibility over data accuracy Controlling for errors handling
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The case for change in GFSS R2R
The Challenges
E-mail based task allocation and communication hinders
agility and automation of the request processing.
Multiple upstream request channels results in unstructured
and error prone data that requires multiple back and fourth
communication with the requestors to be processed by R2R.
Absence of workflows slows down assignment, efficiency and
delivery of tasks.
Lack of centralized task platform hinders Robotics – to scale
and harness benefits of growing number of RPA bots a
harmonized business friendly system is a must.
Rapid changes including M&A (past, present and continuing).
Lack of efficiency due to differing business processes and
practices across business units.
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Manual Journal Entry Process Flow
Controller Expert Agent
• Validates data with JE Checker • Reviews the posting in SSF • Posting, reversal, attachment
inbox are done: All parties are notified
• Uploads the ZUJE posting to SSF
• Forwards the ticket in agent’s • FI document linked to SSF
• SSF pre-populates ticket from
inbox request
ZUJE
• SSF simulates posting request
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Shared Service Framework at Record to Report
Redesigning Processing at R2R
Email based Communication, Harmonized, Digital,
Manual processing Intelligent and Automated
Analytics and
Communication
Performance
Exchange
Measurement
Shared Service/Case
Experience
Management
Service Management
Framework
Intelligent Workflows
Automation
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Architecture of Shared Service Framework
High Level Overview
Shared Service Framework
(based on Service for S/4HANA)
Ticketing Inbox Workflow
SAP Qualtrics* Financial Closing Cockpit/
Advanced Financial Close*
SAP iRPA
SAP S/4HANA Receivables Management*
FI Data RE-FX*
Fiori Applications CO Reposting
AR Data SAP Analytics Cloud
Engine
Customer/Vendor
Reporting
Master Data
© 2019 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved. ǀ INTERNAL * Future Direction 11
SAP S/4HANA Cloud for Advanced Financial Closing
Nijat Wendisch
Product Owner, Global Finance COO
INTERNAL
We’ve come a long way together
Financial Advanced
Schedule FCc Add-on
Closing Financial
Manager 2.0
Cockpit (FCc) Closing (AFC)
2000 2004 2008 2012 2013 2017 2018 2020
Closing FCc Add-on S/4HANA
AFC on BTP
Cockpit (Cc) 1.0 FCc
Re-branded name:
SAP Cloud Platform (SCP)
SAP S/4HANA Cloud for advanced financial closing →
is SAP‘s strategic Record-to-report orchestration solution SAP Business Technology
Platform (BTP)
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SAP S/4HANA Cloud for advanced financial closing
Perfect planning, automation and monitoring
Benefits Capabilities
Faster Entity Close through Automated closing tasks and workflow-
improved closing efficiency supported intuitive apps for manual tasks
Collaboration, notifications, and escalations
Governance and Compliance
Define a global game plan for the entity close;
serialize for multiple org units and closing
cycles
Transparency and Insight
Audit trail, logging, documentation
Comprehensive analytics for real-time insight
into the closing status
Monitoring for subsidiaries and headquarter
15-25% Faster Closing cycle – while ensuring high-quality compliant results
SAP S/4HANA Cloud for advanced financial closing
New Generation UI
Need for improved speed, compliance, and insight while
reducing costs
Manage Process Monitor
Plan and orchestrate Increase efficiency and speed Achieve real-time insight
repeatable, best practice of your close through into your financial close
financial close processes ➢Automation process for better business
with sequenced, automated decisions
➢Integration
tasks and workflow across Ensure the quality and
teams and time zones. ➢Faster processes
governance of the close to
➢Better collaboration meet regulatory disclosure
➢Intuitive self-service access mandates
to financial information
Process and Approve Closing Tasks
Execute with efficiency
Automatic jobs are scheduled and
executed according to plan, with log
files available for review.
Workflow pushes tasks to user or user
groups according to optimized timeline.
▪ Direct access to pre-parameterized
Fiori transactions and reports
▪ Integration of Web applications
▪ E-Mail Notifications
Approvals are available in worklists or
through push notifications.
Monitor Closing Progress
Support continuous improvements
▪ Identify bottlenecks
early - view close
status across multiple
dimensions
▪ Filter options access
specific views for
active closing cycles,
task list, org unit, etc
▪ Drill-down for root
cause analysis
▪ Direct access to
collaboration tools
•Thank you.
Contact information:
Nijat Wendisch
[email protected]
Product Owner
Record to Report Automation Swarm, Global Finance COO, SAP S.E.
2020 SAP
© 2022 SAP SE
SE or
or an
an SAP
SAP affiliate
affiliate company.
company. All
All rights
rights reserved. ǀ INTERNAL
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