.. Financial Operations Labor Distribution System LDS Reports: General Information Contents Menu Path Structure Cost Element Groups Report Variants Buttons on Reports Printing Exporting Report to MS Excel Sorting Report Writer Report output in MS Excel MIT Payroll Reports G/L View and Cost View Reports for Selected Cost Objects (Cost Center, Internal Order, or WBS Element) Report Writer Reports (RWR) LDS Authorizations Required and Optional Fields Data Selection The Variation Option The Call Up Report Button Lateral Page Navigation Buttons All of the documentation provided here applies to LDS programs after the upgrade to version 4.6 at MIT. Menu Path Structure The menu path structure for the LDS reports has changed. In 4.6, the reports are contained in separate sub-folders. Click on the folder icon to open it and then double-click on the report name to run the report. See details in the sections below. top Cost Element Groups Sometimes the user will want to use the same subset of cost elements for reporting. For more information on cost element groups, see Reports: Reporting Fundamentals: Selection Options for Cost Element Groups. top Report Variants Report variants allow the user to save the chosen selection options. For example, a user may select the same series of cost object numbers every month. Using a variant saves having to repeatedly enter the reporting criteria. For more information on repor variants, see Reports: Reporting Fundamentals: Report Variants. top Buttons on Reports LDS reports offer a variety of button options at the top or on the left-hand margin of the screen display. For the uses and definitions of some specific buttons, see the documentation on the Profit Center Volume report buttons, Using the SAP Report Buttons. The discussion of SAP Report Buttons at that link forms a part of the SAP Profit Center Volume report documentation; after you view this information, you should return to the LDS section of the documentation for more LDS discussion. top Printing See Reports: Reporting Fundamentals: Printing Reports for information on printing LDS as well as other SAP reports. There are also special instructions on interrupting mistakenly started reports and other troubleshooting hints. top Exporting Report to MS Excel 1) From the output of an LDS report, follow the menu path: System>>List>>Save>>Local file In this example you will be saving the report output to an Excel file on your desktop. If the Local file option on the menu is grayed out, you cannot download this report. 2) You see a pop-up box: "Save list in file ..." To save the file in the 'Spreadsheet' format, click on that radio button. 3) Click the Enter button . Result: The "Transfer DAT to Local File" screen appears. Select a path and file name for the local file. You should add the file extension "xls" so that your system can automatically recognize the file as an Excel file. If you do not wish to use the default location, you can use the drop-down list to open the file browser to aid you in choosing a file location. After using the browser to select a filename, click the 'SAVE' button. 4) Click the 'Transfer' button. You will see a message in the status bar, listing the number of bytes transferred. When the cursor is again available, the transfer is complete. 5) There are two ways to open the file in Microsoft Excel. You may: a) Just double-click on the file icon in the Windows Explorer to directly open the file just as it was downloaded. b) Use the Microsoft Word 'Text Wizard' to control how the data is imported (i.e., which columns, rows, and the format of their data). Specific instructions follow below. 6) Microsoft Text Import Wizard Tool When you open these transferred (downloaded) SAP files from within Excel, the Microsoft Text Wizard window opens automatically. If you do not wish to alter the format of the data, select 'Finish' in the first step. To use the 'Wizard', follow the steps below: A. Text Import Wizard - Step 1 of 3 1) The first data field is a box titled, 'Original Data Type'. The default entry, 'Delimited' is correct. 2) There are two additional entry fields: a) Start import at row _____ ('1' is the default value). Some Report Writer Reports have many blank lines at the top of the report output that could lead you to believe that the report is blank. Use the scroll bar at the right of the Wizard to locate the first data row and type in that number in the row field.   File Origin: The correct type is inserted by default.   b) The bottom of the screen shows a 'Preview Window'. This is useful for getting a glimpse of the data and the effects of any changes you make. 3) When you are done with this formatting, choose 'Next >' to continue. Or, you can choose to Cancel, Back (up), or Finish. B. Text Import Wizard - Step 2 of 3 1) Choose the delimiters, if any, to be added to the "Tab" delimiter default. The "Tab" delimiter default is usually sufficient. 2) Choose 'Next >' to continue. C. Text Import Wizard - Step 3 of 3 1) This step allows you to view each column in the 'Data Preview' window, and to set separate data formats for individual columns. The Column Data Format offers four choices: General (default) Text Date (see the "drop-down" list) Do not import column 2) The first three choices refer to a specific column format, and the fourth choice is an instruction to skip a column during the import. This option is useful for empty columns or irrelevant data columns. None of your formatting choices takes effect until step three below. You can change your mind and try alternative formats to observe the effect in the Preview window. 3) When you are done with this formatting, you can choose to Cancel, Back (up), or Finish. Choose Finish when you are satisfied with the formatting. 4) The Excel spreadsheet opens with the text and numbers in columns. You can refine the spreadsheet to suit your needs. top Sorting Report Writer Report output in MS Excel Report writer reports often have more than one text data item in a column. For example, you may find the appointment ID, the Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial, and Title, all in one column. In addition, Report Writer Reports have total and subtotal rows. These factors require the user to reformat the data columns in Microsoft Excel in order to accomplish sorting, etc . In Excel (Office97 for example), select the column with the combined fields, then follow the menu path Data>>Text to Columns... Use the "wizard" to add column separators between the data items. Use the Excel help files to assist you in understanding how to use the wizard. You can then sort the blocks of data separated by total rows using the Data>>Sort path. If, for some reason, you want to sort the whole report by name only, you must remove the subtotal and total rows before exporting the file. With the LDS report output on the screen, one can control the number of total rows that are displayed by following the path Settings>>Report Layout>>Report Totals tab and changing the Summation Interval>>From level and To level fields to "0." top MIT Payroll Reports There is a group of Appointment Level reports that are facsimiles of MIT's legacy system Payroll reports. These are the DACCA, DINDI, and SANDI reports. The data they contain is extracted from Payroll data that is fed into LDS monthly or nightly. top G/L View and Cost View The G/L view and the Cost view are defined as follow. A view of data is simply the name for how data is stored. In LDS, there are two views of distribution line data, the Cost view and the G/L view. The Cost view represents period by period commitment values for the distribution. The G/L view stores OPEN commitment values only, period by period, for a distribution line. Thus, the values in the G/L view change over time as open commitments are liquidated. On the other hand, the cost view retains the monthly commitments for the whole distribution period. If you change an appointment distribution line, the G/L and Cost views will reflect that change, showing the new data in the same manner as above. The different views of data are available in several Cost Object reports in the LDS Report Tree. These are the CC, IO and WBS Reports (in the report tree) that distinguish the two views: Salaries by Service Month - Cost (RWR) Salaries by Posting Month - G/L (RWR) Vacation by Service Month - G/L (RWR), and G/L and Cost Views (RWR) top Reports for Selected Cost Objects (Cost Center, Internal Order, or WBS Element) Within the SAP Reporting Tree the user will see that each Cost Object type contains similar reports. Therefore this documentation will only discuss each report title once. The Cost Object types are represented by the following abbreviations: Cost Center = CC Internal Order = IO WBS Element = WBS The Project ID field is available for WBS Element reports. The documentation shows this option where appropriate. In Cost Object reports the selection screen has an area labeled Selection Sets. In this area you will find a series of paired choices. You are given the option of using pre-defined groups OR you may enter an individual value or range of values. The default entry on the initial entry screen is a group that includes the entire set of data choices. Using this default will result in a long report that takes a great deal of time to produce. Preferably, the user will choose to enter individual data numbers in the Value(s) fields. Note There can only be one entry in either the Group or the Value field. If you choose to use individual values be sure to delete the default value from the Group field. top Report Writer Reports (RWR) Report Writer Reports are created with a tool built into SAP. Reports created using this tool have common features that are described in this section. Identifying the Report Writer Reports The current LDS Report Tree does not identify which of the reports in the report tree are Report Writer reports, but in the LDS online documentation you will see (RWR) after the report name. These reports include: 1. Appointment Reports Effort/Salary Report (RWR) 2. Cost Center Reports Open Salary Commitments for CC (RWR) CC Salaries by Posting Month - G/L (RWR) CC Salaries by Service Month - Cost (RWR) Cost Center G/L and Cost Salaries (RWR) 3. Internal Order Reports Open Salary Commitments for IO (RWR) Internal Order Salaries by Posting Month - G/L (RWR) Internal Order Salaries by Service Month - Cost (RWR) IO Vacation by Payroll Category (RWR) IO Vacation by Month - G/L (RWR) Internal Order G/L and Cost Salaries (RWR) 4. WBS Element (Project) Reports Open Salary Commitments for Project (RWR) Proj Salaries by Posting Month - G/L (RWR) Proj Salaries by Service Month - Cost (RWR) WBS Vacation by Payroll Category (RWR) WBS Vacation by Month - G/L (RWR) WBS G/L and Cost Salaries (RWR) Expanding and Collapsing Data Many LDS reports offer summarization options, using the Expand and Collapse choices. If the option exists for the report you are viewing, you will find it by following the menu path: View>>Hierarchy. Or you will see buttons in your Function Bar that are icons for the Expand all or Collapse all functions. For the menu path, you must click on a report line, and choose a level of expansion (detail) that is sufficient. Collapsing in Report Writer terms means showing a less detailed view. Expanding means showing a more detailed view, with more levels of data specifics. The pull-down choices are defined below: Collapse All Shows the most compressed or highest level of data summary. Combines all the data of a report into a single line. Click on a report line, then use the path View>>Hierarchy, Collapse All. Collapse Section Select this for reports that have more than one view in the main report section (e.g., G/L and Cost Salaries with Vacation, G/L and Cost Salaries without Vacation). When you click on a line in that section, the report data is collapsed into a single line total. If there is only one section, this works the same as Collapse All. Collapse (-) Will collapse a single level, depending on where the cursor is placed. For example, in the Open Salary Commitments report, select a line with the Collapse All button in the left-hand column. Then either click on the icon, or go to the menu path: View>>Hierarchy>>Collapse (-) Expand All Shows that least compressed or most detailed level of report data. Creates a report with all lines fully expanded. Expand Section Select this for reports that have more than one view in the main report section (e.g., Cost Commitments Including Vacation Credit, and Cost Commitments Not Including Vacation Credit). When you click on the summary line in a collapsed section, and then select Expand Section, the report data is expanded within that section. (If there is only one section, this works the same as Expand All.) Expand (+) Expands a single level, providing more detailed report data, relative to where the cursor is placed. For example, drill down on an appointment in the Open Salary Commitments report. Then, in the Open Salary Commitment Detail by Month report, select a line with the Display All Possible Values button in the left-hand column. Then either click on the icon, or click on the report line and follow the menu path: View>>Hierarchy, Expand (+). You will see one or more new data lines displayed, and the green '+' is replaced by a red '-', showing the line is fully expanded. Summarization Levels (*) LDS Report Writer reports use asterisks (*) at the left margin of summary lines to indicate the subtotal level. For example, in the G/L and Cost Salaries report, the line with five asterisks is a grand total and indicates that there are four additional sublevels included in this grand total. In this report, the top line is called "Total CC Salaries". As the subsequent report lines provide a more narrow selection of data, the number of asterisks decreases. When there is a single asterisk, the report is showing the lowest level of detail, which corresponds to the most expanded view. Extract Processing in LDS Extracts are an available option within Report Writer reports. You can set the system up to generate the extract before running the report. (See the instructions below for the exact steps needed.) If you don't perform the set up in advance, when you exit a Report Writer Report a dialog box appears offering you the opportunity to save an extract. Extracts are useful copies of the selected report's output with its selection criteria. It represents the data at a particular moment in time. For example, a user can save an extract of the Open Salary Commitments for Cost Center report with data from 10/2000 to 12/2000 for Cost Center 1512100 as of the time it was run on Jan. 12, 2000. The user can name and then recall the extract for a specified period of time. 1) Creating an Extract The following steps show how to create extracts. Setting the extract criteria before running a report. a) Click the Data Source button on the function bar, and then choose New Selection in the dialog box that appears. Click the green check mark and the box disappears. b) On the function bar again, select the Extract button. You will see a pop-up screen titled "Entry: Extract Parameters". Select the Create extract option from the Mode section. c) Enter the required information, described below: Field Name Explanation Description A name for the extract, up to 30 characters long. Password Filled with all asterisks (*). DO NOT CHANGE. Expiration date The length of time ot save the extract. Choose one of the three choices: Expires in [30] days. (You can overlay the number 30 with any 3-digit number.) Expires on [mm/dd/yy]. No expiration date. 2) After Running a Report (These steps only work if you didn't setup an extract as described in step 1 before running the report.) There are several ways to save the report output as an extract after viewing the data: a) Click the green Back arrow and answer yes to the dialog box question "Do you want to save an extract?" The dialog box "Entry: Extract Parameters" appears. Add the information specified in step c) above. b) Follow the menu path: Report>>Save, or click on the save icon and enter the data as in step c), above. 3) Looking Up an Extract When you follow the path Environment>>Find extract, you will see a pop-up window titled Extract Management. All of the information to be entered is optional. When you have selected the search criteria, click the Execute button . Or, if you recall the selection criteria used, you can input the selection criteria into the proper fields. Follow the menu path: Data Source>>Display extract, and click the Execute button , and you should get a list of matching extracts to select. Field Name Explanation Extract Description You may enter the full title of the extract, if you know it. Creator Select one of the three options: Only self-created extracts (default) Created by _____________ (insert SAP user name) All Time of extract creation Choose one of the following to indicate the date the extract was created: Created in the last 10 days (default) Created in the last 30 days Created within _______ to _______ (enter two dates in mm/dd/yy format) All Report Groups This is an internal SAP code for program groups. DO NOT CHANGE. Additional Selection Criteria The fields here are: Characteri - This is an abbreviation for "characteristic", or field-name. Use the matchcode to search. Value - Enter a value for the field type selected, or Group - Enter the name of a group of values for the field selected. You should first choose from a matchcode list of characteristics, and then enter a value or group. To add another selection line, click on the Add-a-Line button under the existing line. top LDS Authorizations LDS checks the user's authorization for cost objects at the Profit Center and cost object level. If the department elects to use sub-profit center authorization, then the user will only be able to view data for appointments having distributions in the sub-profit centers for which the user has been authorized. Authorizations determine the output of reporting data. Sometimes users will attempt to report on appointments or cost objects that are not in their LDS authorization profile. The warning message may read: "Report contains no data". Sometimes, LDS has no data to display, for example, when the cost object was entered incorrectly, or when the selection criteria result in no records being selected. If the user believes that this message is displayed in error, the user should contact their LDS representative for assistance. top Required and Optional Fields Report selection screens contain required fields and optional fields. Required fields: On the entry screens, fields that require an entry contain a question mark when first displayed. In some other cases, a required field is already filled with a default value. Optional fields: These fields provide the opportunity to limit the data selected for the report. For example, limiting a report to one Payroll Category can yield a report that will run faster and provide a more concise and easy to use report. In rare circumstances there are no indications that a field is required. However, if the field is left blank, an error message will appear in the status line as you execute the report. Make the corrections, and proceed. top Data Selection Many of the LDS reports offer an opportunity to limit the report characteristics chosen on the criteria selection screen. The characteristics can be organizations (departments), profit centers (within departments), cost objects, and cost elements or other LDS data. In some of these reports, you will see on your criteria selection screen a category name followed by two rows of input fields, one row for groups and the second row for one or more individual entries. The typical data entry screen for LDS report writer reports contains an option for selecting a group of objects, or values. For example, in the Effort/Salary report, one option is to choose Organization Appointment Group. The default has a group file name entered, which represents all of the LDS organizations. The user can use the Matchcode button to see the options for groups to select, or the user can select single values. To enter a single value, or more than one, the user must delete the entry in the group field, and then enter a single value, multiple values or a group. For a description of the SAP 4.6 selection options, see Selection Options for Setting Report Parameters. Note If the profit center number is one of the selection screen criteria that you wish to use, remember to include the whole range of possible profit center numbers for your organization. This will result in the inclusion of any data relating to any of the sub profit centers. For example, the Cancer Research Center main profit center is P159700. To include all data in the report, the profit center range of P159700 to P159799 should be specified. top The Variation Option When a report contains data for more than one detailed level, (if for example, 3 separate cost objects are requested in the Open Salary Commitments report), the function bar will contain a series of buttons called Variation buttons. The left-most button will give you a report hierarchy view. Select the detail level you wish to view, then return to the hierarchy by clicking on the variation button again. For printing, a pop-up screen will offer subsets of reports. The message: "You can print the current report or all [x] varying reports", with [x] representing the number of available reports. Select one of the boxes shown: Current report All [x] reports top The Call Up Report Button The Call Up Report button allows the user to call up additional reports to see detail for the LDS main report. To select a detailed report, click once on a distribution detail line, and select the Call Up Report button. You will see a pop up screen, called 'Choose Report', with options. For example, in the G/L and Cost Salaries Report, there are these 2 options: Cost/Var/Dtl G/L/Cost/Var/Dtl by Month Select one report by clicking on the title, then click the green check. LDS displays the chosen report. You can back out of the detailed report with the green Back arrow, and return to the main report. top Lateral Page Navigation Buttons In multi-page reports, the SAP function bar may contain a set of four buttons that aid you in moving laterally through the report. Whenever these buttons appear in the function bar, there is more than one 'page' of a report, because the report is wider than the screen view of a single page. SAP creates a model of the report as if the matching 'pages' are placed left to right, first to last. (There also is a scroll bar button at the bottom right of the screen, which helps you navigate to the far right-hand side of a single report page.) Sometimes, as in the G/L and Cost Salary report, the data is so wide that several columns may be pushed over to the next page. Or, for example, in the Effort/Salary report, there are four pages for each section of the report. Button Description First page - This button sends you to the leftmost page. Previous page - This button sends you to the previous page, in L-to-R order. Next page - This button sends you to the next page, in L-to-R order. Last page - This button sends you to the rightmost page. top Copyright 2001 © Massachusetts Institute of Technology SAP for MIT Documentation on the Web Valid From: 02/28/2001