Sunday 9 November 2014

SD Terminologies and Definitions

Enterprise Structure
 
  • It is a structure used to represent the legal and organizational units of the company. 
  • Enterprise structure forms a framework in which all business transactions can be processed.
  • The organization in SD is represented by the elements sales organization, distribution channel and division.
  • The highest-level element of all organizational units is the Client.
 
Company
 
A company is an organizational unit in Accounting which represents a business organization.
 
Company Code
 
Company code is an independent accounting unit in enterprise structure.  All the accounting happens at company code level.
  • It is the central organizational element of Financial Accounting.
  • You can set up several company codes per client.
  • At least one company code must be set up in each client.
  • The balance sheet and the P & L statement required by law are created at this level.
 
Sales Organization
 
Sales organization is an organizational unit that is responsible for all the sales happening under a company code.
  • A sales organization is assigned to exactly one company code.
  • A sales organization is assigned to one or more plants.
  • Each sales organization has its own master data, for example, its own customer and material master data as well as condition records.
 
Distribution Channel
 
Distribution channel is the means through which a product reaches customer.
  • Customers can be served through one or more distribution channels within a sales organization.
  • Wholesale trade, sales through dealers, direct sales from a plant are typical examples of distribution channels.
 
 
Division
 
It is a product group that can be defined for a wide ranging spectrum of products.
  • The system uses divisions to determine the sales areas and the business areas for a material.
  • A product or service is always assigned to just one division.
 
Cross-division sales
 
We can control the following in customizing, according to the sales document type:
  • Whether it is possible to enter multiple materials with various divisions for an order.
  • The way the system responds (with or without a warning message).
  • Whether the division on item level is copied from the material master record or whether the division in the document header is also copied into the item.
 
Sales Area
 
A sales area is a combination of sales organization, distribution channel and division.
  • Sales documents, delivery documents, and billing documents are always assigned to a sales area. 
  • Within a sales area we can carry out analyses.  For example, the sales within a sales area can be analyzed.
 
Sales Office
 
Geographical aspects of the organizational units are defined using sales office. 
  • Sales offices are assigned to sales areas.  A sales office can be assigned to more than one sales area.
  • If you enter a sales order for a sales office within a sales area, the sales office must be assigned to that sales area.
 
Sales Group
 
Staff of a sales office can be sub-divided into sales group. 
  • Sales groups are assigned to sales offices.
 
Sales Person
 
A sales group consists of a certain number of salespersons.  A salesperson is assigned to a sales office and group in the sales employee master record.
 
Plant
 
A plant can either be a location for production and material requirements planning (MRP) or it may simply represent one or more material stock locations.
  • Each plant is assigned to a unique company code.
 
Credit Control Area
 
The credit control area is an organizational unit that specifies and checks a credit limit for customers.
  • A credit control area can include one or more company codes.
  • It is not possible to assign a company code to more than one credit control area.
  • Within a credit control area, the credit limits must be specified in the same currency.
 
Business Area
 
A business area is an organizational unit within accounting that represents a separate area of operations or responsibilities in a business organization.
  • In a client, you can set up several business areas to which the system can assign the postings made in all company codes defined in this client.
 
 
Controlling Area
 
It is the central organizational unit of the Controlling (CO) component. You use the controlling area to carry out cost accounting.  You must assign a controlling area to your company code to ensure that data is forwarded to Controlling for further processing for cost accounting.
 

Friday 10 October 2014

Who am I ?

Who are you?  The first question that pops-up when we meet someone first time.  As you ask me this, I pose the same question 'Who am I ?' and that introduced multiple faces of mine to me.

I am Sankaralingam.  Friends call me Sankar/ Shankar.  Born and brought up in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in Southern India.  My ancestral roots are from Mavadipannai village near Thenthiruperai in Tuticorin district in south Tamil Nadu.  I did all the academics of schooling, engineering college and management studies in Chennai.  Living long time in same city is good in a way that you get to know the local flavours very well.  However, after a while you start getting a feel that you are disconnected from the rest of the big great world.

After completing MBA, I was doing sales jobs for couple of years in Chennai.  These two years taught me two things that I treasure as mantras of my life:  1. Understanding people is crucial for personal and professional development  2. Work hard to make things happen; nothing comes easy in this world.  With these take-away, in 2006, shifted base to Bangalore and jumped into a career in Information Technology in SAP Consulting space. Today, I am a full-time SAP Consultant specializing in SD module.  The client facing consulting assignments are highly challenging and always brings the best out of me to achieve stakeholders delight. On the other hand, it tagged me a globetrotter outlook as I got to travel to every corner of the world, exposing me to spectrum of cultures, people, experiences.  As a global citizen, I am lucky to have got the opportunities to live in various cosmopolitan cities: Bangalore, London, Paris, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro and Brisbane.  I leverage these travel prospects to constantly upgrade in every aspect of life that matters to me as a person.

Apart from SAP, I am keen to do things that are important in my view and improve me in one way or other.  I enjoy playing snooker and have won handful of accolades in the board game over the past fifteen years of playing.  When I am in creative mood, I relish multimedia work like photography and video making and broadcast myself to the world through media like YouTube.  I constantly look out for opportunities to learn, gain knowledge through every possible resource like people, books, internet.

Coming from a family of entrepreneurs,  no wonder I have a natural passion for business.  My father is a retailer, whose legacy is being carried forward by my brother.  I live with my lovely wife Priya and my adorable son Sakthi.  Priya is a Chennaite as well and works for a US corporate, close to a decade now.  She is my strength as she unconditionally supports all my aspirations and ventures.  Sakthi, our little wonder entered this world in Feb 2014 and hijacked us to his fun-filled dream world with his laughter and love.  In Tamil literature, 'Sakthi' means power, energy.  We are much stronger now with third player in our team as he keeps charging us with his positive energy.

Life is a roller-coaster ride.  Looking back the roads traveled, it was not an easy journey but definitely a worthy one filled with few tough decisions that tested my audacity, difficult situations
that challenged my abilities and lots of delighted moments to cherish forever.  Perhaps this is how the designer has designed life to make us strong and better day by day.  Of course, I am excited to face all that more to come.

Quoting  Robert Frost in 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'

...
But I have promises to keep,  
And miles to go before I sleep,  
And miles to go before I sleep.