Value date calculation logic during automatic payment process (APP)

Assumption: Reader is aware of basic "Automatic Payment Process" concepts.

Most of us are familiar with online banking transactions. There would be thousands of bank transactions happening 24/7. Did you ever think, how does payment reaches a bank/payee, if it is done on a bank holiday or on a Sunday (Global holiday in most of the countries)? Usually banks refer to value date while making  a payment to payee instead of transaction date. In case of real time transfers, value date and transaction date are same. In case of payments with say check, value date may be in future as well. Aligning this kind of requirement to SAP, usually payments are handled in SAP through automatic payment program (F110) or manual payments (F111). To understand the complete process in a better manner, first we need to understand few terminology used in payment process.

Payment media: This is the means of communicating the payment related information to bank. This would have information like payee details, bank account, amount to be paid etc.

EBS: configuration of search string, part 2

Here is the second document on configuration of search string functionality. The first document can be found under this link EBS: configuration of search string, part 1. In this document, I'll try to explain how we can use the search string functionality to override the default account assignment of cost elements.
     When you post bank commission or other similar expenses via automatic bank statement, you might want to change the automatic account assignment for these expenses depending on some conditions. For instance, if you’re configuring the EBS for several house banks you might want to post bank expenses using one cost element but different cost centers for different house banks. This requirement might be useful for the tracking of bank expenses of different house banks. Search string for EBS provides a nice functionality that enables you to meet this requirement.
     Let’s first discuss the possibilities of default account assignment for bank related expenses. The first option is to specify the default assignment directly in master record of cost element in transaction KA01. As you can see on the picture below, cost center 500 is specified as default cost center for cost element 479000 (“Bank charge costs”).

EBS: configuration of search string, part 1

Search string represents very useful functionality that is used to enhance the efficiency of standard EBS interpretation mechanisms. There are different instances when this functionality might be applicable e.g. for clearing purposes, for filling different fields with input values etc. I think that this functionality is especially useful for bank statement in MT940 format with unstructured field 86. However, content (both official documentation and user documents on SCN and similar resources) related to the configuration of this functionality is limited. Among those limited sources, I would like to recommend a great document on search string for Search String for EBS (Electronics bank statement). At the same time, I would like to share my own experience of search string configuration, which might be useful for some of you.

1) Change of posting rule depending on the fixed text in the line items
                    Standard functionality of EBS implies that you have performed mapping and assigned external Business Transaction Codes (hereinafter referred to as BTC codes) to internally defined posting rules. However, some banks cannot provide you with the list of BTC codes or use just one BTC code for all transactions. For instance, one of the Ukrainian banks uses BTC code 110 for all operations (however, they do not call it BTC code, they just say that this is some kind of constant without any business logic behind it:). Nonetheless, this constant can be used as BTC code. We can assign this BTC code to two internally defined posting rules with different signs for example:

Head Office and Branch concept demostrated for both Vendors & Customers

Head Office and Branch Accounts

In some industries,branches of a company sell their goods independently but the accounting for these sales is performed centrally (at the head office). You can represent this type of organizational structure in the R/3 System by using head office and branch accounts.

First you need to create head office and branch accounts. The sales orders are managed in the branchaccount. The sales and transaction figures, however, are not posted to this account but rather automatically to the head office account. Payments are cleared centrally by the head office, meaning that outgoing payments can be made for several branches in one step, using the head office account.

Change Reconciliation account during FI posting (Without using SGL indicator)

I was facing an issue regarding the necessity to edit the reconciliation account derived from the customer/vendor data without using a SGL indicator.

Many SCN discussion confirm that it’s not possible as in standard the GL account is derived from the customer/vendor master data, nevertheless, there is a “standard” way (no specific development) to edit and select the reconciliation account we need during posting  and without using the SGL indicator:
Here is the steps :

First, specify your GL accounts that you want to choose from, for example let say Recon. Accounts

• 41110010 (entered in customer master data)
• 41110011
• 41110012 

DMEE Configuration:Step By Step Part 2

This is the continuation of the document DMEE Configuration.
Please refer the below link for the DMEE Configuration:Step By Step Part 1.

Create/Assign Selection Variants (OBPM4)
A. Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable ® Business Transactions ® Outgoing Payments ® Automatic Outgoing Payments ® Payment Media ® Make Settings for Payment Medium Formats from Payment Medium Workbench ® Create/Assign Selection Variants

DMEE Configuration:Step By Step Part 1

Introduction:
DME stands for Data Medium Exchange
A data medium exchange (DME) is a data exchange file which is used to send payment information of an enterprise to banks or tax authority. Basically these files contain financial data which can be in flat file or xml file format. Different File formats can be created for different countries and different banks based on their own norm which replaces conventional ABAP programs.

DMEE Configuration:Step By Step.

Create Payment Medium Formats (OBPM1) Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable ® Business Transactions ® Outgoing Payments ® Automatic Outgoing Payments ® Payment Media ® Make Settings for Payment Medium Formats from Payment Medium Workbench ® Create Payment Medium Formats