SAP S/4HANA Financial Accounting Certification Guide

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SAP S/4HANA.
Financial Accounting
Certification Guide
>>Achieve success with the only SAP-endorsed certification guide«
Stefanos Pougkas
-------------
~ Rheinwerk
Publishing

Stefanos Pougkas
SAP S/4HANA®Financial Accounting
Certification Guide
Application Associate Exam
~ Rheinwerk
Pub sh ng

7
Contents
Preface .................................................................................................................................................... 11
Introduction: The Path to Certification ........................................................................................ 17
1 SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA, and SAP Fiori 43
Objectives of This Portion of the Test ........................................................................ 44
Key Concept Refresher ...................................................................................................... 45
Digital Transformation ................................................................................................... 45
SAP HANA Architecture ................................................................................................... 46
Technology Enablers for SAP HANA Success ............................................................ 47
SAP S/4HANA ..................................................................................................................... 48
SAP S/4HANA Deployment Options ........................................................................... 50
The SAP S/4HANA System Landscape ........................................................................ 52
The SAP Fiori User Interface .......................................................................................... 52
SAP Fiori User Experience Paradigm ........................................................................... 53
SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA ............................................................................................. 54
The SAP Fiori Launchpad ................................................................................................. 57
SAP Fiori Launchpad Designer ...................................................................................... 60
Important Terminology .................................................................................................... 62
Practice Questions ............................................................................................................... 64
Practice Question Answers and Explanations ........................................................ 67
Takeaway ................................................................................................................................ 70
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 70
2 General Ledger Accounting 71
Organizational Units ........................................................................................................ 73

Contents
8
Integration to Non-Financial Accounting Organizational Units ....................... 86
Master Records .................................................................................................................. 88
Global Financial Accounting Configuration ............................................................. 101
Business Transaction in the General Ledger ............................................................ 131
Practice Questions .............................................................................................................. 144
Takeaway ................................................................................................................................ 157
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 158
3 Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable 159
Business Partners .............................................................................................................. 161
Payment Terms .................................................................................................................. 181
Invoicing ............................................................................................................................... 187
Manual Payments ............................................................................................................. 194
Automatic Payments ....................................................................................................... 197
Dunning ............................................................................................................................... 216
Correspondence ................................................................................................................. 229
Special General Ledger Accounting ............................................................................ 232
Reporting ............................................................................................................................. 240
Takeaway ................................................................................................................................ 257
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 257

Contents 9
4 Asset Accounting 259
Fixed Asset Accounting ................................................................................................... 261
Chart of Depreciation ...................................................................................................... 262
Depreciation Areas ........................................................................................................... 264
Asset Class ........................................................................................................................... 267
Account Determination .................................................................................................. 269
Screen Layouts ................................................................................................................... 271
User-Defined Fields .......................................................................................................... 273
Asset Master Data ............................................................................................................ 274
Integration with Plant Maintenance .......................................................................... 276
Asset Transaction Types ................................................................................................. 276
Asset Acquisitions ............................................................................................................. 278
Asset Retirements ............................................................................................................. 284
Asset Transfers ................................................................................................................... 287
Low-Value Assets .............................................................................................................. 291
Assets Under Construction ............................................................................................ 292
Asset Depreciation ............................................................................................................ 294
Asset Year-End Process .................................................................................................... 298
Asset Reporting .................................................................................................................. 300
Asset Legacy Data Transfer ............................................................................................ 302
Practice Questions ............................................................................................................... 308
Takeaway ................................................................................................................................ 317
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 318
5 Financial Closing 319
Financial Statement Version ......................................................................................... 321

Contents
10
General Ledger Closing ................................................................................................... 332
Accruals and Deferrals .................................................................................................... 340
Closing Activities in Receivables and Payables ....................................................... 343
Closing Activities in Materials Management .......................................................... 356
SAP Financial Closing Cockpit ....................................................................................... 362
Methods for Intercompany Reconciliation ............................................................... 365
Takeaway ................................................................................................................................ 381
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 382
6 SAP Financials Cross Topics 383
Bank Account Management .......................................................................................... 386
Document Parking ............................................................................................................ 391
Validations and Substitutions ...................................................................................... 402
Data Archiving ................................................................................................................... 416
Data Aging ........................................................................................................................... 423
Takeaway ................................................................................................................................ 436
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 436
The Author ............................................................................................................................................. 439
Index ........................................................................................................................................................ 441

Preface
The SAP PRESS Certification Series is designed to provide anyone who is preparing
to take an SAP certified exam with all ofthe review, insight, and practice they need
to pass the exam. The series is written in practical, easy-to-follow language that
provides targeted content that is focused on what you need to know to success-
fully take your exam.
Target Audience
This book is specifically written for those preparing to take the SAP Certified Appli-
cation Associate-SAP S/4HANA for Financial Accounting Associates C_TS4FI_1511
exam and the SAP Certified Application Associate-SAP S/4HANA for Financial
Accounting Associates C_TS4FI_l610 exam, so if you've purchased this book,
you're obviously interested in learning how to successfully pass the certification
exam. It focuses on core SAP S/4HANA Finance skills: General Ledger accounting,
accounts payable and accounts receivable, asset accounting, financial closing, and
more.
Using this book, you will walk away with a thorough understanding of the exam
structure and what to expect in taking it. You will receive a refresher on key con-
cepts covered on the exam, and will be able to test your skills via sample practice
questions and answers. The book is closely aligned with the course syllabus and
the exam structure, so all ofthe information provided is relevant and applicable to
what you need to know to prepare. We explain the SAP products and features
using practical examples and straightforward language, so you can prepare for the
exam and improve your skills in your day-to-day work. Each book in the series has
been structured and designed to highlight what you really need to know.
Structure of This Book
Each chapter begins with a clear list ofthe learning objectives, such as:

12 Preface
Techniques You'll Master
• How to prepare for the exam
• Understanding the general exam structure
• Practice questions and preparation
From there, you'll dive into the chapter and get right into the test objective cover-
age.
Throughout the book, we've also provided several elements that will help you
access useful information:
• Tips call out useful information about related ideas and provide practical sug-
gestions for how to use a particular function.
• Notes provide other resources to explore or special tools or services from SAP
that will help you with the topic under discussion. The following boxes are
examples ofthese elements:
>> Note
This certification guide covers all topicsyou need to successfully pass the exam. It
provides sample questions similar to those found on the actual exam.
Tip
This book contains screenshot s and diagrams to help your understanding of the
many informat ion modeling concepts.
Each chapter that covers an exam topic is organized in a similar fashion so you can
become familiar with the structure and easily find the information you need.
Here's an example ofa typical chapter structure:
• Introductory bullets
The beginning ofeach chapter discusses the techniques you must master to be
considered proficient in the topic for the certification examination.
• Topic introduction
This section provides you with a general idea of the topic at hand to frame
future sections. It also includes objectives for the exam topic covered.
• Real-world scenario
This part shows a scenario that provides you with a case where these skills
would be beneficial to you or your company.

Structure ofThis Book 13
• Objectives
This section provides you with the necessary information to successfully pass
this portion ofthe test.
• Key concept refresher
This section outlines the major concepts of the chapter. It identifies the tasks
you will need to be able to understand or perform properly to answer the ques-
tions on the certification examination.
• Important terminology
Just prior to the practice examination questions, we provide a section to review
important terminology. This may be followed by definitions of various terms
from the chapter.
• Practice questions
The chapter then provides a series of practice questions related to the topic of
the chapter. The questions are structured in a similar way to the actual ques-
tions on the certification examination.
• Practice question answers and explanations
Following the practice exercise are the solutions to the practice exercise ques-
tions. As part of the answer, we discuss why an answer is considered correct or
incorrect.
• Takeaway
This section provides a takeaway or reviews the areas you should now under-
stand. The refresher section identifies the key concepts in the chapter. We also
provide some tips related to the chapter.
• Summary
Finally, we conclude with a summary ofthe chapter.
Now that you have an idea of how the book is structured, the following list will
dive into the individual topics covered in each chapter ofthe exam:
• Chapter 1, SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA, and SAP Fiori
The focus of this chapter is to explain the architecture ofSAP HANA. the scope
and deployment options of SAP S/4HANA, and the basic functions of the SAP
Fiori user interface.
• Chapter 2, General Ledger Accounting
The focus of this chapter is to explain General Ledger Accounting in the SAP
S/4HANA system. It discusses the configuration of basic financials organiza-
tional units, design and configuration of the chart of accounts, General Ledger
master records, and document posting controls.

14 Preface
• Chapter 3, Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable
The focus ofthis chapter is to explain accounts payable and accounts receivable
processes and configurations in SAP S/4HANA. It discusses business partner
master record maintenance, accounts payable and accounts receivable invoic-
ing and integration, manual and automatic payments, dunning, and correspon-
dence.
• Chapter 4, Asset Accounting
The focus ofthis chapteris to explain assetaccounting processes in SAP S/4HANA.
It discusses basic organizational units ofAsset Accounting such as the chart of
depreciation and asset classes, integration ofasset accounting with the General
Ledger, asset accounting transactions, and period-end closing in asset account-
ing,
• Chapter 5, Financial Closing
The focus of this chapter is to explain month-end and year-end closing pro-
cesses in SAP S/4HANA. It discusses balance confirmations in Accounts Payable
and Accounts Receivable, foreign currency valuation, reserves for bad debt,
open item reclassification, and the SAP Financial Closing Cockpit.
• Chapter 6, SAP Financials Cross Topics
The focus of this chapter is to understand key functionalities of the SAP finan-
cials applications. It discusses using special G/L indicators, document parking,
and creating posting validations and substitutions.
Practice Questions
We want to give you some background on the test questions before you encounter
the first few in the chapters. Just like the exam, each question has a basic structure:
• Actual question
Read the question carefully and be sure to consider all the words used in the
question because they can impact the answer.
• Question h int
This is not a formal term, but we call it a hint because it will tell you how many
answers are correct. Ifonly one is correct, normally it will tell you to choose the
correct answer. Ifmore than one is correct, like the actual certification examina-
tion, it will indicate the correct number ofanswers.

Summary 15
• Answers
The answers to select from depend on the question type. The following ques-
tion types are possible:
- Multiple response: More than one correct answer is possible.
- Multiple choice: Only a single answer is correct.
- True/false: Only a single answer is correct. These types of questions are not
used in the exam, but are used in the book to test your understanding.
Summary
With this certification guide, you'll learn how to approach the content and key
concepts highlighted for each exam topic. In addition, you'll have the opportunity
to practice with sample test questions in each chapter. After answering the prac-
tice questions, you'll be able to review the explanation of the answer, which dis-
sects the question by explaining why the answers are correct or incorrect. The
practice questions give you insight into the types of questions you can expect,
what the questions look like, and how the answers relate to the question. Under-
standing the composition of the questions and seeing how the questions and
answers work together is just as important as understanding the content. This
book gives you the tools and understanding you need to be successful. Armed with
these skills, you'll be well on your way to becoming an SAP Certified Application
Associate in SAP S/4HANA Finance.

Introduction:
The Path to Certification
• Understand the relevant certification offerings for SAP ERP
Financials (FI) in SAP S/4HANA
• Find the courses required for the certification
• Learn techniques for taking the certification exams
• Identify further SAP Education offerings for FI in SAP S/4HANA
• Explore additional resources for financials in SAP S/4HANA
• Expand your knowledge, and keep your skills up to date

18 Introduction: The Path to Certification
This chapter paints the big picture of the SAP S/4HANA Financial Accounting
Application Associate exam and certification. It teaches you about the different
levels and offerings for SAP S/4HANA financial certifications, identifies resources
for study, and provides certification test-taking advice.
With SAP S/4HANA. SAP has introduced a new breed of enterprise resource plan-
ning solutions to keep businesses ahead ofthe technological wave and to support
customers in becoming truly digital businesses. SAP S/4HANA is the most import-
ant product in the SAP portfolio and FI is still at the very core of the processes and
functionalities supported. As more customers adopt SAP S/4HANA. the number of
projects worldwide also increases greatly, leading to a need for more implementa-
tion and support consultants who understand the core financial functions.
In this chapter, we'll establish that the SAP S/4HANA Financial Accounting Appli-
cation Associate certification is the right certification for you. We'll also go over
the details ofthe certification and the SAP education materials that are essential to
achieve the certification. We'll discuss the ways you can access the SAP Education
materials and then we'll go over some tips to prepare for and succeed in passing
the certification examination. Finally, we'll look at some additional resources you
might find useful both when preparing for the exam but also in general as you
continue your journey with SAP S/4HANA.
Who This Book Is For
There is hardly any SAP project worldwide that doesn't require project members
familiar with FI processes and configuration. This was true for SAP ERP and is still
true for SAP S/4HANA. This makes FI consultants with good skills and solid expe-
rience a valuable and sought after resource for both SAP partner firms and cus-
tomers.
This bookcovers a broad and deep scope ofcore FI configuration and business pro-
cesses in the SAP S/4HANA system. As such, this book is an excellent starting point
for those ofyou who are just getting introduced to Fl. For example, you might be a
new hire at an SAP implementation partner, an IT support consultant whose com-
pany is upgrading to SAP S/4HANA. or a graduate looking to kick-start a career in
SAP Fl.
The book is also a great way for more experienced consultants to get back to the
basics. Often, as you gain more experience, you might become specialized in a
specific part of the SAP financials world. This book will help you look again at

Certifications for SAP Financials in SAP S/4HANA 19
the complete picture ofFI and at the same time get upskilled to the specifics ofSAP
S/4HANA.
Those working as business users with SAP FI also many times want to expand
beyond that role to get a deeper and broader understanding of the implementa-
tion or to support consultant roles.
Developers wanting to specialize in FI or to gain a good understanding ofthe com-
mon business processes that are configured with SAP S/4HANA can also find value
in this book, even as a reference (if they aren't interested in the certification
aspect).
The book is designed around the latest 1610 version of the SAP S/4HANA system
and certification; however, because it covers core processes that are by now quite
mature, the knowledge found here should support future versions ofthe product
as well.
Certifications for SAP Financials in SAP S/4HANA
We'll first check the portfolio of certifications by SAP that might be of interest to
you.Then, we'll go into the details ofthe C_TS4FI_1610 certification.
Useful SAP S/4HANA Certifications Overview
SAP offers an expanding portfolio of certifications for SAP S/4HANA. many of
which might be interesting for the FI consultant. Following is a list of potentially
relevant certifications that might interest you (the first three are relevant in a
broader scope):
• C_TS410_16: SAP Certified Application Associate - Integrated Business Proces-
ses in SAP S/4HANA
This certification is to prove you have a solid understanding of the integrated
processes in SAP S/4HANA, including the SAP Fiori UX, Financial and Manage-
ment Accounting, Human Capital Management (SAP ERP HCM and SAP Success-
Factors), Procure to Pay, Plan to Produce, SAP Warehouse Management (SAP
WM), Order to Cash, SAP Project System (PS). and SAP Enterprise Asset Manage-
ment (SAP EAM).
Although a business processes course, it's immensely useful for any consul-
tant's understanding of the nearly end-to-end scope of the SAP S/4HANA solu-
tion offering.

• C_ACT_2016: SAP Certified Associate - SAP Activate Project Manager
SAP Activate is the replacement implementation methodology of ASAP. All
projects related to SAP S/4HANA will be based on some form ofthe SAP Activate
methodology. Even if you're not a project manager or don't aspire to become
one, understanding how a project works, what accelerators are offered, and
what implementation options are available is ofgreat use for a consultant.
• C_S4IMP_16: SAP Certified Associate - SAP S/4HANA Implementation Scena-
rios for Architects
This is a certification that is probably more for the admin/Basis consultant;
however, again, at least the underlying courses (S4H01 and S4H100) are great
resources for understanding the SAP S/4HANA adoption scenarios for new
implementations and system conversions alike.
• C_TS4CO_16: SAP Certified Application Associate - Management Accounting
with SAP S/4HANA
This is the equivalent certification to the one this books covers, onlyfor the con-
sultants more focused on management accounting.This is a very useful certifi-
cation also for FI consultants who want to play more generalist roles in projects.
Because FI and Controlling (CO) are becoming increasingly integrated, this is a
logical next learning step for the FI consultant.
• C_TS4FI_1610: SAP Certified Application Associate- SAP S/4HANA for Finan-
cial Accounting Associates (SAP S/4HANA 1610)
The certification for which this book is created and the best starting point for
any new FI consultant.
• P_S4FIN_1610:SAP Certified Application Professional - Financials in
SAP S/4HANA for SAP ERP Finance Experts
This certification is the level up certification from the application associate cer-
tifications in FI and CO. It's for the experienced professional who has a good
knowledge level of both FI and CO and has upskilled to SAP S/4HANA. It's the
only professional certification available for FI with SAP S/4HANA.
All mentioned certifications and most certifications on offer for SAP Education
have the same format:
• Length ofexam: Up to 3 hours.
• Exam questions: 80 questions either multiple choice or multiple selection.
• Exam location: Can be taken either at a certification center or online through
the SAP Certification Hub.

The SAP Certification Hub is a subscription-based cloud offering. You subscribe
annually and get six certification attempts in this period. This means that if you
always pass with the first try, you could potentially get all six certifications listed
earlier. For each individual certification, you get up to three tries, meaningyou can
fail to pass no more than two times. You can find more information at https:/1
training.sap.comjshopjcoursejcer006.
Depending on your location, you can also visit a certified certification partner and
take the certification in a moderated classroom. For more information, visit
https://training.sap.com, or call the local training contact (the number is provided
at the training shop site).
You can find up-to-date learning offerings by area on the SAP Web Shop at https:/
I
training.sap.com/learning. Here the education content is categorized into Learning
Journeys (Figure 1), which are interactive maps that guide you through the com-
plex and sometimes confusing SAP Education offerings.
Chooseyour
Learning Journeys
A Le.;rmngJourneyIS.; v1su.;l gu1de of the path tobecome fully competent
w1than SAPmnovatlon. Select a Learn1ngJourney below todownload 11 More
TOPIC .... Role .... 1:8:1 Share these Journeys
Showing Learning Journeys: Enterprise Management· SAP S/4HANA. Enterpnse Management· SAP S/4HANA Finance &
all Roles.
• SAP S/4HANA. F1nance · Fmanc1a1 and ManagementAccounting Upsktllng for SA.PERP Fmanc1als Experts
• SAP S/4HANA F1nance · lmplement1ng Fmanc1al Supply Cl1a1n Management
• SAP S/4HANA Ftnance 1mp1ement1ogCash Management. Treasury& R1sk Management
• SAP S/4HANA Fmance · Implementing Fmanc1aiAccounMg
• SAP S/4HANA F1nance · ImplementingManagement Account1ng
• SAP S/4HANA •1nance · 1mplement1ngRea1 Estate Management
Figure 1 SAP S/4HANA Finance Learning Journeys
The C TS4FI 1610 Certification
- -
The certification covered by this book (and the predecessor C_TS4FI_1511 certifica-
tion) is to SAP S/4HANA what the C_TFINS2: SAP Certified Application Associate -
Financial Accounting with SAP ERP was for SAP ERP. In other words, this certifica-
tion is the common starting point for many FJ professionals. Both the new certifi-
cation and the underlying course materials are based on those of SAP ERP, so if

you're familiar or certified in the SAP ERP certification, you should have no prob-
lem identifying the delta and passing the certification exam for SAP S/4HANA.
The C_TS4FI certification will likely, but not necessarily, have an annual release
cycle for the perceivable future to match the annual release cycle of the SAP S/
4HANA system. However, as mentioned, because core Customizing and function-
ality are covered. the certification won't be obsolete the day after you take it. The
same goes for the validity ofthis book as a reference and for future releases ofthe
certification.
Certification Exam Format
As you can also see from Figure 2 which is a screenshot from the SAP Education
web shop, the certification exam is an associate-level exam, meaning it's
assumed the exam taker has at least one year ofhands-on experience in a role rel-
evant to FI with SAP S/4HANA (or SAP ERP) and has excellent knowledge of the
book materials.
Description
• Th• SAPC•rt f •d Appl~tto.n A~;~X~~~• ·SAP
S#'iANA for F1n:u~ci.sl Accountir.& As~ .:HI!s(SAP
S/'-YANA 1610reertiflc.!tlon exam t ro.f•u that the
caf'!d dett pecssnses fvndament.tl know"ect.Ee end proven
$k 'I$ in th<e ~re.,of SAP'$/41-IAN..; in'l~nc~l A«oun~ nr
It tests ti-13~ the canchdste h.ss" aood O~tal
under$land nrwoth nth s consult<'!nt prof,1t 13nd c.tn
•mpl•m•n~ thl5 knov.1•di• pr;)CUC-.lllyW"' prO',•cu vncltr
the I'U'dMce of .1n u~rienced conWunt. It is
reeom.rrtendedM M enuy·!t vel Qu!f f,eet on to allow
consoltMts tortt acQu.l•nttd ""tfh,n F1n.1nc .11
Aceoununr proJe<U. Tha «rt f.c~tO I$ :l'le •dtal $t~rt1nt
pO<nt for" I)!Ofts~ionL'II C.!!~~r M· L'l FlnL'Ine•-"Aecount nc
eonsultMl O" SAP S/4HINA..If ~x~m!~ •n SAP
•mplementiltlon pro,-Kts of Fm.m-tl;ll ~ountma .:tre
~ddtd O'tltr ye~rs. al)f"oftsssOfl~l ureer c.anbt va. dMtd
by t31iU't8' ., ~cond !Jt3m: sA:.Ctrtlfl!-d Aoo .ca~.on
Professional· f m.J.nc .!1'!1nSA? SI4S.V..nA for s:.p ER:.
F1n.1nc. .11~ exper.~~.
Notes
• To cn;Ut"• ;.uee•n SA=>rceomm•nds eombimnr
edue:tt.oncour!~~ 3ondt-.3nd~nexperience to prep.ue
for your ~rof,cat•on t xem as Qutst•ons w•l t<!S1 your
>1bd ty to (!p.ply tht knowltdtt you h.!...-e talntd 1n
• You .lre r.o; a lowed to u-••.1ny reftrenet mo11;en.1h
durm.r :heurhf~tson t*-$t (no~CU$ toon n<e
doeumtntat•on or to My s;.p sys~tm).
Figure 2 C_TS4F1
_1610 on the SAP Education Web Shop

The certification exam consists of80 questions ofthe following types:
• Multiple choice, where you must select one correct answer out ofthe four avail-
able options
• Multiple select, where you must select the two correct answers out ofthe four
available options
• Multiple select, where you must select the three correct answers out of the five
available options
There are no other question types than these. Note that you must get all answers
correct for each question for the question to be considered correctly answered.
To pass the certification, you must answer 65% of the questions correctly. This
means you must answer 52 out of80 questions completely correctly. The percent-
age for the pass rate might be changed in future versions ofthe exam as it depends
on the rated difficulty of the question items in the certification.
As mentioned earlier, you can take the certification at a certification center or by
using the cloud offering at your own home. For current information on both
options, you can check the SAP Education web shop https://training.sap.com/
shop/certification or call your local SAP Education office.
After passing the certification exam, you get a printed certificate, and you can
access the Credential Manager from the SAP Education web shop to manage your
certifications (https://training.sap.com/shop/content/Credential-Manager).
Scope ofthe Certification Exam
The book is modeled closely to the topic areas ofthe certification {Figure 3). There
is some small variation as special G/L transactions are included in the topic for API
AR. and Bank Account Management is included as a separate topic in the SAP
Financials Cross Topics. In any case, the book covers the same exact areas and
scope as the exam itself and the academy courses on which the certification is
based.

TopicAreas
r>~u~• ;tt tit~ tilt n 0'toeoc11 tr«INtt•eo.er.c.,., :l'lln U'lt ctn.~.ut.en tnet"'ttollr'S.S :!Ulco-.t'l'tfltl"!! u xcur.cyoots
Mt«we~>t.t..t l~f'hr"!-~tC~ SA.Pr~:ef't} &~ naM to~~t '!hoe t •-'MCoOnttrrl (t09<S.It~s rot t'lt>r.CIa1/Ill/~
Financial Closing > 12% >
General Ledger Accounting >12% >
Account s Payable & Accounts Receivable >12% >
Asset Accounting >12% >
SAP Flnanclals Cross Topics > 12% >
SAP HANA & SAP S/4HANA 8%·12% >
Figure 3 Certification Topic Areas
The approximate weighting and approximate number of questions you can
expect per area are detailed in Table 1.
Topic
SAP HANA & SAP S/4HANA
General Ledger Accounting
Accounts Payable & Accounts
Receivable
Asset Accounting
Financial Closing
SAP Financials Cross Topics
Table 1 Topic Weighting
SAP Education Courses
Percentage(%) Approximate Number Book Chapter
of Questions
8·12
>12
>12
>12
>12
>12
8
16
16
16
12
12
1
2
3
4
5
6
You can select from quite a few different course options {Figure 4) to gain the
knowledge required for the certification exam:
• Individual courses:
- S4F12: Basics ofCustomizing for Financial Accounting: G/L, AP, AR in
SAP S/4HANA {5 days)
- S4Fl3: Additional Financial Accounting Configuration in SAP S/4HANA
(4 days)

SAP Education Courses 25
- S4F17: Asset Accounting in SAP S/4HANA (5 days)
- S4F15: Financial Closing in SAP S/4HANA (4 days)
• Academy courses:
- TS4F01: Financial Accounting in SAP S/4HANA- Academy I
- TS4F02: Financial Accounting in SAP S/4HANA - Academy II
• eAcademy course:
- TS4F2e
Note that the individual courses are also available as e-learnings; just add an "e" at
the end of the course names: S4F12e (20 hours}, S4F13e (16 hours}, S4F17e (20
hours), and S4F15e (16 hours).
Ifyou're new to the FI subject with SAP, it's a good idea to also check the prerequi-
site course, S4F10, Business Processes in Financial Accounting in SAP S/4HANA (5
days), which is also available as E-learning S4F10e.
z..ar10
Busintoss Processes 1n
Financial Accow1tine in
SAP S/4HANA
Sd.:ay~
CIJ~~rocm
ro..."'Q.)t-or
~·fl2 ~fl.
Basics of Customiz.oc Add1tional Financial
fot Fin:mc:i.al Accountina:
Account~n~: Gl. AP. AR -~ Conficurahon •n SAP
in SAP S/4HANA S/4HANA
Sd:~y~ J
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eAcack!!my
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Figure 4 Financial Accounting Certification Curriculum Map
For all of these courses, the latest materials as of the date of publishing for this
book are in collection 05 and refer to SAP S/4HANA 1610. The likely next version of
the materials will refer to SAP S/4HANA 1709, which is due to be released in Sep-
tember 2017. However, these won't be available until the tail end of2017 at the ear-
liest and are more likely to be made available in 2018.

Tip
Collections are semi-arbitrary course version numberings that generally map a
course to a specific product release. For SAP S/4HANA, you can assume that the
higher the collection number the newer the course, and the courses with the
same collection number all refer to the same system version.
Always go for the newest collection ofmaterials available. You can find the newest
materials referenced in the relevant L
earning Journey (Figure 5). The scope of the
content for these courses isn't due to change dramatically, but each version ofthe
course gets a little better as is true for the product as well. SAP S/4HANA is matur-
ing very quickly, and the small adjustments and enhancements made in mature
modules go along nicely with rapid changes and improvements that occur in
parallel.
~ Learning Journey: SAP S/4HANA Finance · Implementing Financial Accounting
t::::::::!.J UDd.:nedMay2017 tt "' A .,_
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»

Ways to learn 27
To keep up to date with what learning materials are available for FI in SAP
S/4HANA, you should check the relevant Learning Journey (Figure 5). Here you can
see the offerings categorized in lanes per the required expertise level. You can see
the academy track, which also leads to the certification in the second lane. The
L
earning Journey is interactive, so clicking on the course links will take you to the
latest version of each course. Ifyou have an active (payed) SAP Learning Hub sub-
scription, you can get directly routed to the course material (select E-book or
E-learning).The availability ofeach course through SAP Live Access is also detailed
here.
Ways to learn
You can choose to learn and consume the standard SAP courses in a variety of
ways:
• Classroom training is the most obvious way to learn, especially when you're
new to the subject. The inherit and undeniable advantages are an environment
that offers immediate live feedback from an expert trainer, networking with
trainees with whom you've shared goals, minimal "real-work" interruptions
during the day, and a system at yourdisposal to perform all exercises during the
training. At an SAP training centerfor the scope ofthe FI academy (or individual
courses), you'll receive four printed versions ofthe books (one for each course
or week of the academy) that average more than 400 pages.
• Virtual Live Classroom training is a kind ofInternet-based training that utilizes
a conferencing application. It approximates the classroom experience, so you
still have a live trainer to ask questions, system access to perform exercises and
learners with whom you may interact. However, the experience isn't quite the
same as in a classroom.
• eAcademy training through SAP Education is a third option for consuming the
materials. With this option, you receive the following:
- Online Learning Content in e-learning format consisting of presentation
slides with audio commentary, recorded system demonstration, and prac-
tice simulations
- SAP Training System for hands-on experience with live training systems to
reinforce your learning and test scenarios on your own
- Student manuals in electronic form (without the audio simulations)
- Help Desk Support with a guarantee that all queries are answered within 24
hours Monday to Friday

Technical support for the system via online web conferencing and scheduled
expert instructor sessions, as well as the "Ask the Expert" feature
• SAP Learning Hub (https://training.sap.comjshop/learninghub) is the newest in
the line of offerings from SAP. The SAP Learning Hub is a cloud-based offering
with an annual subscription. The SAP Learning Hub consists of three major
offerings bundled in one:
Access to all recent learning content m the SAP education catalog. This
includes all SAP S/4HANA content on the day the content is released (and
before any classroom events have taken place). Figure 6 shows an example
search for the content available for FI in SAP S/4HANA. Course content is
delivered either in e-book format, which is like a PDF version (it's semi-
printable in that you can select to print the pages you're viewing}, or as
e-learnings, which include audio readout ofthe content and recorded demo/
practice simulations.
& Learning Content...,
SAP learning Hub
My hitmln
g
Con
tent---:======
S.o
!Catalog Search
'You IHI'C'-d · S-4
n~JM (11) Sodlll Leamlng (11)
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• Otllvtry Mt!IIOO
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:I
1!!11 B.tsies of CustOmlZIAIJ fer Fin~n<:i:ll Accounting: Cl., AP. AR in SAP &14HANA ,f.
~ ltMI'IfltWl..'t.t~fH.ceGSt
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Figure 6 Course Content on the SAP learning Hub
0
•

Ways to Learn 29
• Access to the SAP Learning Rooms that are available for many SAP lines ofbusi-
ness, including ofcourse, FI (Figure 7). ALearning Room is a virtual forum where
SAP Learning Hub subscribers can interact, ask questions, make proposals, dis-
cuss business cases, find materials and links, join webinars, and get informed
about the newest developments in the individual areas. Each Learning Room
has a lead trainer assigned to create original content, facilitate discussions,
answer questions, and generally overlook things and makes sure all is running
smoothly for participants.
SAP Finance
Learning Room
by SAP Educahon
0 Feed Updo1te'
.:
• ~bgfOU(It
0 Trull
SAP Finance Learning Room
Welcome to the SAP Finance Learning Room
ThiS L•ammg Room cowrs the full scopeof W F1.nance learn1ng
m.neri.ll offenngs more
Ltiltnlng Maps
L~a mv. tl"' .1t~st rra :~ria s
CommuMyV1deos
Quti~tons
A.Sk.q~.o.-s~Oil>S~I"'dJO'I"' d ~CuUioM
Figure 7 SAP Finance Learning Room
0 ":I• • o...u :.on
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-
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~ead the U tvst News (vi9'>v all)
03 :s,o;J ...,11'1)(!..,-:t.o"' :om. SA~
H IP t ">> SAP ll"l),ot'l" • ~~•to"' o·~
•
....
•
Ewna
SAPliveAccess
• SAP Live Access allows you to deploy training systems configured specifically to
support the courses on the SAP Learning Hub. To gain access, you need a SAP

Learning Hub subscription, but you also need to purchase a separate contin-
gent/voucher that gives you 20 hours of system access. You can suspend and
resume your system activities as needed. You can also change to a different
course and order a new system within the allotted time. All current and future
financial courses for SAP S/4HANA are planned and designed to support SAP
Live Access.In Figure 8, you can see the SAP Live Access portal and some ofthe
SAP S/4HANA courses available to order for SAP Live Access.
~
!l't SAP Live Access
l?j l8l Ql ~ liiJ !!I ltri
Rf.lC cours~
"' r.ty ,.,.., ...,. S.ltiSf.lCIIOn
..., c...... C-onli'9ei'IIS Sy$tef'r'$
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Course Catalog
'
S41
IIIPCourseiD • Courselllle 11 Category Systemr.lease Actions
S4FOO_COI05 ovel'llew orFlnanclals in SAP SI4HANA cat. 3 SAP SI4HANA 1511 Buy newcontingent
S4F01_C01
05 Financial ACcounting In SAP SI4HANA cat. 3 SAP SI4HANA 1511 Buy newcontrngent
S4F02_C01
05 ManagementAccounting in SAP Sf4HANA cat 3 SAPS/4HANA 1511 Buy newcontingent
S4F03_C01
05 Finance Mlgratloo to SAP S/4HANA cat. 3 SAP S/4HANA 1511 Buy newcontingent
S4F10_C01
05
Business Processes in Financial Accounting in SAP
SI4HANA cat 3 SAP S/4HANA 1511 Buy newcontioaeot
S4F12_C01
05
Bastes of Customtzlllg ror Flnanclal Accounting: Gl. AP. AR
In St>P S/4HANA cat. 3 SAP S/4HANA 1511 Buy newcontingent
S4F13_COI05 AddiUonatFinancial Aocounting Configuration in SAP
S/4HANA cat. 3 SAP S/4HANA 1511 Buy new cootjnoent
S4F15_C01
05 FinancialClosing in SAP Sf4HANA cat. 3 SAP S/4HANA 1511 Buy new coptjogent
S4F17_C01
05 Asset Accounting in SAP SI4HANA cat. 3 SAP S/4HANA 1511 Buy newcontjogeot
S4F20_C01
05
Business Processes in ManagementAccounting in SAP
S/4HANA cat. 3 SAP S/4HANA 1511 Buy newcootjngeot
S4F22_COI05
COSt center and Internal Order ACcounting in SAP
S/4HANA cat. 3 SAP S/4HANA 1511 Buy newcontingent
S4F40_C01
05 SAP casn Management powerea by SAPHANA cat. 3 SAP S/4HANA 1511 Buy newcontrngem
TS4F01 _COI05 SAP SI4HANA Financial ACcounting 1 cat. 3 SAP SI4HANA 1511 Buy newcontingent
TS4F02_C0105 Financial Accounting Academy 11 cat. 3 SAP SI4HANA 1511 ayx new ~2n1ing~n1
Figure 8 SAP Live Access Catalog
As a complete offering, the SAP Learning Hub is a good way to gain the knowledge
required to pass the certification. In addition, however, it's the offering with the
most overall value because you get access to much more learning content, includ-
ing the latest releases from SAP Education.

Tips for Taking the Certification Exam 31
Tips for Taking the Certification Exam
We will now go over a few tips which will help better prepare you for the exam.
Studying the education materials is truly the key to passing the certification, but
we'll also analyze the question types you'll answer, and finally list a few tips and
tricks for before and during the exam.
Realign Your Perspective
The main objective of this book is to help you pass the certification exam for C_
TS4FI_1610: SAP Certified Application Associate - SAP S/4HANA for Financial
Accounting Associates (SAP S/4HANA 1610). This isn't the same as preparing you
for real-life consulting projects. Although the requirements for the exam and real-
life consulting overlap to a great extent, and SAP releases materials with content
and exercises that are relevant for consultants, remember that this certification
(and any application consultant-level certification) tests knowledge ofthe specific
materials it's based on. In other words, while your own experience will contribute
a lot to your success in the certification exam. and experience is arguably the sin-
gle-most important indicator of ability (at least until a certain experience level is
reached) in the real world, this isn't true for the certification. For the certification,
knowledge and an understanding of the material and scope of the courses is most
important.
For a consultant, life is full ofchoices, options, multiple paths, balance, and trade-
offs. In the world of certification, the truth is absolute; it's clear cut, it's detailed,
and it's documented. Certification isn't about best practices; it's about the only
practice. You might hear that SAP certifications are too focused on book knowl-
edge and are disconnected from real life. This criticism may be accurate to a
degree, but we strive for the opposite within the limitations of creating a 100%
foolproof certification exam for which all questions can be answered through
what is learned in the books without any wiggle room for doubt.
A recent graduate who has the test-taking methodology all figured out and the
process ofsitting down to take an exam all fresh in his memory will have an equal,
yet different advantage to the seasoned professional who is tested and uses his
knowledge each day to solve problems for customers.
What I am trying to say here is that yes, you need to study the education materials.
The exam isn't an exercise in memorization, but it's built around the book con-
tent.

What to Expect When Taking the Exam
As mentioned, the exam is based on multiple choice and multiple selection ques-
tions. All questions must have answers found directly or easily deducted from the
course book content.
In this section, we'll look at an example from each category based on questions
found in the sample questions PDF from the certification exam page, as shown in
Figure 9.
You want to make the field "Reference document number" required for entry.
Which object controls this setting?
Please choose the correct answer.
a) 0 Document type
b) 0 Document reference key
C) 0 Document field status
d) 0 Document postingkey
Figure 9 MultipleChoice Example
The multiple-choice question type is the most straightforward and is usually a
very specific question with a single very specific answer. In the example question
in Figure 9, you're asked where in the system you can mark the Reference field on
the journal entry header as a required entry. To answer this, you must know the
configurations made for a document type, which is the correct answer.
In Figure 10, you can see a sample multiple selection question where you must
select two options as correct out of the four. Again, this is a simple question with
simple answer options because it's testing knowledge ofsystem functions and not
ofEnglish. SAP avoids adding unneeded scenario information to a question; most
of the time, every element of a question is important, so read the question care-
fully, and read the question twice to make sure you have it. There is time, don't
rush it.
>> Note
Another thing to keep in mind is that the test questions aren't written to t rick you.
You can take the question at face value. There may be important details, but these
aren't designed to trip you up; instead, they are there to check that you compre-
hend a subj ect rather than just have it memorized.

Tips for Taking the Certification Exam 33
During which actions does the system assign the document number for Financial Accounting?
Note: There are 2 correct answers to this question.
a) 0 Park
b) 0 Hold
c) 0 Post
d) 0 S
imulate
Figure 10 Multiple Selection: Two Correct Out of Four
In the multiple selection question, you need to select both correct answer options
to have the answer marked correct. SAP doesn't give points for half a correct
answer because it doesn't deduct points for a wrong answer. The simple sample
question here is correct when you select both Post and Park answer options.
One level up the difficulty ladder is the multiple choice with three correct options
out of five, as shown in Figure 11. One additional answer option adds one further
parameter to consider and ultimately a greater chance ofgetting it wrong. In addi-
tion, it usually takes a bit longer just to read through it all and take it in.The ques-
tion here is which ofthe following fields can you enter when creating or changing
a G/L account. When you're sure of a field, then it's correct; don't overthink it.
Marking down the ones you're sure of leaves you with a simpler question. You
know one answer is correct, so you now have a two out offour question instead of
a two out offive question. Ifyou know two answers for sure, then you're left with
a one out ofthree question. It seems obvious, but eliminating options is the best
way to get them out of mind and out of sight. Concentrate on the real dilemma;
don't keep going over the ones you know. The same goes with wrong answer
options. Writing convincing wrong answers is challenging, so take advantage of
this, and when something looks out of place, know that it probably is. Eliminating
one answer from the possible correct options leaves you with three correct out of
four, which is much easier. If the direct knowledge approach doesn't work, go
ahead with the process of elimination. Knowing what is incorrect is as important
as knowing what is correct for the certification.
You'll have 3 hours to go through all exam questions. This gives you a little over
2 minutes per question. Questions are designed to be readable in 30 seconds on
average, so that should leave you plenty oftime to go through the full exam. Stay
relaxed and don't worry about the time; concentrate on the question at hand and

ifyou're unsure of the answer, move on. The system keeps track ofquestions that
haven't been answered. Before submitting the exam as final, always answer all
questions to the best ofyour ability. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so sub-
mitting no answer is a wasted chance at an educated guess.
Which entries can you define when maintaining aGILaccount?
Note: There are 3correct answers to this question.
3) 0 Account Type
-
b) 0 Field status group
c) 0 Profit center
d) 0 Account group
e) 0 ledger assignment
Figure11 M ultiple Selection: Three Correct Out of Five
SAP allows you to retake a certification exam up to three times. Both the order of
the questions and the order ofthe answers in a question are randomized. In other
words, you won't get new questions if you retake the same exam, but the ques-
tions will be mixed.
Tips and Tricks
Following is a list with some useful tips to use when preparing for the exam:
• Bulleted lists in materials are a great resource for creating questions, especially
multiple selection questions, so always keep your eyes open for the bulleted
lists.
• Use the assessment questions in the materials and in this book to gauge your
understanding of a topic. If you don't understand something, re-read the rele-
vant section, check the correct answer details, and, if needed, ask a question in
an online forum or community.
• There is a lot of content to cover, so give yourself the time required to study all
ofit. You won't be able to review all of it the night before the exam, so it's better
to invest in a goods night sleep rather than another review cycle.
• Get to the exam center or be ready for the cloud examination early. Remove as
many additional stress factors as possible; being late should not be something
you should have to worry about.

Additional Learning Resources 35
• Avoid or at least don't put too much heed in answering "certification" questions
outside official SAP resources.These are usually badly written and many times
answered incorrectly. The education courses (and this book) give you plenty to
work with.
Here are some tips for during the exam:
• Answer all questions, and bookmark the questions you're unsure of to revisit
them. This allows you to focus on the specific ones instead ofwasting time on
selections you made confidently.
• Experience has shown that your initial selection is usually better than a revised
one. Be careful with going back over questions and answers too many times.
• Don't worry too much about time. In most cases, you'll be able to go over the
questions two or three times ifyou want to.
• You don't have to get it all correct. Don't stress out because you hit two or three
questions in a row ofwhich you're unsure.Try to rationalize and keep your cool.
• Read the question a couple times, and confirm you understand the question by
restating it in your own words. Then, move to the answer options, and read
through all of them thoroughly. Even if it's a multiple choice and you identify
the right answer, always read all answer options.
• Eliminate the answer options that don't make sense or are obviously wrong.
Usually one of the wrong answers sticks out as incorrect, and the fewer options
you have, the better the chance ofselecting the right one.
• In some cases, there might be answer options that are paired. This means that if
one answer is correct, then the other must be wrong. Because both can't be cor-
rect, you must select one ofthe two in any case.
• Questions might look similar or might cover the same topic. Though SAP avoids
having too many questions that overlap, it does happen. Watch out for the dif-
ferentiators in the question and answer options, and treat them as new ques-
tions.
Additional Learning Resources
Undoubtedly, gaining the knowledge to pass the certification exam is important;
a certification is valuable in the job marketplace, and it does verify at least a certain
level of knowledge. However, in the IT field especially, innovation never stands
still, plus the sheer scope ofthe SAP product offerings, even just for Fl is truly awe
.
mspmng.

Not strictly for preparation of a certification but in the general scope of learning
more about different areas and keeping your knowledge up to date, the following
subsections provide a few useful resources for you to consider:
Early Knowledge Transfer Materials
These materials are created and provided by SAP Education in direct cooperation
with the development departments who build the solutions. Early Knowledge
Transfer materials are released and made available on the SAP Learning Hub
(requires a valid license) for every major product release on the day the product is
released to customers (RTC). For the on-premise edition ofSAP S/4HANA, a new set
of learning maps is created annually (Figure 12 shows the learning maps made
available for FI with SAP S/4HANA 1610) and updated as needed to include features
released with every new feature and service pack throughout the year.
Early Knowledge Transfer
Pt>wered by SAPKnowledge Transfer & Educat1on
SAP S/4HANA 1610: Start Your Up-Skilling NOW!
SAP S/4HANA 1610 EKT Learning M aps
SAil SJ4HANA Fi....x:e•
Fi'tancial Accounmo and SAP
Central Finance
elurn~q - rhrs
EPM Bus111ess Pf.annm and
Consotidation
SAP Real Esia!e EXCon!racts
elearn11g ... 9 hrs
Management Accountllg Treasury and Risk Management
ele.lrn~q - 6 hrs clc.unr.q- 10 Ius
Cash Management l ocali:ations
Figure 12 Early Knowledge Transfer Learning Maps for SAP S/4HANA Finance
With Early Knowledge Transfer, you get access to live and recorded webinars,
information for major useful links, and presentations ofwhat is new, how new fea-
tures work, and how to implement the new features in the system. The content is
delta in nature by default, so the learning maps are ideal to continue to stay cur-
rent on new functionality after you gain a baseline knowledge from SAP's full-
scale education courses. The education courses will take a subset ofwhat's new to
filter back into the core learning curriculum, and sometimes features or functions
are large and important enough to warrant a completely new course, as was the
case with the central finance implementation scenario for SAP S/4HANA (dis-
cussed in course S4F04).

Additiona l Learning Resources 37
SAP Best Practices Explorer
The SAP S/4HANA system deployment and the activate methodology is closely
integrated with the SAP Best Practices. Anew system will generally use a best prac-
tices package as the baseline on which a customer will build its own processes (or
in some cases, the customer will change its processes to match the best practices).
Through the SAP Best Practices Explorer (https://rapid.sap.com/bp, shown in
Figure13}, you can access detailed definitions ofthe best practices solution scopes,
test scripts detailing the steps to perform various business processes, and business
process diagrams that graphically depict processes steps.
8 < ~ .. SAP Best Practices Explorer Q.
Browse Packages / SAP $14HANA I On-PremoseI Download I8J [C
b!Y SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA (on premise)
Gennany LocaizatJon. For SAP S1
4HANA 1610
Overview Solution Scope Accelerators F~nd Out More
Name
v F1nance
~ Accounting and F.nancsalClose (JS8)
~ Accounting and F.nancsalCbse. Paralei
Ledger (1 GA)
~ Assel Accounbng (J62)
~ Asset Acoounbllg . Parallel Ledger (1GB)
Description
Achieve excelence in financial management &accounting·
In the face of sustained market volatiity. increasing
regulatory compliance. growing pressure on margins, and
managers demanding instantaneous financialinsightat any
time, from anywhere, finance organizations must have best
practices in place (0 excel.
Th1s process provides a comprehensive p1cture of external
accounting and accounts.
Thrs process rs an addrtronal scope nem to Accounbng and
Financial Close (J58). Itprovides ledger.spec-ific operation
posting• and ledger-specific period-end closing steps
Asset accounting is a subsidiary ledgerof the general ledger
and is used to manage and document fixed asset
transactions in detail
This process is an additional scope item to Asset Accourlting
(J62) It providesledger-spectfic uansactJons and repoots
Figure 13 SAP Best Practices Explorer for SAP S/4HANA
SAP Help Portal
The SAP Help Portal (https://help.sap.com; Figure 14) is an additional go-to place
for finding detailed information on SAP products. Especially for admin informa-
tion, it offers a wealth of details. With every release of SAP S/4HANA, you can
expect the following documents to be made available:

• Feature Scope Description
Provides an overview ofthe available features.
• Installation Guide
Helps to install SAP S/4HANA.
• Upgrade Guide
Describes the upgrade process of software versions.
• Conversion Guide
Supports the conversion from SAP ERP to SAP S/4HANA.
• UI Technology Guide
Gives all information on the UI implementation.
• Security Guide
Enables the implementation of a secure system landscape.
• Operations Guide
Helps to operate your system.
• Simplification List
Describes features that aren't in scope for SAP S/4HANA in comparison to SAP
ERP and provides alternatives.
IGettlllll! Started
Figure 14 SAP Help Portal
What's New
Product Assistance
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AdditionalLearning Resources 39
SAP User Assistance
The SAP Help Portal has a link to Product Assistance {lower middle ofthe screen in
Figure14). This is what was formally known as the SAP Library and has information
for each application and many processes in SAP S/4HANA, including configuration
steps. In Figure 15, you can see the page with details on General Ledger Accounting
(FI-GL} (New}, and, on the left, you can see the tree menu with details on each area
ofFI-GL.
gp""SAP User Assistance ..,.......,.. c"""""'' . -
mm
v Gcnotoll~ACCOUS'IIif"9 (FI.Q) t~)
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Figure 15 SAP User Assistance
General Ledger Accounting (FI-GL} (New}
Purpose
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accounooo prlr'<.IC)Ies
• WlttgroUOn Of LtQOian<l r.&onaf18tntnc Reporu~
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• Sf11mtnt Repec-ti~
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financaal Rtpor..t~o Slan<lards) andUS GAAP(Gefttra11y Acceptt<l Aoooun11ng Prtndf)le1} FOfltlls purpose. General
ltc.totr A.c:counbr.; (l()I'IUiins !IttStorntnt o.nenslon
• (0$1 ol Sates Ac'-OOnting
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contiirn the FunetloMIArea d1men~1on
SAP Fiori Apps Reference Library
The SAP Fiori apps reference library is an extremely important resource for you to
keep an eye on (https://.fioriappslibrary.hana.ondemand.com/sap/.fix/externa/-
Viewer). Here you see analytically every app made available for SAP Fiori. You can
quickly find new apps released and apps that have changed. For the native SAP
Fiori apps, you can find a short description of the functionality, and for all apps,
you get analytical details on how to configure them in your system. In Figure 16,
you can see an example for the Clear Outgoing Payments app, in which the appli-
cation details can be viewed for the different product releases (SAP S/4HANA, SAP
S/4HANA Cloud, SAP ERP, etc.).ln the search box, you can filter via many different
parameters such as line of business, product, release, and so on.

< Apj)S (333)
Seatch byApp Name
~ c
0.
Filtered by PrOduef. SUite {SAP E:.:l
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Manage CheckbOOks
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cash Management specialiSt.
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SAPSI4HANA v
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SAP Community
The SAP S/4HANA Community is another great way to gain valuable knowledge
and get assistance from other expert community members (https://www.sap.
comjcommunity/topic/s4hana.html; Figure 17). There are many blog posts with
useful how-to guides and plenty ofquestions already answered.

Additional Learning Resources 41
~ Solutions " Support Tra1nmg Communtty '· Developer v Partner ,, About - ~ ~ =.
ttGme I Corrmutllly I 8(1)wSe COrm'ullly I
SAP S/4HANA
SAP S/4HANA Community
Welcome to the SAP S/4HANAcommunity. Askquestions. share experiences, and buildyourknowfedge of
SAP'snextgeneration business S4.1ile •
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Figure 17 SAP S/4HANACommunity
openSAP
+ Ac-tions
openSAP is SAPs free enterprise Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) offering
(Figure 18). It has a wealth ofongoing and past-run courses for several topics focus-
ing on true innovation such as machine learning, Big Data, Internet ofThings, and
more.There isn't a lot ofcontent for FI specifically, and the detail level the courses
go into is usually not very deep, but this makes it a fantastic resource to keep up
with all the latest innovations and trends without requiring prior knowledge of
the topics.
Developing Java·Based Apps on
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Summary
You should now understand the various SAP S/4HANA certification options that
are relevant for this book's target audience. You know about the exam structure,
topic weighting, and required pass score ofthe C_TS4FI_1610 exam. You now know
which SAP Education training courses you can review or attend for your certifica-
tion examination and which related SAP courses and resources will complement
and further enhance your knowledge and skills.
Starting from the next chapter, we'll dive right in to the exam topics, starting with
an introduction and overview of SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA.

Chapterl
SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA,
and SAP Fiori
• Understand the SAP strategy for digital transformation
• Review basic SAP HANA technology
• Know the scope offinancials for SAP S/4HANA
• Provide an overview ofdeployment options for SAP S/4HANA
• Learn the SAP Fiori design pillars
• Use the SAP Fiori launchpad
• Know the basic SAP Fiori application types

44 Chapter 1 SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA, and SAP Fiori
In this chapter, we'll explore the architecture ofSAP HANA, describe the scope and
deployment options of SAP S/4HANA, and discuss the basic functions of the SAP
Fiori user interface (Ul).
Real-World Scenario
As a consultant, you need to understand the underlying architecture that the
SAP S/4HANA system is built on. SAP HANA is at the core ofthe SAP strategy,
andyou need to feel comfortable explaining this technology to yourcustom-
ers in simple terms. SAP HANA is a faster database, but there is more infor-
mation you should be able to pass on without scaring nontechnical people
off. SAP HANA is often perceived as expensive, so understanding technolo-
gies such as compression and columnar store, on a high level, can help you
build a case to alter this perception for your potential customers.
The SAP S/4HANA system is a separate product line to the old SAP ERP sys-
tem. SAP ERP is no longer the default go-to enterprise resource planning
(ERP) platform for SAP.This was a huge change and a business decision with
quite a large risk for SAP.It has proven to be successful, and more and more
customers are persuaded ofthe true benefits ofthe new system.But what is
special about it? How difficult is it to adopt? How can customers move to SAP
S/4HANA, and do they risk losing the (potentially) millions they have
invested in the "old" software? You need to be able to explain the reasons for
this move by SAP and what it means for new and existing SAP customers.
Finally, SAP Fiori is the default graphical user interface (GUI) for end users in
SAP S/4HANA, so you need to be able to use it with confidence, explain its
components, and describe the benefits it brings. Explain the importance ofa
simple interface with great usability with applications that can be used on a
mobile device as well as a desktop. You should also have knowledge of how
the tile groups, tile catalogues, roles, and users cooperate to form what the
user sees on his own SAP Fiori launchpad.
Objectives of This Portion of the Test
The purpose ofthis portion ofthe certification exam is to test yourgeneral knowl-
edge ofthe SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA, and SAP Fiori applications. The certification
exam expects you to have a good understanding ofthe following topics:

Key Concept Refresher Chapter 1 45
• Overview ofSAP HANA in-memory architecture
• SAP S/4HANA products, and architecture for financials
• Deployment options for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Fiori launchpad features
• SAP Fiori application types
>> Note
The SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA topic makes up 10% ofthe total exam.
Key Concept Refresher
Digital transformation is motivating innovation in business, and in this section,
we'll see how SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA support this innovation. We'll go over
the basic SAP HANA architecture and look at the technology that enables SAP
HANA to be the innovation platform ofthe future for SAP.
Additionally, we'll discuss the SAP S/4HANA solution, deployment options, and
system landscape. Finally, we look at the SAP Fiori UX and analyze basic generic
functions, application types, and administration tools.
Digital Transformation
As the technological world is expandingwith unprecedented speed, it's imperative
for businesses to not only catch up with these advances but also use them to their
competitive advantage. Computers and software are traditionally considered sup-
portive to business, and digital transformation brings the digital world to the fore-
front of innovation and makes it a key business driver on its own. Digital
transformation in business implies the adoption and use oftechnologies such as
Big Data, Internet ofThings (loT), mobile, artificial intelligence, and social media to
drive business innovation and growth.
Traditional business applications and ERP software aren't designed to fully sup-
port businesses in this transformative journey. SAP saw this growing gap as an
opportunity more than 10 years ago and created SAP HANA to be the core building
block of business software that not only supports but drives digital transforma-
tion. Today, SAP HANA is at the core ofvirtually all SAP product development. But
what is SAP HANA, and why is it so important?

SAP HANA Architecture
In the simplest form, SAP HANA is a database management system. It performs all
the expected database functions of storing and retrieving data for applications
that sit on top ofit, but SAP HANA is unique in how it performs these tasks. In addi-
tion, SAP HANA has embedded advanced analytics capabilities such as predictive
analytics and text analysis, mining, and search. SAP HANA also offers application
development services supporting a variety of programming languages. Finally,
SAP HANA offers a slew of data access, administration, and security support ser-
vices. Clearly, SAP HANA is much more than "just" a really fast database.
Interesting as all the features are, we'll concentrate on the database architecture a
bit. We won't get too technical,and we'll keep things in scope both of the certifica-
tion and the financial accounting associate role. The SAP HANA database has three
standout features that work together and make it unique:
• In-memory database
Using RAM to store all data has only even been imagined as a possibility in the
past decade or so. Memory is faster than disk storage-in fact, much faster. I
best-case scenario sequential reads, the best solid state disks today can read
data at about 3 GB/s. Modern, fast memory reads, writes, and copies at rates
around 60 GB/s. That is a factor of 20 against best-case scenario disk drive
speed. Of course, this method is more expensive, but these costs usually aren't
prohibitive for enterprises. In addition, the data storage capacities supported
aren't as large, but modern servers can support tens of terabytes capacity. The
memory size limitations are not critical in all but the most extreme cases due to
the other features ofSAP HANA, described in the next bulleted items.
• Aggressive compression
All major databases support compression, but what you save in space, you lose
in speed. SAP HANA uses smart techniques to make compression a viable
option while sacrificing little speed. You can expect data in an SAP HANA data-
base to be compressed by a factor of 10 on average, meaning both acquisition
cost and storage capacity aren't a huge factor. One ofthe ways SAP HANA avoids
losing speed is by inserting only new data rather than editing existing entries;
decompressing and recompressing for changing entries is a costly proposition.
By only adding entries and appending the old ones, SAP HANA doesn't go
through the compress/decompress cycle. With versioning, the system knows
always to read the latest entry for a given data set. This brings us to another
major technical difference that allows larger compression,discussed in the next
bullet item.

• Columnar data storage
SAP HANA uses the columnar data store type for two major reasons:
- much better compression
- faster data retrieval for queries (where only a subset ofthe full table data set
is required)
Column storage also works great for data aggregation (SAP HANA is used for ad
hoc aggregation a lot) and parallel processing. Column storage is more com-
monly found in Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) applications (e.g., business
warehouse systems) rather than Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) systems
(as a typical ERP might be considered), where row storage is considered faster.
Although SAP HANA supports both types of tables (developers can decide what
works for their use case), the columnar store is where SAP HANA shines.
Technology Enablers for SAP HANA Success
Most databases are designed to work optimally with the technology available at
the time of their design. The de facto approach before SAP HANA was for applica-
tions to minimize disk access requirements and perform calculations in the code.
However, as technology continues to progress, this design is no longer the only
way to go. Following are the main technology drivers and trends that led SAP to
invest in SAP HANA:
• Large-volume, extremely h igh-bandwidth, affordable memory
Memory has always been much faster, but 20 years ago, it was inconceivable to
be able to purchase and take advantage ofthe volumes that we can today.
• New generation microprocessors with multiple cores and larger optimized
caches
CPUs can now access data at much higher rates than in the past.
• Expandable modular data centers
Modular data centers that can be expanded by adding servers for more memory
and processing power to scale to any new sizing requirements.
• Cloud computing applications
These apps are used more and more by customers as an alternative to investing
in on premise software, even for critical backend components. Customers save
on IT costs, and their solution is always up to date. The subscription model
makes the cost of ownership more transparent and increases flexibility as the
buy-in is smaller.

SAPS/4HANA
SAP S/4HANA is the new ERP solution by SAP. As the name implies, it's optimized
for SAP HANA. In fact, unlike all previous ERP solutions by SAP, it will only work on
SAP HANA. SAP S/4HANA comprises the SAP S/4HANA Enterprise Management
digital core, the component closest in scope to the SAP ERP solution, and various
line of business (LoB) solutions, which are generally cloud solutions that are SAP
products through mergers and acquisitions and that have been and are being opti-
mized to work together as a seamless integrated solution (Figure 1.1). Following are
the main LoB solutions you should be aware of:
• SAP Hybris Sales, SAP Hybris Customer Support, and SAP Hybris Marketing
• SAP SuccessFactors and SAP Fieldglass for human resource management
• Concur for travel management
• SAP Ariba for sourcing and procurement
SAP Hybris
SAP
Fieldglass
SAP Ariba
SAP
S/4HANA
Digital Core
Concur
SAP
Successfactors
Figure 1.1 SAP S/4HANA, the Digital Core
Now let's explore the digital core, which is where you find the financial compo-
nents this exam is about. SAP S/4HANA is a new breed ofERP written specifically
with two major goals in mind:
• Writing code to take advantage ofSAP HANA
SAP removes architectural redundancies to simplify and speed up the system.
New code was developed for the core system architecture that did away with the

aggregation tables the old system relied on. The system doesn't use separate
totals tables to store values; instead, totals are calculated on the fly from the line
items. The system also did away with the index tables used for reporting
because SAP HANA is fast enough to work on the line item level. Indices
increase code complexity and have been removed. These are ambitious simpli-
fication steps that seem incompatible with the second goal.
• Safeguarding existing customer investments
Writing a completely new logic for the SAP S/4HANA system was and is ambi-
tious, but doing so while maintaining compatibility with custom code written
for the previous SAP ERP seems like it would require some form of witchcraft.
However, this is exactly what SAP programmers have managed. The exact
description of the mechanism isn't in scope for this certification, but, in a nut-
shell, SAP HANA compatibility views make it possible to replicate obsolete
tables on the fly. In this way, an existing program that, for example, reads data
from an index table (that was removed in SAP S/4HANA} can continue to
retrieve the data as the system creates an on-the-fly replication of the original
table. Another manifestation of this goal is the option SAP offers to customers
to transform their SAP ERP system into an SAP S/4HANA system and continue
business as usual without extensive downtimes.
Figure 1.2 shows how data is accessed for traditional applications that use compat-
ibility views and aggregates, and the simplification achieved from reading directly
from line item tables with SAP HANA-optimized apps.
Non SAP HANA-Optimized
Application
Compatibility View
Aggregate/!ndex
Compatibility View
Aggregate/Index
Compatibility View
Aggregate/Index
Table
Figure 1.2 SAP HANA Application Simplification
Compatibility View
Aggregate/Index
Compatibility View
Aggregate/Index
Table

>> Note
For a litt le history, t he first component of the SAP ERPto be "simplified" through
module unification and removal of aggregates was Finance w ith the release of
the SAP Simple Finance 1503 add·on. The separate financials·only version of SAP
S/4HANA is sold as a separate product: SAP S/4HANA Finance (current version at
the time of writing is1605).
SAP S/4HANA Deployment Options
SAP S/4HANA has two basic deployment options: on premise and cloud. The two
editions ofSAP S/4HANA aren't the same; they (currently} differ in scope and capa·
bilities. On premise is the more complete solution, however, new functionalities
are made available for both editions, and the cloud is catching up quickly. In addi·
tion, new versions of SAP S/4HANA Cloud are automatically deployed to cloud
customers, whereas on-premise customer systems must be upgraded (and sup·
ported in general) manually, typically by an administrator from the in·house IT
department. Customers might also decide to use both types of systems at the
same time, for example, having an on-premise system for the large subsidiaries
but adopting a cloud system for smaller subsidiaries with smaller transaction vol·
umes and less complex business scenarios.
Tip
SAP naming conventions mandate t hat when referring to the on-premise edition,
t he product is SAP S/ 4HANA. The cloud edition is referred to as SAP S/ 4HANA
Cloud.
SAP S/4HANA Adoption
Customers have three major options to start using the SAP S/4HANA: new imple·
mentation, system conversion, and landscape transformation. Let's drill down on
these adoption options:
1. New implementation
In this case, customers can move from their legacy system (SAP ERP or a non·
SAP system) and implement SAP S/4HANA from scratch. This scenario is also
known as a greenfield approach. Customers with older, highly customized ERP
solutions might prefer this option to clean-up their system and start over.This
option is available for all editions of SAP S/4HANA.

2. System conversion
This is for customers who wantto convert their existing SAP ERP system into an
SAP S/4HANA system. The benefit is that customers can move to SAP S/4HANA
without a re-implementation and with no major disruption to existing busi-
ness processes. Once the conversion is completed, customers can gradually
update their processes to adapt to SAP S/ 4HANA and SAP Fiori. This option is
only available for on-premise customers ofSAP S/4HANA.
Tip
The specific tasks required of an Fl consultant during a system conversion project
are a part of the SAP Certified Application Professional - Financials in SAP 5/
4HANA certification curriculum. Yet, this is out of scope for t he application associ-
ate certification.
3. Landscape transformation
This adoption method is for customers who want to consolidate their land-
scape, or to selectively bring data into an SAP S/4HANA system.
For example, through Central Finance, customers can take advantage of the
features and advantages of the Universal Journal and reporting using the SAP
S/ 4HANA system. In this case, the source systems remain intact and business
transactions are still performed in the source systems. Landscape transforma-
tion scenarios work on-premise and may selectively work with the cloud
deployment as well.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud Options
SAP S/4HANA Cloud is offered in the following flavors:
• SAP S/ 4HANA Cloud, private option:
- Resources are dedicated to one customer, and the system is accessed through
a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
- The system is owned, managed, and operated by the customer, a third party,
or both.
- Servers can be on or offcustomer premises.
- This is the closest option to an on-premise system.
• SAP S/4HANA Cloud, public option:
- The system resources are shared by multiple customers (multitenant system).
- Customers Jog on through an Internet portal.

- Servers are on the premises of the third-party cloud provider (not the cus·
tomer).
• SAP S/4HANA Cloud, hybrid option:
- This is a combination oftwo or more distinct clouds.
- The systems are integrated through technology that enables data and appli·
cation portability.
Warning
The certification and this book focus only on SAP S/4HANA (i.e., t he on-premise
version).
The SAP S/4HANA System Landscape
System landscapes can vary greatly depending on the customer requirements and
legacy ERP systems in use. A new installation for SAP S/4HANA would typically
require two basic productive systems: the SAP S/4HANA backend server, and an
SAP Gateway server. The SAP S/4HANA backend is, ofcourse, the required compo·
nent because without this, there is no ERP. The SAP Gateway server is where the
connections and settings to SAP Fiori are established. SAP Fiori is an optional com·
ponent ofSAP S/4HANA; however, you aren't taking full advantage ofSAP S/4HANA
without it. You can access both with the traditional SAP GUI, in Figure 1.3 you can
see the SAP Logon window with the two education systems, T41 is the back-end
server and T4N is the gateway server.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
@ SAP logon 740 _ I"! X
..........
log On Venable L
ogoo... D I? WIiJ 0 ri:J !A
Name A
tilT41[SPACE]
tf.lT4N[SPACE)
System Desc!lltion SID
SAP S/ 4HANA T41
SAP Netweaver T4N
~I
Figure 1.3 SAP Logon Screen w ith SAP S/4HANA Backend and SAP Gateway Server
The SAP Fiori User Interface
SAP Fiori is the common design paradigm for SAP. The SAP Fiori design language
affects the look and feelofall things SAP and not only the interface of the new SAP

S/4HANA system. SAP recognized that everyday apps are becoming simpler to use
and more flexible. Business software needs to keep up with this development or
else the disconnect between "work software" and "daily apps" will cause issues in
user acceptance, satisfaction, and productivity.
To create apps in SAP Fiori, you use the SAPUIS framework. This framework is in
turn based on the open source OpenUIS framework, with the addition of a few
extra SAP-specific tools. SAPUIS is an open-source framework; that is, anyone can
use it and implement improvements. The main development tools include
HTMLS, CCS3, jQuery, and )avaScript. Basing the entire development platform on
open standards with general and broad acceptance ensures a lot of people will be
familiar with the tools needed to develop SAP Fiori apps and that the apps have
great compatibility with multiple device platforms.
SAP Fiori User Experience Paradigm
The SAP Fiori design and user experience paradigm is built on five principles:
• Role-based
Applications should be focused on providing the functionality required for a
specific task. Complex screens with infinite selection options and one app for
doing everything isn't the aim.
• Responsive
Apps should be usable on multiple devices and be able to adjust the interface to
fit the device size, input methods, and so on.
• Simple
Apps should not need a manual or special training to be used. The apps should
be designed for a single user and use case and require no more than three
screens end to end.
• Coherent
The design has to be coherent between apps, and users should feel instantly
familiar when accessing new apps. Also, apps should be designed with technical
coherence as well, meaning they can be ported to other systems and speak the
same language.
• Instant value
Apps need to be useful immediately, meaning they need to be easy to install,
configure, and deploy in your IT landscape. On the user side, the purpose ofthe
apps should be clear, and users should have no problem learning how to use

them. Ideally, users who have seen a couple ofSAP Fiori apps in action should be
able to move on to other apps without needing help or training.
SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA
SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA refers more specifically to the apps available for the
system. The SAP development teams are constantly developing new native appli-
cations for SAP Fiori to replace the traditional and usually "busier" SAP GUI apps
that SAP S/4HANA inherited. Native applications can also make use ofall the excit-
ing new technology available with SAP S/4HANA such as conversational UJ,
machine learning, immersive experiences, and so on. SAP S/4HANA Finance has a
good head start, and quite a few native applications are already available.
In addition to the native SAP Fiori apps, you can also launch SAP GUI apps from the
SAP Fiori launchpad, which will be launched in the web browser with an SAP Fiori
"look" design theme called Belize (see Figure 1.4). The scope of the SAP ERP apps is
huge, and not immediately having to replace replacing everything at once gives
SAP some breathing room to create useful and simpler native applications with-
out sacrificing scope coverage. Customers can always develop their own apps as
well, and easily adding SAP GUI apps to SAP Fiori allows any legacy custom ABAP
apps to work through SAP Fiori.
You can see an example ofthe SAP Fiori look classic applications in Figure 1.4. The
basic design elements for these include:
• Atext based toolbar instead of icons
• All labels are right aligned
• New design icons with common design language
• Condensed table rows
• The SAP Fiori header back button replaces the in-app navigation controls
• Tab strips (the active tab highlighting) are redesigned
• Processing and closing actions are moved to the footer ofthe screen
Tip
SAP GUI apps are referred to by SAP in the new system as SAP S/4HANA classic
applications.

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SAP S/4HANA Financial Accounting Certification Guide

SAP S/4HANA Financial Accounting Certification Guide

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