Explore other potential sources of reports

Find reports within application menus

Use the functions of the General Report Tree

Conduct a systematic search for standard reports in the R/3 System

In this chapter you will learn how to:

3

Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3

Contents

Finding Reports in R/3: The Big Picture ..............................................................32

A Suggested Strategy to Finding Reports ...........................................................33

The General Report Tree........................................................................................34

Other Report Repositories...................................................................................313

The R/3 Report Navigator ....................................................................................314

Finding Reports within Application Areas.........................................................316

External Sources to Find R/3 Reports................................................................319

What if a Desired Report Is Not Found...............................................................320

Review ...................................................................................................................322

Fundamentals of Reporting 31

Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 Finding Reports in R/3: The Big Picture

Finding Reports in R/3: The Big Picture

The R/3 System contains more than 3,000 standard reports. Ironically, companies often comment that finding standard reports in the R/3 System is one of the key reporting challenges they face. A June 1998 study conducted by the Aberdeen Group concluded that users who found reporting to be very painful felt that the problem lay in understanding exactly what is available.

Before exploring approaches to finding standard reports that fit your needs, it is helpful to understand the basic reporting landscape in the R/3 System. In general, reports in the R/3 System are available within the application areas where a user is likely to need them. To provide easier access, standard reports are also available in repositories. Additionally, many reports can be found within the development areas linked to the report development tools provided with R/3. As shown in the graphic below, you can find standard reports in report repositories, application areas, and report development areas.

R/3Reports

R/3Reports

ReportRepositories

ReportRepositories

ApplicationAreas

ApplicationAreas

ReportDevelopment

Tools

ReportDevelopment

Tools

Report Repositories The General Report Tree is by far the largest collection of standard reports available in the R/3 System. In it, you can find reports that span all application areas and functions. To search through all available standard reports, choose Information systems General report selection. For more information on the General Report Tree, refer to page 34.

Application Areas You can find reports related to a particular application area in the menu path for the task. For example, to generate a list of all open sales orders, a sales clerk working in the Sales and distribution (SD) area can do is choose (from the SAP main menu) Logistics Sales and distribution Sales Order List.

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 A Suggested Strategy to Finding Reports

Most all reports available within the application areas are also available in the General Report Tree. For more information on finding reports within application areas, refer to page 316.

Report Development Tools You can find reports related to a specific application or function in many of the work areas used by the report development tools. Many of the tools provide standard reports for normal use. In addition, you can also create new reports by using these standard reports as a reference. Most reports delivered with the standard tools are also available in the General Report Tree. For more information on the report development tools, refer to chapters 6 through 11 of this guidebook, and Report Development Tools, book 2 of this guidebook series.

A Suggested Strategy to Finding Reports

To fully explore available standard reports, consider using the search strategy shown:

Consider Custom ReportDevelopment

YesFound report? No

Check Other Sources

YesFound report?

Check Application Area(s)

YesFound report? No

From the SAP main menuchoose Information systems General report sel. Check General Report Tree

Is a standard report available forthe business process?

1

3

2

Done!

Explore available informationsystems (or other reportoptions) nested in the menusfor your application. Forexample, Logistics Sales anddistribution Sales informationsystem.

Explore other resources suchas OSS, SAPNet, or AmericanSAP Users Group (ASUG) formore information on desiredreports.

No

Review Chapter 6, Choosing theRight Report Development Tools.

Fundamentals of Reporting 33

Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 The General Report Tree

Use the table below to learn more about finding reports in the R/3 System:

To learn more about Go to

Checking the General Report Tree Page 34, (or page 314 for Releases 3.0D to 3.1H)

Checking the application areas Page 316

Checking other reporting resources Page 319

Checking report development tools to see if reports that match your needs have been previously created. Note: If you have limited experience with reporting tools, you may want to have someone help you analyze the tools, or direct this task to designated technical users.

Chapters 6 through 11 in this guidebook, and book 2, Report Development Tools

Developing or customizing (if appropriate) Chapters 6 through 11 in this guidebook; and book 2, Report Development Tools

The General Report Tree

The General Report Tree contains over 3,000 reports, organized into application-specific folders. In addition, some smaller report trees are also linked within some of the applications. Report trees are hierarchical structures that can contain standard SAP reports. Report trees can be customized to include user-defined reports. In an R/3 System, there can be any number of report trees, and the nodes of each report tree can offer any number of reports.

General Report Tree for Release 4.0B The General Report Tree has been greatly expanded for R/3 Releases 4.0B and later. Although the expanded list of reports is included in Release 4.5A, it was not a part of Release 4.0B. To access the expanded library of reports, Release 4.0B users should refer to the Online Support Service (OSS) note 123601. If you are using Release 4.0B, contact your system administrator to make sure your General Report Tree uses the new expanded list of standard reports.

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 The General Report Tree

Using the General Report Tree The General Report Tree includes a number of useful features for manipulating the report tree structure and accessing nodes and reports.

Functions of the General Report Tree

With report trees, you can: < Execute reports and display pregenerated lists < Execute reports in the background < Expand and collapse nodes < Restrict the display to one particular subtree < Search for nodes or reports < Display the attributes of a report < Jump between nodes < Create variants < Display report documentation < Access and start reports not in the report tree < Display the color legend for nodes in the report tree < Get additional documentation on report tree functions < Define an initial position for the tree structure display < Switch the technical names of nodes and reports on/off < Switch authorization groups for nodes on/off

Where to learn more Some of the features listed above are explained in this section. However, for more information on the General Report Tree, refer to: R/3 Library (HTMLhelp) BC-Basis components Basis Services/Communication Interfaces General Report Selection.

Fundamentals of Reporting 35

Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 The General Report Tree

Searching for Reports

1. To access the General Report Tree from the SAP main menu, choose Information systems General report selection.

2

The list of applications (for example, Accounting) is shown; the reports are contained within the application folders.

2. Choose Edit Find Objects.

4

3

3. In the Title field, enter the keywords to narrow your search (for example, you could enter G/L * to find all report titles that start with the term G/L).

4. Choose Execute. The Report hit list (shown on the next page) appears with a listing of all the report titles that start with G/L. In our example, the user is interested in the G/L Line Items report.

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 The General Report Tree

6

5

5. Position the cursor on G/L Line Items.

6. Choose Display docu. The documentation for the G/L Line Items report is displayed.

7

7. After you have reviewed the documentation, choose the back arrow to return to the Find Report screen.

8. Choose . You are now taken directly to the location of the Line Items folder in the Application Tree Report Selection General screen. Expand the Line Items folder and double-click on G/L Line Items to run the report.

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 The General Report Tree

To display detailed documentation on a report directly from the General Report Tree screen:

1. Expand the tree and position the cursor on the relevant report.

2. Choose Goto Documentation.

You can use the following functions to manipulate the report tree structure of the General Report Tree, and access nodes and reports.

Executing Reports

To execute a report:

1. Click + (plus sign) to expand the report tree structure until you reach a required report.

2. Position the cursor on the report. In the following example, the G/L Line Items report is selected.

3. Choose Execute.

3

1 2

Note: As shown above, in some cases a report can be both a folder name and a report name. Reports are distinguishable in the hierarchy by their lighter background color (for example, G/L Line Items on the above screen.

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 The General Report Tree

Hierarchy of the General Report Tree To help users find the reports they need, the General Report Tree is structured as a hierarchy with four levels:

1. The top level contains the individual R/3 System applications.

2. The second level contains the work areas of each application.

3. The third level contains the objects of each work area. In some cases, reports are located at this level and can be started at once. Similarly, some work areas will be further sub-divided (for easier report selection), so that there can be many subfolders to an application.

4. The fourth level generally contains the reports and previously generated lists available for each object.

Executing Reports in the Background

To execute a report in the background:

1. Expand the report tree structure until you reach a desired report.

2. Position the cursor on the report and choose Nodes Exec.in background. Before you can execute a report in the background, you must create a variant for the report and schedule a background job. For more information about creating variants and scheduling background jobs, see chapters 4 and 5.

Expanding and Collapsing Subtrees

To expand or collapse a subtree:

1. Position the cursor on the relevant node.

2. Choose Edit Expand sub-tree or Edit Collapse sub-tree. Switching Authorization Groups for Nodes On/Off

To determine which users have access to reports, an authorization group can be assigned to each node. If no authorization group is specified for a node, it inherits the authorization group of the superior node in the report tree structure.

To switch the display of authorization groups for nodes on/off, choose Settings Authorization groups on/off.

Fundamentals of Reporting 39

Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 The General Report Tree

Switching the Display of Technical Names of Nodes and Reports On/Off

To switch the display of technical names of reports on/off choose Settings Tech.names on/off.

Technical Name

The technical names typically indicate either a program name or transaction code. To learn more about technical names, refer to page 317.

Restricting the Display to One Subtree

To restrict the report tree structure display to a particular subtree:

1. Position the cursor on the relevant node.

2. Choose Set focus.

The path from the root is displayed on the first line.

Defining the initial position for the tree structure display When you use the Set focus function to restrict the view to a particular subtree, you can specify that this view be displayed each time you access the report tree structure. Choose Settings Define init.position.

Displaying the Attributes of a Report

To display the attributes of a particular report:

1. Expand the report tree structure and position the cursor on the relevant report.

2. Choose Edit Node attributes.

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The resulting dialog box displays the following information (if present):

Note that the report shown above was written in ABAP; it has a technical name RFSOPO00 but no special settings have been configured for its selection screen.

Displaying the Color Legend for Nodes in the Report Tree

To display the color key for report tree nodes Utilities Color legend. In the following dialog box, you can see the current colors for tree structure nodes, reports, and saved lists:

Getting Additional Documentation on Report Tree Functions

To get additional documentation on report tree functions, choose Utilities Online manual.

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More on the General Report Tree for Release 4.0B

As noted earlier in this chapter, the 4.0B General Report Tree is available for download via OSS note 123601. To view contents of this downloadable tree, use the Microsoft Excel 97 spreadsheet supplied on the companion CD delivered with this guide. The Excel spreadsheet contains the complete list of reports from the General Report Tree for Release 4.0B. Shown below is a preview of the spreadsheet you will find on the companion CD. < You can use this list to search among the reports you might need. Note: The general

report tree for Release 4.0B does not include all reports from Release 4.5A. Some new reports created for Release 4.5A were not available for Release 4.0B.

< As shown on the right side of the screen below, each report has a technical name associated with it. Typically, this technical name is a report name or a transaction code.

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 Other Report Repositories

Other Report Repositories

In addition to the General Report Tree described in the previous section, individual report trees are available within the application menus.

For example, access to the HR (Human resources) report tree is described below.

1. From the SAP main menu, choose Human resources Information system. 2. The Human Resources menu for report access and development is shown.

3. Select the Report tree button.

3

A report tree (see below) appears.

Note: The reports listed here are also contained in the General Report Tree, but the application trees are a refined subset which users may prefer to use within their specific work areas.

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 The R/3 Report Navigator

The R/3 Report Navigator

Developed by the R/3 Simplification Group (of SAP Labs, Inc.), the R/3 Report Navigator is a reporting tool to help users find and understand standard reports. The R/3 Report Navigator provides a directory of over 2,000 operational reports available in the standard R/3 System in versions 3.0D through 3.1H.

Availability of R/3 Report Navigator The R/3 Report Navigator is only available for the following releases:

< Release 3.1H < Release 3.1G < Release 3.0F < Release 3.0E < Release 3.0D If you are adding reports to the R/3 Report Navigator in the R/3 SAPgui versionor modifying the structurebe aware that the Report Navigator is no longer being developed. For later R/3 System releases (beyond Release 3.1H), the report library from the Report Navigator is now a part of the General Report Tree.

Users of R/3 System Releases 3.0D 3.1H can use the Report Navigator to find reports for a technical team. However, the General Report Tree would be used to store the links to reports, and is what should be made available to end users.

The R/3 Report Navigator is available in a choice of SAPgui, HTML, and HTMLHelp editions. In this chapter, we will look at the SAPgui edition (see page 315). However, information about the HTML and HTMLHelp editions, as well as a feature comparison among them, is provided in appendix A.

To order the R/3 Report Navigator, or for more information about this product, visit the R/3 Simplification Groups website at www.saplabs.com/simple.

Using the Report Navigator Use of the R/3 Report Navigator will depend on the edition used: R/3 SAPgui, HTML, or HTMLHelp. Some of the features common to all three versions include: < A list of more than 2,000 R/3 reports < Reports organized into folders, according to application areas and business processes < Support of R/3 System Releases 3.0D3.1H < Info sheets containing report documentation < Report documentation in a structured template

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 The R/3 Report Navigator

R/3 Report Navigator: SAPgui Edition The R/3 SAPgui edition provides several benefits over the stand-alone versions: < Online execution of reports < Documentation can be changed < Reports can be added and structures can be modified. An example of a documented Report Navigator report in the R/3 GUI edition is shown below:

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 Finding Reports within Application Areas

Finding Reports within Application Areas

Some reports are linked directly to tasks in the R/3 System. You can call such a report by choosing the appropriate function from one of the menus while you are working in a particular application. System users can intuitively navigate through the menu paths in their task to find the report they need.

Shown below are two examples of reports that are integrated within the menu paths for applications.

Example 1: From the Purchasing menu of Materials management, a purchasing clerk can find various reports on purchase orders. As shown in the graphic below, these reports are located right next to the functions a purchasing clerk is likely to perform on a daily basis (for example, create, change, or display a purchase order). To access the purchasing reports, choose the following menu path: Logistics Materials Management Purchasing Purchase order List displays.

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 Finding Reports within Application Areas

Example 2: Within the Organization Management section of Human resources, a Human Resources manager can find a report on job positions by using the following menu path: Human resources Organization management Reporting Position Authorities/resources

The examples shown do not illustrate how to find reports among all applications. However, the examples show that reports are often integrated with standard R/3 functionality according to the each business application area. Reports that tend to find use in several applications are often included in several menus.

Using Technical Names Most reports can be executed outside of application menu paths using their technical names. The technical names of these reports include: < Program names < Transaction codes

Using technical names and transaction codes Executing reports using program names or transaction codes is often not preferable. To exercise better authorization control, it is not advisable to show technical names to users. We show this option here to provide implementation teams (and users) an idea of other ways to access reports. There are other ways to access reports, such as customized area menus and user menus, but this is covered in the online documentation and will not be covered in this chapter.

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 Finding Reports within Application Areas

Program Name

If you know the program name for the report, you can quickly find the report you are looking for.

1. From the SAP main menu, you might choose System Services Reporting.

3

2

2. In the Program field, enter the name of the report. Note: The program name shown here is for illustration purposes only.

3. Choose Execute.

Transaction Code

If you know the transaction code, you can call up the desired report as shown below:

2 1

1. In the command field, enter /n, followed by the transaction code. Note: The transaction code shown here is for illustration purposes only.

2. Choose Enter.

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 External Sources to Find R/3 Reports

How do I find out the program name and transaction code for my report? When you are within a program (transaction), you can find the name of the program or transaction code by using the menu path: System Status. Shown below are both technical names:

1. Transaction code

2. Program name

1 2

External Sources to Find R/3 Reports

Do not reinvent the wheel! Before jumping into custom report development, consider exploring some other resources that could save you time and money.

The following online resources offer a wealth of information on reporting-related topics:

SAP Resources

OSS (R/3 Online Support Service)

Check with your SAP administrator to learn how to use the SAP OSS to find information on reporting issues.

SAPNet

SAPs website for customers and partners is filled with valuable information on a variety of topics. SAPNet service for customers and partners is covered by the software maintenance. SAPNet users can access comprehensive information about SAP, participate in forums to exchange information on various topics, and take advantage of numerous services.

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 What if a Desired Report Is Not Found

To access SAPNet, visit http://sapnet.sap-ag.de. You will need your OSS user ID and password to log into SAPNet.

R/3 Simplification Group

You will find valuable information on reporting tools, issues, and recent reporting developments at SAP. Visit the Simplification Group web site at www.saplabs.com/simple.

Note: You can also find out more information about this guidebook series, including the most recently available materials to download, by going to the web site: www.saplabs.com/rme. To find out more about other guidebooks offered by the R/3 Simplification Group, go to www.saplabs.com/simple.

Other Resources Consultants and implementation teams frequently use the following forums to discuss reporting-related matters. In some instances consultants and reporting teams have used this channel to share ABAP source code with their peers. < American SAP Users Group: www.asug.com < SAP R/3 mailing list: www.documentation.com/saplist/saplist.htm < Other R/3-related websites: www.saptechjournal.com www.sapfaq.com www.sapfans.com www.sapclub.com www.sapassist.com www.erphub.com www.erpsupersite.com

Note: The inclusion of non-SAP resources here is strictly for informational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement in any way.

What if a Desired Report Is Not Found

If you are unable to find a report that meets your needs, consider exploring standard reports that are similar to the desired report. Start by completing a report specification form (see appendix C for a sample report specification form).

Specifically, one of the questions on the form asks you to enter the names of reports that are similar to the one you need. Information about similar reports would give a head start to a report developer. A standard report used as a base can save development time and effort.

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 What if a Desired Report Is Not Found

The report specification form should also be used to help you decide which reporting tools are best suited for report development. For more information on choosing the right development tool, refer to chapter 6.

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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 Review

Review

< The General Report Tree is a repository of standard reports in the R/3 System. It contains more than 3,000 reports. The enhanced report tree is standard in releases later than 4.0B. However, for Release 4.0B, the enhanced report tree is available only through OSS Note 123601.

< In addition to the General Report Tree, information about other report repositories can be found in appendix A.

< Reports can be found within application menus. These reports can also be found in the General Report Tree (Release 4.0B and later).

< Users can search for reports by report titles, technical names, or transaction codes. < Reports not found in standard R/3 can be identified using a report specification form.

See appendix C for more information on how to use a sample report specification form to identify standard R/3 reports that closely match the desired report.

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Finding Reports in R/3 Finding Reports in R/3: The Big Picture Report Repositories Application Areas Report Development Tools A Suggested Strategy to Finding Reports The General Report Tree Using the General Report Tree Searching for Reports Executing Reports Executing Reports in the Background Expanding and Collapsing Subtrees Switching Authorization Groups for Nodes On/Off Switching the Display of Technical Names of Nodes and Reports On/Off Restricting the Display to One Subtree Displaying the Attributes of a Report Displaying the Color Legend for Nodes in the Report Tree Getting Additional Documentation on Report Tree Functions

Other Report Repositories The R/3 Report Navigator Using the Report Navigator R/3 Report Navigator: SAPgui Edition

Finding Reports within Application Areas Using Technical Names Program Name Transaction Code

External Sources to Find R/3 Reports SAP Resources OSS (R/3 Online Support Service) SAPNet R/3 Simplification Group

Other Resources

What if a Desired Report Is Not Found Review