How to Add Custom Fields to a Fixed Asset

Enhance fixed asset master data in your SAP ERP system by activating a user exit and creating a custom screen. You then can track additional characteristics of a fixed asset to report on and comply with industry- or country-specific requirements.

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Key Concept

User exits allow users to add functionality to SAP’s standard program logic without having to modify the original code. SAP delivers more than 2,000 exits that users can later activate. They don’t conflict with standard SAP source code and are upward compatible.

As a way to make their master data more relevant, many users attempt to enhance it with attributes such as classification or reporting designations, while others want to make changes to serve industry-specific functions, such as US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements in the industry solutions (IS)-pharmaceutical solution.

The methods for enhancing master data in different modules vary because each module has unique requirements. I’ll show you a four-step process for addressing Asset Accounting (FI-AA) reporting and compliance-driven requirements. With this better design for your master data, you can add custom fields to the FI-AA master record.

You add the fields by populating the desired fields in table ANLU and writing simple ABAP code to transfer the contents of each custom field. You then add the fields to a master data screen using SAP’s Screen Painter and perform some simple configuration to modify the master data screen layout. This process, which applies to both R/3 and SAP ERP Central Component (ECC) systems, helps solve compliance issues such as the FDA industry requirements I mentioned. Before I go into more detail about implementing this enhancement, I first need to explain a common definition for a user field as it relates to FI-AA.

Discover the Logic and Parameter Changes in the New Depreciation Calculation

As of mySAP ERP 2005, SAP has delivered a new depreciation calculation in Asset Accounting. This algorithm introduces new depreciation concepts as well as new functionality — period interval-based parameters and time-dependent depreciation parameters.

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Key Concept

The new depreciation calculation available with mySAP ERP 2005 is 100% compatible with the older one. No configuration changes are required as part of this process and you do not need to migrate data, either. Included in this new calculation is a piece of functionality that now makes it possible to invoke changes to an asset’s depreciation calculation on a period basis. Several new Business Add-Ins allow further customization of the depreciation calculation.

As part of the functional enhancements in the mySAP ERP 2005 release, SAP has changed the underlying depreciation calculation that the Asset Accounting (FI-AA) subledger uses to depreciate fixed assets. The justifications for making such a fundamental change were to make the depreciation calculations easier to understand and to roll out new functionality that was required in various countries. Some of these country-specific requirements were related to their unique accounting rules and currencies. The main items SAP included in this release are:

• Period interval-based calculation
  
  
• Time-dependent depreciation parameters
  
  
• Depreciation method changeover on period level
  
  
• Base value determination on period level
  
  
• New transaction type groups
  
  
• New fixed asset depreciation trace
  
  
• Improved handling of group assets and assets under construction
  
  
• New Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) that allow greater flexibility and customer control over the depreciation calculation

Of these items, the first two — period-based depreciation calculation and time- dependent depreciation parameters — will likely be of the most interest to SAP users who have implemented FI-AA.