-
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
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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.
Reporting Made Easy 32
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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
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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.
Reporting Made Easy 34
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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
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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.
Reporting Made Easy 36
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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.
Fundamentals of Reporting 37
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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.
Reporting Made Easy 38
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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
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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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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 The General Report Tree
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.
Fundamentals of Reporting 311
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Chapter 3: Finding Reports in R/3 The General Report Tree
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.
Reporting Made Easy 312
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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.
Fundamentals of Reporting 313
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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
Reporting Made Easy 314
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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:
Fundamentals of Reporting 315
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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.
Reporting Made Easy 316
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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.
Fundamentals of Reporting 317
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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.
Reporting Made Easy 318
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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.
Fundamentals of Reporting 319
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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.
Reporting Made Easy 320
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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.
Fundamentals of Reporting 321
-
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.
Reporting Made Easy 322
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