With the introduction of Business Partner, SAP has created a central master data object that enables the efficient management of creditors and debtors within the SAP S/4HANA system. SAP has thus created a central solution for managing business partner master data that not only simplifies data maintenance, but also enables better integration and consistency within the SAP system. This article presents the SAP Business Partner concept, the Business Partner Finance roles and the benefits of the concept for users in more detail. It also explains what will change for users when switching from customer/vendor to SAP Business Partner.
The Business Partner Concept
The SAP Business Partner is an integrative master data object within the SAP system. It combines the objects managed in different master data in ECC/R3, such as the vendor/supplier, the customer/client or the customer in credit management, into a central master data object. This means that the business partner is only created once and assigned different roles such as customer or vendor. The central master data object enables master data to be stored in one place. This avoids master data redundancies and improves data quality.
The SAP Business Partner consists of a general role in which comprehensive organization-specific master data such as the name of the business partner, the address, tax numbers or bank details are maintained. This master data is then valid for the business partner as a whole, regardless of how it is defined via the various roles. By defining the roles, for example as a customer, vendor or in credit management, the business partner receives the range of functions required by the department. The business partner is defined accordingly at company code or credit segment level. The master data for the vendor (transaction XK01), the customer (transaction: XD01) and the customer in credit management (transaction: FD32) from ECC can be found in the respective role of the business partner.
Despite this conceptual change, the master data object, the SAP Business Partner, remains a central component when posting or in the reporting functionalities. The only change for users is in master data creation, where the master data maintenance process has been optimized and standardized.
This business partner structure makes it possible to use the same business partner in different roles without having to maintain the organizational master data multiple times.
How users and the business benefit from the Business Partner
The SAP Business Partner brings numerous advantages for users and the company:
The data consistency and data quality of the business partner master data is significantly improved by the introduction of a single data object. The reason for this is the recording of organizational data at a central point in the system. This not only reduces redundancies within the system, but also minimizes errors that can arise from entering the same data records.
The central data maintenance created by the single point of entry makes it possible to make changes to the business partner at a central point in the system, which are then valid for all relevant areas. This not only saves the user time and effort, but also enables consistent master data across all business processes.
The Business Partner is seamlessly integrated into the various business processes and therefore also into the various SAP modules, from finance to materials management and sales. The integration ensures a smooth flow of information and improves process efficiency and data availability. The master data does not have to be maintained multiple times, but is available in the relevant modules.
The central administration and structured storage of business partner master data enables improved transparency and traceability. The availability of all master data in a central location in the system simplifies the monitoring of master data for business processes and increases the traceability of business relationships.
What will change for users?
- Single point of contact (transaction: BP):Transaction BP is the central entry point for the Business Partner's master data management. This simplifies data maintenance and increases efficiency through a standardized user interface.
- Innovative role concept: The Business Partner merges the different master data objects such as vendor, customer or customer in credit management into a single master data object. This avoids data redundancies and significantly improves data consistency.
- Central address management or reuse of master data: The address and other organizational master data are maintained in the "General business partner" business partner role. All other roles always access this central organizational master data. However, different addresses can be maintained in the address overview in order to meet specific requirements.
- Mapping of relationships: The business partner concept makes it possible for the first time to map relationships between business partners. This function not only provides a transparent overview of the various relationships and links between business partners. SAP already offers several relationship types for mapping in the standard system.
- Time dependency for properties: In the business partner's master data, properties such as the address, relationships or bank details can be maintained on a time-dependent basis. This makes it possible to track historical changes and plan future changes in advance.
CONSILIO implemented the Business Partner in a very short time, so we had hardly any impact on our internal resources.
Relevant roles of the business partner in finance
Business partners (general)
The Business partner (general) role includes all organizational master data of a business partner. For example, the name, address data, tax numbers or bank details are saved globally here.
The most important views of this role are:
Address: In addition to the name of the business partner, all address data such as street, house number and transportation zone are maintained here. The master data for communication (address-dependent/independent) and the validity period of the address are also maintained here.
Identification: In this view, organizational data such as the legal form or sector as well as, for example, the tax number or tax classification can be maintained.
Payment transactions: Bank details and payment cards are stored in the Payment transactions view. A validity period is also provided here for bank details, so that bank details can also expire if the bank details change.
Customer
All relevant master data of a business partner for accounts receivable accounting is stored in the customer role. The customer role is defined at company code level, which means that, for example, dunning procedures or reconciliation accounts can be defined for specific company codes.
The most important views of this role are
Account management: In addition to the account management data such as the reconciliation account or the sort key, the old customer number or the master data for interest calculation are also maintained here.
Payment transactions: Payment data such as the payment terms or the tolerance group are maintained in this view. In addition, the payment methods and the house bank for automatic payment transactions can be stored.
Correspondence: The dunning procedure, the dunning block or the dunning level are stored under Correspondence. Other relevant information such as the abbreviation or Internet address of the person responsible is also stored in this view.
If you have any further questions about Business Partners, please do not hesitate to contact us!
Supplier
The views available in the accounts payable role are structured identically to the accounts receivable role. Here too, the views are defined at company code level. This means that the specifications for automatic payment transactions, such as the definition of payment methods and the house bank, can be created for each company code. As the views of the vendor and customer roles are identical, the views of the vendor are not discussed further here.
Credit management
All business partner-specific master data required for processing credit management in the business partner is maintained in the SAP Credit Management role. In addition to the views in the credit segment data, where credit segment-specific data such as the credit limit is maintained or key figures on payment behavior are displayed, the credit profile or credit rating data views are available in the general data.
The most important views are:
Credit profile: The master data for determining creditworthiness is stored in the credit profile. This includes the procedure, the risk class or the check rules. This data is required, for example, to create a credit block in a sales order if necessary.
Credit limit and control: The credit limit is defined in this view. This can be a fixed value or a procedure used to calculate the internal creditworthiness and credit limit of a business partner. The previous exposure utilization is also displayed here as an absolute figure and as a utilization rate in percent.
Key figures in payment transactions:
This view can be described as a reporting view, as important key figures on payment behavior are displayed here. Master data is not entered in this view, as only information on the respective credit segment is displayed here. Examples include the highest dunning level, the oldest open item or the last incoming payment. These key figures therefore provide a good overview of the customer's creditworthiness and payment behavior.
Summary
The Business Partner is a comprehensive tool for managing business partner master data and therefore plays a decisive role in a company's financial management. By integrating the vendor, customer and credit management roles, Business Partner offers numerous advantages that not only influence data consistency and quality, but also improve efficiency, transparency and integration. Centralized data management is therefore an important benefit for effective financial and business process management. Despite these far-reaching changes resulting from the merger, little will change for users from accounts payable/receivable accounting when handling and working with the accounts payable/receivable. This means that even after implementing the Business Partner, users will quickly find their way around.
