Parallel Accounting in New Asset accounting powered by SAP HANA

In New asset accounting, you can handle parallel accounting using depreciation areas.

For representing parallel accounting in New asset accounting, you have two scenario’s as mentioned below.

• Using Parallel ledgers: The Ledger approach
• Using Additional accounts: The Accounts approach

Ledger approach:

1. Different accounting principles or valuation are mapped in separate ledgers, as in new General ledger accounting. In general, the same accounts are used in the ledgers.
2. The depreciation areas have equal status. Separate documents are posted for each accounting principle or valuation.
3. For each accounting principle or valuation, the system posts the correct values in real time. The values that are posted are full values and not delta values.
4. For each valuation, there is always just one depreciation area that posts to the general ledger in real time and manages APC. For this leading depreciation area, choose the posting option Area Posts in Realtime. This applies both for the leading valuation and for all parallel valuations. You can choose which of these depreciation areas, which post to the general ledger, posts to the leading ledger.
5. One or more depreciation areas represent a valuation. You must assign an accounting principle uniquely to all depreciation of a valuation. For each valuation, the accounting principle has to be assigned to a separate ledger group. The ledgers of these ledger groups are not allowed to overlap.

6. Differences in values in each accounting principle: You can enter documents that are valid only for a certain accounting principle or valuation. To do so, when entering the business transaction, you can restrict the posting to the accounting principle or to one or more depreciation areas.

7. You can assign different fiscal year variants to each type of valuation. (There is a restriction in this case: The start dates and end dates of the fiscal year variants must be the same.)

8. Within an asset class, it is possible to make a simple assignment of different G/L accounts (such as, reconciliation accounts for APC and value adjustments) for each valuation.

9. If you have defined parallel currencies in new General Ledger Accounting, and you want to use these currencies in new Asset Accounting, you are required to create – for the leading valuation and the parallel valuations – the necessary depreciation areas for each currency.

10. Managing quantities: In the standard system, depreciation area 01 is intended for the quantity update. If needed, you can specify a different depreciation area for the quantity update. However, this has to be a depreciation area that posts to the general ledger. The quantity – if it is to be managed on the asset – is updated in the asset master record only when a posting is made to this different depreciation area.

Different Fiscal Year Variants:

You can enter a separate fiscal year variant for each depreciation area in Asset Accounting. The start and end dates of this fiscal year variant have to be the same as the start and end dates of the fiscal year variant of the company code. As part of the ledger approach, the system also allows a posting in a representative ledger, to which any fiscal year variant is assigned. The system then derives the period from the posting date. The depreciation, however, is determined as before using the fiscal year variant of the depreciation area of the posting.

Accounts Approach:

1. You represent different valuations on different accounts within the same general ledger. This means that you have to create the same set of accounts again for each parallel valuation.

2. Separate documents are posted for each accounting principle or valuation.

3. For each accounting principle or valuation, the system posts the correct values in real time. The values that are posted are always full values and not delta values.

4. For each valuation, there is always just one depreciation area that posts to the general ledger in real time and manages APC. The following applies for these posting depreciation areas:

   1. For the leading valuation, choose the posting option Area Posts in Realtime.

   2. For the parallel valuations, choose the posting option Area Posts APC Immediately, Depreciation Periodically.

   You can choose which of these depreciation areas that post to the general ledger represent the leading valuation.

5. There can also be investment support on the liabilities side for the valuations. These depreciation areas also receive the posting option Area Posts in Realtime for the leading valuation or Area Posts APC Immediately, Depreciation Periodically for parallel valuations.

6. One or more depreciation areas represent a valuation. You must assign an accounting principle uniquely to all depreciation areas of a valuation. For each valuation, the accounting principle has to be assigned to a separate ledger group. These ledger groups must always contain the leading ledger as the representative ledger.

7. If you have defined parallel currencies in new General Ledger Accounting, and you want to use these currencies in new Asset Accounting, you are required to create a depreciation area for each currency for the leading valuation. However, this is not mandatory for the parallel valuations.

8.  Differences in values in each accounting principle: You can enter documents that are valid only for a certain accounting principle or valuation. To do so, when entering the business transaction, you can restrict the posting to the accounting principle or to one or more depreciation areas.

Source:SAP Library