Currency Translation in SAP BW

In global companies planning occurs in different currencies. Usually the operations plans are in local currency and the business unit plans in group currency.The currency translation function can be used for both reconciliation and consideration of currency rate in the planning process.

Key figure

You enter both the key figure that you want to translate, as well as the key figure in which the translated value should be stored using SAP BW . If you enter the same key figure for both fields, the original values of the key figure will be overwritten by those of the target currency. However you can also store the translated values in another key figure.If, within one parameter group, you translate different initial key figures into the same target key figure, then the values in the target key figure are added up. Exchange rate type Here you enter which exchange rate (in relation to the date of translation) should be used for the currency translation, for example, average rate, current exchange rate, historical exchange rate and so on.

Target currency

Here you define the currency into which the key figures should be translated (the current valid currency of the key figure is automatically calculated). Under the currencies you select the one which is available in your system directly.

How to Model Currency Translation

Please keep in mind that planning functions may generate double data and often don't have a delta functionality.This is the case for the Currency Translation function too, as the upper example describes. Therefore one must bundle a Delete Function and the Currency Translation Function in a Planning Sequence.

Unit of Measure Conversion

Key figure

You enter both the key figure that you want to translate, as well as the key figure in which the translated value should be stored. If you enter the same key figure for both fields, the original values of the key figure will be overwritten by those of the target unit. However, you can also store the translated values in another key figure. If, within one parameter group, you translate different initial key figures into the same target key figure, then the values in the target key figure are added up.

Conversion unit : Here you enter which unit the key figure should be converted into.

Characteristic target unit

Here you can select a characteristic that is contained in the unit-bearing planning level, through which the target unit is determined. Defining the target unit with one of the above methods is only then allowed, if a certain unit for the key figure is not already predetermined in the definition of the target key figure. You can only define the target unit with one of the methods that is described. If you predetermine a target currency as well as a currency-bearing characteristic, the system rejects this entry.

Conversion rates

The conversion rates are stored in tables T006*. The rates are often loaded from SAP R/3 or have to be maintained manually via the SAP Implementation Guide (transaction SPRO or directly using transaction CUNI).The same rules for modeling apply here as for currency conversion: If one key figure is involved, then the unit conversion should be preceded with a delete function. If two key figures are involved a characteristic relationship should be setup.