SAP NetWeaver 2004s: Data Upload Feature Enhances Sarbanes-Oxley Consolidations Compliance

by Peter Jones, Platinum Consultant, SAP

SAP NetWeaver 2004s includes automatic data uploading functionality that replaces the Microsoft Excel-based method. It features a new consolidated process using Real-Time InfoCubes and Real-Time DataStore objects.

Categories: Auditing, Consolidation, Financials, Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), SAP ECC, SAP NetWeaver BW, Strategic Enterprise Management, Strategy

Key Concept

The data basis defines the data model for a Business Consolidation system. The data basis is created in the Consolidation Workbench and is a combination of characteristics and key figures. The relationship between the characteristics and key figures, and the construction of the data streams for the collection and storage of data, are also part of the data basis. For example, it defines the posting level of the data that you can retrieve and the components from which you can upload data that are standard in SAP NetWeaver 2004s.

The most recent improvement to the consolidations process in Strategic Enterprise Management- Business Consolidation system (SEM- BCS) enhances compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Starting with SAP NetWeaver 2004s, SEM-BCS has moved from an interfacing uploading process for financial data to an integrated uploading process. This was the final step in the four following major areas requiring IT support for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley:

The uploading or collection process to consolidate the data
The specific business rules that are applied to the data to generate the consolidated reports
The process that is followed for the consolidation itself
The reporting aspect of consolidations

The last three items are activities that SEM-BCS has accomplished for a number of years, so I’ll concentrate on the first one. An SAP system now can offer consolidation functionality that generates consistent and validated information from multiple source systems via SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence (SAP NetWeaver BI).

I’ll take you through a demo of the new upload process, which ensures accuracy and reduces reporting cycle time to meet increasingly short deadlines. In addition, it provides a full audit trail capability and the ability to generate the reports required for internal and external auditors.

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