Saving Report Selection Screen Variants
Okay, let us go to the next topic, which is saving report selection variants. This is an interesting feature provided by SAP. Let me show you what it is.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
Okay, in any report selection screen, this is called a report selection screen simply because based on this selection only, the report will be generated. That’s why it’s a report selection screen.
For example, if you see customer account, 50001, that means the report will be filtered for only this customer account, and there are a lot of other fields which can specify in this report selection screen. So does this mean each time you quit, if somebody else changes the customer account, the last entered customer account or company code and any entries in these fields will be displayed. So for example, if I choose customer C, and then, I change the date to something else like 10th April 2009, and change a few more variables here. Does this mean that each time I change this information, the early information which is entered is erased? So if I come again now, the 50001 is no longer there, so I have to key in again. This is a bit troublesome. So SAP provides an option to save whatever values that you enter in this report selection screen so that you can bring it back later if you want to.
For example, I want to save this selection here, I just enter all the information and then press this save button. See, I get a variant screen where I can give a name to the variant, the sample variant, and give a description. Now whatever that I have entered will be saved here. If I press one more time, it is saved.
So let me go to 50001 again, and I get 5001 report, so if I come back, if I want to load the selection screen fields that I saved earlier, I just go here, sample variant. All the values that are saved will be listed here by the name that you have given when you are saving the variant.
I have given this name when I save. Let’s add this, I get back the old values of the selection screen. Alright, this is the usage of variant. This may look very simple for you because there are only a few fields here, but some SAP reports, for example, let me go to general ledger.
Okay. Let me just check this. Okay, look at this report here, there are plenty of fields to select, right? So, if you fill up all these fields, for example, Sun, currency type, 10, and so forth, and then, you execute and quit the screen, you’re going to lose all this information that you filled up here. This is where this saving variant option will become a very good tool for you to retain.
Let me just fill up and retain the value center. See again, I can give it a name and save it. Sounds good, right?
Okay. Now let me explain to you some of the details of the section screen. Normally, this is used only to save the feed value center in the selection screen. You just enter a variant name and the description and save it. But you may be wondering what these options are for? So let me just explain. I’m not going to explain each and every field here, because then it’ll become very complicated for you to understand. I’m going to explain only the important fields that’s objective of SAP use. We are not going to explain each and every field that is available on screen or an option. We are going to explain only the important ones, which are absolutely necessary for you to know. For example, this field here, if you select this option here, you see all the field names here, these are the fields available in the selection screen. If you choose protect, that means this field cannot be edited. I’m going to show it to you now.
I’m going to put the test readiness test. Protect. Now let me go to ledger. Where is the ledger field? Over here, right? Okay, let me choose the option, test.
Okay, now, I think I cannot show this protect example using this ledger field because it is highlighted as a parameter field. You see this indicator EFP, which means parameter. For parameter, you can’t really control these options here. We go here, currency type.
Okay. Look at the currency type here. What I’m going to do here is, I just go here, go to protect. The checkmark in the protect field for currency type and save it. It’ll ask whether to overwrite the variant test. Yes.
You see, I come back here. Now, the currency type is protected. I can’t change whatever value that is entered, I can’t change. Let me protect the company code. Alright, I save it.
You need to find the company code field. Yeah, it’s over here. Company code. Just put the protect option.
I think there are more than one company code. his refers to the first company code. The second one should be somewhere down here.
If you want to go to the variant, you have to press save, only then you can go to the variant. Now I’m going to remove the checkmark to see what happens. See, the currency type is enabled again. This is how you play with this variable protect field. Hide field is the other way around. You totally remove the field from the selection screen. Let me save. See, it’s no longer be displayed. Currency type is gone. Let’s bring it back. I’ll just remove it.
This is one more option. If I choose this, and this is not a good example. Let me just go here. Okay. Let me show the example for this field using company code. Come here and search. Remember, whenever you search for a field, you have to highlight this column here. If you highlight here and search, the search will run on this column, so you won’t search the company code. You want to search here, right? So you have to highlight here and then press the search button and enter company code. And then, once you find it, you just click cancel so that you can go there, and then, you press this checkmark, and save it.
See, what will happen is that the range field is taken out for the company code. That’s the use of this field. You see this here? The range field cannot be found, right? You can only enter one value. You cannot enter a range. Example, I remove the checkmark, then you can see the range again. Okay, cancel. I remove it. Save it. Now, I can see the range. It’s the purpose of that field.
Okay, this one is to make a field mandatory. For example, let me go to company code again. I want to make company code as a mandatory field. Currently, it’s an optional field, right? If I click this, it becomes a required field. I save it. See the checkmark there? This checkmark means it’s required, right?
So, how to remove it? Let me save it. I go to company code. Now, I want to remove the checkmark here and save it. Let me clear this again, and you’ll note the checkmark is gone, so it’s no longer a required field.
Alright, let me quit, and come back. Now, the variant is now selected, you have to press that and then select the variant. Alright, now it’s selected. What I need to show you now is that, what happens if you want to delete the variant? Just go here. This is available in all the report selection screen menu. Just go to variants, go to delete. If you want to display, you can display this. Okay. If you want to delete, just choose delete. Just highlight this and delete. Okay. I’m not going to delete it. Alright.
These are the options. If you want to edit the variant, you need to press the save button, then it will take you to the currently selected variants edit window. This is the currently selected variant, right? Alright, this is how you do it.
Now, let me delete it. Double click, all clients, delete. Deleted. So, let me see whether I can see the variant again. See, the variant is not there. This variant is a substandard variant.
Okay. Now let’s abort it on the report selection. Screen variants.