2.1 Organizational structures in Asset Accounting

The following sections review the different objects in Asset Accounting and how they combine together in SAP Asset Accounting. Upon finishing this chapter, you should be more adept at understanding how a chart of depreciation is used within a company code. You should also understand how account determination reveals the General Ledger accounts used in the automatic account determination when posting to assets. You should also better understand how the screen layout determines the fields you see in your Asset Accounting master records.

2.1.1 Check country-specific settings

The check country-specific settings section shows which country charts of depreciation are available. You can copy the settings to a new chart and start assigning company codes. Also, if you drill down to the detail of a country code, you can update the values for the low-value asset, which is the amount for classified assets that are low enough in value to depreciate immediately, usually in the first period the asset is placed in service. This is usually done for assets that are not relevant in value, but have other intrinsic values, so much so that the asset is worth tracking in SAP Asset Accounting. This section also covers how the depreciation key switches to a new phase and what this means for depreciation of the asset. There are different changeover methods which determine how depreciation is affected in each phase. Figure 2.1 displays the country information for Country Key US.

Figure 2.1: Asset accounting country information

2.1.2 Copy reference chart of depreciation and depreciation areas

Sometimes you need a customized chart of depreciation to suit business needs. If you find yourself in this position, copy one of the SAP standard charts and create a new one, so that it can be customized and assigned to the company codes in need of the special chart of depreciation. Figure 2.2 shows how to copy one chart of depreciation to another chart of depreciation.

Figure 2.2: Copy chart of depreciation to company code

2.1.3 Assign chart of depreciation to company code

Assigning the chart of depreciation to the company code(s) is essential to starting SAP Asset Accounting functionality for the company code(s). This step in a configuration is what effectively activates Asset Accounting for the company code. Without the chart of depreciation assignment, there will be no Asset Accounting in that company code. Figure 2.3 shows how charts of depreciation are assigned to each company code.

Figure 2.3: Assign chart to company codes

2.1.4 Specify number assignment across company codes

When choosing to have number assignments for the Asset Master Records, you can customize how those numbers are generated across the company codes in the system. By choosing the same company code as the one for assignment of number ranges, the asset numbers will be unique to the company code. If one company code is chosen as the source for many company code number ranges, then the asset numbers will be unique across the system and those same company codes. This is because several company codes will be drawing from the same number ranges. Figure 2.4 shows each company code assigned its own number range, so asset numbers will be unique to each company code, but not unique across the system. Alternatively, if you assigned the same company code here for the number ranges, then you would be using one number range and there would be no duplication of asset numbers across these company codes. Keep in mind, the combination of the company code and asset number will make the asset record unique in the SAP system.

Figure 2.4: Specify number assignment across company codes