SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition 2023 brings a range of new features and enhancements to simplify sales processes by automating routine tasks, reducing manual processes, and increasing productivity.

In the following blog, I will give you an engineering expert view of some selected highlights of our SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition for sales 2023 release, to demonstrate that automation, system integration, and end-to-end transparency can help companies transform their Lead-to-Cash process and that can better support them on the path to sustainable growth.

The blog presents the key highlights for:

• Price management,
• Claims, returns, and refund management,
• SAP Fiori enhancements in sales,
• Integration and flexibilization.

Configuring role-based access to price and cost details in sales documents

Restricting access to sensitive financial information protects the company from mistreatment of information. Only authorized personnel who need this data to perform their duties will have access to it. In the same way, this ensures that users have access to the necessary information to perform their tasks efficiently while preventing unnecessary access that may lead to confusion or errors.

For example, users responsible for creating billing documents may have access to price elements, while users responsible for approving or reviewing billing documents may have restricted access to price elements. This separation of duties helps reduce the risk of errors, fraud, and conflicts of interest.

Key Features

With this new 2023 release, you can set up the system to automatically control the access that business users have to price elements of an SD document on the header or item level. The feature affects price elements in the price elements area on user interfaces for specific SD documents. The system controls the access based on your configuration of access levels and your settings for the respective roles.

You can now configure which user roles can access which price and cost details of a pricing procedure in these sales documents:

• Sales order
• Credit memo request
• Debit memo request
• Customer return

Picture 1: Restrict access to sensitive price and cost information in the following sales documents: Sales Order, Customer Return, Credit Memo Request, and Debit Memo Request.

You can grant the following types of access to price elements in the relevant sales documents:

• No access: No display and no change authorization
• Display access: Display authorization only (valid also for manual price conditions)
• Change access: Display and change authorization (includes create and delete)

For more information about this feature, see Role-Based Access to Price Elements.

Effects on System Administration

As an administrator, you grant access to selected price elements for business users in the role maintenance transaction PFCG. You need to maintain the authorization fields of the PRCG_ACC authorization object for all the business roles.

CAUTION

You must ensure that all business roles working with the adapted pricing procedures have the relevant authorization object maintained. Otherwise, for all non-maintained roles, all condition types or subtotal lines assigned to an access level are no longer visible in all other SD documents that use the same pricing procedure.

Effects on Customizing

As a key user for Customizing, you do the following steps:

• Set up the access levels in the Define Access Levels for Price Elements Customizing activity.
• Assign the appropriate access level to a condition type or to a subtotal line in the relevant pricing procedure in the Define and Assign Pricing Procedures Customizing activity.

Picture 2: Setting Up assigned access levels in the pricing procedure.

For more information about the customizing, see Setting Up Role-Based Access to Price Elements.

Suspending product valuation initiated by a refund in the customer returns process

Ensuring a user-friendly return procedure is essential for both physical stores and online businesses. Consumers anticipate a smooth and easy return process. Suspending the product valuation allows customers to keep the returned product while the valuation process is on hold. This provides flexibility and convenience, as customers can continue using the product while waiting for a resolution.

This can lead to increased customer loyalty and repeat business. Additionally, addressing customer concerns and resolving issues promptly and effectively can help mitigate negative reviews or word-of-mouth publicity, which can impact a company’s reputation.

Key Features

By default, if you decide to refund the customer (either with a replacement or a credit memo), the product ownership is transferred from the customer to you and the system performs the valuation posting, for example, posting the goods receipt to valuated stock. However, there may be cases where you want to refund the customer but do not want the refund to be interpreted as a transfer of product ownership before the inspection. To achieve this, you can now indicate in the returns order item that you want the system to delay the product valuation for any refund decisions made until the final logistical follow-up activity is confirmed in the inspection. As a result, only the final logistical follow-up activity determines whether the product valuation should take place or not.

Picture 3: Product valuation is determined by final material inspection.

Additional Details

Before you can suspend the product valuation in a returns order item, the configuration expert must have activated the relevant setting for the respective returns order types in the Customizing activity Activate Advanced Returns Management for Returns Order Types under Sales and Distribution > Sales > Advanced Returns Management.

If the feature is active in your system, a checkbox that indicates whether to suspend the product valuation can be found in the returns order item if you use the following apps or transactions:

• Manage Customer Returns – Version 2 app,
• Manage Customer Returns app under Create Customer Return or Change Customer Return,
• Create Customer Return Without Reference – VA01 app,
• Transaction VA01.

To have the checkbox automatically selected when you create a returns order, the configuration expert can configure the default value for the checkbox in the Customizing activity Configure Default Values for Returns Orders under Sales and Distribution > Sales > Advanced Returns Management.

Picture 4: Avoid unnecessary product valuation and ensure a better and cleaner financial posting from customer returns.

For more information about this feature, see Returns Logistics and Returns Stock.

Enabling the “Rounding Profile” and “Item Usage” fields in the SAP Fiori app “Manage Customer Materials”

The Customer Material information in the sales process is designed to better manage and handle materials provided specifically by or for the customer. Your customer’s material number can be linked with your company’s own material number in the system. This simplifies communication and reduces the chance of errors as both clients and your own material numbers are tracked.

You can then, during order entry, enter items by specifying the material number used by the customer. You also enter a customer material number in the order view of the sales order. You can then use both material numbers during the order entry, the material number your company uses or the one defined by the customer because the system can carry out allocation automatically.

Picture 5: Increase flexibility and user-friendliness by supporting Rounding Profile and Item Usage in the SAP Fiori app.

Key Features

The item usage field is now available in the Manage Customer Materials app. You can specify an item usage for a customer material. You can also filter and sort the customer material list by item usage.

The rounding profile field is now available in the Manage Customer Materials app. You can specify a rounding profile for a customer material. You can also sort the customer material list by rounding profiles.

Additional Details

You can specify the item usage and rounding profile fields in product master data and customer material master data. The settings in customer material master data take precedence over those in product master data.

The search term indicates a free text defined for a customer material, and the text can be used to restrict the search for customer materials.

For more information about this feature, see Manage Customer Materials.

Creation of sales contracts through spreadsheet upload

Many businesses use spreadsheets for capturing and managing data. The compatibility of S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, to import Microsoft Excel files makes it easier for businesses to integrate their existing processes with the new system. In addition, importing sales contracts from an Excel spreadsheet reduces manual entry and can therefore save significant time, especially if there are large numbers of contracts to manage.

Key Features

With this new SAP Fiori app “Import Sales Contracts”, you as an internal sales representative can create sales contracts from an XLSX spreadsheet file.

Picture 6: General import process using the SAP Fiori app “Import Sales Contracts”.

You can access the Import Sales Contracts app from the sales contract card in the Import Sales Documents app. For easier future access, we recommend that you save the Import Sales Contracts app as a tile after opening it for the first time.

As a key user, you can extend the Import Sales Contracts app according to your business needs.

Picture 7: Improve efficiency in creating sales contracts, as a result of mass-upload capabilities.

Import template

We recommend that you download a standard template before an import. This template provides a list of fields that are either required or optional for an import. You can add optional fields to your sales document data sheet. For details, refer to the instructions in the template.

You can download a standard template to your local device, or to Google Drive if your system has been integrated with Google Workspace (see Integrating SAP S/4HANA with Google Workspace).

For more information about this feature, see Import Sales Contracts.

Sales approval workflows – adaptable user interface in the “My Inbox” app

Approval workflows ensure that sales documents, such as sales orders or quotations, are reviewed and approved by the appropriate individuals before they are processed or sent to customers. This helps to ensure that the sales process follows the organization’s policies and procedures and that any potential errors or discrepancies are identified and corrected before the documents are finalized.

Key features

Users receive tasks related to the approval or rework of sales documents in the “My Inbox” app. Previously, you could check basic data related to the respective sales document. Now, you can see all the important data from the related object page app (for example, the Sales Order object page app) directly in the “My Inbox” app. This data includes item details, business partners, and the process flow and can help you decide if a document should be approved.

Picture 8: Improve efficiency in managing approval workflows in sales through adaptable approval workflow screens.

Effects on System Administration

For every sales document category, you must activate an OData service related to the respective object page.

In the SAP Fiori Apps Reference Library, search for F6012, select SAP S/4HANA 2023 from the dropdown, and check the related apps. Choose the app name for the sales document category (for example, My Inbox – Approve Sales Orders). You can find the necessary OData service in the configuration information of the implementation information section.

For more information about this feature, see Approve or Rework a Sales Document.

SAP Fiori app to Import Sales Documents: Supporting Google Sheets

Google Drive enables collaboration and document sharing among sales teams, customers, and other stakeholders. By importing sales documents into SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, you can leverage the collaborative features of Google Drive to improve communication and collaboration within the sales process, leading to better customer service and streamlined operations.

Key Features

With sales document import apps (for example, Import Sales Orders), you can now import web-based Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel files from Google Drive, which is Google’s cloud storage service. Previously, you can only import sales documents from local Microsoft Excel files (*.xlsx).

Picture 9: Increase efficiency creating sales documents through spreadsheets.

Additional Details

If your system has been integrated with Google Workspace, cloud-specific download and upload options would be available in the following sales document import apps:

• Import Sales Quotations
• Import Sales Scheduling Agreements
• Import Sales Contracts
• Import Sales Orders
• Import Sales Orders Without Charge

Then you can complete the following steps to import sales documents from Google Drive:

1. Open a particular sales document import app.
2. Download a template (as a Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel file) to Google Drive.
3. Fill in the order data in the online file.
4. Upload the file from Google Drive to the app.

For more information about this feature, see Import Sales Orders.

Creation and editing of credit memo requests with the SAP Fiori app “Manage Credit Memo Requests – Version 2”

With credit memo requests, organizations can efficiently manage returns, refunds, billing corrections, and other credit-related processes. This helps to maintain accurate financial records, improve customer satisfaction, and ensure compliance with contractual obligations.

In the returns and refunds processes, credit memo requests are used when a customer returns goods or requests a refund for a purchase. The credit memo request documents the return or refund request and initiates the process of issuing a credit memo to the customer.

Key Features

With the new SAP Fiori app “Manage Credit Memo Requests – Version 2” app, you can create credit memo requests without referencing a document. Also, you can display and edit all types of credit memo requests in your system and monitor their statuses and progress. In addition, you can extend this app by adding custom fields or additional standard fields to this app.

Picture 10: Increase sales force speed and efficiency with the new app.

Creating Credit Memo Requests

With this app, you can create a credit memo request without a reference document. To create a credit memo request with reference to a sales order or a billing document, you need to navigate to the “Manage Credit Memo Requests” app or the “Create Credit Memo Request” app.

Note: You can only create credit memo requests with limited fields available. To enter data for fields that are not available in this app, navigate to the “Manage Credit Memo Requests” app or the “Create Credit Memo Request” app.

When you start creating a credit memo request, you can enter the credit memo request type along with the sales organization, the distribution channel, and the division in the popup window or else enter only the credit memo request type. If you don’t enter any data and the system uses the sold-to or ship-to party to derive the data for the sales organization, the distribution channel, and the division, or it determines the default values for the sales area (sales organization, distribution channel, division) from your user-specific parameters. If a single sales area is assigned to your customer, the system automatically determines the correct sales area information for this customer. If multiple sales areas are assigned to your customer, you can also select this data later.

Effects on Customizing

Before you can use this app to create credit memo requests without reference, the key user must have assigned the corresponding credit memo request type to the Manage Credit Memo Requests – Version 2 app in the Customizing activity Assign Credit Memo Request Types under Sales and Distribution > App-Specific Settings Apps for Sales Documents > Manage Credit Memo Requests – Version 2.

For more information about this feature, see Functional Details: Manage Credit Memo Requests – Version 2

Enhancements to the SAP Fiori app “Manage Customer Returns (Version 2)”: Supporting Attachments, Process Flows, and More

With SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, you can manage customer returns by creating return orders, processing returns, and handling subsequent activities such as inspection, repair, replacement, or refund. The system allows you to track the entire return process, from the creation of the return order to the final settlement.

Key Features

With this new 2023 release, the “Manage Customer Returns – Version 2” app has been enhanced with a variety of features.

Picture 11: Empower the returns and refund clerk with more functionalities in return order processing.

Create Returns Orders with Reference

You can now create returns orders with reference to a sales order, an invoice, or a sales order without charge directly using this app. Previously, you were directed to the Manage Customer Returns app when creating a returns order with reference to this app.

Use Value Help to Search for Reference Documents

You can now use various criteria to search for the reference documents from which you want to create return orders. You can search by delivery number, SD document category, sold-to party, and so on.

Create Returns Orders Using the More Intuitive Option

The option to create returns orders using the Create Returns Order – VA01 app is no longer available. Now, you are taken straight to an easier and more intuitive screen.

If you still want to use the classic app, for example, to create returns orders for lean returns, you can choose an existing returns order number from the search results and choose the link for creating returns orders.

BOM Processing

You can now process bills of material (also known as sales kits) in returns orders in this app. For more information on how bills of material (BOM) are processed in returns orders, see the section for BOM in Returns Order.

Change Partner Addresses

You can now change the partner address proposed by the system for a specific returns order. For example, by changing the address, you can enter a specific address for one-time customers. When you change the partner address in the document header, the changed address is copied to all items. You can also change the partner address at the item level, except for the sold-to-party address. The changed item partner address only applies to that specific item.

Address Selection for Partners

You can select the relevant address of a business partner (such as the sold-to party or the ship-to party) that has multiple addresses maintained in master data when creating or changing a returns order. Also, you can select different addresses for a specific item.

To enable the address selection in returns orders, key users must have activated the multiple address handling and maintained multiple addresses for the respective business partners.

For more information about multiple address handling for business partners in SD documents and how to enable it, see Multiple Address Handling in SD Documents Using SAP Business Partner.

Track In-House Repair Status in Process Flow

If a returns order is relevant for an in-house repair in Service, you can track the in-house repair status in the process flow of the returns order. For more information, see Tracking In-House Repair in Process Flow for Customer Return.

Specify Storage Location for Returned Goods

For more information, see Storage Locations in Returns Orders.

Additional Features

• The app is now extensible. You can add custom fields to the returns order headers and items according to your business needs.
• Reject returns order items by setting a rejection reason.
• Upload attachments as additional information.
• Create texts to exchange information throughout the sales process.

For more information, see Manage Customer Returns – Version 2.

Managing Sales Orders App Version 2 – Support of an Available-to-Promise (ATP) Result Screen

The ATP process in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, plays a crucial role in ensuring accurate order fulfillment, improving customer satisfaction, optimizing resource allocation, providing real-time visibility, and integrating with other processes.

The ATP process considers various factors such as current stock levels, incoming stock, production capacity, and existing reservations to determine if a requested quantity can be delivered on time. This helps ensure that sales orders are only promised if the products can be delivered as requested, avoiding overpromising and underdelivering.

Key Features

With this new 2023 release, we enable the analysis and adoption of confirmed delivery dates and quantities on the ATP results screen for sales-order items in the SAP Fiori app “Manage Sales Orders – Version 2“.

When you confirm an item in the Manage Sales Orders – Version 2 app, this triggers the ATP (available-to-promise) check in the background. It checks if products can be delivered in time and quantity, as requested.

From the items table, you can now choose the link to display more details at a glance, such as the schedule lines that the system created.

• You can also select an item in the table and choose to check the availability manually. This can be helpful in the following cases:
• You want to see more details about the check results (for example, the schedule lines and their dates) or you want to change the results.

You change an item and want to run another ATP check (for example, because your customer asks you about possible delivery dates).

You can see the confirmed delivery dates and the confirmed quantities that the system determined. You can adjust these confirmations and merge or delete single confirmations. If you want to prevent subsequent changes to confirmations (for example, by a later availability check or by backorder processing (BOP)), you can fix these confirmations.

In the intermediate results, you can display the basic methods and steps that the system used to calculate the availability check result.

Picture 12: Improve efficiency in managing planned product deliveries in sales orders.

For more information, see Manage Sales Orders – Version 2.

Enabling Sales Analysis based on New Variants of Sales Kits with Logistics and Pricing on Different Levels

Enhancement of several analytical CDS views and apps with BOM-related fields to distinguish the main items and subitems of new sales kit variants with logistics and pricing on different levels.

Updated apps:

• Sales Quotations – Flexible Analysis
• Incoming Sales Orders – Flexible Analysis
• Customer Returns – Flexible Analysis
• Sales Volume – Flexible Analysis
• Sales Volume – Profit Margin
• Sales Volume – Credit Memos

Picture 13: Increase flexibility and data accuracy for customers using new variants of sales kits with logistics and pricing on different levels.

For more information, see View Browser, Custom CDS Views, and Custom Analytical Queries

OData API for Tax Condition Records in Sales

The OData API “Condition Record for Pricing in Sales” has been enhanced with additional tax-related fields so that you can use the API to create and process condition records for tax rates in sales. Also, the created tax rates for sales can be replicated to external systems using the SOAP API “Condition Record for Pricing in Sales – Replicate”.

Provisioning of OData APIs to create, update, read, or replicate tax condition records in sales:

• Trigger the creation of new tax condition records in sales in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition,
• Update tax condition records in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition,
• Read tax condition records from SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition,
• Replicate tax condition records from SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition to another system.

Picture 14: Enables external applications to integrate with the processing of tax condition records in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition.

For more information, see Condition Record for Pricing in Sales – Replicate.

Flexible Billing Document Posting – Suppressing Automatic Posting

Enhancement of flexible billing document functionality to enable the dynamic suppression of the automatic posting of specific billing documents to financial accounting, which enables you to:

• Specify criteria that the system uses to decide whether or not to block the automatic posting of specific billing documents to financial accounting,
• Trigger dedicated decision logic depending on the billing document’s tax departure country or region,
• Base each decision on an evaluation of specific header fields of the billing document to be posted,
• Evaluate the following header fields: billing type, sales organization, company code, SD document category, preceding billing type, and destination country or region,
• Add custom fields to the billing document header through extensibility to further customize your criteria for posting suppression.

Picture 15: Offer a no-code decision table that provides maximum flexibility without requiring programming knowledge.

Provide a BADI and Custom Logic to Set the Requested Delivery Date on the Item Level

You can now use the Modification of Requested Delivery Date for Sales Document Items BAdI to set or change the requested delivery date in a sales document item to a date that is different from the one that the system determines automatically. You can find this BAdI in the Custom Logic app using the Sales: Sales Document Item business context or in transaction SE18.

Picture 16: Set the requested delivery date on the item level with a date calculated based on custom logic.

BAdIs for Sales and Billing of B2B SOAP Services – Enhanced Extensibility

You can now set or change the values of some fields during order confirmation outbound EDI processing by using the following Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) in the ”Custom Logic” app:

• Header Modification for Sales Orders/Returns Orders in Outbound EDI (EDI_SD_ORDER_CONF_OUT_HEADER)
• Item Modification for Sales Orders/Returns Orders in Outbound EDI (EDI_SD_ORDER_CONF_OUT_ITEM)

Provision of BAdIs for B2B SOAP services:

• Sales order or customer return – create, update, or cancel (B2B)
• Sales order or customer return – confirm processing (B2B)
• Customer invoice – send (B2B)

Picture 17: Enhance extensibility, enabling customers to implement custom logic for both B2B inbound SOAP services and B2B outbound SOAP services.

Flexible Determination in Sales-Order Inbound B2B Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) Service

Support Multiple Addresses in Flexible Determination Procedure in Sales Order Inbound EDI Processing

You can implement the flexible determination procedure for internal partner numbers during the inbound EDI processing of SOAP service Sales Order/Customer Return – Create, Update, Cancel (B2B). With this release, multiple address handling is enabled for this flexible determination procedure.

After multiple address handling is enabled, when you implement this flexible determination procedure (Customizing activity: Flexible Determination of Internal Partner Numbers) to determine an internal partner number, you must specify an address number to go with the internal partner number, so that the system knows which address of this internal partner it should use (except for partner function Payer, which always uses the default address).

For more information, see Flexible Determination of Internal Partner Numbers.

Enable Fallback Logic in Flexible Determination Procedures in Sales Order Inbound EDI Processing

During the inbound EDI processing of SOAP service Sales Order/Customer Return – Create, Update, Cancel (B2B), you can implement flexible procedures for the determination of internal partner numbers, sales area, document types, and payment term tolerance. With this release, you can enable fallback rules for these procedures. When no valid result is returned based on the flexible determination rules, the system can conditionally trigger fallback logic and redetermine the results through static procedures. This saves your migration efforts and ensures a smooth transition from a static procedure to a flexible one.

For more information, see Flexible Determination of Sales Area and Sales Document Types.

Picture 18: Empower customers to define business rules to determine business partners and sales areas in the sales-order inbound EDI process by flexible criteria.

OData APIs to Simulate the Creation of a Credit Memo Request or Debit Memo Request

The Credit Memo Request – Simulate (A2X) API enables you to simulate the creation of a credit memo request. The simulation helps you get the correct information about the credit memo request, such as the credit memo request data, business partners, and price elements. The simulated credit memo request is not saved. If the request of the simulated credit memo request is successful, you can use it to create a credit memo request with the OData service Credit Memo Request (A2X).

• Provide an OData API to simulate the creation of a credit memo request, retrieve necessary information,
• Provide an OData API to simulate the creation of a debit memo request, to retrieve necessary information.

Note: This service is published on the SAP Business Accelerator Hub. For more information about APIs, see APIs on SAP Business Accelerator Hub.

For more information, see Credit Memo Request – Simulate (A2X) and OData API: Debit Memo Request – Simulate (A2X).

OData API to Simulate the Creation of a Returns Order

The Customer Return – Simulate (A2X) API enables you to simulate the creation of a returns order. The simulation helps you get the correct information about the returns order, such as the return data, business partners, and price elements. The simulated returns order is not saved. If the request for the simulated returns order is successful, you can use it to create a returns order with the OData service Customer Return (A2X).

• Provide an OData API to simulate the creation of a returns order, to retrieve necessary information.

Picture 19: Increase process flexibility using predefined interfaces for simulating the creation of a returns order.

For more information, see Customer Return – Simulate (A2X).

Business Events for Credit Memo Requests, Debit Memo Requests, and Customer Returns

In SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, a business event in sales processes refers to a specific occurrence or action that triggers a predefined sequence of activities or workflows within the sales module. These events can be related to customer interactions, order processing, or other sales-related activities.

Business events are designed to automate and streamline sales processes by automatically triggering relevant actions or notifications based on predefined conditions. They can be used to initiate activities such as sending notifications to sales representatives, generating sales orders, updating customer records, or triggering follow-up actions.

Now with this new 2023 release, we introduce business events to inform a remote system about created, changed, or deleted credit memo requests, debit memo requests, or customer returns in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition.

For more information, see:

• Customer Return Events.
• Credit Memo Request Events
• Debit Memo Request Events

We would like to provide you with a comprehensive overview of how and where you can raise your voice to influence developments in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition going forward.

For more information, see the blog post from my colleague Anja Wilde here.

For general roadmap information please check the SAP S/4HANA Roadmap.

Thanks for reading this blog post.

If you are also interested in other Lines of Business and Industries for this new SAP S/4HANA Cloud, public edition 2023 release, I would like to draw your attention to my link collection blog – The Link Collection.

If you want to learn more about SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, join our Partner Community. This group focuses on providing enhanced learnings and periodic updates with respect to the SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition product. Our goal is to facilitate collaboration with your peers and SAP subject matter experts.

For more information on SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, check out the following links:

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition release info: com/s4hana

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition Community here
• SAP S/4HANA PSCC Digital Enablement Wheel here
• Inside SAP S/4HANA Podcast here
• Best practices for SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition here
• Help Portal Product Page here
• Feature Scope Description here
• What’s New here

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