Issue when there is no budget release yet

[Former Member]

Hi gurus

     I hope you can help me with this problem I'm having in Project Budget. I created a budget profile and ticked the check box "Release" to allow me to gradually release the budgeted amount for my WBS elements.

Case:

I created a sample of 3 WBS elements on the same level with original budget "CJ30" of $10,000 for each. I maintained the release value "CJ32" for the WBS elements as follows:-

WBS            Released          Original

Desc.             Budget            Budget

WBS 1          $10,000           $10,000

WBS 2          $  6,000           $10,000      

WBS 3            (Null)             $10,000

I didn't enter any budget release value for the WBS element number 3 because it's yet to be released in the future.

System Behavior:

When I try to post actual cost to the project, the system restricts WBS 1 for only  $10,000 and WBS 2 for only $6,000 while WBS 3 is not restricted at all and I can post any amount.

Please if you have any explanation to this or a solution to make the system restrict the posting to the original budget amount if I fail to enter a budget release amount!

And also if anyone has faced this problem please let me know.

Thank you.

[Former Member]

This message was moderated.

[Former Member]

Thank you very much Ahmed, That was a very excellent answer.

[Paulo_Vitoriano]

Hi Ahmed,

Please have a look at your budget profile for availability control activation and compare the system statuses on all 3 WBS-elements.

Normally there is an option to force Availability Control before WBS release through a user status:

Regards,

Paulo

[Former Member]

Dear Paulo

     Thank you for the answer, I've already tried that one. That solution prevents releasing a WBS element before it has been budgeted. but it gets tricky when you activate the budget release.

When you activate the budget release function and proceed with the process you enter original budget for the WBS element. Thus the WBS element takes the status BUDG, which removes the system status and allows you to release the WBS element before you can enter a budget release for the same WBS element.

However, the budget release transaction does not change anything in the system status for a WBS element. And it is not possible for it to trigger any kind of user status as you can see in the screen shot.

And the availability control in the budget profile is:      "1" background activation

Thank you

[Paulo_Vitoriano]

Hi Ahmed,

Is that the case that both WBS 1 and 2 have BUDG and AVAC, while WBS 3 has no AVAC?

Thank you,

Paulo

[Former Member]

Yes it is

but the problem is not in AVAC. Even if the Availability Control is active, it checks the assigned value of a WBS element against the Released Value, it does not consider the original budget at all. and since that the released value is Zero, and Zero means Unlimited to SAP Budget, it checks the assigned value against an unlimited value without any regards to the original budget.

What I want it to do is:-

Check assigned value Against Released Budget.

If assigned value = Zero,

Check assigned value against Original Budget

Or

Prevent the transaction with an error message "Budget Release has not yet been maintained for the WBS element ########"

Thanks

[Paulo_Vitoriano]

Hi Ahmed,

In the Budget profile do you have check marks for both Overall and Released under Availability Control section?

Actually it would be nice to get you budget profile screen and system statuses for all 3 WBS-es.

And agree AVAC is not a problem, the problem is when you have no AVAC.

Thank you,

Paulo

[Former Member]

Actually my system is currently down for maintenance.

But here is the budget profile settings

Future     "+5"

Past        "-2"

Start        "0"

X      Total

X      Annual

Decimal Places "2"

Budget Program "Null"

Availability Control "1"

Percentage "Null"

X     Overall          ---> I've tried to remove it and work on annual (still a problem)

X     Release

X     Controlling Area Currency

______________________________________

as fore the status for each WBS element, I currently don't recall. but I also don't remember there was anything wrong with it, it looked normal. but as soon as the system is up, I will take the screenshots.

many Thanks

[Paulo_Vitoriano]

Hi Ahmed,

I did tested the process in my system and it works fine...

This is after CJ30:

This is after CJ32:

This is CJ31:

This is a warning message at Invoice posting FB60:

This is CJ31 Analysis:

So, the zero budget is not interpreted as the unlimited value...   Check your tolerance settings.

Cheers,

Paulo

[Former Member]

Thank you very much for your support

can you please show me your tolerance settings ?

thanks a lot

[Paulo_Vitoriano]

You can see them on the last screen in the report ++ 1 100% for the combo of CO Area and Budget Profile.

[Former Member]

Hi Paulo

I would like to thank you very much for your continued help & support.

My server is up now, so I re-tested the process and followed your steps and I realized where I deviate from your steps. But the following point is a loophole that needs to be blocked.

I created the user status so that it prevents the WBS element release or partial release before it takes the system status "BUDG" as mentioned in the document you shared.

But there is a loophole where the user can follow the following steps to escape the budget availability control :-

1) Create Project Structure

2) Enter Original Budget for the Project

     2.1) Now the WBS elements have system status (BUDG)

     2.2) The user status that prevents the release has been
             automatically removed

     2.3) The WBS elements have not taken the system status (AVAC) yet

3) Release WBS elements

4) Post as much as you want on the WBS elements. The availability control is not yet active and the WBS elements have nothing to restrict the posting at all.

To solve this, I need to create a user status that prevents the full or partial release of WBS elements and can only be removed by triggering system status (AVAC) rather than (BUDG). But I scrolled through the business transactions in the user status and couldn't find such transaction (See Screenshot).

Please, do you have any ideas how to solve this and prevent any WBS release before taking system status (AVAC) ?

Again, Thank you very much for your continued support.

[Paulo_Vitoriano]

Hi Ahmed,

You have always at least two options:

1. Business process around the system

2. Technical solution

1. Instead of Releases you can use Supplements or Transfers, so avoid this Release functionality and substitute it with a different process.

2. Validation exit, can be rather simple ABAP code that checks REL goes always along with AVAC.

Regards,

Paulo

[Former Member]

Hi Paulo,

     Option 1 doesn't really seem to work for me. There will be a lot of workarounds and probably loopholes again. But option two is actually a good Idea. I'm gonna see my options in the regular validation for "WBS" before I resort to ABAP. And I'm gonna come back to you if I find something.

Many thanks to you for your cooperation.

[Former Member]

Hi Paulo

     I looked into the normal validation and dug deep but I couldn't find anything so I asked this question about validation:

And as it seems to be, there is not way but the the use of ABAP coding during the exit.

Thank you very much for your response