Automate Control

1 Introduction

The IDL Konsis function for automatic flow control allows you to define your specific processing sequences and store them under your own menu items in the IDL Konsis menu.

A special program (KC1M12) is used to automatically call pre-defined sequences. This program displays the menu items, including the specified parameters, associated with a menu hierarchy (MNUSTC structure). Special information is used to enter parameters, startup data parameters or multiply the displayed program calls for different keys, e.g. companies.

Normally you will mark all lines and start the displayed applications by double-clicking or by selecting them from the object or action menu.

2 Steps to Set Up an Automated Gating Machine

2.1 Definition of a Menu Item for the Dispenser

To define a machine, first a customer-specific menu item (naming convention: 1. character = $) in the application MNUITM. Apart from the first character, the name is optional.

The description for this menu item is user-specific. The short term is the string under which the automatic expiration machine can be called by typing a short word. This does not have to match the menu ID. However, no strings that are used in the IDL standard may be specified. In order to avoid conflicts with future IDL Konsis extensions, the use of $ as the first character is recommended. Description and abbreviation can also be assigned to different user languages if required.

This menu item is assigned the program for the KC1M12 automatic sequence machine. The rest of the information is empty.

2.2 Definition of the Menus Contained in the Dispenser

The MNUSTC application assigns the desired subsequent applications, including the required parameters, to this application. The menu item entered in the previous chapter must be specified as ID menu. The ID sub-menu is for the applications whose calls should be included in the machine. The line number determines the order in which these applications are displayed and executed.

For each application included in the machine, parameters may be given on the following keys:

• Group / Sub-Group
• Company
• Business unit
• Settlement period
• Fact

plus, in each case, a preliminary or comparative value.

In addition, the following can be specified:

• Import/Export Format
• Import/Export Transfer Group
• Report Ident
• Report Version Number
• Posting Key Group

Two input fields are available for each parameter, one for an explicit key (e.g. company number) and one for a special value (e.g. '#ALL'). The field for the special value shows in the selection which special entries are available for which parameter. In principle, the following special entries are possible:

[#KYS] This information makes sure that an input field is output in the Selection area of the machine in which you have to enter the respective key. Only after this input is the list of callable applications output.

[#STUPDT] The current value from the user's startup data for this parameter is used.

[#ALL] All values defined in the relevant root table should be used for this key. The entry of the application is copied to the table so that one row is displayed for each key. This control cannot be used for fact and settlement period.

[#KTK] This is only possible for the key "company". The application is supposed to be made for all companies of a group companies. For this purpose, the entry of the application is duplicated in the table so that one row is displayed for each company.

[#KTK-N] Similar to the entry #KTK, this special entry ensures the reproduction of a line for all companies of the group companies specified in the parameter group/TK. However, this group/sub-group itself is not passed as a parameter to the called application. This variant is required to call up the creation of shareholder reports and the calculation of audit results, since these applications can be called both with and without the group/sub-group parameter.

[#INT] This information is only possible for the keys period and previous period. In the Period field, control allows you to call an application for a series of periods without explicitly specifying all of them. The Selection area of the machine application displays additional input fields for "from period" and "period interval". Here, for example, the following information can be used:

• Period = 12.2008
• From period = 03.2008
• Period interval = 3

The relevant application is called for periods "03.2008", "06.2008", "09.2008" and "12.2008". The machine application table shows the application several times with the corresponding periods. The sequence is ascending. The input of #INT in the previous period field is possible for the applications that require a previous period in addition to the current period (e.g. period carry forward). In conjunction with the input #INT in the Period field, this causes an additional input field "Previous period" to be displayed in the Selection area of the machine application. Entries 'J', 'M', and 'Q' are possible here, which means that the last previous period is used as the previous period with the same period indicator, so that, for example, if 'J' is entered, the period carried forward is always carried out on the basis of the last annual financial statement.

Examples of using #INT:

The special value #INT was entered in the MNUSTC application in a machine for the group carry forward, both for the period and for the previous period:

Figure: Setting of the special value #INT in the machine for the group carry forward

As a result, three additional fields have been added in the Selection area of the automatic control system: From period, interval, and previous period.

Figure: Using the machine with three additional fields

The following images illustrate the different settings:

Figure: Setting for the creation of carries forward in monthly closings from the previous month's financial statements

An entry in the Separator field ('A' = after the current menu item, 'B' = before the current menu item) can be used to control empty lines in the resulting application overview.

2.3 Integration of the Menu Item into the Menu Structure

In order to call the defined process automate by short term and also to be contained in the menu tree (resource tree), the corresponding menu item must be subordinated to the menu node KUNAPP (or an existing customer-specific menu item) via the MNUSTC application. KUNAPP must be specified as the ID menu, and the customer-specific menu item for the dispenser as the child menu ID. The line number defines the order of display if multiple applications are assigned to the KUNAPP node. The other attributes are not needed and should remain empty.

The KUNAPP menu node is hidden when the menu tree is being set up so that the machine application appears directly in the IDL Konsis menu. For technical reasons, it is not possible to insert individual menu items in one of the other IDL Konsis submenus (e.g. company financial statement).

2.4 Granting of Authorization for the Dispenser

Finally, you must assign permissions to the new application so that it can be invoked by a user. This is done by APPLYING THE NAME. The authorization for all menu authorization groups for which the machine should be accessible must be entered here. By default, these are the user groups IDLADMIN, IDLKON, and/or IDLKON1, otherwise the customer-specific user groups.

The ID menu of the drain machine must be specified by KON / MNUITM / $... as the ID object. For the authorization levels, it is sufficient to assign the authorization to display with '1'. Permission to run the actual applications is checked only when this application is called.

3 Applications That Can be Called in the Dispenser

In general, all overview applications, form entries, import applications, and mask-free processing programs can be integrated into the flow machine. In addition, external program calls (menu IDs UNLxxx for unloading data from external systems such as SAP interface or customer-specific calls e.g. for Excel or MIS programs) can also be included. Single-record applications associated with the overviews (with suffix E in the ID menu) are not directly accessible.

However, this list is restricted by the available key parameters. Applications that require additional parameters cannot be integrated into automatic gimmicks, unless they are dialog applications that allow these parameters to be entered later. Typical examples of applications that cannot be called from the machine are:

• Generating position assignments for company accounts from the position assignment for the assigned group accounts (AGGKTOAUTO) and the delete and reloading of position/account assignments (TXLAGGKTO) because these applications require a chart of accounts and a chart of positions as a parameter.
• Exchange of group and parallel currency (CRCYCHG), since the currency codes of GC and PC are required as parameters.
• Calculation of deferred taxes in the company financial statement (LATSTEUE), as this application requires three different data types as a parameter.

The following section lists typical non-dialog applications that are suitable for use in process machines. The dialog applications are not mentioned because their menu IDs and parameters are probably common. The integration of a dialog application (overview or form entry) into the automatic flow machine will cause the dialog application to stop displaying until the <next> button exits.

3.1 Import Applications

Import applications for report data, which are regularly imported, are particularly suitable for inclusion in process automation systems. The following menu IDs are available here:

These applications require the clear specification of the fact and the current period as parameters or from the startup data. You can also specify an interval for the period by specifying the beginning of the interval as the comparison period. The parameters for group/sub-group, company, and/or business unit are to be specified when the input data from the import file is to be checked against these parameters. Corresponding fields are available in MNUSTC for specifying any individual import formats and implementation groups that may be required.

If you want the automatic flow control to be repeatable, it is a good idea to use the "delete and reload" applications instead of the "DSCTXT ...". These variants are available for all imports of report data except TXTICKONV, TXTANLICB, and TXTBEL. The requirement of a group/sub-group or a clear company is mandatory for these variants.

If import applications are to run in a machine application, it is often annoying to report error messages. There are therefore various options for suppressing messages that can be set in the Options dialog box > Import/Export screen.

3.2 Deletion Applications

Delete applications may make sense to ensure that there is no data in the target area, for example, before calling speech applications. The following menu IDs are available for deleting report data:

The delete applications require the key parameters company, period, and fact. When called up from the machine, the request "Do you really want to delete" is suppressed.

3.3 Presentation Applications

The following menu IDs can be used to control the flow of speaking applications:

In addition to the information for company or group/sub-group, period, and fact (each for the key of the target data), presentation applications also require a pre-fact and/or pre-period, or a source group/sub-group for the KOPKONBUCH, if applicable.

3.4 Currency Conversion

The following menu IDs are suitable for integrating the currency conversion into a machine:

These applications require the unique specification of a company or group/sub-group, as well as the period and facts.

3.5 Consolidation Functions

In addition to the single-record applications, most consolidation functions can also be integrated into process machines. This is possible via the following menu IDs:

These applications all require the unique specification of group/sub-group, period, fact and, with the exception of KTKGESB, KTKERGV and PRFGCALC of the company as key parameters. The ERSTKON and ANTFREMD applications also require the specification of a previous period as a comparison period.

3.6 Creating Report Results

With the help of the further input options for report ID and report version, report results for both company and group reports can be created with a dispenser. The following menus are available for this:

The prerequisite is that a report header set with the specified version already exists, e.g. through the carry forward from the previous period.

3.7 Release and Lock Capabilities

The following menu IDs can be used to insert functions for the release of closings and thus to block them from further changes:

The ABRLOCK application only needs the period as a parameter. It affects the PERATH table. The effect of the block therefore depends on the authorization level '2' being specified in the startup data of the users for the period.

Otherwise, the locks work at the level of the key company or group/sub-group as well as period and fact.

3.8 Data Exchange

The applications for the group-wide and sub-group data exchange can in principle be integrated into a processing machine:

The parameters must be specified in the same way as the call application GRPSUBEX. However, with the unloading functions (KONENTL, TKDATUN, GESENTL), it is not possible to specify "From modification date", so that this data is always completely unloaded.

4 Application of the Automatic Gating Machine

After completing the steps described in Section 2 for defining an expiration machine, IDL Konsis must be closed and restarted once. The new application can then be started by typing a short word or selecting it from the resource tree / QuickStart tool. If the #KYS parameter is specified for a menu item, the input fields in the Selection area must first be filled, with a startup data from the user-specific startup data. Otherwise, a list of the applications contained in the machine, including the specification of the respective key parameters, is immediately displayed.

The displayed application calls can be individually marked and executed. This is done by double-clicking or selecting the menu item <Run the selected application> from the Action or Object menu. In practice, you will want to trigger the entries of the dispenser completely. To do this, you must first select all the rows displayed, either by selecting <Mark all lines> on the <Edit> menu or by pressing <Ctrl + A>.

By defining further customer-specific menu items (starting with '$') and defining corresponding menu structures in the MNUSTC application, it is also possible to display the dispenser in several stages. As with the IMPT application, the first step displays only the defined nodes, which can then be expanded to see and raise the child applications.

5 Sample Machine

An example of this would be to set up a machine for making the period carry-forwards for the group and companies, then importing account balances and IC sub-account balances on fact I3, extrapolating I3 to I4 and finally determining the participation and status in group to I4.

The first step is to create the menu that is used to call the machine from the resource tree. In the MNUITM application, this menu item must be set as the initial letter with a § character. The KC1M12 module can be assigned to this menu.

Figure: Setting up an automated gulley machine menu item

Additional menus are required first so that the individual steps can be displayed clearly in a tree structure. This is not a plugin. The following menus are created in total:

Figure: Setting up additional menu items

In the MNUSTC application, these menu items are assigned so that 1. the process machine itself can be reached via the resource tree, and 2. the applications appear clearly in a tree structure below.

Figure: Assignment of the other menu items to the drain machine $AUTO

These submenus in turn must be assigned to the individual applications with the necessary parameters, including in the MNUSTC menu. The following overview shows the settings used: mandatory entries are the line number on the one hand and the subordinate menu, marked blue here on the other hand. All other information is optional, it can either be assigned permanently (e.g. fact = I4) or it can be defined by special values. For the example, it was decided to specify the data types required, because the applications span several data types and an entry in the Selection area would not be unique. The group and the periods are reported via the Selection area, the companies are stated according to the stated group companies.

Figure: Application and parameter assignment

All menus in the BENMING application must be assigned to the user groups that are to work with the machine

Figure: Assigning the menus of the user group IDLADMIN in the application

Once the assignment has been made in MNUATH and IDL Konsis is closed and reopened, the machine is attached to the exit of the resource tree and can be called up via this or via a short word. The following overview is then displayed:

Figure: Using the machine

The steps can be expanded individually and the respective parameters are recognizable. The individual steps can be performed via the Action or Context menu.

Figure: Unfolding individual steps / starting the application