What is the IDR initial load?
“IDR Initial Load” means Initial Load with Intermediate Data Retention. It is the new approach for the initial load and mandatory for source systems starting from S/4HANA Cloud, Public Cloud Edition 2308 and S/4HANA source systems with UPA active, but also in an ECC system and in a S/4HANA system without UPA the data quality is much better than with the classic initial load.
The main idea of the IDR initial load is that the document load uses accounting raw data, which are already recorded before the initial load is executed. To avoid negative impact on the source system, this IDR recorded data are transferred from the source system to the IDR system. Once the SLT transfer is successful, the data can be deleted from the IDR persistency in the source system.
If you compare the classic and IDR initial loads, you see the following:
Why using the IDR Initial Load?
In the classic initial load, the data for the document load are read from the FI and CO tables.
Not only did this impact data quality, but certain transactions were not supported (for example COGS split or price difference split) and FI and CO matching issues could occur. In the the accounting raw data is used.
In the IDR initial load, the relevant accounting raw data for the document load are captured in the IDR persistency during source system posting processes. This replaces the step of reading the data from the FI and CO tables and avoids FI and CO matching issues. The data quality is as good as in the online replication, because the same approach is used for the document load. The balance and open item load are the same for both initial load variants.
How to use the IDR initial load?
The IDR initial load consists of the following 6 steps:
- Preparations for the IDR recording
- Start IDR recording
- IDR Initial Load - Extraction of Balances and Open Items
- Start replication
- Document load using the recorded IDR data
- Stop IDR recording
I will describe each of the steps briefly in the next chapters.
Step 1: Preparations for the IDR recording
Before starting the IDR recording you need to decide which system and tenant shall be used as the IDR system. To avoid data loss from missing fields in the staging tables, your IDR system should be on the same version as the source system (if your source system has a higher version than your target system, then it is sufficient to have the IDR system on the same version as the target system).
You can have the IDR system as a separate client on the same system as the source or target system. When there is a high data volume expected, then it might be useful to consider a separate system as the IDR system.
Furthermore, you must set up the SLT transfers between the source system and the IDR system. You need to replicate the IDR persistency using the for tables CFIN_ACCHD_IDR and CFIN_MIG_LOG (CFI_ACCHD_IDR_L/R and CFIN_MIG_LOG_L/R, resp.).
Check the online help for further details: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_S4HANA_ON-PREMISE/26c2d5e366bc44c1a98f2a9212a0c49d/4f236462a2c0471d9b8...
Step 2: Start IDR Recording
The next step is to start the IDR recording.
As the IDR recording is always started for an initial load group, you must create an initial load group with the relevant logical system and company codes in your target SAP S/4HANA system (Central Finance). Recommendation is to keep company codes with cross company transaction in the same initial load group. Technically you can have cross-company transactions, where one company code is in initial load group L1 and the other one is initial load group L2. In this case the documents are split into one document per initial load group.
For details for IDR Cross Company Postings check: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_S4HANA_ON-PREMISE/26c2d5e366bc44c1a98f2a9212a0c49d/2e14c9eca80342ddad9...
Furthermore, you must maintain the “General Replication Settings” (VCFIN_SOURCE_SET) in your source system. For S/4HANA Cloud Source Systems use the app "Central Finance - Replication Settings"
Note:
you can only start the IDR recording for the next period, e.g, if you are currently in period 01, you can start IDR for period 02 forward. Documents which were posted to the document periods before the IDR recording was started will be transferred using the document load of the classic initial load. This might lead to the same issues described for the classic initial.
From S/4HANA 2023 S/4HANA Central Finance supports deviating FI integrated currencies. Precondition is that when clearings are replicated from the source system their clearing line items are not summarized. Therefore set in the customizing activity "Financial Accounting -> Central Finance -> Central Finance: Source System Settings -> Settings for the Transfer of Clearings" (View: VCFIN_CLR_SET) the indicator “With Line Items” for the corresponding company code. This activity is mandatory for the IDR Initial Load
While the IDR recording is running, you can configure your Central Finance system by setting up the company code(s) including the chart of account, all master data, the mappings, etc. – it is the same as for the classic initial load.
To start the IDR recording open the IMG activity “Manage Intermediate Data Retention” in your Central Finance system, enter your initial load group and execute it.
Once the recording is started, the relevant accounting raw data are recorded in the source system and transferred to the IDR system using SLT.
Once the IDR data are transferred to the IDR system, they are no longer required in the source system. We recommend to regularly remove them from the IDR persistency in the source system using the standard report RFIN_CFIN_CLEANUP.
For further information, check the online help: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_S4HANA_ON-PREMISE/26c2d5e366bc44c1a98f2a9212a0c49d/417a6f933ae24143a8e...
For details regarding how cross-company documents are handled, when only one company code is in IDR recording, check the online help: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_S4HANA_ON-PREMISE/26c2d5e366bc44c1a98f2a9212a0c49d/2e14c9eca80342ddad9...
Step 3: IDR Initial Load - Extraction Balances and Open Items
Once you have finished the setup and configuration of your Central Finance system, you can start the IDR initial load to load data into your Central Finance system.
Each initial load has always the following 3 parts: balance load, open item load and document load.
The difference between the classic and the IDR initial load is the data used for the document load. The balance load and the open item load are the same for both.
You start with the extraction of the balances and open items. Therefore, you must block the previous posting periods, start the extraction and unblock the periods again.
Previous posting periods means periods before the document load period. If you would have started the IDR recording from January this year, then postings to the last year are blocked while the extraction is running. Postings to the document load periods are still possible. You must unblock the previous period, so that postings to the previous periods are possible again.
The extracted balance and open items are processed the same way as in the classic initial load. You use the IMG activities Execute Initial Load for Initial Load Group and Monitor Initial Load Execution for Initial Load Group.
For more details check https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_S4HANA_ON-PREMISE/26c2d5e366bc44c1a98f2a9212a0c49d/bd14b8aeaaa44358b68...
Step 4: Start replication
Documents created after the extraction of balances and open items are recorded in the IDR persistency. They will be transferred with the IDR document load.
You can also start the replication now. This means, that after this step is executed, the accounting raw data is stored in the IDR persistency and furthermore in the staging tables for the ongoing replication. The data would through the online replication. The replication to the IDR system is required, if you want to repeat the IDR initial load.
There 2 points need to be considered:
- You replicate the staging table for the ongoing transfer using the replication object for tables CFIN_ACCHD (this is the replication from source to Central Finance)
- To avoid sequencing issues, you have to stop the AIF processing in the S/4HANA Central Finance system.
For system using AIF background jobs details can be found here under AIF Bulk Processing
For systems from S/4HANA 2023 using Background RFC check this link
The ongoing IDR recording allows a reset of the initial load and repetition of the IDR initial load w/out losing any recorded data.
Step 5: Document load using the recorded IDR data
Last step of the IDR initial load is the document load using the data from the IDR persistency in the IDR system.
This step is started using the option “Prepare Transfer from IDR to CFIN” of the Manage Intermediate Data Retention report.
With this option you trigger that the data relevant for the document load is copied from the CFIN_ACCHD_IDR table to the CFIN_ACCHD table in the IDR system.
Note:
The data from the CFIN_ACCHD in the IDR system have to be sent to the Central Finance system. We recommend to use the SLT Initial Load for the same.
Check the following link for more details: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_S4HANA_ON-PREMISE/26c2d5e366bc44c1a98f2a9212a0c49d/883e7196f0eb42d18f3...
If you want to repeat the IDR initial load, you must reset the initial load in the source, the IDR system and the Central Finance system. Details can be found under: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_S4HANA_ON-PREMISE/26c2d5e366bc44c1a98f2a9212a0c49d/8e696a5b52fc4262afb...
Step 6: Stop IDR recording
Before you stop the IDR recording using the corresponding option in the “Manage Intermediate Data Retention” you must verify that the initial load is correct and the IDR recorded data are no longer required as this step stops any further recording into the IDR persistency in the source system. From now only the staging tables for the online replication are filled.
Important:
Only stop the recording when you are absolutely sure that the initial load will not require a reset. Even if you executed this step by mistake, you cannot revert it back, because there might be missing documents in the IDR persistency.
Please also check: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_S4HANA_ON-PREMISE/26c2d5e366bc44c1a98f2a9212a0c49d/5024dbabbc724d6cb64...
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