SAP FI consulting with practical experience in financial accounting

Scope of services

I cover the entire SAP FI module, in SAP S/4HANA as well as in SAP ECC, which I worked with myself for many years: from process consulting as solution architect through design and customizing to testing, training and further development. Key areas are:

• General ledger and parallel accounting: chart of accounts, ledgers for German GAAP (HGB) and IFRS, document types and posting logic.
• Accounts receivable: incoming payments, dunning, credit management and clearing of open items.
• Accounts payable and incoming invoices: incoming invoice processing, e-invoicing, payment proposals and supplier master data.
• Asset accounting: asset classes, depreciation and parallel valuations.
• Banking and payments: ISO 20022, electronic bank statements, payment runs and bank reconciliation.
• Taxes and closing: VAT, period-end closing and reconciliations.

ISO 20022 in payments

ISO 20022 is the international standard for payment messages. In SAP, it affects the payment medium formats (pain), electronic bank statements (camt instead of MT940 and local formats) and structured address data, which is gradually becoming mandatory in international payments.

The conversion affects the payment program, bank communication and the posting and account assignment rules of bank statement processing, and requires careful testing with the banks.

E-invoicing for incoming invoices

Since January 1, 2025, companies in Germany must be able to receive electronic invoices in domestic B2B transactions. For incoming invoices in SAP, this means accepting, checking and posting e-invoices as automatically as possible, often with a solution for incoming invoice processing (Vendor Invoice Management).

Typical assignments

• Process consulting and solution design as solution architect.
• Design and customizing of new requirements.
• Analysis and lasting resolution of posting and reconciliation differences.
• Support during month-end and year-end closing.
• Preparation for external audits and tax audits.

Integration with MM, SD and PP

Financial accounting is closely linked to purchasing (MM), sales (SD) and production (PP). Goods movements, invoice verification, billing documents and the settlement of production orders automatically generate postings in the general ledger. For them to arrive correctly without rework, account determination, valuation and settlement must fit together. I set up these interfaces so that they work together reliably.

Impact on accounting

With S/4HANA, accounting increasingly works with SAP Fiori apps; customers and suppliers are maintained as business partners. Key users are trained in the new functions, and I remain available as a point of contact after changes.

Project experience

Selected projects, including ISO 20022, incoming invoices and international rollouts, can be found on the About page.

Frequently asked questions