Reporting & Embedded Analytics — Deep Guide
🎯 In plain words
🧠 The classic reports
The workhorse list reports, grouped by what you're asking about:
Purchase order reports — same data, sorted by a different key:
| T-code | Lists POs by… |
|---|---|
| ME2L | Vendor — "show me everything I've ordered from this supplier". |
| ME2M | Material — every PO for one material/part number. |
| ME2N | PO number — find/track specific purchase orders. |
| ME2K | Account assignment — POs charged to a cost centre / project / order. |
What each one shows is steered by the scope of list (e.g. ALV, BEST) plus the selection parameters (e.g. WE101 = open goods receipts, RECHNUNG = open invoices) — so the very same T-code can list open, delivered, or invoiced items.
Stock reports — where's my inventory:
| T-code | Shows |
|---|---|
| MMBE | Stock overview — one material across all plants/storage locations, all stock types at a glance. |
| MB52 | Warehouse stock — list of quantities (and value) on hand, filterable by plant/material. |
| MB51 | Material document / movement history — every goods movement that hit a material. |
| MB5B | Stock on a posting date — what the balance was on a given day (opening/closing). |
Purchasing analyses (LIS) — the Logistics Information System aggregates documents into statistics. The MC$* family of reports answers business questions like spend by vendor or by material group (e.g. MC$4, MCE1) — handy for purchasing volume, frequency and value.
Vendor evaluation — scoring suppliers on price, quality and delivery: ME61 maintains the scores; ME64 / ME6H evaluate and compare them.
🧠 Document tracing
"Show me everything that happened to this PO." Three ways to walk the chain:
- PO history tab in ME23N — open the PO, go to the Purchase Order History tab on the item; it lists each goods receipt and invoice posted against that line.
- Vendor line items with FBL1N — the vendor's open and cleared items in Finance (invoices vs payments).
- Relationship browser via FB03 → Environment → Relationship Browser — draws the whole document family as a tree: PR → PO → GR → invoice → payment, all linked.
🧠 Fiori & embedded analytics
In S/4HANA the launchpad gives you real-time analytical Fiori apps — no separate BW data warehouse needed, because the numbers are read live from the same tables:
- Analytical apps & KPI tiles — e.g. Monitor Purchase Order Items, Purchase Order Value, and supplier/spend KPIs that you can drill into.
- CDS-view based embedded analytics — the apps sit on top of CDS views (virtual data models) that calculate on the fly.
- Overview pages — a single screen of cards and filters that summarise an area (e.g. procurement) so a buyer sees the whole picture at once.
Think of it as the classic reports' answers, served live as tiles and charts instead of a printed list.
🛠️ Do it now — build a reporting pack
Answer three questions — what's open / what's due / what we spend — then trace one full chain:
- Run ME2N with an "open" selection parameter → your list of open POs.
- Run ME2L for one vendor → everything outstanding by that supplier.
- Run MB52 for the plant → current stock on hand to compare against demand.
- Pick one PO and trace the full chain: FBL1N (vendor items) then FB03 → Relationship Browser to see PR→PO→GR→invoice→payment.
- Export each ALV list to Excel (the spreadsheet icon) — that's your reporting pack.
- Classic reports are ALV lists — sort, filter, total, and export to Excel right from the toolbar; don't re-key data by hand.
- "Missing" data? The scope of list + selection parameters decide what shows (open vs delivered vs invoiced) — the wrong scope hides rows that are really there.
- Fiori tile not appearing? The app needs the right catalog / business role assigned — it's an authorisation/launchpad setup, not a data problem.
🔗 Connects to
- Phase 4 — P2P: the purchase orders these reports list and trace are created here.
- Phase 6 — Inventory: the stock reports (MMBE/MB52/MB51) read the inventory you posted there.
- Phase 12 — Cross-module: document tracing crosses into FI (FBL1N, FB03) — reporting ties the modules together.
🎓 Cert focus & quick recall
C_TS452 analytics area. Expect questions on which report answers which question, document flow, and classic vs Fiori reporting.
Which report lists open POs by vendor?
ME2L (POs by vendor). Use a scope of list / selection parameter that filters to "open" to drop already-delivered or invoiced items.
How do you see every follow-on document of a PO?
The Purchase Order History tab in ME23N, or the Relationship Browser in FB03 (Environment → Relationship Browser) which draws PR→PO→GR→invoice→payment.
Classic LIS reports vs Fiori embedded analytics?
LIS (MC$*) aggregates documents into stored statistics queried by classic transactions. Fiori embedded analytics reads live data through CDS views — real-time KPIs and tiles, no separate BW needed in S/4HANA.
Which T-code maintains vendor evaluation?
ME61 maintains the evaluation (scores); ME64 / ME6H evaluate and compare vendors.
✅ You're ready to move on when…
- You can pull a list of open POs by vendor and adjust the scope so only the right rows show.
- You can read current stock with MB52 (and overview with MMBE).
- You can trace a document chain end-to-end via the PO history tab and the FB03 relationship browser.