Phase 13 — Reporting & Analytics
🎯 In plain words
❓ Why it matters
Reporting is a cert area in its own right, and it's also how clients judge you day-to-day. Anyone can create a PO; the consultant who can answer "how much is still open with this vendor?" in ten seconds is the one they keep calling. Good reports also catch problems early — late deliveries, slow-moving stock, runaway spend — before they become expensive.
🧠 Key concepts you must know
1. Purchase-order reports — the ME2* family
These all list POs; the last letter tells you what you're listing by. Each has a "scope of list" selector (e.g. open quantity only).
| T-code | Lists POs by… |
|---|---|
| ME2L | Vendor (per supplier) |
| ME2M | Material |
| ME2N | PO number |
| ME2K | Account assignment (cost center / project) |
Tip: to find open POs (still awaiting GR/invoice), pick the right scope-of-list parameter on the selection screen.
2. Stock reports
- MB52 — warehouse stock on hand (qty + value, per plant/storage location).
- MB5B — stock on a key date / opening-and-closing balances over a period.
3. Purchasing & inventory analyses (classic LIS)
- Purchasing analyses — the MC$* reports (e.g. spend by vendor, by material group, PO value, delivery reliability).
- Inventory controlling — MCBA (stock value and movement analysis by plant/material).
4. Vendor evaluation
- ME61 — maintain/score a vendor (price, quality, delivery, service).
- ME64 — evaluation comparison / ranking list across vendors.
5. Document tracing — follow the paper trail
Every MM document is linked: PR → PO → GR → invoice → payment. To follow the chain:
- Document flow / relationship browser inside the PO, or FB03 on the FI document to jump between linked documents.
- FBL1N — vendor line items (open/cleared invoices and payments for a supplier).
6. Modern Fiori analytics
Same data, app-based and visual: Fiori analytical apps, embedded analytics (live CDS-view reports right in S/4HANA), and ready-made procurement KPIs & dashboards (e.g. purchasing spend, supplier performance, overdue POs).
🛠️ Do it now — practise alongside
Don't just read — go pull some real numbers. Reporting sticks once you've run it:
📘 Reporting Deep Guide (full walkthrough) Document tracing (Scenario 1, Step 6)Then build yourself a small reporting pack: run ME2L for "what's open by vendor", ME2N for "what's due", and a MC$* purchasing analysis for "spend by vendor". Save the layouts so you can re-run them in seconds.
🔗 Connects to
- Phase 4 — Purchase Orders: the POs you create are exactly what ME2* reports on.
- Phase 6 — Inventory Management: the source of the stock reports (MB52/MB5B).
- Phase 12 — Cross-Module Integration: reports often span MM, FI and SD data together.
🎓 Cert focus & quick recall
C_TS452 analytics area. Expect questions on which report answers which question, and on classic vs Fiori reporting.
Which report lists open POs by vendor?
ME2L (POs by vendor) — set the scope of list to show open items. ME2M does the same by material, ME2N by PO number.
How do you trace a full document chain?
Use the document flow / relationship browser from the PO, or open the FI document in FB03 and jump between linked documents (PR → PO → GR → invoice → payment). FBL1N shows the vendor's line items.
Classic reports vs Fiori analytics — what's the difference?
Same underlying data. Classic reports are transaction-code list screens (ME2*, MB52, MC$*); Fiori analytics are tile-based, visual apps with embedded analytics and KPI dashboards. Fiori is the modern S/4HANA way.
Which T-code is for vendor evaluation?
ME61 to maintain/score a vendor; ME64 for the comparison/ranking list.
✅ You're ready to move on when…
- You know which ME2* report to run for open POs by vendor, by material, and by PO.
- You can trace a PR → PO → GR → invoice chain using document flow / FB03.
- You can say in one line how classic reports differ from Fiori analytics.