7 Steps for SAP Fixed Assets Migration
Fixed Assets is an important part of the accounting. It is usually one of the areas that are implemented in SAP, and often it goes in the same phase as all other Core Finance components: General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable.
You often need to transfer data from the old (legacy) system to SAP. This process is called “migration”. There are some specifics in migration of Fixed Assets data. Let’s look into the steps that you need to make and discuss them in details.
- Detach Fixed Assets and General Ledger
There is a special type of reconciliation accounts in SAP General Ledger: Assets. You assign this type of reconciliation account to the GL accounts specifically created to hold Assets acquisition costs and accumulated depreciation.
The link via reconciliation account ensures that each transaction with Fixed Assets in your SAP system automatically posts in General Ledger. You don’t need to post the same amount twice in General Ledger and Fixed Assets subledger. It also ensures that you cannot post any amount directly to the GL account linked with the Fixed Assets module.
However, you need to break this link between the ledgers during the migration. Technically speaking, you migrate GL account balances and Fixed Assets values separately.
To do so, change the account type from “Assets” to empty in transaction code OAMK, which you can also find in IMG: Financial Accounting -> Asset Accounting -> Preparing for Production Startup -> Production Startup -> Set or Reset Reconciliation Accounts.
- Set parameters for migration
Before migrating data for Fixed Assets in SAP, you need to tell the system what you migrate and what to do with migration data. Most important parameters for the migration are migration date and last closed period in the legacy system.
Last posted period will tell SAP that it needs to calculate depreciation and post it in the Fixed Assets module for the next posting period. For example, if your go-live date is the 1st of January 2017, then last posted period is 12 / 2016.
Migration date is the date when SAP processes the migration transactions. It can either be the last day of the previous period, or the first day of the new period. Please note that if there are differences in depreciation amount posted during the migration and calculated by SAP, they will be posted in the next period after the migration. In the example above, if your migration date is 01.01.2017, adjustment posting will be planned to P2/2017. If you migration date is 31.12.2016, then adjustment will be posted in P1/2017.
You can find both of the transactions for date-related migration parameters in IMG: Asset Accounting -> Asset Data Transfer -> Parameters for Data Transfer -> Date Specifications.
There are a number of other parameters that you can set up for asset migration. They are relevant to amounts that you migrate. For example, you can ask SAP to recalculate the depreciation amount in the past years, or recalculate the insurance value. All these parameters are listed in the Options section of IMG next to the section I mentioned just above.
- Prepare the migration tool
There are two tools available for Fixed Assets migration in SAP: using Microsoft Excel integrated tool, and using the generic migration transaction for Fixed Assets.
Although Excel tool is available and listed in IMG node Financial Accounting -> Asset Accounting -> Asset Data Transfer, I have never seen it working. The most common case is migration of Fixed Assets using the generic “manual” tool.
There are 7 transactions in that tool:
- AS91 / AS92 / AS93 allow you to migrate individual fixed assets. These 3 transactions are for Creation, Editing and Display of the migration data.
- AS81 / AS82 / AS83 / AS84 allow you to migrate group assets. These 4 transactions are for Creation, Editing and Display of the migration data, and for creation of the group asset sub-numbers.
There are two distinct ways for migration of assets capitalized in the current and in the previous fiscal years. Of course, this note is only relevant if you migrate mid-year. The difference is that you only migrate values for acquisition costs and accumulated depreciation for previous years’ assets. All transactions in the current year should be posted as individual transactions in the relevant section of the entry transaction.
The Current year’s Fixed Assets will only have the Transactions section filled in, and that section will include the acquisition and accumulated depreciation transactions too.
The table below summarizes the section within transaction AS91 that you need to use to enter parts of the fixed assets migration data.
| Data | Current Year | Previous year |
|---|---|---|
| Acquisition Cost | Transactions | Takeover Values |
| Previous Years depreciation | n/a | Takeover Values |
| Current Year depreciation | Transactions | Takeover Values |
| Current Year transactions | Transactions | Transactions |
You should familiarise yourself with transactions AS91/AS81 before creating the migration tools for your project. When you know each part of AS91 / AS81, you can create LSMWs for transactions AS91 and AS81 (if necessary).
- Preparing your legacy data
You import data from the legacy system into Excel or any other data management application. It is very likely that the structure of the data will not be exactly the same as you expect it to be imported into LSMWs prepared on the previous step. That is why you will need to manipulate the data, sometimes enhancing it.
You may even need to build your own applications to manipulate the source data.
Do not forget to document each of your manipulation for audit trail purposes.
- Import data
Once your import tool and source data are ready, you can input data in SAP. LSMWs using transactions AS91 and AS81 (if necessary) will create asset master records with legacy values.
Of course, it is a good idea to dry run the migration in your test system to eliminate the possible hiccups and prepare the solution for known problems beforehand.
Your GL account balances should be migrated separately using any of the available tools, for example LSMW for transaction FB01.
- Reconcile the ledgers
If you look back at the very beginning of this article, you remember that Fixed Assets and General Ledger accounts were detached during the migration. Now, when the migration is over, you reconcile the ledgers.
To check the balance of GL account, you can run the transaction FS10N or FAGLB03 depending on the version of your SAP system.
To check the balance of your Fixed Assets, you can use many reports in the Information System section of the Fixed Assets menu. For example, there is transaction S_ALR_87011964 – Asset Balances by Asset class. Each Asset Class only has one GL account for acquisition costs and depreciation, meaning that transaction will provide you with information for reconciliation.
I values do not match you can edit migrated Fixed Assets data in SAP using transactions AS92 / AS82.
- Link Fixed Assets and General Ledger accounts
Once the balances on GL accounts and Fixed Assets ledgers are reconciled, you put the link between the ledgers back. Use transaction OAMK for that. Change reconciliation account type to “Assets” for the GL accounts you use.
These seven steps will complete your migration cycle for Fixed Assets.
If there are any questions you have about the Fixed Assets or any other SAP module, why not ask them to SAP Expert?
46 Comments
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Best information.Thanks for sharing helpful information
You’re very welcome!
hi how to do asset no range activity in migration programm
Don’t see a reason to do this in migration program. It’s a configuration activity that has to be done prior to migration.
Hello, Very good post, but I have two question for you. How I transfer after Asset Accounting Is Already Productive ? and my challenge is, I need to do this in middle of fiscal year.
Regards!
Hello,
You can migrate assets any time you want, even mid-year and when other Finance functionality is already live. I presume the balances on your Assets accounts already exist, so skip this step.
Best regards,
SAP Expert
Thanks!
My pleasure!
If you have technical questions – don’t hesitate to ask!
Hello,
Thanks a lot for you article. It is really useful.
Nonetheless I got a question regarding the migration of asset under construction which are not capitalized. In transaction AS91 the capitalization date is required but I fill it I can’t do the capitalization (ABUMN) anymore.
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Kind regard!
Hello,
Thank you for the good question.
I would not migrate assets under construction as assets per se. I would rather follow the full process, i.e. via Internal Orders or WBS elements. When you do the periodic settlement of them, AUCs will be created as a part of that process.
If you still have questions, please use this page.
Hi, thanks for this article, really useful!
My question is, how I can open capitalization values fild? I only can fill the depreciation acumulated values.
Thanks a lot!
Is it for migration of the current or previous year assets?
Thanks for the article.
I need to do migration of AUC balance using internal orders. Do you have more details/steps or any quick points I should be aware of?
Hello,
I don’t have any specific guides for that. From my point of view, there are 2 steps: migration of values to the internal order like normal GL, and then mass8-settlement of IOs to AUCs (KO8G).
Thanks for the article. Its very helpful.
I have a requirement to merge two company codes and both are productive in SAP system. Can you please tell me the steps to follow in assets take over.
If these 2 CoCodes are the same legal entity, then export data for the fixed assets from one CoCode, upload into the 2nd, and then forget about the 1st.
Otherwise, there should be a sale or a intercompany transfer.
mid year. we migrated assets from previous years plus the posted depreciation in current year, which appears in the P&L. However the accumulated depreciation GL balances seem not to have been updated with current year depreciation; what could have been done wrong?
During upload, P&L GLs were debited with posted depreciation against the initialisation account for balances…
Hello,
Accumulated depreciation of previous years should be migrated to corresponding Balance Sheet GLs during the migration. This goes as a separate task to the Fixed Assets data migration.
These transactions are for old ECC migration. In S4HANA, transactions have changed:
AS91 Create legacy asset
AS94 Create legacy asset for subnumbers
ABLDT Post all transfer values to assets (item acquired in previous FY)
AB01L Data transfer during the fiscal year: Transfer line items (item acquired in current FY)
ABLDT_OI Transfer AUC with line item management: transfer line items
Thank you for the update, Derek!
Hello. I have a question. I need to migrate some old assets purchased around 2009 into SAP. These assets have 2/3 years of useful life remaining. I do not have access to AS91 etc. I have created the assets in SAP in AS01. How exactly do I tell SAP the original cost and accumulated depreciation. I want to manually input this data into SAP. Thanks Pat
AS91 is specifically made for asset migration. You cannot achieve this in AS01. Please request necessary access.
Hello, our scenario is mid year fixed assets migration.Do we have to split the depreciation values and load in separate fields the one for previous closed years and for current year? Or we can load the whole accumulated depreciation in one field ?
Do I have to run ASKB and ABST2 after the Fixed asset migrated and GL balances uploaded as technical steps after all loads?
Thanks.
Hello, I recommend separate LSMWs for previous and current year assets, because they need to have different fields and even screens populated. Current year assets load their values through transactions…
Thank you.Do I need to run ASKB after FAR migration/ For sure I need ABST2, but just wondering are there other technical steps after FAR migration. ABST2 and GL account balances for assets will be uploaded as well.So the sequence would be :
1. FAR migration
2.GL account balances uploads
3.ABST2
Question is do I need to run ASKB or something else as well?
Thanks again!
No additional steps should be required.
Thanks so much for this post. It the most helpful! I have a couple of questions. If you could shed some light, I will really appreciate it since we are in the middle of migration.
1. You recommend “separate LSMWs for previous and current year assets, because they need to have different fields and even screens populated. Current year assets load their values through transactions”. Could you explain “load their values through transactions”? Do you mean loading the acquisition values through transactions? e.g. by invoicing creation against a vendor? But AS91 already has a field for acquisition value for new assets.
2. Our company acquired another company on June 23, 2017. SAP went live with the new company on Nov 1. Between June 23 and Nov 1, we used Excel to keep track of the financials. Our finance has already posted GL balances for assets from June 23 to Oct in production, e.g. acquisition value, accum depreciation, depreciation expense etc. Can we load the assets from Nov 1 and run depreciation from Nov 1? In this way, the asset subledger will be blank from June to Oct, but there are values for the GL. Will this cause any reconciliation issues?
1. Current year acquisitions are to be migrated via Fixed Assets transactions only. No need to put vendor invoice, settlements etc. Only transaction types 100, 200 etc – whatever is appropriate for your scenarios. AS91 has values for acquisitions of assets from previous years, and there’s a separate button for “transactions” for current year. Even previous year assets may have some additional transactions (additions, impairments etc) in the current year.
2. You can migrate from the 1st of November. The assets and GL balances should reconcile at the year end. If they do, you’re sorted.
Dmitry,
Thanks so much for your reply! It definitely helps! Please bear with me as I need some clarifications.
1. On my screen for AS91, the button for transactions is greyed out, so I cannot enter anything. Do you know why?
2. If I migrate the asset sub-ledger only from Nov 1, how can the the assets and GL balances reconcile at the year end? Do I need to do something to reconcile?
1. I have the Transactions button in my system. If you want me to look at this in your system, please use the contact form link at the top of the screen.
2. If your GL and assets’ balances reconcile at the end of the year, you don’t need to do anything else.
I have requirement to load legacy Asset master to SAP with legacy number range.
After the Legacy Asset conversion the Asset number range has to be made to Internal number range(SAP internal number range), please guide the process
First, setup asset number range as external. Use the legacy asset number when migrating in AS91. When finished, update the number range to have automatic numbering, and don’t forget to update the last asset number+1 as the current range status.
Hope that helps.
Dear Expert,
Thanks so much for this post. It the most helpful! I really need your help.
My migration date is 30.06.2016 (middle of the year) and 06, 2016 is the last posted period. Our fiscal year is Jan-Dec. I have done AS91 for Previous Year Asset with the Acquisition value, Accumulated Depreciation (31.12.2015) and Ordinary Posted Depreciation (for Jan – Jun 2016). After upload i compared the Asset Balances in SAP with Asset Listing Legacy it have many differences. For your info, the calculation of depreciation in SAP is daily basis. In legacy system they used monthly basis. For current year asset i do F-90.
So, the difference i do either ABAA or ABZU, but it still not solve my problem, still have difference.
My questions:
1. Are my steps is correct?
2. How exactly action should i take to make sure the legacy figure is tally with SAP
3. For current year asset (2016 onward) , what should i do to cater the depreciation Jan-June?
Thank you in advance for your reply.
Regards,
Zarina
I would start with analysis of the reason of the difference. It means I would manually calculate depreciation for a handful of assets and calculate that with both legacy and SAP values.
If I understand correctly, SAP should post any difference in legacy / automatically calculated depreciation in the first available period, this 07.2016.
You can also change the migration date from 30.06 to 01.07 and check if it makes any difference, especially as you have daily depreciation.
Hi Expert,
Thank you so much for this post. It the most helpful! I have a couple of questions.
My transfer date is 31.12.2017. I used AS91 with value of APC and Acc Depreciation as at 31.12.2017 according to user’s Audit Figure. After i uploaded, i have checked AW01N year 2017 and also Asset Balances as at 31.12.2017 system give error *asset has no value FY in 2017* in AW01N and *No Data was selected* in AB
My questions:
1. Did i miss any config?
2. Why my asset report is no value?
3. I should execute the Asset Balance and share with the user and reconcile with the Asset Listing given by user. Can you suggest which report should i execute in order to do the reconciliation.
Many thanks.
Regards,
Zarina
Zarina, this is a consulting issue that should be quoted and analyzed properly. Please contact sapexpert@sapexpert.co.uk and ask for a quotation.
Hi Dmitry,
My fiscal year is July to June. I am currently uploading Legacy data for the current year as under:-
My takeover date: 30th Nov 2018
My capitalization date: 1st Aug 2018
As per your post, I have to use AS91 (Transactions) Menu to enter my Acquisition Value for the current year. What Transaction Type should I select in Transactions Menu.
Thanks / Luqman
The best way is to use F4 (Search help) to get the list of possible values and to select from that list!
[…] 7 Steps for SAP Fixed Assets Migration (published in 2016) […]
Dear Sir,
We have migrated asset data some company on 30.09.2017 and 31.10.17 successfully and run deprecation 31.03.2018, but while run deprecation 30.04.2018 migrated asset show directly 6 & 7 period and after migrated asset show properly like 1 to 12
Hello Dmitry,
Do you have an excel template to import from, where the fields are identified. We would be bringing in assets from an existing excel file.
Thank you
Hello Bruce, the template depends on a set of fields you configure in your Fixed Assets. There is no generic template.
Best of luck,
Dmitry
[…] 7 STEPS FOR SAP FIXED ASSETS MIGRATION […]
Great information Dmitry.
I have a question regarding Assets where my company no longer uses the FI-AA module. They started using an outside asset system 5yrs back and no longer use the FI-AA module in SAP. They are wanting to go to S/4 but do not want to bring over the old Asset history as it is no longer valid and they dont want garbage in the system. They may end up using New asset accounting in S/4 and they want to be safe by not bringing over the old. Is there a way to exclude Fixed Assets from the migration from ECC to S/4 since it is pretty much been inactive for the last 5 yrs? Please let me know your thoughts.
Thanks!
Hi Dmitry,
Thank you so much for this post. It the most helpful!
we have done asset Golive 2 years back, takeover date is updated as 31.03.2018, now our company has acquired new entity and want to transfer Assets from that entity to our company code.
my questions is, can we change the takeover date and then create legacy asset in our company code?
Hello,
This approach should work OK. I’ve used it several times.