Electronic Banking FICO

Explain briefly how you can import electronic bank statements into SAP.
A: A text file is received from the bank which is then  uploaded into the SAP system. The file contains details of
the company’s bank movements e.g. cheques, bank  interest, bank charges, cash receipts etc. Depending on the
system configuration SAP will attempt to book these transactions automatically to the correct accounts to avoid
the need for manual entries by SAP users. Any postings which the system cannot derive automatically can be booked through “post-processing”

When it comes to system integration, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), interfaces etc., the weight mostly lies with the architecture and technology supported by any of the systems communicating with each other; particularly with interfacing SAP to banks at a global level for processing bank payments and statements electronically. The design, to support scalability and alignment with future electronic banking standards, and the varying technologies used by banks, are often key drivers for such implementations. Now that we have accepted the enormous challenge involved, where does one start?

Below is a summary of some key areas to focus on during the blueprint and realization phase of implementing bank interfaces between SAP and internal/external electronic banking systems.

Architecture

Solution and Technical Architecture, taken through iterative phases, and validation across all stakeholders (often including the business/customer and the bank), is an exercise to not underestimate. I would in fact strongly encourage utilizing the SAP EAF methodology, or at the very least TOGAF, to get through this exercise successfully and produce the relevant planning and architecture artifacts.

At a more granular level, and this is usually the more exhaustive part of the exercise, take attention to work closely with technical experts from the bank and your ABAP developers to document the details behind each connection point (e.g. field mappings, file formats, transport mediums etc.). Having a comprehensive set of architecture diagrams, matrices and catalogs, that is “signed off” by your development team, the bank and the business (i.e. Finance/Treasury Departments), is a necessary exercise to establish clear understanding and confidence in the implementation.

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