- SAP Managed Tags:
Dear Finance experts,
Sometimes it can happen that you don't know exactly what something on the UI means, what a specific app function does and how settings and features work together. In that case, in-app help and documentation may be able to provide you with the required information.
So, what's the best way to find the corresponding documentation? In most cases, there are easier ways than running a search on the SAP Help Portal or another search engine. You can use our in-app help as starting point.
For SAP Advanced Financial Closing (AFC), we've created links between the in-app help and our Help Portal documentation. This way, you can easily find the documentation relating to a specific app or even a specific function.
So, let me show you what this looks like:
You probably already know the in-app help you can call up in SAP applications. On any screen that offers in-app help, simply click on the question tag icon in the header bar (that's right next to your personal menu and your notifications):
What you may not have known is that there are actually several ways that the in-app help guides you to more information and documentation, including AFC-specific documentation on the SAP Help Portal. Check out the top entries in the in-app help list. They contain either some or all of the following entries:
The following GIF shows an example of what these entries look like in the Approve Closing Tasks app:
In several cases, we also provide links directly in the in-app help for a specific user interface (UI) element, such as a field or table column. In that case, you can find a link at the end of the text box that appears when you access the field-specific help:
Apart from that, you can of course also search on the SAP Help Portal directly. The best starting point to search for AFC documentation is the AFC product page. You find it under this link: SAP Advanced Financial Closing.
If you start from the product page for advanced financial closing, make sure that you select This product as scope to keep your search as precise as possible:
In the search results list, you can also see in which document the information was found:
If you want to make your search even more precise, you can work with similar formatting tricks as in other search engines, for example, putting words in quotation marks to find exact word/word combination matches:
You see, there are several ways to easily find the documentation for advanced financial closing and for the specific AFC apps you're working in. If you're missing information, feel free to provide feedback through the official channels.
My previous blog post covers the channels we offer for feedback: SAP Advanced Financial Closing: User Assistance – What Is It Really and How Can You Contribute?.
For more information on SAP Advanced Financial Closing, check out the following links:
Follow us via @Sisn and #AdvancedFinancialClosing, or myself via evelyn.fromm.
Sometimes it can happen that you don't know exactly what something on the UI means, what a specific app function does and how settings and features work together. In that case, in-app help and documentation may be able to provide you with the required information.
So, what's the best way to find the corresponding documentation? In most cases, there are easier ways than running a search on the SAP Help Portal or another search engine. You can use our in-app help as starting point.
Finding Our Documentation from Within the Apps
For SAP Advanced Financial Closing (AFC), we've created links between the in-app help and our Help Portal documentation. This way, you can easily find the documentation relating to a specific app or even a specific function.
So, let me show you what this looks like:
In-App Help
You probably already know the in-app help you can call up in SAP applications. On any screen that offers in-app help, simply click on the question tag icon in the header bar (that's right next to your personal menu and your notifications):
In-App Help Icon in Header Bar
Tip regarding the in-app help: You can also use F1 to open the in-app help. You don't have to be in a specific field, you can simply choose F1 and the in-app help will open and show you all the help that is available on the current screen. If you navigate and leave the help open, it will adjust to the screen you're navigating to.
Jump from In-App Help Entries to SAP Help Portal
What you may not have known is that there are actually several ways that the in-app help guides you to more information and documentation, including AFC-specific documentation on the SAP Help Portal. Check out the top entries in the in-app help list. They contain either some or all of the following entries:
- What's This App:
This button guides you directly to the specific app description on the SAP Help Portal. - How to use this app:
This entry lists links to the how-to documentation (procedures you can follow described on a step-by-step basis) on the SAP Help Portal that is available for this app. Depending on the app and the function scope it offers, there are several links or just a few.
This entry may also include one or more how-to videos. - General Concept Documentation:
This entry lists links to concept documentation, so documentation that doesn't describe step-by-step procedures, but rather explains how functions work together and how settings affect the workflow as a whole. You can find this documentation generally in the section Concepts and Settings in Advanced Financial Closing in the AFC user guide.
The following GIF shows an example of what these entries look like in the Approve Closing Tasks app:
GIF Showing General In-App Help Entries
Jump from UI-Related In-App Help to SAP Help Portal
In several cases, we also provide links directly in the in-app help for a specific user interface (UI) element, such as a field or table column. In that case, you can find a link at the end of the text box that appears when you access the field-specific help:
Ignore Factory Calendar In-App Help with Link to SAP Help Portal
Searching on the SAP Help Portal
Apart from that, you can of course also search on the SAP Help Portal directly. The best starting point to search for AFC documentation is the AFC product page. You find it under this link: SAP Advanced Financial Closing.
Note: I've already introduced the product page in one of my previous blogs, so feel free to check that one out as well: SAP Advanced Financial Closing: How to become an expert and stay current.
If you start from the product page for advanced financial closing, make sure that you select This product as scope to keep your search as precise as possible:
Search Bar on the AFC Product Page
In the search results list, you can also see in which document the information was found:
Search Results with Source Highlighted
If you want to make your search even more precise, you can work with similar formatting tricks as in other search engines, for example, putting words in quotation marks to find exact word/word combination matches:
Reduced Search Result List with Quotation Marks
Conclusion
You see, there are several ways to easily find the documentation for advanced financial closing and for the specific AFC apps you're working in. If you're missing information, feel free to provide feedback through the official channels.
My previous blog post covers the channels we offer for feedback: SAP Advanced Financial Closing: User Assistance – What Is It Really and How Can You Contribute?.
For more information on SAP Advanced Financial Closing, check out the following links:
- SAP Community Page
- SAP Help Portal (containing links to all guides, what's new information, how-to videos, interactive tutorials, and support information)
- SAP Roadmap Explorer
- SAP.com Page
Follow us via @Sisn and #AdvancedFinancialClosing, or myself via evelyn.fromm.
