SRMDefinitions:
CharacteristicsandKeyFigures
Term
Data
Type* Definition BUS LOS PDL POS SCA
#DaysPO‐
Invoice KF
Calculation:numberofdaysbetweenPOcreationdateandFI
DocPostingDate X
#DaysOpen
Awaiting
Approval KF
Calculation:Ifcarthasbeenapproved:numberofdays
betweenthecartcreationdateandSCapprovaldate;ifnot
approved:numberofdaysbetweenthecartcreationdateand
currentdate X
APClerkName C
TheSAPlogonIDofthepersonwhoenteredinvoicedatain
SAPECC. X
ARAVOVendor
ID C
SAPcreatesaninstanceofasupplierforeveryaddressthe
suppliersubmittedinARAVO.Ifonesupplierhasmultiple
addresses,SAPrecordstheseasdifferentvendorswith
multipleSAPvendorIDs.ARAVOID,ontheotherhand,is
uniqueandprovidestheonlymeanstoaggregatethese
multipleSAPvendorIDsinthereportbyasingleunique
vendornumber. X
Asset C
Thisisthenumberwhich,togetherwiththeassetsub‐
number,identifiesaFixedAssetinAssetAccounting. X
AssetSub‐
Number C
Numberwhich,togetherwiththemainassetnumber,
uniquelyidentifiesafixedasset. X X X X
BaseDate C ForinternalusebySourcingandProcurement. X
BasisofAward C
Whatkindofcontractisinplace?Potentialvaluesinclude
FixedPriceContract,TimeandMaterials,ServiceContract,
andOther.Note:BasisofAwardisaFacilitiesONLYfield. X X X
Businessarea C
TheBusinessAreaisanorganizationalunitofFinancial
Accounting,whichcorrespondstoaseparateoperationalor
responsibilityareaintheorganization.Aninternalbalance
sheetandarevenueandexpenditurestatementcanbe
createdforeachBusinessArea.BostonUniversityhas
identifiedthreeprimaryBusinessAreas:1CRC=CharlesRiver
Campus;2MED=MedicalResearchCampus;and3NBL=
NationalEmergingInfectiousDiseaseLab. X X X
Buyer C
ASourcing&Procurementprofessionalthatassistsinthe
procurementprocess X X X
Campus C Indicatesthecampuswheretheshopperislocated. X X X X
Catalog C
Ifanitemwaspurchasedfromanelectroniccatalog,thisfield
indicatesthenameofthesuppliercatalogitwasorderedfrom
forpunch‐out.Nocataloginformationwillbeavailablefor
itemspurchasedviafreetextShoppingCarts. X
City(Vendor) C
Thecityspecifiedbythesupplierwhenregisteringin
ARAVO/SAP X
Clearing# C
AuniqueSAPdocumentnumberthatistiedtotransactions
whichclearvendorandcashaccountsviacreditsanddebits X X
ClearingDate C Thisisthedateonwhichaclearingtransactionoccurred. X X
UsedinReport
*C=Characteristic;KF=KeyFigure SRMDefinitions‐CharacteristicsandKeyFigures.xlsx LastUpdated6/06/18
SRMDefinitions:
CharacteristicsandKeyFigures
Term
Data
Type* Definition BUS LOS PDL POS SCA
UsedinReport
CostCenter C
ACostCenterisanorganizationalunitoractivitywithina
companycodethatrepresentsaclearlyuniquelocationwhere
revenueandcostsoccur(e.g.,FundCenter,FundandBusiness
Area).Therelationshipbetweenorganizationsandcost
centersishierarchicallyinheritedalongtheBUorganizational
structure.CostCenterisatypeofCostObjectinSAP.Itisa
requiredfieldwheneverrevenueorexpensesarepostedin
SAP. X X X X
Country
(Vendor) C
Thecountryoftheaddressthatthesupplierusedwhenself‐
registeringinARAVO/SAP. X
CreditMemo
Quantity KF Quantityofgoodsbeingprocessedwithacreditmemo. X
DeliveryCosts KF Costassociatedwiththedeliveryofanorder X
DeltaQuantity
(PO‐Inv) KF
Calculation:differenceinquantitybetweenpurchaseorder
andcorrespondinginvoice X
DeltaValue
(PO‐Inv) KF
Calculation:differenceinvaluebetweenpurchaseorderand
correspondinginvoice X
Department C
Thisisthedepartmentthatorderedthegoods,showsa
number(itisdatafromthelegacysystem) X
Disc.Amount KF
Indicatestheamountdiscountedduetonegotiatedprompt
paydiscountsbySourcing&Procurementwhenapplicable.
Fundsrelatedtodiscountsarereturnedtothefundscenters
originatingthepurchases. X
DocumentType C
Keythatidentifiestowhichgroupofdocumentsatransaction
willbeassigned.Documentsofthesametypecontain
commoninformationwhichisrelevanttopostingandupdate
ofthevaluefieldsinthedatabase.Examplesofdocument
typesincludeAlumniGifts,CustomerCreditMemo,Customer
Invoice,etc.RefertoAppendixA:APDocumentTypesfor
moreinformation. X
Expected
PaymentDate C
ExpectedPaymentDateisacalculationbasedonpayment
termsandtheVendorInvoicedDate.Forexample,aVendor
withNet30paymenttermswhoinvoicesonApril1stwillhave
anexpectedpaymentdateofApril30th X
ExpectedValue KF
ThedollaramountenteredforalineitemonaPurchaseOrder
foraLimitorMaterialOrderenteredatthecreationorchange
ofthePurchaseOrder.Thisvalueencumbersfundsandisthe
amountBostonUniversityexpectstopayforthegoodsor
services.
FIDoc#(SAP
Invoice#) C AuniqueSAPnumberforaspecificinvoicedocument. X
FIDoc#(SAP
Invoice) C AuniqueSAPnumberforaspecificinvoicedocument X
*C=Characteristic;KF=KeyFigure SRMDefinitions‐CharacteristicsandKeyFigures.xlsx LastUpdated6/06/18
SRMDefinitions:
CharacteristicsandKeyFigures
Term
Data
Type* Definition BUS LOS PDL POS SCA
UsedinReport
FIDoc(SAP
Invoice)Posting
Date C DatetheInvoicewasenteredinECCbytheAPclerk X
FIDocPosting
Date C DatetheInvoicewasenteredinECCbytheAPclerk X
FinalInvoiceInd C
ThisflagindicatesthattheFinalInvoicefieldhasbeenchecked
inECC X X
FireCode C
ThisisaflagthatisautomaticallysetbasedontheProduct
Categorycodesignifyingfurniturepurchasesthatmayrequire
permitsfromtheCityofBoston. X
FMPostingDate C Thisisthedatethefinancialsystemrecordsthetransaction X X
FundsCenter C
FundCentersisaclearlydefinedareaofresponsibilityin
FundsManagement.Thefundcenterisanorganizationalunit
withinaFinancialManagementareatowhichbudgetcanbe
assigned.Fundcentersarestructuredinamulti‐level
hierarchy.Theyareusedtocollectcostsinanorganizational
unit(e.g.Universitydepartment)andsupportbudgetingatthe
departmentlevel.Fundcenteristhesameascostcenterand
equivalenttoUnit‐DeptorUnrestrictedAccount. X X
G/LAccount C
AtypeofFinancialClassificationintheFinance(FI)Component
thatisusedforaccountingtransactionstoformthebasisfor
creatingbalancesheetsandhighlevelincomestatements X
HdrLevel
TotalValue KF Totalamountforshoppingcart(sumofallitemsincart) X
InternalOrder C
Aninternalorderisacostcollectorcapableofbudgetary
monitoringandreportingofrevenuesandexpenses
separatelyfromacostcenter.Allsponsoredprojectsare
internalorders.Internalordersmayalsobeusedtotracknon‐
sponsoredrevenuesetc. X X X X
Invoice
Amount KF Costperitemonaninvoice X
InvoiceQuantity KF
WhentheProductDescriptioncharacteristicisincludedinthe
display,InvoiceQuantityindicatesthenumberofitemslisted
ontheinvoice.IfProductDescriptionisnotdisplayed,Invoice
Quantityindicatesthetotalcountofitemsforthattransaction
orsumoftransactions X
Invoiced
Quantity KF
WhentheProductDescriptioncharacteristicisincludedinthe
display,InvoiceQuantityindicatesthenumberofitemslisted
ontheinvoice.IfProductDescriptionisnotdisplayed,Invoice
Quantityindicatesthetotalcountofitemsforthattransaction
orsumoftransactions. X
InvoicedValue KF Costperitemonaninvoice X
*C=Characteristic;KF=KeyFigure SRMDefinitions‐CharacteristicsandKeyFigures.xlsx LastUpdated6/06/18
SRMDefinitions:
CharacteristicsandKeyFigures
Term
Data
Type* Definition BUS LOS PDL POS SCA
UsedinReport
InvoicedValue
(Credit) KF
ValueofthecreditedamountasshownintheCreditMemo
fromthevendor X
InvoicedValue
(Debit) KF Valueoftheorderasshownintheinvoicebythevendor X
ItemNo.inFI
Doc# C Numberthatidentifiesalineitemonadocument. X
LimitOrder
Invoiced
Amount KF Amountforeachinvoicechargedagainstalimitorder X
LimitOrder
Remaining
Amount KF
(shownonlyonsubtotalline)Calculation:LimitOrderTotal
Amount‐LimitOrderInvoicedAmount X
LimitOrderTotal
Amount KF
(shownonlyonsubtotalline)Originalset‐upamount
plus/minusanyadjustmentssincecreationdate X
Minority
Indicator C
BUtracksthefollowingdiversityclassifications:(1)Woman
Owned/DisadvantagedBus;(2)Disadvantaged
Business(SDA/SBA;(3)HUBZone(SBACertified)(HUB);(4)
VeteranOwned(Vet);(5)ServiceDisabledVeteran(SDVB);(6)
DisabledPerson‐OwnedBusiness;(7)SmallBusiness(SB);(8)
MinorityOwnedBusiness(MOB). X
Numberof
ApprovalSteps KF
Numberofstepsinvolvedinapprovalprocessforashopping
cart X
PaymentTerms C
Howquicklypaymentwillbemade.Thiscanalsoinclude
negotiateddiscountssuchas2%10daynet30. X
Period/Fiscal
Year C
Fiscalmonthandyear.TheBUFiscalYearrunsfromJuly1
throughJune30.Thus,Julyisthefirstfiscalperiodandis
representedasperiod001inSAP.Augustisperiod002,andso
forth. X
PO# C
PurchaseOrdernumberautomaticallyassignedtoashopping
cartbythesystemasafollowondocumentoncetheshopping
carthasbeenapprovedinthesystem.Itisatendigitnumber
startingwith85XXXXXXXX,unlessitisalimitorder,inwhich
caseitwillstartwith86XXXXXXXX. X X X
POCancel
Indicator C Indicatesthepurchaseorderhasastatusof"cancelled" X
POCancelled
Indicator C Indicatesthepurchaseorderhasastatusof"cancelled" X
POChangedby C
SAPlogonIDoftheSourcingemployeewhochangedthe
purchaseorder X
POCloseDate C ThedatetheFinalInvoiceIndicatorwaschecked. X X
POClosed
Indicator C Indicatesthepurchaseorderhasastatusof"closed" X X
POCreatedby C
Thisfieldwillcontaintheshopper'snameunlessthePOwas
manuallycreatedbythebuyer. X
*C=Characteristic;KF=KeyFigure SRMDefinitions‐CharacteristicsandKeyFigures.xlsx LastUpdated6/06/18
SRMDefinitions:
CharacteristicsandKeyFigures
Term
Data
Type* Definition BUS LOS PDL POS SCA
UsedinReport
POCreationDate C
ThedateofcreationofthePurchaseOrder.IfthePurchase
Orderwaschanged,itwillshowthedateofthelatestchange X X X
PODate C DateonwhichPOwascreated. X
PODeliveryC/O C
Standsfor“CareOf”anditisafieldinthedeliveryaddress
tab.Thisfieldisusedforprovidingthenameoftherecipient
ofthegoodorserviceonthepurchaseorder X
PODelivery
Address C
Thelocationoncampuswherethegoodsarebeingshippedor
theserviceisrendered.Indicatedonthepurchaseorder X
PODelivery
Address‐S2 C
Phone,ZipandCityfieldsontheDelivery
Address/PerformanceLocationtabintheshoppingcart X
PODelivery
Address1 C
NameandStreet/HouseNumberfieldsontheDelivery
Address/PerformanceLocationtabintheshoppingcart X
PODelivery
Address‐S1 C
NameandStreet/HouseNumberfieldsontheDelivery
Address/PerformanceLocationtabintheshoppingcart X
PODeliveryC/O C
Standsfor“CareOf”anditisafieldinthedeliveryaddress
tab.Thisfieldisusedforprovidingthenameoftherecipient
ofthegoodorserviceonthepurchaseorder X
POFundsCenter C
FundsCentersareclearlydefinedresponsibilityareainFunds
Managementtowhichbudgetcanbeassigned.ForBoston
University,FundsCentersareatendigit,numericaccount
numberthataremaintainedina1:1relationshipwithCost
Centers.ThetendigitscontainakeytoBusinessArea,Unit,
Department,FundType,andDepartmentalActivity. X X
POGL C
Theexpenseobject(GeneralLedgeraccountnumber)against
whichchargesonaPOwereentered X X
POItem# C Itemlinenumberformultipleitemsonapurchaseorder. X
POItem
Description C Itemdescriptionforeachitemlistedonapurchaseorder X X
POLimitEnd
Date C Enddateoflimitorder X X
POLimitStart
Date C Creationdateoflimitorder X X
POName C
ThetitleofthePurchaseOrderwhichdefaultstothe
Username/Date/Time(atshoppingcartcreation)unless
anothervalueisenteredbytheshopperorbuyer. X X X
POParked
Indicator C Flagindicatespurchaseorderhasbeenparked X X
POPoPEnd C
PeriodofPerformanceEnddate.ThePeriodofPerformance
functionalityfurtherrestrictthetermsagainstwhichavendor
maydeliverandinvoiceforsaidgoodsorservices. X
*C=Characteristic;KF=KeyFigure SRMDefinitions‐CharacteristicsandKeyFigures.xlsx LastUpdated6/06/18
SRMDefinitions:
CharacteristicsandKeyFigures
Term
Data
Type* Definition BUS LOS PDL POS SCA
UsedinReport
POPoPStart C
PeriodofPerformanceStartdate.ThePeriodofPerformance
functionalityfurtherrestrictthetermsagainstwhichavendor
maydeliverandinvoiceforsaidgoodsorservices. X
POProcessing
Status C
Statusofpurchaseorder;includesOrdered,Held,Saved,
AwaitingApprovalandTransactionCompleted X X X
POSentDate C DatewhenPOwassenttovendor X X
POVendor C Vendortowhompurchaseorderwassent. X X X
PO# C
PurchaseOrdernumberautomaticallyassignedtoashopping
cartbythesystemasafollowondocumentoncetheshopping
carthasbeenapprovedinthesystem.Itisatendigitnumber
startingwith85XXXXXXXX,unlessitisalimitorder,inwhich
caseitwillstartwith86XXXXXXXX. X
PostalCode
(Vendor) C
IndicatesthepostalcodeofthesupplieraddressinECCand
forARAVOregisteredPOsuppliersinECC+SRM X
Postingdate C Datethevendorinvoiceposted X
Postingkey C
Two‐digitnumericalkeythatcontrolshowlineitemsare
posted. X
ProcessStart
Date C
Datepurchasingprocessstarted.Maybecreationdatefor
shoppingcartorpurchaseorder,whicheverisearlier X
Product
Category C
Numericcodethatrepresentsatypeofproductorservice.At
BU,UNSPSCcodesareusedasProductCategories. X X X
Product
Description C ShowstheproductdescriptionasenteredonthePO X
ProductP/N
(Vendor) C
ThiscolumnwilldisplaytheVendorPartNumberwhen
available.Allelectroniccatalogitemswillshowone. X
Purchase
OrderQuantity KF Itemquantityindicatedonpurchaseorder X
Purchase
OrderValue KF
ThisfieldliststhetotalvalueofthePurchaseOrder.IfPO
ItemDescriptioncharacteristicisbroughtin,thePurchase
OrderValuekeyfigurewillshowthelinevalueofeachitem. X
Purchaseorder
Quantity KF Itemquantityindicatedonpurchaseorder X
Purchaseorder
Value KF
ThisfieldliststhetotalvalueofthePurchaseOrder.IfPO
ItemDescriptioncharacteristicisbroughtin,thePurchase
OrderValuekeyfigurewillshowthelinevalueofeachitem. X
Purchaseorder
Quantity KF
Thiskeyfigureshowsthenumberofunitsontheshopping
cart.IfSCItemDescriptioncharacteristicisbroughtin,the
ShoppingCartQuantitykeyfigurewilldisplaythequantityof
eachline. X
Purchasing
Group C
OneormoreBuyersresponsibleforpurchasingactivities
involvingrelatedcommodities,e.g.,labsupplies. X X X
ReasonCode C
ReasonforachangeonthePurchaseOrderenteredbythe
buyer. X
*C=Characteristic;KF=KeyFigure SRMDefinitions‐CharacteristicsandKeyFigures.xlsx LastUpdated6/06/18
SRMDefinitions:
CharacteristicsandKeyFigures
Term
Data
Type* Definition BUS LOS PDL POS SCA
UsedinReport
SAPInvoice# C
System‐generatednumbercreatedwheninvoiceinformation
isenteredintothesystembyAP X
SAPInvoice
CreationDate C
DatethevendorinvoicewasenteredbyAP(Postingdatecan
besettoadifferentdatethanthatonwhichitisentered) X X
SC# C Shoppingcartnumberassignedwhencartiscreated X X X
SCApprovalDate C Dateonwhichshoppingcartwasapproved X X X
SCApproval
Status C
Statusofashoppingcart;valuesinclude"Approved","Not
Assigned","RELP" X X
SCApprover C
Individual(orsystem,if"WF‐BATCH")involvedinapproval
workflowforashoppingcart X
SCCreationDate C Dateonwhichshoppingcartwascreated X X X X
SCDeliveryC/O C
Standsfor“CareOf”anditisafieldinthedeliveryaddress
tab.Thisfieldisusedforprovidingthenameoftherecipient
ofthegoodorserviceontheshoppingcart X
SCDelivery
Address C
Thelocationoncampuswherethegoodsarebeingshippedor
theserviceisrendered.Indicatedontheshoppingcart X
SCDelivery
Address1 C
NameandStreet/HouseNumberfieldsontheDelivery
Address/PerformanceLocationtabintheshoppingcart X
SCFundsCenter C
FundsCenterassociatedwithcostobjectspecifiedinSC
AccountAssignment#andSCAccountAssignmentCategory X X
SCGL C
Theexpenseobject(GeneralLedgeraccountnumber)against
whichchargesonashppingcartwereentered X X
SCGoods
Recipient C
Thenameofthecontactpersonupondelivery.Itispossible
thisnameisdifferentfromShopper X X
SCItem
Description C Descriptionofitemsinashoppingcart X X
SCName C
ThetitleoftheShoppingCartwhichdefaultstothe
Username/Date/Time(atshoppingcartcreation)unless
anothervalueisenteredbytheshopper. X X
SCParked
Indicator C
Thisfieldindicatesadocumentthatisnotreadyforposting
andhasbeenstoredinthesystem.Itisrecommendedthat
thisfeaturenotbeused. X X
SCProcessing
Status C Processingstatusofshoppingcart X
SCSupplier
Product# C
Identificationnumberusedbysuppliertoindicateaspecific
product X
SCVendor C
Vendorlistedonoriginalshoppingcart(maybedifferentfrom
vendorspecifiedonpurchaseorder) X X
SC# C Shoppingcartnumberassignedwhencartiscreated X
*C=Characteristic;KF=KeyFigure SRMDefinitions‐CharacteristicsandKeyFigures.xlsx LastUpdated6/06/18
SRMDefinitions:
CharacteristicsandKeyFigures
Term
Data
Type* Definition BUS LOS PDL POS SCA
UsedinReport
Selectionof
Source C
Howdidtheshopperdeterminethattheproposedpriceisfair
andreasonable?PotentialvaluesincludeJustifiedSoleSource,
AlternativeQuotes,CompetetiveRFP/ConsortiumandNone. X X X
Shopper C
SAPlogonIDoftheShopperwhocreatedtheshoppingcart.
Shoppernameswillonlybeshownforthosepurchases
associatedwithaPO.Disbursementswillnotshowshopper
names. X X X X X
ShoppingCart
Quantity KF 0 2
ShoppingCart
Value KF
Thiskeyfigureshowsthetotalvalueoftheshoppingcart.If
SCItemDescriptioncharacteristicisbroughtin,theShopping
CartValuekeyfigurewilldisplaythevalueofeachline. X X
Spent KF
(shownonlyonsubtotalline)Calculation:LimitOrderInvoiced
AmountasapercentageoftheLimitOrderTotalAmount X
State(Vendor) C
Thestatespecifiedbythesupplierwhenregisteringin
ARAVO/SAP. X
TotalInvoice
Amount KF
Totalinvoiceamount,byvendor,forpurchasesmadeviaboth
POandnon‐POtransactions. X
TotalInvoice
Qty KF
Thetotalcountofitemsforthattransactionorsumof
transactions. X
TotalPaid KF
Totalamountpaidtovendorforpurchasesmadewithor
withoutapurchaseorder.Notethatdiscountsarealsopartof
thepayment. X X
TypeofBusiness C
VendorsthathaveanongoingrelationshipwithBUarefully
registered,aspartoftheregistrationtheyareaskedtoselect
aprimarylineofbusiness(thereare23)thatdefinesthetype
ofproductsorservicestheyprovide.Thepurposeistoclassify
thesupplierforspendanalysis. X
Unit C School,collegeoradministrativeunit. X X X X
UnitofMeasure C
Unitbywhichquantitiesaretobemeasured.Someexamples
include:pound,gram,meter,liter X
ValueLimit KF
ThePurchaseOrderValueLimitisthemaximumamountthat
canbepaidforalineitemonaLimitOrder.Generallythe
ValueLimitandExpectedValuearethesame. X
Vendor C
ThenameofthesupplierasitwascreatedinSAPalongwith
theID.InsomecasessupplierswillhavemultipleIDs,onefor
every'orderfrom'and/or'remitto'locations. X X
Vendor‐FIdoc C VendorthatappearsonSAPInvoice(FIDoc) X X
VendorInvoice# C Numberoninvoicereceivedfromvendor X X X
*C=Characteristic;KF=KeyFigure SRMDefinitions‐CharacteristicsandKeyFigures.xlsx LastUpdated6/06/18
SRMDefinitions:
CharacteristicsandKeyFigures
Term
Data
Type* Definition BUS LOS PDL POS SCA
UsedinReport
VendorInvoice
Date C
Issuingdateofvendorinvoice.Notethatthismayormaynot
bethesamedatetheinvoicewaspostedtothePurchase
Orderforpayment X X X
VendorUNSPSC C
TheprimaryProductCategoryusingUnitedNationsStandard
ProductsandServicesCodetocomplywithpurchasing
industrystandards. X
WBSElement C
EachcapitalprojectwithinProjectSystems(PS)isa
hierarchicallystructuredsetofWorkBreakdownStructure
(WBS)Elements.WBSelementsresidebelowtheProject
Definitionandarethecostcollectorsor"costobjects"within
theControlling(CO)module.AllBUprojectswillconsistof
onlyoneWBSLevel1Element,andaminimumofoneWBS
Level2Element(s).NoAdditionalWBSLevel’s(e.g.,3,4)will
beusedatBU.Individualstructuralelementinawork
breakdownstructure(WBS)representingthehierarchical
organizationofanR/3project.Describeseitheraconcrete
taskorapartialonethatcanbefurthersubdivided. X X X X
With
PurchaseOrder KF
Invoicedamountrelatedtopurchasesmadeusingpurchase
orders X
*C=Characteristic;KF=KeyFigure SRMDefinitions‐CharacteristicsandKeyFigures.xlsx LastUpdated6/06/18
