How to Access Report Painter/Report Writer?

To access the Report Painter you may use either of the following two
methods:
 Transaction FGRP
 From the SAP main menu, choose Information systems  Ad hoc reports
Report painter.
Report Writer functions can be accessed from within the Report Painter. To
access Report Writer, choose the following menu path from the SAP main
menu:
Information systems  Ad hoc reports Report painter Report Writer.

How Is Report Painter/Report Writer Organized?

Report Painter/Report Writer has four main components:
 Sets: Sets are logical groupings of characteristic values. For example, a
cash line on a balance sheet is made up of a set of cash accounts or an
energy product line on an inventory report is made up of a set of energy
products. Variables can also be created which are placeholders for sets,
or values within sets.
 Libraries: Libraries control which characteristics and key figures from a
table are available for reporting.
 Reports: Reports hold a definition of the rows, columns, and overall
data selection. They also include the header and footer texts and layout
settings.
 Report Groups: Report groups can contain one or more reports. The
report group is what you execute—not the actual report. A report group
is generated to create a set of ABAP programs that produce the reports.

How Does Report Painter Differ from Other Reporting

Tools?
 With the exception of row titles which have text fields, Report
Painter/Report Writer reports display numerical fields only (for
example, dollar and quantity fields). This is not a requirement for ABAP
Query and typical line item reporting tools, which can display arbitrary
text columns.
 While printed Report Painter/Report Writer reports appear much the
same way on paper as they do on screen, the Drilldown reporting tool
produces a different output format. Drilldown reporting is an online
 analytical tool which can be used to drill down to different levels of
detail, but it is infrequently used for printing.
 Report Painter/Report Writer reports are hierarchical and take
advantage of configured hierarchies (for example, with cost center
hierarchies). You can also execute Report Painter/Report Writer reports
from each level within a hierarchy.
 Report Painter/Report Writer reports can handle multiple
currency/quantity units within a single column.
 Report Painter/Report Writer is well suited to handle reports that
require mass production. For example, Report Painter/Report Writer is
a particularly effective tool for creating month-end reports.
Output and Format of Report Painter/Report Writer
Report Painter/Report Writer reports can be:
 Displayed on the screen and then printed
 Executed in the background and displayed or printed from the print
queue
 Saved as extract files and viewed at a later time
 Displayed on the screen using SAP Graphics
 Downloaded to a spreadsheet (for example, Microsoft Excel) or a flat
file
The sample report shown below was created using an evaluation structure
created in the Logistics Information System (LIS). The evaluation structure
uses a view from the data dictionary that combines tables VBRP (a billing
line item table) and MARA (a material master record table).
 You may sort the output on any column in the report by using the sort
buttons. There is also threshold capability to show certain values in
different colors.
 Report Call (sometimes referred to as the drilldown function) is also
available and can be set up to call the billing document display
transaction or a standard SAP report or many others.
The report may be saved as an extract and viewed online later. These
reports do not lose any of their online capabilities when saved as extracts.