Abstract: Financial reporting methods and systems integrate profitability and accounting data. A universal journal entry allows user definition of relevant characteristics for a market segment. The entry appends the structure of a financial document to provide linkage to market segment characteristics. When creating the financial document including profit and loss (P&L) and balance account line items, a market segment is defined with determined characteristics stored in the line item on the basis of business process dependent rules. For example in posting information on a sales order item, sales order data may be read, and customer, product, and/or other sales order information input. Additional data can be derived on the basis of the determined master data, depending upon user needs. Embodiments allow enriched reporting (e.g., flexible market segment reporting) at the line item level, affording intuitive access to defined characteristics, e.g., drill-down into details of P&L and balance account information.

Abstract: Financial reporting methods and systems integrate profitability and accounting data. A universal journal entry allows user definition of relevant characteristics for a market segment. The entry appends the structure of a financial document to provide linkage to market segment characteristics. When creating the financial document including profit and loss (P&L) and balance account line items, a market segment is defined with determined characteristics stored in the line item on the basis of business process dependent rules. For example in posting information on a sales order item, sales order data may be read, and customer, product, and/or other sales order information input. Additional data can be derived on the basis of the determined master data, depending upon user needs. Embodiments allow enriched reporting (e.g., flexible market segment reporting) at the line item level, affording intuitive access to defined characteristics, e.g., drill-down into details of P&L and balance account information.