Open and Close Posting Periods - OB52
Application component: Basic Functions
App type: SAP GUI
Description:  You define posting periods in your fiscal year variants. You can open and close these posting periods for posting. As many periods as you require can be open for posting simultaneously. Usually, only the current posting period is open for posting, all other posting periods are closed. At the end of this posting period, the period is closed, and the next posting period is opened. During period-end closing, special periods can be open for closing postings. You have two time intervals (time period 1 and time period 2). In each interval, specify a period lower limit, a period upper limit, and the fiscal year. You close a period by selecting the period specifications so that the period to be closed does not fall within them. You can also assign authorization groups for permitted posting periods. This means that in month-end or year-end closing for example, you can open some posting periods for specific users only. The authorization group only has an effect on time period 1. The authorization object is called F_BKPF_BUP (Accounting document: Authorizations for posting periods). For postings from Controlling (CO) to Financial Accounting (FI), you can define a separate period interval. You can use this period interval to be able to make CO-FI postings to Financial Accounting using CO-integration during period closing, for example. This period is not valid for any other postings; such postings are checked using other period intervals. 
Key features:  You have the following differentiating options when opening and closing posting periods: Posting Period Variants You can specify which company codes are open for posting in a posting period variant. Posting period variants can be used for different company codes, and you assign a posting period variant to your company codes. With the posting period variants, the posting periods are opened and closed simultaneously for all company codes. Working with posting period variants is recommended if you are responsible for a large number of company codes. Since you only have to open and close the posting period once for the variant, your work is reduced considerably. Account type You can differentiate the opening and closing of posting periods by account type. This means that, for a specific posting period, it is possible for postings to customer accounts to be permitted and for postings to vendor accounts to be prohibited. Caution For each posting period that generally needs to be open, you must always specify account type + (valid for all account types) as the minimum entry. You can exercise more detailed control by specifying other account types.When you enter the posting date in the document header, the system uses the minimum entry to check whether postings can be made in the posting period determined in the posting period variant. As soon as you then enter an account number, the system checks whether the posting period is permitted for the account specified. Account Interval You can differentiate the opening and closing of posting periods by account intervals. This means that you only open a posting period for making postings to specific G/L accounts. Account intervals are used exclusively with G/L accounts. If you want to open subledger accounts, you have to enter the corresponding reconciliation account and the account type. Example During the closing operations, you can use the reconciliation accounts to close customer and vendor accounts before G/L accounts, for example. In this way, you can prevent further postings from being made to these accounts once you have confirmed the balances with your customers and vendors. Balance confirmation is one of the prerequisites for further closing operations. User You can only open and close posting periods for specific users. To do this, enter an authorization group for account type + (at document header level) and, if necessary, for other account types (at the line item level). Note This authorization group is effective only in time period 1 and prevents users who do not have the appropriate authorization for the authorization object F_BKPF_BUP (accounting document: Authorization for posting periods) from posting in periods that are only open for time period 1.For more information on allocating authorizations, see the following sections of the Implementation Guide:For new General Ledger Accounting, choose Financial Accounting (New)   Financial Accounting Global Settings (New)  Authorizations  Maintain AuthorizationsFor classic General Ledger Accounting, choose Financial Accounting   Financial Accounting Global Settings  Maintain Authorizations.  
General Ledger Accountant : 
Carries out daily activities in general ledger, for example by recording transactions and making adjustment postings, and prepares financial statements.