Activity Type overview

Activity Types

Activity types classify the activities produced in the cost centers within a controlling area.

Use

To plan and allocate the activities, the system records quantities that are measured in activity units. Activity quantities are valuated using a price (allocation price).

In Overhead Cost Controlling, costs based on the activity quantity of an activity type are posted separately in fixed and variable portions. When you divide the activities of a cost center into activity types, you should consider whether the costs can be allocated effectively to the activity types.

In an internal activity allocation, the quantity of the activity, such as a number of consulting hours, is entered into the SAP system (manually or automatically). The system calculates the associated cost based on the activity price and generates a debit to the receiver and a credit to the sender for both the quantity and costs. The internal activity allocation is carried out using secondary cost elements, which are stored as default types in the activity type master data.

You can restrict the use of the activity type to certain types of cost centers by entering the allowed cost center categories in the activity type master record. You can enter up to eight allowed cost center categories, or leave the assignments "unrestricted" by entering an asterisk ( * ).

An Activity type master contains following fields:

Name

Enter the name of the Activity type

Description

Enter the description of the Activity type

Activity Unit

Enter the unit of measure in which the activity will be managed. This is very important field and can’t be changed easily once various assignments are done. Hence, it is important to decide the appropriate unit of measure for each Activity type

Cost Centre Categories

Categories maintained under this field control the cost centre against which rate for activity types can be maintained (these categories are assigned in the cost centre master data) 

Activity Type Category

Enter the appropriate category. This Indicator determines the method of activity quantity planning and activity allocation.

Following options are available for activity type category

Activity type category 1 (Manual entry, manual allocation)
Activity type category 2 (Indirect calculation, indirect allocation)
Activity type category 3 (Manual entry, indirect allocation)
Activity type category 4 (Manual entry, no allocation)

Allocation Cost Element

Given below is the list of sample Activity Types that can be used:

Activity Type Code	Description	Unit of Measure
1000	Power	KWH
1100	Fuel	KG/LTR
1200	Labour	HR
1400	Depreciation	HR
1500	Machine Setup	HR

Transaction Code : KL01

Tags#
Activity Type Categories, Activity Type Master, Cost Centre Categories, SAP Activity Type,