Define Account Groups with Screen Layout (Customers).

In this step, you determine the account groups for customers. You can also define reference account groups for one-time accounts. You can use these to control the fields of the one-time account screen so that, for example, certain fields are displayed as required fields or are hidden. When creating a customer account, you must specify an account group. You can spe cify a reference account group under "Control" in the "General data" part of a o ne-time account's master data. If you do not specify a reference account group, then, as previously, all fields of the one-time account screen are ready for inp ut during document entry. You use the account group to determine: the interval for the account numbers. whether the number is assigned internally by the system or externally by the use r (type of number assignment). whether it is a one-time account. which fields are ready for input or must be filled when creating and changing ma ster records (field status). Example: You want to hide the address, communication field, and bank data field for the o ne-time accounts. You determine the field status in the general data area for th ese fields since the fields are contained in this area. The reconciliation accou nt field is defined as a required field since a reconciliation account must also be specified for the one-time accounts. This field is company code-dependent. Y ou define the status of this field in the company code-dependent data area. With the account groups, you group accounts together according to the criteria m entioned above, for example, one-time accounts. You determine the account number interval and the type of number assignment using the number ranges. Note. If you create new account groups, do not forget to maintain the field status. Ot herwise all corresponding fields are shown. It is recommended that you control t he field status via the account groups. In exceptional cases, it can make sense to control the field status either dependent on company code or dependent on tra nsaction. Note on changing the account group. You may only delete an account group from the system if there are no master reco rds referencing this account group. Otherwise you can no longer display or chang e the master record. Changing the field status definition. If you hide a field at a later stage in which you had already made an entry, the field contents are still valid. Changing number ranges. You can increase the upper limit of the number interval as long as there is no o ther interval containing the required numbers. You can allocate a new number ran ge to the account group. The numbers of the new master records must then be cont ained in the new area. Standard settings. Sample account groups have been defined.