3/17/2020

Time Zones (BC-SRV-TIM)

Generated on: 2020-03-17

SAP NetWeaver 7.3 | SPS19

PUBLIC

Original content: [Link]

Warning

This document has been generated from the SAP Help Portal and is an incomplete version of the official SAP product
documentation. The information included in custom documentation may not re ect the arrangement of topics in the SAP Help
Portal, and may be missing important aspects and/or correlations to other topics. For this reason, it is not for productive use.

For more information, please visit the [Link]

[Link] 1/12
3/17/2020

Time Zones (BC-SRV-TIM)

Use
Processes which cover more than one time zone primarily affect logistic functions such as availability checks, production
planning, delivery scheduling, statistics and service provision, but they also affect nancial accounting in areas such as treasury,
inter-company transactions, and so on. This function enables you to use dates and times that are comparable and exchangeable in
applications that are implemented worldwide. For time-related applications, the SAP system can use local dates and times for
proposed dates and validations (for example, to ensure that a requested delivery date is not in the past).

Global Application

Generally, users think and act in terms of their local time, and they also expect to use their local time in business transactions.
When the SAP System is used for global transactions that span time zones, business partners and systems will have different local
times. These differences in local times can lead to problems such as late postings and missed background processing.

 Example
For example, a company with its headquarters and database server in New York requires that all billing documents be posted by
5:00 p.m. Users in the company's Los Angeles office might expect that to mean 5:00 p.m. in Los Angeles, which is 3 hours
behind New York time. Thus any users in Los Angeles posting billing documents after 2:00 p.m. local time would be posting
their documents too late.

[Link] 2/12
3/17/2020
Local times can be compared and exchanged as long as they share the same time zone. However, for business processes spanning
time zones, inaccuracies of up to 24 hours could occur. By normalizing date and time internally, this function eliminates problems
that can arise from users working in different local time zones. For some transactions, the system normalizes dates and times by
storing a time zone and a time stamp.

Integration
The Time Zone function is fully integrated into the SAP system kernel. This integration allows for faster conversions between
system and local dates and times.

 Note
The terms system date and system time refer to the database server's date and time. Since application servers are
synchronized with the database server, these terms also correspond to the application server's date and time.

Prerequisites

For this function to work properly you need to

Maintain customizing data for time zones

De ne default time zone assignments for both the system and for users

 Note
You can override the default time zone assignments in the user pro le.

Features
Internal and External Representations of Time

To compare the local times of users in different time zones, the SAP system represents times differently externally and internally.

The external representation of the time corresponds to a context-dependent local time. For example, in Germany, the time is
represented in Central European Time (CET) and in New York in Eastern Standard Time (EST). In some instances, the SAP system
normalizes the internal system time to Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) which serves as a reference time. UTC corresponds to
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). By converting all local, relative times to absolute times based on UTC, the system can compare
times and use them in calculations.

Times Stored with Dates

Considering dates alone is not sufficient to ensure exact time calculations. For time-critical processes, dates with times replace
dates without times. A date standing alone, could easily result in a one day inaccuracy (for example, depending on the time of day,
3 February in Japan may still be 2 February in New York). For a date without a time, an inaccuracy related to time zones can be as
long as 48 hours in an extreme case. Therefore the system replaces a date without a time speci cation automatically with a date
with a time speci cation for time-critical processes.

For time calculations, an accurate duration (for example, hours and minutes instead of days) must be used. Otherwise, chain
calculations such as the following could be inaccurate by several days:

[Link] 3/12
3/17/2020

Times and Their References to Locations of Objects

All local times are relative to a particular location, and this location has a relationship to an object. This relationship is not explicit
and the SAP system can derive it only from system data such as in the Customizing tables (for example, Table T001W for plants),
master data, such as the data for ship-to parties, and document data that overrides Customizing and master data (such as a one-
time address).

 Example
Examples of typical objects and their relationships to locations include:

Company code

A posting date is relative to the location of the company code.

Plant

A goods issue or goods receipt date is relative to the location of the plant.

More Information
You can nd the description of some application scenarios from the FI and MM aread in the ERP documentation.

Time Stamps
De nition
The time and date of an event converted from local time to Universal Coordinated Time (UTC).

Use
The graphic below illustrates how a requested delivery date of 3 Dec 1999 [Link] CET for a ship-to address in Germany receives
the time stamp of 3 Dec 1999 [Link] UTC.

[Link] 4/12
3/17/2020

The SAP system uses a 24-hour clock with the local date and local time of the object (here the ship-to address) from the user
interface with the object's time zone to calculate the time stamp. To display a time stamp in terms of the object's local date and
time, SAP uses the object's time zone, which it stores with the time stamp, and goes through the process backwards. For
application programs, a time stamp accurate to the second is generally sufficient.

Structure
External Representation

The time stamp's external representation corresponds to the Date and Time representation. The same user options exist for
displaying the time stamp as for the date and time:

[Link] <separator> hh:mm:ss (12.06.1999 [Link])

MM/DD/YYYY <separator> hh:mm:ss (06/12/1999 [Link])

MM-DD-YYYY <separator> hh:mm:ss (12-06-1999 [Link])

[Link]-DD <separator> hh:mm:ss (1999.06-12 [Link])

YYYY/MM/DD <separator> hh:mm:ss (1999/06/12 [Link])

Internal Representation

Internally, the system combines the data types Date and Time to create the 14-character time stamp (8 characters for the date
and 6 characters for the time). Combining date and time allows the system to sort time stamps correctly based on date (year-
month-day) or time (hour-minute-second).

Value Range

The allowed range of values for the time stamp is '01.01.0001 [Link]' to '31.12.9999 [Link]'.

[Link] 5/12
3/17/2020

 Note
To avoid confusion with a.m. and p.m. time designations, the system always uses a 24-hour clock.

Time Zone
De nition
Set of rules that dictates the offset of the user's local time from Universal Coordinated Time (UTC).

Use
The local time of a particular user depends on the user's location. The offset of a location from UTC is in uenced by:

Geography (position on the globe)

Political factors (time zones are assigned for a country, region, or even a postal code)

Daylight saving time (DST), if applicable

Local Time

The local time in any time zone is calculated in relationship to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), otherwise known as Universal
Coordinated Time or UTC.

 Example
(Greenwich is a city in the United Kingdom, which is used as the standard for all time zones). For example, if the local time in
Greenwich (UTC) is 6 p.m., it is 8 hours earlier or 10 a.m. in Los Angeles, which is located in the Paci c time zone. At the same
time, it is already 3 a.m. the following morning in Japan, which is 9 hours later than UTC.

Additionally, some time zones observe daylight saving time (DST) and use a "DST rule" for calculation purposes. Additionally,
some time zones observe daylight saving time (DST) and use a "DST rule" for calculation purposes. For these time zones, clocks
are normally set forward one hour to make better use of the longer daylight hours in the late spring, summer and early fall.

The determination as to which time zone a particular city or region belongs depends upon both geographical and political factors.
The difference between the times of two de ned positions on the globe can be up to 24 hours.

Structure
SAP includes rules to accommodate the factors listed above. These rules result in the following structure for a time zone in the
system:

[Link] 6/12
3/17/2020

The following table describes each part of the structure in more detail.

Part of structure Description

Time zone This part includes only the time zone indicator (for example, CET or
EST) and a reference to the corresponding time zone rules and
daylight saving rules.

Time zone rule This rule de nes the offset (+/- hours and minutes) relative to UTC
due to geography and political factors.

DST rule This rule de nes the offset of daylight saving time relative to
standard time (+1 hour). It does not de ne the start and end dates
of daylight saving time (DST).

Fixed DST Rules For cases in which daylight saving time is not de ned by variable
rules, this rule de nes the start and end dates of DST for a speci c
year.

Variable DST Rules This rule de nes how the system calculates the start and end dates
of daylight saving time. You can almost always change this rule and
it saves you from having to maintain DST start and end dates every
year.

 Note
Rather than distinguishing between two separate time zones (one for standard time and one for daylight saving time), only one
time zone indicator is used in the SAP System, which includes the DST rule when applicable.

External Representation

The time zone indicator is a string of up to six characters. Six characters are sufficient for the usual time zone indicators, which
can depend on language and platform.

Internal Representation

The time zone indicator's internal and external representations are the same. In addition, the system does not convert between
different indicators for the same time zone. For example, in English the acronym for Germany's time zone is CET and in German it

[Link] 7/12
3/17/2020
is MEZ. For the time zone, the system uses only one indicator that you de ne. It does not use CET with English-speaking users and
MEZ with German-speaking users.

Standardization of the Indicators

You create the time zone indicators in a Customizing table and, therefore, you can maintain them exibly. This exibility is
necessary because there are no standards for time zone indicators.

Time Zone Con guration

Use
This process explains how to set up and activate the Time Zone function in the SAP System.

Prerequisites

You can use individual Customizing activities to make the following settings:

Set up the time zone in which the system is located

De ne a default time zone for users (if no time zone is set in the user pro le)

To con gure your system for the time zone function in Customizing, choose General Settings Time Zones .

Process
1. Maintain the system settings in the client. Use the Maintain Time Zones activity if you want to check the time zone settings
or if the time zone you need does not exist. Here you can de ne time zones, their daylight savings rules, and their offsets
from Universal Time Coordinated (UTC).

 Note
The time zones are prede ned in your system. However, you can change it or add to it as required.

2. Use the Maintain Geographical Assignments activity to check the assignment of time zones to geographical areas.

 Example
Groups of users in a region or general geographical area should use their organization's (company code's) time zone,
even if it is not exactly the same time zone as their local time zone.

The SAP system uses these assignments to determine the objects' time zones when converting between objects' local
times in UTC.

3. If a user and the system are in different time zones, specify the user's time zone in the user pro le.

The prerequisite for this is that the displayed time zone information makes it possible for the user to see suggested
deadlines and validations in the local time.

4. After you log on again, check the system status to ensure that the Time Zone function is working properly.

Maintaining System Settings

Prerequisites
[Link] 8/12
3/17/2020
When you log on to the SAP System for the rst time, the system automatically determines the time zone in which your system is
located. Regardless, due to various factors, such as daylight saving time rules, you should check this setting to ensure it is correct
in your system.

Procedure
To activate the time zone function, proceed as follows:

1. In Customizing, choose General Settings Time Zones Maintain System Settings . Enter the system's time zone and the
user's default time zone.

2. Since a system and the majority of its users are often in the same location, the system's time zone and the users' default
time zone are usually the same.

 Note
If the time zone you want to select is not available, see Maintain Time Zones. Either create the time zone or send a
request message to SAP referencing component CA-GTF-TIM.

3. To activate the time zone function, select the Time Zones Active eld.

Maintaining Time Zone

Context

 Note
Since the standard time zones are delivered with the SAP system, most users do not need to carry out this procedure. However,
we suggest that you check these tables for the time zones in your local area to ensure that there are no errors due to local laws
that may have changed in recent weeks.

Procedure
1. In Customizing, choose General Settings Time Zones Maintain Time Zones .

2. Since the parts of a time zone's structure build on each other, de ne time zones by completing the table as follows:

First de ne the variable daylight saving time rules or xed daylight saving time dates (choose Variable summer
time rules or Fixed summer time rules).

Then de ne the daylight saving time offsets (choose Summer Time Rules).

Next de ne the time zone offsets (choose Time Zone Rules).

Next de ne the time zone indicators (choose Time Zones).

If you have lled the individual tables, save your data.

3. Return to the Customizing tree and execute the steps described in Maintaining System Settings.

Maintaining Geographical Assignments

Prerequisites
Before you make geographical assignments, Time zones must already be de ned in your system. See Maintaining Time Zone

[Link] 9/12
3/17/2020

Procedure

1. In Customizing, choose General Settings Time Zones Maintain Geographical Assignments .

2. To assign countries, regions or zip codes, choose

Time Zones in Country

Time Zones in Country/Region or

Generic Time Zones to Postal Code

3. De ne the default time zone for the country or region.

 Note
If a country or region includes more than one time zone, enter the preferred time zone.

4. Save the geographical assignments.

De ning Time Zones in the User Pro le

Procedure

1. From the SAP main menu, choose Tools Administration User Maintenance Users .

2. Enter the user's name and choose Change.

3. Select the Defaults tab and enter the user's time zone in the Personal Time Zone eld.

 Note
If no time zone is de ned for a user, the system then uses the time zone that is prede ned in transaction STZAC. If no
time zone is de ned in SZTAC, the system uses the time zone of the company to which the user is assigned. To view the
company's time zone, select the Address tab. Then under Company, choose More (arrow). The company's time zone
appears under Street address.

4. Save the user pro le.

Checking the Time Zone Function

Procedure
From the SAP main header menu, choose System Status .

If the Time Zone function and user pro les have been con gured properly, the following appears in the Usage Data section of the
System Status dialog box.

For users that are … This information appears

In the same time zone as the system No time zone information

[Link] 10/12
3/17/2020
In a different time zone than the system User's time zone

User's local time

User's local date (Appears only if the local date is different

from the system date).

Determination of an Object's Time Zone

Use
This process explains how the system uses a series of decision rules to determine the time zone of an object in the SAP system.
By determining an object's time zone, the system can display a time stamp for the object in any local time.

To ensure consistent determination of time zones and efficient performance, this process is performed by a central function. Every
object (for example, a plant) has an actual, or at least an assigned, location. The time zone of an object depends primarily on its
location. However, a location's time zone can depend on political reasons rather than simply its longitude and latitude.
Governments decide the time zone to which a location belongs for countries and/or their regions. In a few cases, they make the
decision to assign a postal code in a city to a particular time zone. The decision rules take countries, regions, and postal codes into
account.

Prerequisites
Maintain the object's time zone attribute, if available.

Maintain the object's country and region attributes, if available.

Maintain the client's default time zone.

Assign countries and regions to time zones.

Process
In either case, the system determines the time zone as follows:

1. The SAP system checks the object's time zone attribute.

If the object has a time zone attribute and it is maintained, the system uses this time zone.

2. The SAP system checks the object's time zone attribute.

If the object has country and region attributes and they are maintained, it derives the object's time zone from this data.

3. SAP checks the object's country data (a required eld).

If the object's country includes only one time zone, the system uses this time zone for the object. If it includes several time
zones, the system uses the country's default time zone.

4. If the SAP system could not determine the object's time zone through the rst three steps, it uses the default time zone of
the system's database server.

Batch Job Scheduling

Use
[Link] 11/12
3/17/2020
This process describes how you can schedule a job to be run in the background at a certain date and time.

Process
There are two simple steps to this process:

1. De ne the batch job.

2. Schedule the batch job.

Within an application, such as FI, you can start a batch job at a certain date and time which corresponds to the local date and time
of the database server. This day corresponds to the location time of the database server and the time corresponds to the location
time of the database server.

 Example
For example, to carry out a background job in FI, from the SAP main menu, choose Accounting Financial
Accounting Accounts Receivable Periodic Processing Dunning .

For production planning in logistics, choose Logistics Production MRP Planning Total Planning As Background Job from
the SAP main menu.

Controlling the Execution of the Batch Job

To run the background job overview, choose Tools CCMS Jobs Maintenance from the SAP main menu.

 Caution
Important: The selection and display of start dates and times is relative to the database server. If you are in a location other
than the location of the database server, adjust your selection accordingly. For example, if your local time is six hours ahead of
the server time, you need to adjust the time for the batch job to be executed six hours earlier.

[Link] 12/12