Standard SAP reports do not always show the fields you need. Two transactions let business users get to the underlying data directly — if their role allows it: SE16N (browse a table) and SQVI (join tables into a simple report).
⚠️ Table access is usually restricted, and some tables hold personal or sensitive data. Use these transactions only as your authorisations and company policy allow. Never change data through them.
SE16N: browse any table
- Run
/nSE16N, type a table name (e.g.EKKO) and press Enter. - The selection screen lists every field. Enter criteria — company code, date range, document type.
- Click Number of Entries first to see how many rows match — avoid pulling millions of rows.
- Set Maximum No. of Hits, then execute (F8).
- Export: List → Export → Spreadsheet, or the export button on the ALV toolbar.
💡 Use the Fields for Selection / Output options to hide the dozens of technical columns you do not need, and save the selection as a variant.
Tables worth knowing
| Area | Table | Contains |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | BKPF / BSEG | Accounting document header / line items |
| Finance | SKA1 / SKAT | G/L accounts / their descriptions |
| Sales | VBAK / VBAP | Sales order header / items |
| Purchasing | EKKO / EKPO | Purchase order header / items |
| Materials | MARA / MAKT | Material general data / descriptions |
| Customers | KNA1 | Customer master (general) |
| Vendors | LFA1 | Vendor master (general); in S/4HANA suppliers are also business partners |
| Org | T001 | Company codes |
In S/4HANA many finance line items live in the Universal Journal table ACDOCA.
SQVI: join tables into your own report
- Run
/nSQVI, enter a name (e.g. ZPO_ITEMS) and click Create. - Data source: Table join. Insert
EKKOandEKPO. SAP proposes the join on EBELN (PO number) — check it. - Go back, switch to Layout Mode, tick output fields (vendor, PO date, material, quantity, net value) and selection fields (company code, date).
- Save and execute. The report runs like any SAP report and can be exported to Excel.
SQVI QuickViews are personal (only you see them). For shared reports ask your SAP team about SAP Query (SQ01) or a proper report.
Exporting the same report every day? Automate it with SAP GUI scripting from Excel.