How to Maintain Exchange Rates in SAP
Mason Garcia
⚡ Smart Summary
Maintaining exchange rates in SAP stores the conversion factor between two currencies so foreign currency documents post at the correct value. Rates are entered through transaction OB08 or the SPRO path, by exchange rate type, currency pair, and valid-from date.
What Are Exchange Rates in SAP?
An exchange rate in SAP is the factor that converts an amount from one currency into another. Whenever a document is posted in a currency other than the company code currency, SAP reads the exchange rate table and translates the amount so the entry can be recorded in the local ledger.
The rates live in table TCURR and are read by every module that touches money, from SAP FICO postings to sales invoices and foreign currency revaluation at period close. Keeping the table current is therefore a routine but important task, because a missing or wrong rate stops a foreign currency document from posting.
Each rate is defined by three things: an exchange rate type, a currency pair, and a valid-from date. The sections below explain those building blocks and then walk through the entry itself.
Exchange Rate Types and Quotations
SAP does not store a single rate for a currency pair. It stores one rate per exchange rate type, so different business processes can read different rates on the same day. The standard types are:
| Type | Meaning | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| M | Average rate | Default for document posting and translation |
| B | Bank buying rate | Valuing incoming foreign currency |
| G | Bank selling rate | Valuing outgoing foreign currency |
| EURX | EMU regulation rate | Fixed euro conversion for legacy currencies |
Type M is mandatory, because it is the fallback the system uses when a process does not specify a type. A rate is also expressed as one of two quotation forms:
- Direct quotation: the multiple of the base currency given for the foreign currency. For example, 1 USD = 56 x 1 INR.
- Indirect quotation: the reverse expression. For example, 1/56 USD = 1 INR.
The example below uses an indirect quotation. Once the type and quotation are understood, the rate can be entered either through the guided configuration path or directly through the transaction code.
How to Maintain Exchange Rates in SAP
There are two ways to reach the exchange rate table. The transaction code OB08 opens it in one step and is what most practitioners use day to day. The SPRO menu path reaches exactly the same screen and is shown here because it makes the configuration context clear. Either route ends at the same New Entries screen.
Step 1) Enter Transaction Code SPRO in the SAP Command Field. To skip the menu path entirely, enter OB08 instead and continue from Step 4.
Step 2) In the next screen, select the ‘SAP Reference IMG’ button.
Step 3) In the next screen ‘Display IMG’, select the menu path:
SAP NetWeaver -> General Settings -> Currencies -> Enter Exchange Rates
Exchange rates can be entered as direct or indirect quotations. In a direct quotation we give the multiple of the base currency to the foreign currency.
For example: 1 USD = 56 x 1 INR
For an indirect quotation it will be: 1/56 USD = 1 INR
In the next screen, we can maintain the exchange rates via direct or indirect quotation. In this case we will use indirect quotation. For a new entry, select the ‘New Entries’ button.
Step 4) In the next screen, enter the following:
- Enter the Exchange Rate Type.
- Enter the Valid From date, which is the start date from which the rates are applicable.
- Enter the First Currency.
- Enter the Quotation Rate.
- Enter the Second Currency.
Step 5) Press the ‘Save’ button from the SAP Standard Menu.
Step 6) In the next screen, enter the Customizing Request Number to add the new exchange rate.
The rate is now stored and will be applied to any document posted on or after the valid-from date. Because the entry is captured in a customizing request, it can be transported to the quality and production systems rather than re-keyed.
Best Practices and Automation
Typing rates by hand works for a handful of currencies, but most production systems automate the task. The points below reflect how exchange rate maintenance is handled on a live landscape:
- Load rates automatically. Programs such as TBDLS or a market-data interface import the daily rate file into TCURR, which removes manual keying and the errors that come with it.
- Always set a sensible valid-from date. SAP applies the most recent rate on or before the document date, so a future-dated rate will not affect today’s postings.
- Maintain type M first. If the average rate is missing, translation fails even when other types exist.
- Keep the quotation consistent. Mixing direct and indirect entries for the same pair is the most common cause of a rate that looks inverted.
- Use inversion and reference types to avoid entering both USD to INR and INR to USD by hand.
With the table maintained and automated, foreign currency documents post cleanly and period-end revaluation reads reliable figures.
