This tutorial video is a comprehensive tutorial on how to manage and maintain COPA (Controlling Profitability Analysis) characteristics in SAP S/4HANA. The instructor provides a detailed walkthrough on creating custom characteristics within the COPA module, emphasizing the importance of these characteristics in profitability analysis. Key points from the video session are:

1. Introduction to COPA Characteristics: The video starts with an overview of COPA characteristics, explaining their role in transferring values from different modules to the COPA module. It highlights the SAP standard that allows a maximum of 60 characteristics to be assigned to an operating concern, excluding fixed characteristics that are assigned by default.
2. Creating Custom Characteristics: The tutorial covers the process of creating custom characteristics in COPA, detailing four methods:
   • Characteristics based on SAP tables: Creating characteristics by fetching values from specific fields in SAP tables.
   • Characteristics with own value maintenance: Defining custom characteristics and specifying allowed values for them.
   • Characteristics without value maintenance: Creating characteristics where users can enter any value without predefined validation.
   • Characteristics with reference to existing ones: Using existing characteristics as a reference to create new ones with modified definitions or properties.
3. Practical Examples: The instructor provides practical examples for each method, including creating a characteristic for “continent” which is not available by default in SAP, and how to derive it based on country or region.
4. Assigning Characteristics to Operating Concern: The video demonstrates how to assign the newly created custom characteristics to an operating concern, including activating the operating concern and adding the characteristics to either the costing-based COPA structure or the margin analysis (universal journal table).
5. Maintaining Characteristic Values: It also covers how to maintain values for characteristics that require own value maintenance, using the example of defining continents as characteristic values.
6. Activation and Testing: Finally, the tutorial guides viewers through activating the operating concern after adding the custom characteristics and testing to ensure they are correctly integrated into the COPA module.