Sample Basic Documentation Standards for the

SAP User
4.6 GUI STRUCTURE........................................................................................................................................................ 2
Style Guide: Standards & Guidelines to Remember................................................................................................ 2

SCREEN ELEMENTS............................................................................................................................................................... 2
General Style Guidelines.............................................................................................................................................. 3
Business Process Procedure Titles............................................................................................................................ 3
Titles.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3

Menu Paths and Transaction Codes........................................................................................................................... 4

Menu Paths....................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Transaction Codes............................................................................................................................................................................ 4

Screen Titles.................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Screen Titles..................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Screen Titles Including a Variable Word, Item or Document Number...............................................................................................4
Identical Screen Titles....................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Dialog Boxes..................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Referencing Screen Titles in Body Text............................................................................................................................................ 5

Field Documentation.................................................................................................................................................... 5
Field Names, Checkboxes, and Radio Buttons................................................................................................................................ 5
Required, Conditional, and Optional Fields...................................................................................................................................... 6
Entering Ranges in Fields................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Referencing Screen Text in Body Text.............................................................................................................................................. 6
Symbols............................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

Action Statements........................................................................................................................................................ 7
Buttons, Menu Paths, and Tabs........................................................................................................................................................ 7
Actions Statements with Buttons...................................................................................................................................................... 7
Required, Conditional, and Optional Actions.................................................................................................................................... 7
Dropdowns and Possible Entries...................................................................................................................................................... 8
Other Standards................................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Spell Check....................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Styles................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Wording............................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
System Responses........................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Bulleted Lists..................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Quotation Marks................................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Spacing............................................................................................................................................................................................. 9

S&G for iTutor............................................................................................................................................................... 9

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Sample Basic Documentation Standards for the SAP User

Action Statements

4.6 GUI Structure

Style Guide: Standards & Guidelines to Remember
SCREEN ELEMENTS

Menu Bar
Standard Toolbar
Screen
Title
Application Toolbar

User menu
SAP standard menu

Navigation Menu

Work Area

Status Bar

Application toolbar:
The screenshots shown in our guides are based on full user authorization (SAP_ALL). Depending on the
users authorizations, some of the buttons on their application toolbar may not be available.
Navigation menu:
Depending on the users authorizations, their navigation menu may look different from screenshots we
include which are based on SAP_ALL. The User menu and SAP standard menu buttons provide different
views of the navigation menu.

Note: In our guidebooks, we show the technical names of each transaction. To match our settings, choose
Extras Settings and select Show technical names.

General Style Guidelines

These standards are designed to assist you in the development of technical documentation
for the SAP User. The following guidelines help you make your documentation consistent,

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Sample Basic Documentation Standards for the SAP User

Action Statements

helpful, and easy to use. Depending on the tools and formatting used for documentation,
these standards may vary.
Use short, simple, familiar words. Trying to decipher complex, formal language distracts
the user from the task at hand and taxes their memory.
Avoid unnecessary slang, jargon, or computer language. Many users find computer jargon
confusing, annoying, and frightening. If jargon is used, be sure the user will understand it.
Avoid personifying the computer. Computers do not ask, think, know, or understand. They
process, sort, store, retrieve, use, direct, operate, and calculate.
Document what the person does not what the system does.
Speak directly to the users. Tell them what they can and cannot do. Do not tell them what
they may, can, or are allowed to do. Avoid the vague words could and should.
Tell people what to do rather than what not to do.
Use the active voice.
Use whole words instead of contractions.
Avoid colons and semi-colons. Instead, use two sentences.
Do not put field entries in quotes or brackets. Users might enter these symbols in a field.
Use a neutral, business-like tone for transaction or procedural documentation.

Business Process Procedure Titles

Titles

Begin business process procedure titles with an action

verb. Use initial capitals for all nouns, verbs, participles,
adverbs, and adjectives.
Create a Material Master Record

Menu Paths and Transaction Codes

Menu Paths

Type menu paths exactly as they appear in SAP.

Accounting Financial Accounting Accounts
Receivable
Italicize all references to menu paths within body text.
From the menu bar, choose Settings Columns.

Transaction Codes

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Capitalize all transaction codes.

VA01

Sample Basic Documentation Standards for the SAP User

Action Statements

Screen Titles
Screen Titles

Type screen titles in italic exactly as they appear in SAP,

using the same case (upper or lower), punctuation, and
abbreviations, followed by screen in regular text. Use
screen instead of window.
Document screen title:
From: Enter G/L account document: Create G/L
Account Item
To: On the Enter G/L account document: Create G/L
Account Item screen

Screen Titles Including a

Variable Word, Item or
Document Number

Enter screen titles without variable words, item or

document numbers:
Screen title:
From: Create Vendor: Item 0010
To: Create Vendor: Item

Identical Screen Titles

Some SAP transactions have the same title for more

than one screen. Document identical screen titles using
the same screen title followed by a sequential number.
Display Purchasing Documents Screen 1
Display Purchasing Documents Screen 2

Dialog Boxes

Use dialog box instead of pop-up window.

Document dialog boxes that contain fields or
checkboxes as separate screens.

Referencing Screen
Titles in Body Text

Italicize all references to screen titles within body text.

On the Create Vendor Master Record: Company Code
Data screen, enter the company code.

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Sample Basic Documentation Standards for the SAP User

Action Statements

Field Documentation
Field Names,
Checkboxes, and Radio
Buttons

Document the fields, checkboxes, and radio buttons in

the order they appear in SAP.
Type field names and indicators exactly as they appear
in SAP, using the same case (upper or lower),
punctuation, and abbreviations.
You can omit the words field, checkbox, or radio
button following the screen text, except where clarity
becomes an issue.
For fields and columns, use:
In <Field name>, enter <general or specific
information>.
Under <Column name>, enter <general or specific
information>.
For checkboxes and radio buttons, use:
Select <item text>.
Deselect <item text>.

Required, Conditional,
and Optional Fields

Document required and conditional fields only.

Minimize or exclude documentation of optional fields.
Use bold or courier boldfor text to be entered into a
field or after a command prompt.
For specific required field entries:
In <Field Name>, enter [ABC].
In Document Number, enter 1234.
For contingent fields or checkboxes:
If the vendor is an employee, enter the vendors EIN
(Employee ID Number).
If the delivery for the line item is complete, select the
Delivery Completed checkbox to indicate that the
purchase order line item is closed.

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Sample Basic Documentation Standards for the SAP User

Action Statements

Entering Ranges in
Fields

Use the following phrasing when ranges can be entered

in a field:
Enter the document number (or range of numbers).
Enter the posting date (or range of dates).

Referencing Screen Text

in Body Text

Use italics when you reference screen text such as field

names, checkboxes, radio buttons, or system messages.
Case, punctuation, and spelling should be exactly as the
text appears on the SAP screen.
In Address, enter the receivers address.
A system message appears saying: You are
unauthorized to access this transaction.
Select the line Inventory count without special
procedures.
On the Human Resources screen, choose Activities.

Symbols

When referring to symbols, state the symbol name and

then show the symbol in parentheses.
Use:
Use plus signs (+) instead of asterisks (*) for these
fields.
Exceptions:
When referring to data that the user has to enter, do not
use this standard. Instead, format the data to be entered
using the User Input format.
In Company Code, enter ++++.

Action Statements

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Sample Basic Documentation Standards for the SAP User

Action Statements

Action Statements
Buttons, Menu Paths,
and Tabs

Use the verb choose for describing actions concerning

buttons, tabs, and menu paths (not click). Begin
statements with where the action takes place,
followed by what the user must do.
For buttons, use either:
Choose <icon>.
Choose <Button Text>.
For menu path action statements:
From the <menu bar or navigation menu>, choose
<Menu item> <Menu item>.
For tabs, use:
Choose the <Tab name> tab.

Actions Statements with

Buttons

Introduce the icons function for less obvious buttons

with a phrase explaining the action.
To <perform a function>, choose <icon>.
To create a new document, choose
To activate, choose

If you do not use icons in your documentation, use the

button name in place of the icon and exclude the
explanatory phrase.
Choose New Document.
Choose Activate.

Required, Conditional,
and Optional Actions

Document SAP, client-required, and conditional action

steps only.

Dropdowns and
Possible Entries

We recommend defining both the and

functions as
dropdowns. Furthermore, SAP uses the
(possible
entries F4 help) button to call up a dialog box with the
different selections possible for a particular field. Use
the following formulas:
In <Field name>, use the dropdown to select <the
desired selection>.

Optional action steps are not documented.

In <Field name>, use

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to select <item for field>.

Sample Basic Documentation Standards for the SAP User

Action Statements

Other Standards
Spell Check

Proofread and spell check all documents.

Styles

Maintain consistent styles. Slight modifications in styles

can cause errors of interpretation for users.

Wording

Use present tense for all wording.

Document each step with <where>, then <what>.
Use a comma before the word and in a list.
Example: Create a material master record with the
basic data, sales, and purchasing views.

System Responses

Document unusual system responses in a note.

Bulleted Lists

Use bullets when listing three or more items.

Quotation Marks

If quotation marks are necessary, use double (not

single) quotes. Avoid quotation marks if possible. Do not
use quotes for system messages or field names. Use
italics.

Spacing

Use one space:

Common system responses need not be documented.

After the periods at the end of sentences (not two)

After colons
Before and after menu path arrows
Before and after imbedded graphics, such as button
images

Basic Standards & Guidelines (S&G) for iTutor

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Sample Basic Documentation Standards for the SAP User

Action Statements

Application of certain S&G in iTutor

Tutorial title use naming convention e.g. MM_ME21N for now. (module
name_transaction)

Ensure tutorial properties for author is labeled appropriately

Bubble text there is no RTF functionality. Hence, some of the standard text
formulations cannot be performed. For example italics, bold, font changes, etc.

Task/Step descriptions should follow the above standard text formulations as there
is RTF functionality embedded under this section of the tool.

For font selections in text, please use the default, which is Times New Roman 10.
All headings/titles must be in bold.

In iTutor, all screenshots are automatically taken during the recording process and
bmp is the source format. Set screen resolution to 1024 x 768 pixels.

Use only the SAP standard screen colors (beige and blue).

Do not capture cursors or tool tip text.

Display the technical names of each transaction in the navigation menu.

Choose Extras Settings and select Display technical names.

To Turn off history, Choose Customizing of Local Layout icon Options Local Data
tab
and select Off.

Use the U.S. date, currency, and decimal format.

Text: Be consistent with terminology, word choice, and structure as outlined in

above S&G.

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