GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK FOR SAP CENTRAL FINANCE MAPPING, AIF MONITORING, AND RECONCILIATION ACCURACY

Abstract

SAP Central Finance (CFIN) has emerged as a strategic enabler for real-time financial consolidation and transformation by replicating financial transactions from heterogeneous source systems into a unified SAP S/4HANA environment. Despite its architectural advantages, Central Finance's reliability depends on strong governance across master data mapping, Application Interface Framework (AIF) monitoring, and reconciliation accuracy. This review paper synthesizes academic literature, industry practices, and governance models to examine how structured controls in these three domains ensure financial integrity, auditability, and operational transparency. The study highlights risks arising from inconsistent mappings, ineffective interface monitoring, and weak reconciliation mechanisms, and evaluates governance approaches, including centralized master data stewardship, automated exception handling, and rule-based reconciliation validation. Based on the synthesis, an integrated governance framework is proposed to improve data consistency, reduce posting errors, and strengthen trust in financial reporting. The findings provide practical guidance for organizations implementing or optimizing SAP Central Finance landscapes.