COPA provides a way to integrate all profit relevant information into a flexible data structure. This means it's often easier to integrate sales data with material input and cost center costs in CO-PA than to do the same thing in BI. So sometimes CO-PA is introduced to collect the data you want to report in BW.
The data model of the costing-based CO-PA
In the costing based CO-PA you have a chance to build your own data model. You have some fixed characteristics like fiscal year/period, some optional characteristics like material number and some characteristics that you can freely add (they start with WW). The key figures can be designed as you like (they start with VV).
Since you are free to do any design you like the system does not deliver fixed tables but they are generated. They are named CE1XXXX to CE4XXXX where XXXX is the operating concern.
The datasource for CO-PA
In the SBIW there is a path for generating CO-PA datasources. This is quite easy. Choose the characteristics and key figures you need and press Execute (more or less).
Be aware that you need a new data source if you want to change the fields.
BW extraction
The BW extraction itself is more or less standard. You should use delta load to get the relevant data. If you have lots of key figures you might want to use an account based model instead of the key figure based CO-PA model for your cube. I have a customer who loads about 40 million records per year (i.e. 200.000 per day!) with delta this way.
Summary
All in all the CO-PA extraction itself is quite easy so if you have a running CO-PA you can set up a standard extraction within maybe 10 days if there are no enhanced requirements.
If you have complex integration scenarios of sales, stocks and standard CO to receive P&L infos it might be worth to take a look on CO-PA before doing the integration in BI. But be aware that CO-PA can generate a huge data volume.
Hope this helps!!!
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