SAP Analytics Cloud is a unified platform that integrates business analytics, planning, and predictive analytics.
SAP Analytics Cloud uses the “model” concept. It is the foundation for storing and researching data, which consists of analytics and indicatorsю A model is a basis for story building. There are two types of models:
Analytical models are used for reporting and analytics in the SAP Analytics Cloud.
Planning models provide all the functionality of analytical models and also deliver great control over the data: the ability to customize budgets, forecasts, to create your own versions of data, to copy, paste, and use the planning function.
In this copy we are going to consider in detail the planning capabilities of SAC. It sets apart thanks to a set of convenient tools for working with analysts, indicators, versions of planning data, as well as user collaboration tools.
The latest cloud technologies make it possible to develop reports in the shortest time, for example, a report for a retail company to automate the budgeting process. With the implementation of the relevant reports, several users are enabled to fill in the data of planned sales at the same time, filtered by region or by branches for which they are responsible. In addition, the reports will perform analytical functionality and calculations, including data distribution, essentially important for each business.
Version Management and Data Locking
Often, the planning process involves several employees acting exclusively with data within their area of responsibility. To solve this problem, SAP Analytics Cloud provides data versions:
- public
- private
You can create a copy of the public version and save it as a private version, work with it, without the threat of overwriting the public version of the data with errors or hinder your colleague from working. After checking the entered indicators, the data can be saved in the public version.
There is an option to set a lock on editing some data (cells) when a group of employees collaborates. In this case, only the person responsible for this data block can edit the cells.
When creating a new version of data, you have to specify the category of data, depending on its purpose. The following data categories are available:
- Actual data - the actual values of your funds
- Budget - the number of resources that can be spent
- Planning - the goal (financial / non-financial) that you are trying to achieve
- Forecast - the expected value of financial resources
- Moving forecast - the range of your financial expectations.
Data Actions
Quite often some sequences of actions with data are performed repeatedly when planning. Using the Data Actions function, you can create a button in your history, by clicking on which a certain data operation will be automatically performed. For example, such as creating and filling in a new version of planning, copying data, or more complex conversion.
Members on the Fly
With the help of the “on the fly” function, you can create and modify elements (master data) of measurements dynamically, without stopping the planning process and without leaving the history.
Allocation Functions
SAP Analytic Cloud provides standard scheduling features that will enable you to replace costly accounting calculations with a few mouse clicks, e.g.:
- Spreading
- Distribution
- Assigning
Spreading is the process of transferring money from a higher level in the hierarchy to the lower one. This function is often used when planning a sales budget. Given the trends of previous years, you can estimate how many resources are needed for a specific area of your business. It is possible to configure automatic distribution between regions, for example, the same amount of money for several activity areas. You also can perform spreading manually.
Distribution allows you to move some or all of the money from one cell to another at the same hierarchical level. For example, this feature is used when you need to change the distribution of the budget between regions.
Assigning allows you to add new values or replace them in one or more cells. It should be noted that all dependent elements of the hierarchy will be recalculated automatically.
Custom Allocation
Users can also create their own distribution functions. With the help of a step-by-step implementation of user-defined functions, it is possible to customize the automation of data scheduling for business-specific algorithms.
Integration with SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office
The new version of SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office (starting from v2.7) enabled the integration option with SAP Analytic Cloud planning model. With the full support of public and private versions provided, planners can work in their familiar Microsoft Excel environment and easily perform planning tasks.
Calendar and process integration
Any planning implies distribution over time. For this purpose SAP Analytic Cloud has a calendar tool. Its functionality, which includes the integration of processes, allows you to make the planning process as transparent and clear as possible.
Planning in SAP Analytic Cloud is an excellent tool to automate the planning process within your organization. A simple and intuitive interface makes it possible to combine all the necessary business functions: simultaneous input of data planning by users, restricting access to data within employee’s area of responsibility, usage of standard data conversion functions, rendering and combining of frequently repeated actions to reduce working time with planned forms, integration with Calendar and Analysis for Microsoft Office.
Planning your budgets has never been easier!
