Preface

13

How This Book Is Organized

13

Acknowledgments

15

Conclusion

15

1 Collaborative Enterprise Planning in SAP Analytics Cloud

17

1.1 Collaborative Enterprise Planning

17

1.1.1 Planning, Budgeting, and Forecasting

17

1.1.2 Rolling Forecasts

22

1.1.3 Top-Down versus Bottom-Up Planning

22

1.1.4 Collaborative Planning and Forecasting

23

1.1.5 Challenges in Planning and Forecasting

26

1.2 Why Perform Enterprise Planning in the Cloud?

26

1.2.1 What Is the Cloud?

27

1.2.2 Benefits of the Cloud

28

1.3 What Is SAP Analytics Cloud?

29

1.3.1 Evolution of SAP Analytics Cloud

29

1.3.2 Deployment Options and Integration Capabilities

32

1.3.3 Models and Stories

35

1.3.4 Addressing the Challenges

36

1.4 Sample Business Planning Process

38

1.5 Summary

41

2 Data Acquisition and Modeling

43

2.1 Defining the Data

43

2.1.1 Common Types of Data Required to Support Planning Processes

44

2.1.2 Data Latency Considerations

53

2.1.3 Configuring Import Connections for Data Acquisition

54

2.1.4 Configuring Live Connections for Real-Time Analysis

59

2.1.5 Configuring Live Connections for Hybrid Planning with SAP BPC

65

2.2 Modeling the Data

65

2.2.1 Defining the Scope, Granularity, and Dimensionality

67

2.2.2 Translating Functional Process Requirements into Models and Dimensions

70

2.2.3 Data Acquisition, Harmonization, and Wrangling

104

2.2.4 Implementing Security for Access to Data Models

126

2.3 Summary

136

3 Setting Up the Planning Process

137

3.1 Managing Planning Versions

137

3.1.1 Strategic Planning versus Budgeting versus Forecasting

137

3.1.2 Maintaining the Version and Date Dimensions

138

3.2 Initializing and Seeding Planning Versions

142

3.2.1 Basic Version Management

144

3.2.2 Implementing Advanced Seeding Scenarios

148

3.3 Inputting Planning Assumptions

154

3.3.1 Top-Down versus Bottom-Up Planning

154

3.3.2 Annualized versus Periodic Planning

164

3.4 Collaboration and Harmonization of Planning Inputs

165

3.4.1 Planning Input Tasks

167

3.4.2 Discussions and Comments

175

3.4.3 Workspaces

178

3.4.4 Publications and Scheduling

180

3.5 Summary

182

4 Automated Planning Logic

185

4.1 Driver-Based Planning

185

4.2 On-the-Fly Calculations

189

4.2.1 Account Member Formulas

189

4.2.2 Calculated/Conversion Measures

193

4.3 Persisted Logic Calculations

201

4.3.1 Creating Data Actions

201

4.3.2 Copy Data Action

202

4.3.3 Cross-Model Copy Data Action

208

4.3.4 Advanced Formulas

214

4.4 Value Driver Trees

238

4.5 Allocations

246

4.6 Currency Conversion

253

4.6.1 Setting Up Your Model for Currency Conversion

254

4.6.2 Creating a Currency Rate Table

257

4.6.3 Using Advanced Overrides in Currency Conversion

259

4.6.4 Currency Triangulation

260

4.7 Summary

265

5 Analysis and Simulations

267

5.1 Key Analytic Goals and Reporting Strategy

268

5.2 User Experience

270

5.2.1 Reporting and Analysis through Stories

271

5.2.2 Creating Presentations in SAP Digital Boardroom

287

5.2.3 Configuring Analytic Applications

294

5.2.4 Extending Data Models into Microsoft Excel

302

5.3 Simulations and What-If Analyses

311

5.3.1 Simulations through Version Management

312

5.3.2 Simulating Changing Relationships with a Value Driver Tree

317

5.4 Augmented Analytics

321

5.4.1 Using Search to Insight for Natural Language Querying of Models

322

5.4.2 Leveraging Smart Insights to Enhance Analysis

326

5.4.3 Using Smart Discoveries for Freehand Data Exploration

327

5.5 Predictive Analytics

331

5.5.1 Predictive Scenarios

332

5.5.2 Automated Trend-Based Predictive Forecasts

333

5.5.3 Creating and Tuning Predictive Models Using Smart Predict

336

5.6 Summary

345

6 Organizing Your Planning Processes

347

6.1 Planning Workflows

347

6.1.1 Managing the Planning Calendar

348

6.1.2 Timing and Governance through Locking

361

6.1.3 Using Roles to Manage Planning Task Profiles

364

6.2 Sharing and Collaboration

368

6.2.1 Sharing Updates with Users and Teams

368

6.2.2 Additional Collaboration Features

371

6.3 Summary

375

7 Publishing to Stakeholders

377

7.1 Sample Profiles of Key Stakeholder Groups

377

7.2 Data Export and Submission Approaches

380

7.2.1 Exporting Data to Offline Formats

380

7.2.2 Exporting Data to External Systems

391

7.3 Summary

392

8 Implementation Best Practices

395

8.1 Predelivered Business Content and Accelerators

395

8.1.1 Standard Planning Models

395

8.1.2 Using Standard Content in Your Implementation Project

399

8.2 Best Practices for Performance Optimization

404

8.2.1 Performance Architecture

404

8.2.2 Optimizing the User Environment

405

8.2.3 Optimizing Data Acquisition Performance

407

8.2.4 Optimizing Planning Scenario Performance

409

8.3 Summary

423

9 Sustaining Your SAP Analytics Cloud Investment

425

9.1 Release Management

425

9.2 Maintenance and Rollouts

428

9.2.1 Transporting Developments and Enhancements across Systems

428

9.2.2 Troubleshooting and Traceability

438

9.3 Summary

451