SAP Analytics Cloud: Financial Planning and Analysis

FP&A is now in the cloud! In this comprehensive guide, begin by provisioning your data for financial planning and analysis in SAP Analytics Cloud. Then follow step-by-step instructions to set up the planning process and use SAP Analytics Cloud's automated planning logic to calculate key metrics. Learn how to perform simulations to model what-if scenarios, streamline your planning workflow, and share results with stakeholders. With details on implementation best practices, this is your all-in-one resource!

In this book, you'll learn about:

a. Defining and Modeling Data
Provision and model your FP&A data in SAP Analytics Cloud. Evaluate and configure source connectors, step by step; then model your data metrics and dimensions for planning and analysis.

b. Planning Process
Get planning up and running! Manage your planning versions and inject your own inputs and assumptions into SAP Analytics Cloud. Learn how to run driver-based planning and perform allocations and currency conversion.

c. Analysis
Assess your financial data in SAP Analytics Cloud. Explore your reporting and analysis options, use simulations for what-if analysis, and leverage augmented analytics capabilities and predictive scenarios.

Highlights include:

1) Data modeling
2) Planning versions and inputs
3) Automated planning
4) Planning allocations
5) Currency conversion
6) Reporting
7) What-if analysis
8) Simulations
9) Planning workflows
10) Stakeholder groups
11) Implementation

List of contents

... Foreword ... 11

... 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

1.2 ... Why Perform Enterprise Planning in the Cloud? ... 26

1.3 ... What Is SAP Analytics Cloud? ... 29

1.4 ... Sample Business Planning Process ... 38

1.5 ... Summary ... 41

2 ... Data Acquisition and Modeling ... 43

2.1 ... Defining the Data ... 43

2.2 ... Modeling the Data ... 65

2.3 ... Summary ... 136

3 ... Setting Up the Planning Process ... 137

3.1 ... Managing Planning Versions ... 137

3.2 ... Initializing and Seeding Planning Versions ... 142

3.3 ... Inputting Planning Assumptions ... 154

3.4 ... Collaboration and Harmonization of Planning Inputs ... 165

3.5 ... Summary ... 182

4 ... Automated Planning Logic ... 185

4.1 ... Driver-Based Planning ... 185

4.2 ... On-the-Fly Calculations ... 189

4.3 ... Persisted Logic Calculations ... 201

4.4 ... Value Driver Trees ... 238

4.5 ... Allocations ... 246

4.6 ... Currency Conversion ... 253

4.7 ... Summary ... 265

5 ... Analysis and Simulations ... 267

5.1 ... Key Analytic Goals and Reporting Strategy ... 268

5.2 ... User Experience ... 270

5.3 ... Simulations and What-If Analyses ... 311

5.4 ... Augmented Analytics ... 321

5.5 ... Predictive Analytics ... 331

5.6 ... Summary ... 345

6 ... Organizing Your Planning Processes ... 347

6.1 ... Planning Workflows ... 347

6.2 ... Sharing and Collaboration ... 368

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

7.3 ... Summary ... 392

8 ... Implementation Best Practices ... 395

8.1 ... Predelivered Business Content and Accelerators ... 395

8.2 ... Best Practices for Performance Optimization ... 404

8.3 ... Summary ... 423

9 ... Sustaining Your SAP Analytics Cloud Investment ... 425

9.1 ... Release Management ... 425

9.2 ... Maintenance and Rollouts ... 428

9.3 ... Summary ... 451

... The Authors ... 453

... Index ... 455

About the author

Satwik Das is an associate partner at TruQua, an IBM company. He has more than 15 years of experience leading and managing large-scale SAP analytics, financial planning, and finance transformation projects. He has extensive experience in SAP Business Warehouse, SAP Business Planning and Consolidation, and various reporting tools, and he has worked with clients to implement SAP Analytics Cloud as the platform for their financial planning and analytics (FP&A) processes. He has also managed blueprinting involving SAP S/4HANA and Central Finance. Satwik enjoys architecting and designing solutions to manage clients’ complex reporting and planning needs.Marius Berner is a principal business analytics consultant at TruQua, an IBM company, with more than seven years of experience designing, implementing, and delivering solutions for planning, budgeting, forecasting, analytics, performance management, and financial consolidations. Marius’s project experience ranges from end-to-end implementations, business/finance transformations, and process automation and optimization; his strong blend of functional and technical knowledge allows him to fill roles ranging from project management, business process and solution design, and technical configuration and development. Marius is a specialist in a variety of SAP technologies that support the FP&A process including SAP Business Planning and Consolidation, SAP Profitability and Performance Management, and SAP Analytics Cloud; he is also the author of multiple blogs, webinars, and an E-Bite providing tips and expertise about these solutions.Suvir Shahani is a cloud planning and consolidation specialist with more than 22 years of experience working with clients across various industry verticals, including financial services, CPG, manufacturing, energy, pharmaceutical, distribution, and consumer electronics. Suvir has led and managed multiple business transformation initiatives as a finance lead to design and architect solutions to improve operational efficiencies in the areas of planning, consolidations, accounting, and controlling. Suvir has led many client engagements from sales to delivery, and has hands-on experience with and deep knowledge of finance processes. He has been an early advisor and evaluator of SAP Analytics Cloud for his clients and has worked closely with SAP’s product development team in shaping the product roadmap. Suvir often presents at SAP conferences and webinars in the areas of finance and performance management.Ankit Harish is a senior managing consultant at TruQua, an IBM Company, with more than 15 years of experience in finance analytics and a key focus on media and entertainment industry leveraging SAP and non-SAP technologies. Ankit has led large scale finance transformation programs and defined reporting and planning roadmap for clients. He has experience managing cross-functional business stakeholders, global deployment teams, workshops, blueprint design sessions, and integration teams in the areas of SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP BW/4HANA, SAP S/4HANA Finance, and standard and embedded SAP Business Planning and Consolidation 11. Ankit also has deep analytics expertise, including financial performance analytics, inventory optimization analytics, warehouse analytics, marketing analytics, and analytics-driven enterprise processes. Ankit is an SAP Certified solution consultant.

Summary

FP&A is now in the cloud! In this comprehensive guide, begin by provisioning your data for financial planning and analysis in SAP Analytics Cloud. Then follow step-by-step instructions to set up the planning process and use SAP Analytics Cloud’s automated planning logic to calculate key metrics. Learn how to perform simulations to model what-if scenarios, streamline your planning workflow, and share results with stakeholders. With details on implementation best practices, this is your all-in-one resource!

In this book, you’ll learn about:

a. Defining and Modeling Data
Provision and model your FP&A data in SAP Analytics Cloud. Evaluate and configure source connectors, step by step; then model your data metrics and dimensions for planning and analysis.

b. Planning Process
Get planning up and running! Manage your planning versions and inject your own inputs and assumptions into SAP Analytics Cloud. Learn how to run driver-based planning and perform allocations and currency conversion.

c. Analysis
Assess your financial data in SAP Analytics Cloud. Explore your reporting and analysis options, use simulations for what-if analysis, and leverage augmented analytics capabilities and predictive scenarios.

Highlights include:

1) Data modeling
2) Planning versions and inputs
3) Automated planning
4) Planning allocations
5) Currency conversion
6) Reporting
7) What-if analysis
8) Simulations
9) Planning workflows
10) Stakeholder groups
11) Implementation

Product details

• Authors: Marius Berner, Satwik Das, Ankit Harish, Suvir Shahani, Suvir et al Shahani
• Publisher: Rheinwerk Verlag
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.11.2022
• EAN: 9781493222360
• ISBN: 978-1-4932-2236-0
• No. of pages: 468
• Dimensions: 184 mm x 32 mm x 266 mm
• Weight: 1141 g
• Series: SAP PRESS Englisch
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > IT, data processing > Data communication, networks; SAP Cloud for Analytics (SAP C4A), SAP SAC, SAP BusinessObjects Cloud (SAP BOC), Simulations, SAP AC, FP&A, Currency conversion, Planning workflows, Planning allocations, What-if analysis