What is the SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)?
SAP Analytics Cloud is a complete solution for analytics, planning, and predictive. By bringing together the different areas, it is an "all-in-one" platform and promotes data-driven decision-making through a close integration of reporting and planning.
Business Intelligence & Reporting
- SAC combines data from various sources (on-premise, cloud, SAP, non-SAP, ...)
- Seamless integration into SAP solutions (S/4HANA, SAP BW, SAP Datasphere) as well as connection to on-premise and cloud data sources.
- Innovative reporting through ad hoc analyses and standardized reporting, as each dashboard element can be analyzed as deeply and multidimensionally as required. Further analyses can also be carried out directly.
Planning
- SAC eliminates the separation between reporting and planning.
- Replacing manual Excel planning with planning layouts in SAC.
- Driver-based simulations of planning scenarios (what-if analyses).
- Control of the entire planning workflow in the SAC calendar by using the SAC as a single point of truth.
Predictive Analytics & Generative AI
- AI integration within the SAP AI strategy (Joule Copilot, Just Ask feature).
- Various smart features (Generative AI) such as Smart Insights, Smart Predict & Smart Discovery.
- Numerous integrated functions, e.g. various forecast models based on time series analyses.
More information is also available in the SAP video here.
What are the advantages of reporting with SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)?
- Complete solution for analytics, planning and predictive.
- SAC natively supports live and import data connections for a variety of SAP and non-SAP data sources, both on-premise and in the cloud.
- SAP Analytics Cloud offers two main types of connections to data sources: Live Connection and Import Connection.
- Using Generative AI for value creation, for example using the Joule Copilot or Just Ask
- Quick deployment through pre-built business content for various departments and industries: Directly available and customizable with customer-specific data.
- Using SAP Analytics Cloud as a managed self-service tool, users can be empowered to create their own reports and share them with their colleagues.
- Easy integration and use of existing authorization concepts (e.g., SAP BW or SAP DSP) as well as the creation of individual authorization concepts.
- In SAC, standardized and advantageous visualization based on the IBCS® notation concept is already firmly implemented. Therefore, no add-ons from external manufacturers are required.
Reporting with SAC makes it possible to (1) build individual BI applications for different recipient groups quickly and easily; (2) integrate artificial intelligence to get new forecasts and insights, (3) customise the respective reports by the users (self-service) and (4) provide a central reporting platform and the ability to use it on all common devices.
Presentation of the Reporting Functions of SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)
Innovative Reporting
- With the Unified Story, SAP Analytics Cloud offers a further development of the Optimized Story Experience, in which story designers and developers now work together in one environment to enable seamless collaboration.
- This enables specialist departments to create their own dashboards quickly and easily.
- But functionalities such as Coding + Custom Visuals + R-Scripts also enable the representation and flexibility of more complex issues.
Ad-hoc analyses in the Data Analyzer or the Excel add-in
- In-depth multidimensional analysis of data sources is possible. The selected Drilldown states and Ad-hoc analyses can also be saved as reusable Insights.
- Using the Data Analyzer or the Excel Add-In (SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office, edition for SAP Analytics Cloud), you can, for example, start ad-hoc analyses based on Live SAP BW Queries, Live SAP S/4HANA CDS Views, or SAP Datasphere models, and save your drill-down data states and ad-hoc analyses as reusable insights.
- Call from existing stories or based on a query mask
Live vs. Import
- SAP Analytics Cloud offers two main types of connections to data sources: live connection and import connection.
- The live connection ensures real-time data access, allowing users to directly interact with and analyze up-to-date information from various data sources. Only metadata is stored in the cloud here.
- Using the import connection, users can integrate data from various formats and systems. This enables comprehensive data transformation, modeling, and analysis.
Empowering specialist departments through self-service
- If you make your specialist departments wait too long, they often opt for a quick solution instead of the right one.
- Using SAP Analytics Cloud as a managed self-service tool, users can be empowered to create their own reports and share them with colleagues.
- SAP Analytics Cloud supports SSBI with various templates, an SAC catalog, the SAC calendar, functions for sharing stories, user-specific roles, and the use of existing authorization systems, for example from SAP BW or SAP Datasphere.
- Further empowerment of users is possible through integration with Datasphere.
Customisable solutions with the SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)
Thanks to the high-performance in-memory technology of SAP HANA, detailed data analyses can be carried out in real time via SAC, with the service rounded off by an app. The responsive design component allows the display to be adapted to the end device. As an SaaS (software-as-a-service) solution, SAC is very easy to use and cost-effective. By definition, the software is always up-to-date and provides maximum performance. The SAC can also be implemented quickly, giving a productive start at short notice.
The SAC is not just a tool for visual representation - it represents a unified concept with a strategic character. On one single platform, it offers a combination of all relevant functions, namely:
- BI/analysis
- Planning
- Data connection
- Dashboarding
- Reporting
- Simulation
- Advanced Analytics
This is further enhanced by options for forecasts via predictive analytics. The individual functionalities complement one another and thus increase the overall performance, while a seamless integration of various data sources (including on-premise and non-SAP) is also possible.
End users in the business units can retrieve and visualise data directly and in a very user-friendly way through central access via self-service BI, and can also create their own reports and stories. IT provides the IT governance and qualitative data centrally for this purpose, with users networked via a uniform platform and benefiting from simplified cooperation through modern, interactive collaboration functions.
Individual analyses using SAC are based on the concept of so-called storytelling, whereby each story can consist of various elements (e.g. diagrams, tables, geo-analyses). The SAC system generates suggestions for visualisations and the structure of story boards. Thus, reports and dashboards can be realised intuitively. In addition, SAC is currently the only SAP product that has already firmly implemented the standardised and advantageous visualisation based on the notation concept IBCS®. Therefore, no add-on from external manufacturers is required in this respect.
"The SAP Analytics Cloud offers a revolutionary all-in-one platform that combines analytics, planning and predictive. Through the seamless integration of data sources and the use of innovative functions, it enables data-driven decision-making at the highest level. With the SAP Analytics Cloud, companies can not only optimize their reporting processes, but also significantly increase the efficiency and accuracy of their planning and forecasting."
