What can the new SAC Add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint (Composable Analytics) do?
- SAP Analytics Cloud
- 7 min reading time
Nikolai Maag
This wiki article is about the new SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint, which enables seamless integration of data and visualizations from the SAP Analytics Cloud into PowerPoint presentations. The add-in allows users to embed interactive SAC widgets directly into their slides and update them as needed so that the latest data is always available without the need for manual screenshots. As part of the SAP Analytics Cloud's Composable Analytics approach, this tool supports the flexible use of analytics directly in Microsoft applications such as PowerPoint or Excel. Key features include user-friendly navigation, quick search for SAC stories and widgets, and the ability to filter and update data directly in real time. As a result, companies benefit from more efficient presentation design and a reliable database for decision-making processes.
Table of contents
1. what is the SAC Add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint?
The SAP Analytics Cloud Add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint enables SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) widgets to be embedded directly into PowerPoint presentations as an image. Through an intuitive connection to an SAP Analytics Cloud tenant, users can quickly search for stories and associated widgets, select them, filter them if necessary and add them directly to the slides. The add-in also provides the ability to update the embedded data at any time, ensuring a consistent and reliable database without the need to manually create screenshots from the SAC system. Currently, only Optimized Stories are supported and there are still some limitations (for example, stories without scripts are not supported, no tables, ...). More on this in the third chapter.
Taking monthly screenshots for the management's PowerPoint presentations is now a thing of the past!
The SAC add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint is part of SAC's Composable Analytics approach and, alongside Excel, is one of the first business applications to enable the seamless embedding of analyses directly into their user interfaces. Composable Analytics in the SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) is a strategic concept that aims to flexibly integrate context-related analyses into various business applications.
In future, the Open Widget API will be used to embed individual widgets in other applications in addition to PowerPoint. Both are to be supported here:
- SAP applications such as S/4HANA, Ariba, Fieldglass or BTP
- Microsoft applications such as PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams
- External apps such as partner apps or customer apps
2. features
The SAC Add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint offers a range of useful functions to enable the seamless integration of SAC data and visualizations in presentations:
Intuitive connection to the SAC Tenant
- The add-in establishes a direct connection to the SAC tenant and thus enables fast and secure access to company data from the SAP Analytics Cloud.
After deploying the add-in, we see a new tab in PowerPoint.
Here we can now log in to our SAC Tenant by inserting the URL.
Easy navigation and search for stories and widgets
- Users can easily navigate through the stories and widgets stored in the SAC to quickly find and select the content they need.
Reliable data integration
- The data is integrated directly from the SAP Analytics Cloud into the PowerPoint presentation, ensuring a consistent and reliable database.
By clicking on "Add widget" in the "SAP Analytics Cloud" tab, we can now select individual widgets from existing stories.
Stories can be searched for, selected from the favorites or chosen from the most recently used stories.
Once you have selected a story, you can see all story pages and the widgets contained on them.
Direct embedding and filtering of widgets
- Users have the option of selecting individual SAC widgets and inserting them directly into PowerPoint slides.
- The data can be filtered as required in order to present specific and relevant information.
If you select a widget, you can still edit it.
By clicking on "Edit", the user has the option to customize the widget. Here you will find the familiar SAC functions, such as "Sort", "Ranking" or "Drill" (if available).
You can also filter or exclude individual data points.
Click on "Add widget" to add the selected (and possibly edited) widget to the PowerPoint slide.
The inserted visual can then be moved into PowerPoint as required and integrated into company presentations using the usual PowerPoint functions.
Real-time data update
- The add-in makes it possible to update the embedded SAC widgets at any time to ensure that the data presented is always up to date.
- This eliminates the need to manually copy or paste data.
By clicking on "Update" in the "SAP Analytics Cloud" tab, you can select and update individual widgets or, alternatively, all widgets.
3. current restrictions
The add-in is based on the new widget API in the Lightweight Viewer (LWV), i.e. it supports the functions available in LWV.
Restriction
The add-in is currently only fully supported in the PPT web version. From the Q4 2024 release (18.11.2024), imported models and models connected via Live Tunnel Connection will now also be supported in the desktop version.
Initial assessment
First support for the desktop app came with the Q4 2024 release. However, this is still limited to imported models and sources connected via Live Tunnel Connection. More will hopefully follow soon in the future.
All chart types except geo-maps, tables, custom widgets, CSS capabilities, gadgets, global variables and composites are supported.
According to its own statements, SAP is working on the integration of tables + geo-maps. Other chart types will probably follow in the future.
More information on unsupported widgets can be found here: SAP Help | Unsupported widgets
Source: SAP Blog
No support for stories with scripting
SAP says it is working on the integration of stories with scripts. Until then, it would be possible to copy existing stories and create special "PowerPoint add-in stories" and remove the script from these. But whether this makes sense in practice is up to you.
Source: SAP Blog
Only Optimized Stories are supported.
As the add-in is based on the new widget API in the Lightweight Viewer (LWV), it will probably only support Optimized Stories.
Source: SAP Blog
Currently, filters can only be applied to the selection of data points. Applying additional filters is not supported.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to make an assessment at present. If you want to have certain drilldowns, you first have to create them in the SAC in order to be able to use them in the add-in. It would be desirable to be able to use existing filters.
Source: SAP Blog
No support for stories with data sources with "forced prompts" .
To be supported in the future.
Source: SAP Blog
From the Q4 2024 release, it is now possible to overwrite existing widgets in Microsoft PowerPoint. For this purpose, the "Refresh" tab now has a "Refresh Widget" button in addition to the "Refresh Data" button, which can be used to overwrite the inserted widget with the latest version from the SAC story.
However, if you want to edit the functions of the widget that are available to the user during insertion in PowerPoint (e.g. "Filter", "Sort", "Ranking" or "Drill"), you still have to delete the widget and insert it again.
Further information can be found in the SAP Help | Troubleshooting & FAQ, in the SAP Help | What is SAP Analytics Cloud, add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint and in the SAP Road Map Explorer.
4. how to obtain the add-in
The SAP Analytics Cloud for PowerPoint add-in is available in the Microsoft AppSource:
https://appsource.microsoft.com/en-us/product/office/WA200007270?tab=Overview
Further information on the configuration and requirements of the SAC Tenant can be found in the SAP Blog | Introducing SAP Analytics Cloud, add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint and in the SAP Help | Deploying the add-in.
5. assessment
The SAP Analytics Cloud Add-in for PowerPoint offers a promising opportunity to integrate current data directly from the SAC into PowerPoint presentations. The option to update SAC widgets in real time eliminates the need for regular screenshots. I see great potential in the add-in, asas, for example, many companies still spend several hours or days each month manually inserting screenshots into the monthly reporting presentation. This manual work would be eliminated by the add-in.
However, the add-in still has important limitations: From the Q4 2024 release, data imported into PowerPoint Desktop and Live Tunnel Connections will now also be supported; other connections are currently still only supported in the PowerPoint web version. In addition, stories with scripts cannot be used and tables cannot be inserted. In our test, it also occasionally happened that individual widgets were no longer recognized, making it impossible to update them. In order for the add-in to be fully operational, some road map items are still required, which we hope to see from SAP soon. We are excited and see the potential to offer our customers real added value with this feature.
Would you like to delve deeper into the topic? I look forward to talking to you about the SAC and its functionalities.
Feel free tocontact us!
