Maintaining a robust data and analytics strategy is undoubtedly key to the success of any organization. To tackle this ever-present business challenge, SAP solutions offer a broad set of features to dive deep into your data.
To help users unleash the power of SAP Analytics Cloud, a cloud solution for business intelligence, enterprise planning, and predictive analytics, Abassin Sidiq authored SAP Analytics Cloud, an all-in-one guide to the platform that allows readers to understand and leverage all its features and functions, from creating stories and visualizations to developing planning and predictive models.
Previously a product manager of analytics at SAP who has been a part of SAC development since the product’s inception, Sidiq—who has also worked as a senior specialist in SAP Business Technology Platform ecosystem sales—published an updated and revised edition of the book earlier this year, via SAP Press.
Below, Sidiq offers ASUG readers some selected highlights from SAP Analytics Cloud, accompanied by an end-to-end use case. With ASUG membership, you can save 15% on your purchase of this or any other Rheinwerk or SAP Press publication, for a limited time, with the code 15ASUG.
What is SAP Analytics Cloud?
First released in November 2015, and originally released as SAP Cloud for Analytics before being rebranded as SAP BusinessObjects Cloud, SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) is a cloud offering, updated every three months by SAP with new functionality and bug fixes.
The solution offers broad data integration, which means customers can leverage in stand-alone scenarios or as part of an integrated landscape scenario. Additionally, SAC follows a self-service approach, giving users various degrees of freedom and flexibility in their use of the solution.
Although this is not always visible to the user, the platform isn’t just designed around business intelligence; SAC can also be leveraged as a tool for central planning and for forecasting. The platform also allows power users to induce custom scripts.
Data integration
The data integration aspect of SAP Analytics Cloud addresses power business and IT users with a broad set of connection types available for data import or live access.
While importing data replicates that data into the storage of SAP Analytics Cloud, it provides IT users with the freedom to design new data models, merge data sources, and design authorizations around them. One specialty of SAP Analytics Cloud is the live connection it makes available for selected data sources. In this scenario, no data is actually replicated to the cloud, and all of it can be accessed in real-time. This avoids duplication of work and is a great enabler to establish a single source of truth.
Navigation and administration
As SAP Analytics Cloud is purely cloud-based, it’s only accessible via web browser. All users share the same user interface while some may see more menu entries than others based on their roles.
The home screen provides access to:
- First steps
- A universal search
- An AI-based chat assistant for your data
- Notifications
- Other cloud solutions
- Your profile settings
- The main menu, and
- The catalog.
From here, users can quickly access all areas of the solution while being able to customize the screen to their requirements.
Data Modeling
The data modeling engine is the central place to connect to and import data from data sources. Data models follow a simple design that allows IT and expert users to enrich data and customize it to their needs.
Next to connecting to external data sources, data can also be imported via flat files. After uploading data, users can transform this data, enrich it, or build hierarchies around it. The screenshot below provides an example of where a formula has been used to replace values.
After finishing the desired transformations and adding elements to the model, the final model can always be viewed and modified in the Modeler area of SAP Analytics Cloud. The screenshot shows a model built around sales data; this same model, representing the business data of a sales organization, is referenced throughout our publication.
Business Intelligence: Visualizations and Dashboards
The central working environment for users of SAP Analytics Cloud is called “the story.” In this area, all the magic around data visualization and interaction is happening.
Once data is modeled into SAP Analytics Cloud, it can be displayed in various forms and styles to represent critical information. The creation of new charts and tables is intuitive and supported by proposals and required information.
Within the story, users have access to a wide range of features and layout options to customize the story to their requirements. Stories can be designed to present a great amount of information while staying consumable and interactive.
The screenshot shows an example for an interactive story based on our uploaded data. By using thresholds, significant changes can be highlighted with colors. Filters allow precise and quick selection of data, while various chart types quickly show different information.
Planning
In addition to data visualization and interactive reporting, a crucial part of the decision-making process at organizations is linked to reliable and sustainable planning. The story comes in handy for this, as it doesn’t just allow users to explore data visualization but also to perform operations on data.
To achieve this, multiple versions of data models can be created, allowing manipulation and calculation of data. This is ideal for controllers to create different views across the business and publish an aligned perspective.
Entering Data into Tables
When interacting with tables, business users can directly enter data changes. On top of that, there are various tools and functions to automate the process, implement validation rules, or use calculations to forecast new data points.
Predictive Analytics
The historical view is powerful and provides the best insights about why things happened the way they happened within your business. But when it comes to the future, spotting trends are becoming more important than analyzing historical data to better estimate market dynamics.
Within the Story, business users can easily access features like the Forecast within a Time Series Chart. This automatically calculates a forecast based on historical data and shows a corridor of potential values.
Expert users or data scientists can also use the Smart Predict engine to drive further analyses. With a detailed Time Series Analysis, values can be analyzed and forecasted into the future using multiple algorithms. Various quality KPIs are available to determine the validity of this forecast.
Advanced Development within the Story
Although the story offers plenty of functionality, business users often have individual requirements which can’t be solved with standard tools. For these, SAP Analytics Cloud Stories can be set to Advanced Mode.
Within this mode, almost every element of a Story can be customized via scripting capabilities. By using a JavaScript-like syntax, developers and powers users are able to change the behavior of stories completely and create custom actions.
Summary
SAP Analytics Cloud is a powerful platform. While it can be used for complex and enterprise-wide use cases, it offers an easy-to-use, intuitive interface in a business user’s browser. As a Cloud offering, it’s completely maintained by SAP and kept up to date.
To learn more about all aspects of the solution, make sure to pick up SAP Analytics Cloud by Abassin Sidiq. Through providing an overview of the solution and complementing it with an easy-to-follow use case, readers can explore the solution in a guided manner, gaining actionable insights to transform their business capabilities around this cutting-edge SAP solution.
"SAP Analytics Cloud" is now available from SAP Press. With ASUG membership, you can save 15% on your purchase of this or any other Rheinwerk or SAP Press publication, for a limited time, with the code 15ASUG.
Elizabeth Tuckwell contributed to this report.