Data and Analytics
The main advantage of a new ERP platform is its advanced data and analytics capabilities. Data is essential to any organization. Interpreting it and finding trends is vital to maintaining a competitive advantage. SAP S/4HANA provides users with unparallel data along with innovative analytics capabilities.
“Moving to SAP S/4HANA allowed us to leverage real-time analytics and reporting with embedded analytics,” Tim Coyle, Director of IT at Mrs. T’s Pierogies, told ASUG. “When we were on SAP ECC, we needed to load our SAP Business Warehouse (BW) environment for reporting that updated every night, and that left our finance, supply chain, and production reporting in SAP BW one day behind.”
In this section of the SAP S/4HANA Pathfinder program, you’ll find resources and customer stories focused on leveraging the ERP platform’s cutting-edge analytics capabilities.
SAP One Domain Model
At the heart of SAP S/4HANA data strategy is the SAP One Domain Model. Often referred to as the lingua franca—or common language— of the SAP Intelligent Enterprise. This model is vital to the notion of end-to-end business processes. The SAP One Domain Model allows objects to be distributed across various applications. SAP describes the model as “a consistent view on maser data across the entire hybrid landscape.”
But the SAP One Domain Model is vital for another reason. Extensibility and integration are important selling points of SAP S/4HANA and the entire notion of the SAP Intelligent Enterprise. SAP has expanded its partner network along with making integration with non-SAP apps seamless, an action that would not be possible without a shared, common language.
SAP Fiori and Embedded Analytics
Another noteworthy benefit of SAP S/4HANA is the ease of access to data and analytic dashboards enabled by SAP Fiori, a user experience tool that allows customers to build and implement accessible dashboards and applications for users.
Many organizations have leveraged SAP Fiori to improve the mobility and user interface of reporting tools in SAP S/4HANA. Organizations can build applications for smartphones and tablets that allow their users to readily record and access data in any environment, not just in the office.
The SAP Fiori tiles provide a smart user interface where users can more efficiently look for actions that need to be taken,” Coyle told ASUG. “SAP Fiori tiles also provide a clean and easy user interface for dashboard and analysis built into SAP S/4HANA.”
The SAP Fiori tiles also lay the foundation for SAP Embedded Analytics, one of the most significant features of SAP S/4HANA. This gives users access to real-time analytics and data-driven insights. Organizations can create their own KPIs, dashboards, and reports to meet their needs. With these accessible, embedded analytics, SAP S/4HANA customers can make faster, more educated decisions based on the data they have on hand. Additionally, they can also visualize and predict future patterns and trends more easily, future-proofing their businesses and allowing them to make smarter long-term decisions.