For organizations running SAP S/4HANA or planning for finance transformation, financial decision-making often extends beyond the capabilities of traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. SAP S/4HANA is a best-in-class ERP. But for finance-specific processes such as planning, financial close, and reporting, finance leaders need a best-in-class finance platform. Enter OneStream.
As a modern, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered finance platform, OneStream complements and extends SAP S/4HANA by unifying financial processes. That means processes such as planning, consolidation, and reporting are unified into a single, cohesive solution. Instead of navigating SAP’s fragmented approach to financial planning and performance management, OneStream provides SAP customers with a unified, intelligent alternative. OneStream ultimately reduces complexity and enhances decision-making.
The Case for Investing in EPM Before ERP Transformation
Many organizations hesitate to move forward with enterprise performance management (EPM) solutions, believing an ERP transformation must first be completed. However, delaying EPM investments can create unnecessary inefficiencies and disruptions. OneStream enables organizations to instead modernize finance processes before or alongside an ERP transformation. Putting EPM first provides organizations with business continuity and ensures their access to real-time insights during the transition.
Why EPM Should Come First
- Continuity in Financial Operations: ERP transformations are large-scale initiatives that sometimes take years to complete, often leading to disruptions in finance functions. Without an advanced EPM platform, finance teams are left juggling outdated planning and consolidation tools, which slows down decision-making and increases inefficiencies. Implementing OneStream before the ERP migration, however, allows organizations to ensure financial processes continue uninterrupted.
More specifically, organizations benefit from modern, AI-driven planning and reporting capabilities while ERP systems are being upgraded. This proactive approach provides finance teams with stability and allows them to operate at peak performance, even during a lengthy ERP transition. Learn how Costco used OneStream as a single system of record for financial results, P&L reporting, budgets, forecasts, and variance commentary while reallocating 25% of FTEs to value-added work.
- Better Decision-Making During ERP Migration: ERP transformations are not just technology upgrades but also business transformations that impact multiple functions, including finance. Without real-time financial visibility, organizations risk making critical ERP-related decisions based on outdated or incomplete data. OneStream provides instant insights into financial and operational data, allowing chief financial officers (CFOs) and finance leaders to make informed decisions throughout the ERP migration.
With AI-powered forecasting, scenario modeling, and predictive analytics, OneStream helps finance teams anticipate potential roadblocks, adjust strategies dynamically, and support leadership with timely, data-backed recommendations. As an example, KLM complemented its SAP ERP with budgeting, forecasting, and profitability analysis all on the OneStream platform.
- Avoiding Technical Debt: Many organizations that delay EPM adoption until after the ERP transformation struggle with technical debt. However, traditional ERP systems were never designed to handle modern financial planning, forecasting, and consolidation requirements. Relying on outdated spreadsheets or legacy EPM tools therefore hinders productivity and leads to higher integration costs and longer deployment timelines post-ERP migration.
By instead implementing OneStream first, organizations eliminate redundant systems, streamline financial workflows, and reduce overall information technology (IT) complexity. These benefits allow organizations to seamlessly transition into SAP S/4HANA with a finance function that is already optimized and future-ready. Watch this webinar on how Langan simplified maintenance, reduced technical debt, and lowered TCO to achieve the goal of simplifying the application landscape.
The Benefits of AI-Powered Finance in OneStream
1. Improving Forecast Accuracy
Traditional planning tools often struggle with data accuracy, leading to unreliable forecasts. Instead, OneStream’s AI-driven forecasting eliminates guesswork by leveraging historical trends, operational data, and predictive analytics to improve forecast precision. Organizations using OneStream have reported significant reductions in forecast errors, leading to better financial outcomes and more confident decision-making.
2. Faster, More Agile Reforecasting
Since business conditions change rapidly, organizations must frequently reforecast to stay aligned with market realities. OneStream enables finance teams to reforecast in as little as 30 minutes, compared to the multiple days it often takes with traditional tools. This agility allows businesses to respond to emerging risks and opportunities in near real-time.
3. AI-Driven Operational and Financial Model Training
OneStream integrates financial and operational data to train AI models that bridge finance and business performance. This integration means finance teams can do the following:
- Incorporate operational drivers (e.g., supply chain, production schedules) directly into financial forecasts.
- Model what-if scenarios using real-time, AI-powered insights.
- Improve strategic decision-making by aligning financial and business planning more effectively.
4. Accommodating Business Seasonality with Ease
Many businesses face seasonal fluctuations that impact revenue, costs, and financial planning. With OneStream, organizations can better manage those fluctuations. OneStream’s AI models recognize seasonal patterns and dynamically adjust forecasts to account for cyclical changes, ensuring accurate projections and better resource planning throughout the year.
How OneStream Extends and Complements SAP S/4HANA
1. Unified Finance Platform
Unlike SAP’s fragmented approach, OneStream offers a single, unified platform that integrates the following:
- Planning & Budgeting: Drive accurate forecasting and scenario modeling with AI-driven insights.
- Financial Consolidation: Streamline financial close and consolidation with automation and built-in financial intelligence.
- Reporting & Analysis: Deliver real-time, trusted insights without requiring multiple tools.
2. Seamless SAP Integration
OneStream integrates directly with SAP S/4HANA and ECC, allowing organizations to do the following:
- Extract real-time financial and operational data from SAP.
- Maintain SAP master data and hierarchies within OneStream.
- Automate financial processes without disrupting SAP ERP operations.
3. Reducing IT Complexity and Cost
By consolidating finance processes into a single solution, OneStream eliminates the need for multiple SAP applications, reducing technical debt and IT overhead. SAP’s approach often requires SAP Datasphere for data movement across various applications, but OneStream provides an all-in-one solution for financial intelligence.
4. Accelerated Financial Close and Planning
Many SAP customers have achieved remarkable efficiency gains with OneStream. For example, a leading telecommunications company reduced its financial close processes from several days to under 10 minutes by integrating OneStream with SAP ERP.
By eliminating manual reconciliations and fragmented processes, OneStream enables organizations to spend less time on data aggregation and more time on analysis and decision-making. In fact, McCain Foods eliminated 2 days from its financial close process and improved data load processes by 94% with SAP by moving from legacy solutions to OneStream.
The Path Forward: Extend, Don’t Replace
SAP S/4HANA provides a robust ERP backbone, but financial transformation requires more than just an ERP system. OneStream extends SAP investments by providing a modern finance platform that’s…
- AI-Powered: Delivering predictive insights and automation.
- Unified: Consolidating planning, close, and reporting into a single platform.
- Seamlessly Integrated: Connecting directly with SAP S/4HANA without unnecessary complexity.
If you’re a SAP customer evaluating you’re next move in finance transformation, OneStream is the clear choice to extend SAP without adding IT complexity. Don’t wait until your ERP transformation is complete — empower your finance team today with OneStream.
