How to Optimize SAP Analytics Cloud in Financial Planning during S/4HANA Implementation

⇨ A healthy and balanced ERP ecosystem is vital for any business to thrive and that especially concerns all financial planning and analysis (FP&A).

⇨ Without an established and automated system, it is easy for companies to fall into the trap of manual regulation which can cause a variety of issues, such as exposure to the risks of mistakes, delays, and inaccuracies in reported data.

⇨ The deployment of the automated model in financial regulation processes can help companies fully optimize SAC and achieve their financial reporting and planning goals in S/4HANA.

SAP users are aware of the challenges that arise during and after the SAP S/4HANA deployment. Therefore, a balanced ERP ecosystem, especially in financial planning and analysis (FP&A) is vital for any business to thrive. Without a regulated and automated system, it is easy for companies to fall into the trap of manual management. While the manual control of finances may seem familiar and convenient at first, it prompts a variety of issues for the business, such as exposure to the risks of mistakes, delays, and inaccuracies in reported data.

To address these challenges, many organizations turn to consulting agencies that can implement a long-term solution for their FP&A. An example of such a company is SimpleFi Solutions – an SAP-certified expert in SAP’s analytics solutions.

Recently, the organization assisted a company in the healthcare and therapeutics industry with that exact issue. After implementing SAP S/4HANA, the company realized that the dimension structures in the design and build of their SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) models did not easily facilitate reporting and profitability analysis in a way that was useful and meaningful. So, they decided to load the data from S/4 into Excel and group it manually.

Consequently, that decision caused inevitable issues with delays and mistakes. The company then realized that to be able to fully optimize SAC, it needed a solution that utilized a functional P&L structure by mirroring the business’s organization and management processes. Thus, the company found a solution in SimpleFi’s prebuilt content services.

SimpleFi developed a separate model for the company to receive the data by cost center and account. This is the model in which end users can enter their cost center plan. The data input by users is then pushed automatically via a data action to the primary reporting model. Then, any additional dimensions, such as functional P&L and profit center, are assigned automatically.

The deployment of the automated model allowed the company to eliminate the need to load data in Excel. Now, SAC serves as a single source of truth, allowing the company to easily combine Budget and Actual data for reporting and planning purposes.

By collaborating with SimpleFi, the therapeutics organization managed to complete its FP&A transformation in S/4HANA in approximately nine weeks and under budget. This experience presents a prime example of how SAP users can utilize solutions from third-party SAP partners. By doing so, companies can smoothly and promptly achieve their financial reporting and planning goals.