The Role of SAP Analytics in a Data-Driven Future

It is a pivotal time for finance leaders. They face unprecedented challenges – tariffs, economic uncertainty, among others. Professionals working throughout the finance lifecycle need agile solutions that give them the ability to keep the business ahead of influences that can impact business performance. SAPinsider Vice President and Research Analyst Susan Galberaith sat down for an exclusive interview with Henner Schliebs, Executive Vice President and Head of Growth at SimpleFi during their SAP Analytics and Planning Summit to learn more about the role of SAP Analytics and partner solutions play in finance transformation.

Susan: How do you see customers evolving their use of SAP’s planning and analytics capabilities?

Henner: Let me start by saying—it’s incredibly heartening to see how finance teams are evolving. More and more companies are embracing FP&A solutions, regardless of the vendor or platform. That, to me, is a strong signal that finance is no longer just about closing the books. It’s about driving the business forward with insight.

Now, when it comes to SAP, many still think of it as just an ERP company. And yes, SAP invented ERP. What’s exciting is that more companies are beginning to see SAP as much more than that. It is common in finance circles to hear people say, “You run your company on ERP, but you manage your company on Enterprise Performance Management.” That’s where planning and analytics come in.

Think of it like this. You don’t want to drive your business by looking in the rearview mirror. You want a head-up display—fully integrated, real-time, and intelligent. You want to see your GPS, the weather, traffic updates, even alerts if you’re driving too fast and might need to stop for gas. That’s what modern analytics should feel like. It’s not just about internal data anymore, it’s about blending that with external signals to make smarter decisions.

And yes, AI is part of that conversation. I’d argue that 95% of people (including myself) are talking about AI, but we are yet to fully take advantage of it. The important thing is they’re thinking about it. We’re asking, “How can this help me do my job better?” That’s why so many are coming to our conference—to translate all the tech talk into plain English and understand what it really means for a CFO or VP of Finance.

That’s the transformation we’re seeing. Finance is stepping into the driver’s seat—not just to report on performance, but to shape it.

Susan: You alluded to this, can you share more about why you believe AI and automation are critical to finance leaders?

Henner: Let’s be honest—AI is everywhere right now, and automation has been around for a long time. Everyone’s talking about it. But what we’re really referring to, in most cases, are technologies like predictive analytics and machine learning. These aren’t new. They’ve been around for years. In fact, one of the largest chip manufacturers in Santa Clara has been using SAP’s predictive capabilities for quite some time to forecast manufacturing costs. It’s statistical forecasting—sounds simple, right? But not many companies are doing it yet. And those that are? They’re often calling it “AI.”

The real power of AI in finance isn’t just about automation—it’s about surfacing insights you didn’t even know to ask for. That’s where I see the biggest opportunity. Imagine having a system that connects the dots across your data and proactively flags risks or opportunities before you even think to look. That’s not magic, it’s the future of finance.

But let’s be clear. AI still has a credibility problem. Tools like ChatGPT are impressive, but they can also be flat-out wrong. If you blindly trust the output, you could make bad decisions. That’s why trust and transparency are so critical in finance. Spreadsheets, for all their flaws, are still popular because people trust them.

So yes, AI is coming. But it needs to earn its place in finance by proving it can be trusted, understood, and—most importantly—useful.

Susan: Do you think a “central source of truth” is reality or something we aspire to achieve? Is it necessary for success in AI and automation?

Henner: A “central source of truth” sounds great in theory—but in reality— it’s just not practical. Business is changing too fast. Just look at the S&P 500—over the last 20 years, volatility has been as high as 50%. And I read a stat recently that only 20% of companies make it past 20 years. That’s wild, but it tells you something—M&A activity is constant, innovation is relentless, and the pace of change is only accelerating.

Now imagine two companies merging. Are they going to consolidate all their data into one platform? No way. The cost, the risk, the time, it’s just not worth it. Especially when you consider how short the average tenure is for C-level leaders. No one wants to take on a multi-year data migration project that might not even finish before they move on.

That’s why I believe the future isn’t about centralizing data—it’s about connecting it. SAP’s partnership with Databricks is a great example. Databricks can pull from any data lake beyond their own—Google BigQuery, Snowflake, you name it. That’s the power of modern architecture. You don’t need to move the data. You just need to make it visible and usable.

So, is a single source of truth necessary for AI to succeed? No. What’s necessary is access, context, and the ability to connect the dots—wherever the data lives.

Susan: What examples do you think best illustrate how advances in automation and AI help finance professionals be more prepared?

Henner: Let’s face it—finance professionals today are under more pressure than ever. Boards are asking tougher questions, and CFOs are expected to have answers ready for every “what if” scenario. That’s why scenario planning has become such a critical capability. Whether its tariffs staying in place, being lifted, or expanding into new areas, finance leaders need to model best-case, worst-case, and everything in between. That’s where AI and automation step in—not just to crunch numbers, but to help you think ahead.

But it’s not just about strategy—it’s also about fixing the broken processes. Think about a mid-sized company with 100 people involved in planning. If one poor soul is stuck manually collecting spreadsheets, sending emails, and trying to align inputs, that’s not just inefficient—it’s demoralizing. It’s a breeding ground for errors and delays.

With platforms like SAP Analytics Cloud, we can automate all of that. You get consistency, ownership, and timely feedback from across the business. And AI takes it even further. I always tell our solution advisor, “Show them the AI!” because people want to see it in action. And it’s powerful—you can literally speak to your system: “Show me revenues from market unit X, Y, and Z from 2023 to 2025,” and boom—your report is built. Want to break it down by product? Just say it. No dragging, no formulas—just insight.

That’s the future. Less time on manual tasks, more time on value creation.

Susan: What challenges do you see Finance professionals facing and how do you see advancing analysis and planning helping solve those challenges?

Henner: One of the biggest challenges I see in finance today isn’t technical—it’s perception. In many organizations, revenue-generating teams still see finance as the “bean counters,” the cost cutters. They loop us in only when they have to. And that’s a problem. Because finance has so much more to offer.

I’ve believed this for 25 years. The true charter of finance isn’t just cost containment, it’s value creation. Sure, cutting costs where it makes sense is important. But zero-based budgeting isn’t a strategy. If you don’t invest, you don’t grow. Finance should be about reallocating resources to where they’ll have the biggest impact. Unfortunately, you still see a lot of boundaries between different departments, it’s a leadership challenge in those organizations, because the goals and motivations between the departments are not aligned. Organizations need alignment to be successful.

But to do that, FP&A teams need to build trust. And that starts with relationships. Build trust with HR when you’re working on workforce planning. Make it clear you’re not interested in individual salaries—you’re looking at roles and cost structures. SAP’s technology helps here. It allows you to separate sensitive HR data from the financial components you need to plan effectively.

And when you bring it all together—finance, supply chain, HR, sales, marketing, and others—into one scenario planning framework, that’s when the magic happens. You can model what happens if you hire more sales reps, or if marketing ramps up spending. You can show the impact on revenue, cost, and margin. That’s how finance becomes a strategic partner—not just a gatekeeper.

Susan: Why is the way FP&A is managed a pivotal opportunity for finance leaders?

Henner: The role of the CFO is evolving—and fast. The new generation of finance leaders isn’t coming up through the ranks as traditional bookkeepers. They’re being shaped as business leaders. And that’s a good thing.

Finance is a unique discipline. I always say, “you don’t just learn finance—you either are finance, or you’re not.” But business? Business you can learn. And the best CFOs I’ve worked with weren’t necessarily CPAs. They were MBAs. They understood the broader business context, and they used finance as a lever to drive strategy, not just track performance.

That’s why advancing FP&A is such a pivotal opportunity. It’s not just about better forecasting—it’s about enabling CFOs to step into a more strategic role. And we’re seeing it happen. More and more CFOs are becoming CEOs. That’s not a coincidence. It’s a reflection of how critical financial insight and leadership have become to the overall direction of the business.

If you’re a finance leader today, the question isn’t whether you should modernize your FP&A function, it’s how fast you can do it. Because the future of finance is about leading, not just reporting.

Susan: What do you want attendees at the SimpleFi SAP Analytics and Planning Summit to walk away from the experience.

Henner: At SimpleFi we’re not just technologists, we’re FP&A professionals. That matters. Yes, we’re deeply skilled in SAP technology, but at our core, we speak the same language as our customers because we’ve lived it.

Finance isn’t something you can just learn on the fly. Our team is made up of former practitioners and finance-trained professionals who’ve added technology to their toolkit—not the other way around. That’s why we’re able to translate SAP’s incredible innovation into something meaningful for the finance community.

We don’t talk about “transformation” as a one-time event. This isn’t a before-and-after story. It’s an ongoing evolution. And our job is to help you stay ahead—whether it’s GenAI today or whatever comes next tomorrow.

If you leave this summit with one thing, let it be this. You’re not alone on this journey. You’ve got a partner who understands your world—and is ready to help you shape what’s next.

What this Means for SAPinsiders

For SAPinsiders, this interview highlights a pivotal shift in how finance leaders are leveraging planning and analytics. SAP is no longer just an ERP provider—it’s a platform for enterprise performance management, enabling CFOs to move from reactive reporting to proactive decision-making. With AI, automation, and scenario planning, finance teams can now surface insights they didn’t even know to ask for, driving strategic value across the organization.