At the Financials 2013 conference in Las Vegas, the topics of mobility and predictive analytics were referred to often in the keynote presentations and in several sessions. To learn more about how finance managers can use these technologies to improve their business processes, I asked Carsten Hilker, solution manager at SAP Labs, to answer some questions about finance processes.

Could you explain the changes that have taken place with regard to financial reporting functionality?

The world today is far different than 10 years ago. Back then reporting was part of an application (module) and that was it. Then came business warehouse technology enabling cross-module, custom reporting and, subsequently, advanced business intelligence tools, allowing rendering information in graphical and persona-oriented ways. Today, that is complemented by predefined analytical applications (SAP Net Margin Analysis), mobile solutions (SAP RealSpend), and mobile BI capabilities.

The various alternatives and mechanisms to bring information to those using it have significantly increased and so has the value financial reports can provide today. It also means, though, that one has to balance the ideal (what is possible) with pragmatism (what is feasible) and smartness (what is already delivered by SAP and, even better, what is already available as part of the software license (such as embedded analytics).

Could you discuss embedded analytics and how finance teams can use them to improve their processes?

Embedded analytics was initially made available with enhancement package 5 to allow for graphical and formatted reporting capabilities within the SAP Business Suite. Within the SAP List Viewer, for example, reports can be viewed not only with the basic table or list view but also via a Crystal Report option. On top there are 16 predefined SAP BusinessObjects Crystal Reports and 19 predefined SAP BusinessObjects dashboards (available for download from SMP) that can be called up either via the SAP GUI or using the SAP NetWeaver Business Client, a role-based Business Suite client that can launch the SAP GUI as well as browser-based applications (Web Dynpro).

Dealing with formatted information allows quicker access and increases user sentiment. Of course, there also is the option to further customize the Crystal Reports to allow for custom branding and layouts.

There is no additional license required to run (view) the standard delivered reports; that is part of the SAP Business Suite license. To change and use them — or create and deploy additional ones — a proper SAP BusinessObjects Crystal Reports license is required.

How is mobile technology affecting financial reporting? Could you cite some examples of how mobile finance apps such as the SAP Customer Financial Fact Sheet or SAP Receivables Manager can help a finance team streamline its reporting?

Mobile technology is influencing and affecting SAP finance process execution capabilities much more than one would think. As users of mobile technologies in our private lives, we have come to expect exciting and consumer-oriented user interfaces and user interactions. And that is reflected in our latest mobile solutions. SAP RealSpend, for example, is a very exciting way to understand where department managers stand with their expenses. With the tip of their fingers, they can view alerts, review notes, understand to-date spend, and make decisions on further spending — anywhere, anytime.

Extending the business process, or steps within, and allowing device-based access to information or process execution is what mobile brings to the execution of finance business processes. The SAP Customer Financial Fact Sheet provides access to financial data and customer invoices in real time, and SAP Receivables Manager allows for immediate identification of late payment risks caused by changing customer payment behavior and collaboration to start corrective measures — all within one application. So there is no more starting up the desktop, logging in to the SAP system, and running a bunch of reports.

Gary Byrne

Gary is the managing editor of Financials Expert and SCM Expert. Before joining WIS in March 2011, Gary was an editor at Elsevier. In this role he managed the development of manuscripts for Elsevier’s imprint responsible for books on computer security. Gary also has held positions as a copy editor at Aberdeen Group, a Boston-based IT market research company, and as an editor at Internet.com, a publisher of content for the IT community. He also gleaned experience working as a copy editor for International Data Corp., a Framingham, MA-based IT market research company. He earned a bachelor of science degree in journalism from Suffolk University in Boston. He enjoys traveling, sailing as a passenger onboard schooners, and helping his wife, Valerie, with gardening during summer weekends. He’s a fan of all the Boston sports teams and once stood behind Robert Parish in a line at BayBank. He felt small and didn’t ask for an autograph. You can follow him on Twitter at @FI_SCM_Expert. His online footsteps can also be found in the SAP Experts group on LinkedIn.

You may contact the author at gary.byrne@wispubs.com.

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