SAP has just released the quarterly IBP update and along with 96 other improvements and features, you will find an app that brings the much-needed SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) functionality to IBP: “Analytics Stories”, an app that will no doubt find its place along demand & supply planners, financial department, management, and pretty much anyone who wants to access all data, semantics and business logic under one roof without getting too technical.
Here are the 5 things we liked :
1. Flexibility to add a high number of Charts & Tables and resize them to our liking. Our count stopped at 70 different Charts & Tables per sheet, not because of system limitations, but because we started to feel silly doing the exercise.
2. The option to link filters between two or more elements. Multiple Charts & Tables can be interlinked, thus when a filter is applied to a specific element, the filter will be automatically applied to all linked elements. The functionality is called “Linked Analysis”; below you can see an example.
3. Add new calculations on the go using the “calculated measure” function, without the need to create new custom Key Figures. Feel free to create new Key Figures calculations without contacting the Admin department. We see this functionality as a big win-win, as it also reduces the resources used by the system.
4. Display variance between two key figures, in both quantity and percentage. Wondering what the difference between the current Forecast and the previous year’s sales is? Super simple to view, just add the Variance add-on to a Chart.
5. Add Hyperlinks to Charts & Tables. While Analytics Stories does not have the functionality to modify Key Figure values, we can embed Hyperlinks to other IBP Fiori apps, where changing the data is possible.
Now, a list would not be complete without mentioning things we would like to see improved or added. Therefore, here are 3 SAC functionalities that we’d like to see make their way to IBP Analytics Stories :
1. GeoMaps – we would love to display the Supply Chain Network in a more interactive way within the story itself, including mouseover details and a more in-depth and location-centered analysis process.
(examples of SAP Analytics Cloud Supply Chain Networks)
2. Smart Insights. This is an AI-generated text, summarizing the data displayed in a specific chart and highlighting the most relevant data points and trends.
(Smart insight on FCL emission)
3. Value Driver Tree. Think of a Key Figure Calculation Tree app, that is fully editable on the go, where users can adjust the Key values and assess the impact on all linked Key Figures.
ArchLynk is an SAP-preferred partner and has assisted in the success of global businesses across industries & geographies. We have helped businesses through the successful integration & implementation of SAP IBP, SAP GTS, SAP TM & SAP EWM.
If your organization regularly requires to plan supply chain activities on a weekly or monthly basis in advance, then we can help you implement/integrate SAP IBP to quickly analyze & respond to any scenario in near real-time using an informed decision.