We have previously discussed various aspects of SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC), including the latest updates in planning. But what exactly is SAC for planning?
Financial planning involves numerous components, and SAC plays a vital role in this process. Within the SAP ecosystem, two key solutions for financial planning are SAP Business Planning and Consolidation (BPC) and SAC for planning.
SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) for planning is a robust platform that enables organizations to create, manage, and analyze financial plans effectively. It integrates a range of functionalities to support businesses in establishing strategic goals, managing financial data, and facilitating collaborative enterprise planning. With SAC, users can project actuals into the future while taking into account market trends and departmental inputs, ensuring that all stakeholders are aligned with organizational objectives.
Implementing SAC has led to significant improvements in financial planning processes for organizations like TTTech. In just nine months, they completed their project on time and within budget, resulting in:
● Elimination of Over 50 Single Spreadsheets: Streamlining the planning and reporting process.
● Savings of Over 20 Days Annually: Reducing efforts required from the controlling team.
● 20% Faster Planning Cycle Turnaround: Enhancing efficiency within the SAC tool.
● Benefits for Over 75 Planners: Ensuring widespread utilization of the solution.
● Significant Savings in Consolidation Processes: Optimizing overall efficiency within SAC.
Here's an overview of SAC for planning, showcasing its various moving parts.
As you can see different moving parts … and that's why having knowledge of and taking advantage of SAC scripting can be very helpful for automating certain activities.
HOW SCRIPTING CAN HELP YOUR SAC PLANNING EXPERIENCE
Scripting in SAC can significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of financial planning processes. By leveraging scripting APIs, users can automate tasks, enhance data management, and streamline workflows. Here are three of the most useful SAC scripting APIs for planning:
Top 3 Useful SAC Scripting APIs for Planning
1. The Planning Model API allows users to perform Create, Read, Update, and Delete (CRUD) operations on planning model members. This capability is essential for managing master data efficiently.
Steps to Use CRUD Operations:
● Step 1: Create a script variable called members and set its type to planning_model_member.
● Step 2: Navigate to the scripting section under the outline and click on "Create Planning Model."
● Step 3: Select the relevant planning model.
● Step 4: Create a button in your application and write code inside the button.onclick event.
● Step 5: Define a variable to store your generic dimension.
● Step 6: Use the PlanningModel.createMembers function to create new master data in your model.
● Step 7: Declare variables, define member objects, and call the function to create members.
For more detailed guidance, refer to this scripting guide.
2. Creating Versions API
Version Management in SAP Analytics Cloud Planning is a crucial feature that serves several purposes, enhancing the efficiency, precision, and effectiveness of financial and operational planning.
For instance, an organization can create a baseline budget version and several alternate versions to capture different possible scenarios such as best case, worst case, or most likely case. Similarly, they can also create past versions to store historical data and future versions for forecasting and simulations.
The Versions API provides flexibility in managing planning versions. Users can either create a private copy of an existing public version or establish a new blank version—public or private—allowing for greater control over version management.
3. User Input & Submit API
This API facilitates user interaction by allowing input directly within the application interface. It streamlines data entry processes, ensuring that users can easily submit their contributions to the planning process.
Best Practices for Scripting in SAC
To optimize your scripting efforts in SAC, consider these best practices:
· Maintain Clean and Organized Code: Use comments and adhere to consistent naming conventions to improve code readability and maintainability.
· Follow the "DRY" Principle: Emphasize code reusability by applying functions to consolidate repetitive code segments whenever possible.
· Utilize SAC's Code Completion Features: Take advantage of SAC's code completion capabilities to reduce errors and accelerate your coding process. This feature provides context-aware suggestions, helping you write scripts more efficiently.
· Enhance Performance: Focus on optimizing your scripts by minimizing unnecessary loops and avoiding redundant calculations, which can significantly improve execution speed.
CONCLUSION
By understanding SAC planning's complexities and leveraging scripting capabilities effectively, organizations can enhance their financial planning processes significantly. Utilizing key APIs not only streamlines workflows but also ensures that all stakeholders are aligned with organizational goals. Implementing best practices in scripting will further empower teams to create robust and efficient financial planning solutions within SAP Analytics Cloud. This revision maintains your original content while enhancing clarity, organization, and readability. If you have any further adjustments or additional content you'd like included, feel free to ask!