- SAP Managed Tags:
SAP Analytics Cloud is the recommended financial planning solution for SAP S/4HANA Cloud and on premise systems. If you have missed our earlier blog post on how organizations can leverage Integrated Financial Planning in SAP Analytics Cloud for Hybrid ERP, click here.
In this blog post, we will look at the new features available in Integrated Financial Planning with the 2102 release of SAP S/4HANA Cloud.
We get a brand new Cockpit for Simulation with Sales, Expense and Raw material simulation capabilities where we can input figures and save our planning in different versions so we can compare them & perform what-if analysis. We get new stories like Cost Center Reporting and Analytics. There are enhancements to existing stories like Financial Statement Report and Analytics which now has drill down capability to cost centers. There is also a new Add-On available to transfer the employee expenses data available through SAP SuccessFactors to Cost Center Planning model in Integrated Financial Planning content. Now lets see each of these new features in detail.
New Stories added to Integrated Financial Planning Content -
Cost Center Reporting - SAP__FI_BPL_IM_COSTCENTER_REPORTS
Cost Center Analytics - SAP__FI_BPL_IM_ COSTCENTER_ANALYTICS
New Analytical App-
Simulation Cockpit - SAP__FI_BPL_IM_CROSS_SIMULATION_COCKPIT
Enhancements to existing stories in Integrated Financial Planning Content -
Financial Statement Reports - SAP__FI_BPL_IM_FINANCIAL_STATEMENT_REPORTS
Financial Statement Analytics - SAP__FI_BPL_IM_FINANCIAL_STATEMENT_ANALYTICS
Add On – Cross Model Add-Ons for Integrated Financial Planning -
Workforce planning - SAP__FI_BPL_IM_ADDON_COPY_EXPENSES_FROM_WFP
Lets look at each of these new features in more detail.
1) Simulation Cockpit for Financial Planning in SAP Analytics Cloud
Simulation Cockpit - SAP__FI_BPL_IM_CROSS_SIMULATION_COCKPIT
In a typical Headquarter Subsidiary hybrid deployment model, the simulation cockpit allows Headquarter to perform what-if simulations for Subsidiary planning processes based on changes to drivers, such as sales quantity or personnel expenses. A controller (Headquarter/Subsidiary) can know the effect of changing the quantity of a sales product or the price of a raw material on the most important KPIs, for example, product profitability and your P&L statement.Prerequisites
Financial planning has been performed and the financial plan is complete and consistent. Simulation is always based on the original plan version.
Key Features
1) Sales Simulation - allows to change the sales quantities, sales prices, and sales deductions.
2) Expense Simulation - allows to adjust the expenses.
3) Raw Material Price Simulation - allows to adjust purchase prices.
Example – Raw Material Price Simulation
As we see in the Data Flow overview, an input/edit on raw material price planning can show the corresponding change in Product Cost simulation, Profitability Plan and P&L Plan. Different versions of simulation can be created, for example, one for the best case and one for the worst case. Different versions allow you to compare the figures and perform a what-if analysis.
After the simulation is complete, it can be published to make it available to all users. Simulation can be undone if you do not want to keep it. The current simulation is then reset as long as its not released. We can delete simulation versions if they are obsolete, for example, the worst-case version. We can restore the original plan version based on the backup created.2. New stories for Cost Center Planning
New Story - Cost Center Analytics - SAP__FI_BPL_IM_ COSTCENTER_ANALYTICS - allows the planner to view high-level metrics and utilize visualizations to drill-down for detailed analysis.
This story contains the following tabs:• Cost Center Overview
• Cost Center Details
New Story - Cost Center Reporting - SAP__FI_BPL_IM_COSTCENTER_REPORTS - allows the planner to analyze plan data for expenses by cost center and activity quantities. The reports can be filtered by company code, cost center, profit center, version.
This story contains the following tabs:• Expenses
• Expenses by Cost Center
• Activity Quantities
3) Enhancements for Financial Statement Planning
Enhanced Story – SAP__FI_BPL_IM_FINANCIAL_STATEMENT_REPORTS
Existing story is now enhanced with functionality to Drill down to Cost Centers
Enhanced Story – SAP__FI_BPL_IM_FINANCIAL_STATEMENT_ANALYTICS
Existing story is now enhanced with functionality to Drill down to Cost Centers
4) Add-On – Cross Model Copy - Workforce Planning Model to Cost Center Planning Model
This functionality allows you to bring in employee expenses from SAP SuccessFactors through business content available in model outside to Cost Center Plan model in Integrated Financial Planning. Report allows you to visualize the transfer that is happening from Workforce planning to Cost Center planning.
Plan data from SAP__FI_ANA_IM_WFP_JOB source model can be transferred to the target model SAP__FI_BPL_IM_COSTCENTER and it appears in the table on the right.
Key references -
- For important highlights in Integrated Financial Planning in current release refer to Integrated Financial Planning
- Simulation Cockpit: Prerequisites
- For detailed steps on how to get started with SAP Analytics Cloud for Integrated Financial Planning refer to Getting Started with SAP Analytics Cloud
- For Setting up Import Connection between S/4HANA Cloud and SAC, refer to Blogpost
- For details on Planning Models, Stories, Data Actions in Integrated Financial Planning in SAC refer Documentation
- For Importing Actual Master & Transactional Data refer
- For Exporting the Planning data, follow the instructions in Exporting Data from SAP Analytics Cloud to SAP S/4HANA Cloud
- SAP Note 2977560 - Integrated Financial Planning for SAP S/4HANA with SAP Analytics Cloud
- System Requirements for connecting to SAP Analytics Cloud
SAP Best Practices References –
Scope Ids -
1YB -Import Connection Setup with SAP Analytics Cloud
4RC -Integrated Financial Planning
Hope this blog post enlightens you with the new features in Integrated Financial Planning with this new release of SAP S/4HANA Cloud. Do like the post if you want to continue hearing about such new features in upcoming releases. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.
Do write to me if you want to know more about SAP S/4HANA Cloud solution offerings for your Hybrid ERP systems.
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