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SPM Embedded Analytics Insights with SAC Publications

Vasavi_Rongali
Product and Topic Expert
Product and Topic Expert
‎2024 Aug 26 8:28 AM
1,215

 

As organizations continue to leverage data to drive business decisions, the ability to efficiently share insights and reports becomes increasingly crucial. SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) offers a powerful feature known as Publications, which allows users to automate the distribution of stories and dashboards to a broad audience. In this blog, we’ll dive into the SAC Publication feature, explore key areas of scheduling, and highlight its pivotal role in streamlining operations.

What is SAC Publication?

The SAC Publication feature enables users to schedule and distribute stories and dashboards to designated recipients automatically. Whether you need to share daily sales reports, monthly performance metrics, or ad-hoc analyses, SAC Publications ensures that the right people receive the right information at the right time.

The Role of Publications in Embedded Analytics (EA)

The Publication feature plays a pivotal role within Embedded Analytics (EA), particularly for Compensation Administrators. It allows them to schedule the generation and delivery of both Published Reports and Personalized Reports to end users.

  • Published Reports: These are standardized reports generated by EA that provide consistent insights across the organization.
  • Personalized Reports: These reports are customized to cater to individual preferences, needs, or specific requirements of users.

The system enables Compensation Administrators to automate the report generation process, ensuring timely and tailored delivery of crucial information directly to users' inboxes. This capability streamlines operations, granting administrators precise control over report distribution and enhancing the overall efficiency of the reporting process.

Key Features of SAC Publication

  1. Automated Scheduling:
    • Time-Saving Automation: Instead of manually exporting and sending reports, SAC allows you to automate this process. Reports can be scheduled to run at specific times, ensuring timely delivery.
    • Frequency Options: Users can choose from a variety of scheduling options, such as daily, weekly, monthly, or even custom intervals, depending on the needs of the organization.
  2. Format Flexibility:
    • Multiple Formats: SAC supports various output formats, including PDF, Microsoft Excel, and PowerPoint. This flexibility allows users to tailor the report format to the preferences of the recipients.
    • Personalized Content: SAC Publications can be customized to include specific filters or views, ensuring that each recipient receives relevant data.
  3. Secure Distribution:
    • Access Control: Publications are distributed securely, respecting the data access rights and permissions of each recipient. This ensures that sensitive information is only shared with authorized users.
    • Recipient Management: You can easily manage and update the list of recipients, including individuals and groups, within SAC.
  4. Error Handling and Notifications:
    • Error Alerts: If a scheduled publication encounters issues, SAC can notify administrators or designated users, allowing for quick resolution.
    • Success Notifications: Recipients can also receive notifications when a new report is available, ensuring they are aware of the latest insights.

Key Areas of Scheduling in SAC

Scheduling plays a critical role in the effective use of SAC Publications. Here are some key areas to consider:

  1. Defining the Schedule:
    • Timing: Consider the optimal time for report distribution. For example, scheduling a report to be sent at the start of the business day ensures that decision-makers have the latest data available when they begin work.
    • Frequency: Determine how often the data needs to be refreshed and reported. High-frequency scheduling (e.g., daily) may be necessary for dynamic, fast-paced environments, while less frequent updates may suffice for static or long-term analyses.
  2. Selecting the Right Audience:
    • Targeted Distribution: Identify the key stakeholders who need access to the reports. By segmenting your audience, you can ensure that each group receives information that is most relevant to their roles.
    • Role-Based Access: Use SAC’s role-based access controls to ensure that only authorized users receive sensitive data, maintaining compliance with data governance policies.
  3. Managing Report Formats:
    • Standardization: Standardizing the report format across the organization can help in maintaining consistency and ease of interpretation. Decide on the most suitable format (PDF, Excel, etc.) based on the needs of your audience.
    • Customization: While standardization is important, consider offering customized views or filtered data for specific recipients, especially if they require a focused analysis.
  4. Monitoring and Optimization:
    • Reviewing Schedules: Regularly review and adjust publication schedules to align with changing business needs or recipient feedback.
    • Performance Monitoring: Monitor the performance of scheduled publications to ensure they are delivered without delays or errors. SAC’s built-in monitoring tools can help identify bottlenecks or issues.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Schedule a Publication in SAC

Automating the report generation process involves scheduling jobs to run at predefined intervals, ensuring regular and systematic generation of reports without manual intervention. Here’s how you can schedule a publication:

  1. Login to Embedded Analytics.
  2. Navigate to the Public folder.
  3. Select a Story and open it.
  4. Click on File -> Schedule Publication.
     
     

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    • The Schedule Publication window will open. Enter the details Event Name, Start Date, Destination, Email Subject, Internal Users and Select File Type and click Create.

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    • Upon successful creation, navigate to Calendar to view the scheduled publication.

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    • Open the publication to review details and settings.
  1. Verify the Publication:
    • Once the publication is successful, verify that the generated PDF report is delivered to the user’s inbox.

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    • Open the user folder and check the generated report to ensure accuracy and completeness.

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Best Practices for SAC Publications

  • Test Before Deploying: Always test your publication settings with a small group before rolling them out organization-wide. This helps identify any potential issues with format, content, or timing.
  • Document Your Schedule: Maintain documentation of your publication schedules and configurations. This will be useful for troubleshooting and ensuring continuity in case of staff changes.
  • Regularly Update Recipients: Keep your recipient lists up-to-date to ensure that reports are sent to the correct individuals. This is especially important in large organizations with frequent personnel changes.

Conclusion

The SAC Publication feature is a powerful tool for automating the distribution of reports and dashboards, saving time and ensuring consistency across the organization. By understanding the key areas of scheduling and following best practices, you can maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your reporting processes in SAP Analytics Cloud.

Explore SAC Publications today, and take your reporting strategy to the next level!

This blog provides a comprehensive overview of the SAC Publication feature, emphasizing its importance in Embedded Analytics and offering actionable insights for effective scheduling and automation.

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