New Optimized Design Mode (SAC Stories)

[avsalynin]

INTRODUCTION

In several previous releases of SAC, we have seen successful incremental updates to the Optimized View Mode (OVM) functionality in the stories. Now it has already become available in analytics applications. Future releases ofcourse will expand the capabilities of this mode.

But in this article I would like "to touch" on the new optimize mode, not in the viewing format, but in the development format. It's called an Optimized Design Mode (ODM). Became available from the current current release Q2 2022. Description from the Roadmap.

MAIN FEATURES

ODM contains a number of changes, below is a little more detail about each of.

OPTIMIZED DESIGN EXPERIENCE

"With Optimized Design Experience we allow the Story Designer to create new stories or convert existing stories into the new experience. The conversion of these stories are permanent and any unsupported feature will be permanently lost." (from the 2022.7 release notes blog)

1. New Story

Along with a general description of this mode, a link to a detailed description is immediately available (Learn More).

Therefore, this article contains a large summary and introductory information on this topic, and more detailed information can be found at the link above.

2. Convert of previously created stories

Any existing story is available for conversion to the new ODM mode.

Additionally, at the initial opening, information appears

Can be switched immediately or later through the drop-down settings menu

Creating a Story in the Optimized Design Experience does not allow you to convert into Classic Design Experience.

 

NEW CHART BUILDER PANEL

After creating a chrt and adding a data source,we can see a ghost chart when no added measures.

And charts types are already available in the dropdown list here

Each chart type has its own guest chart

You can add measures/dimensions both in the previous form and through the general pull-out menu (Available Objects) using drag-drop

If you can add Measure/Dimension input controls from the same menu above, then Calculations are added as before from the Measures and Dimensions sections.

The Color and Filter sections remain as they were before, but Chart Add-ons has been changed here (in the classic mode it was in the drop-down menu,which was a more non-obvious decision))

 

OPTIMIZED CONTEXT MENU & TOOLTIPS

"Applied to Chart" is now available, just like in OVM

toolpit format - too

And "YES-YES!", undo / redo buttons are also available in ODM

On the topic of the top menu: instead of switching Story | Date (in Classic mode), in this mode - sources are added through the Date section in the top menu

CURRENT MAIN RESTRICTIONS

• Limited set of components (red at the bottom indicates that it is not yet available when creating in ODM mode stories and is available in Classic Design)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upd (16/08/2022): from the release of Q3 2022 - image are already available!

• Part of the top menu is also not yet available in this format

• And part of the functionality, for example - Cross Calculation

• Of the charts is not available only - Histograms

Upd (16/08/2022): from the release of Q3 2022 - Histogram are already available!

• Blending is currently not supported in Optimized Design Experience

• New Builder Panel now only supported for Charts, not for Tables


• No data explorer mode


• Optimized Design Experience is currently supported for stories based on SAP HANA, SAP BW, and Acquired Analytics Data Models.

Other detailed restrictions - here

SUMMARY

Now Optimized Story Experience includes not only improvements and optimization of the view mode, but also the designer mode.

Over time, the restrictions of these modes (OVM,ODM) will become less and less, since with each of the quarts releases, support for the functionality that exists in the classic mode is planned.

With each new release, the words "SAC" and "Optimization" are getting closer and closer to each other:)

p.s. recommend reading - Frequently Asked Questions: Optimized Story Experience -SAP Analytics Cloud

[zeiserpa]

Thanks for that summary Aleksey!

One point from SAP which I absolutely not understand. Imagine following situation: An existing productive story with several BW queries (e.g. 10) and linked dimension and story filters. The power user thinks with initial opening of the story: "Wow. Cool, new features". The power users enables ODM and after that linked dimension and story filters won't work.

Great work from SAP to show this at initial opening from a story. After that frustration of the user will come up and me as a analytics consultant can support because the software vendor rolls out new features, with much more restrictions which hurts daily reporting. 😞

[SimonVanHerck]

Great post avsalynin !

[avsalynin]

zeiserpa, thank you for your opinion!
Of course, you are right in terms of the scenario that you described.

But on the other hand, I will say that:

• it's still an initial release;


• restrictions are transparently highlighted, so that you can understand in advance whether this mode is suitable for the current release (after all, blending is not used everywhere);


• this functionality is presented as an option for "try it" (imho) (i.e. you can still use the classic mode both in current stories and when creating new ones);


• when converting an existing one, a copy of the new one is created so as not to overwrite the fully working version)

p.s. I believe that in the next releases SAP dev team will add the missing functionality in ODM (and perhaps start with blending)

[avsalynin]

Upd: Plan for Q3 2022

2022.09

Optimized Design Experience now supports the following features:

• Story Translation Service
• Zero Suppression and Un-booked Data in Charts

2022.11

Optimized Story Experience now supports DWC (Data Warehouse Cloud)

2022.12

Optimized Design Experience now supports the following: 

• Planning Enabled Models (includes Classic Account, New Model Type, and BPC Live) 
• Planning Workflows (includes Data Locking, Planning Trigger, Version Management, and so on) 
• New Model Type (Model with Multiple Accounts)
• Static Image
• Improved Version Handling in Charts

2022.15

Optimized Design Experience now supports the following: 

• Measure Input Control with New Model Type
• Resized Spaces for Variance Bar
• Chart Local Filter - Select All Members (New Feature)

2022.17

Optimized Design Experience now supports the following: 

• Ungroup Color Axis

2022.18

Optimized Design Experience now supports the following: 

• Rank on Multiple Dimensions

[avsalynin]

Plan Q4 2022

roadmap