| SAP Business Planning and Consolidation | Oracle Hyperion System 10X | IBM Cognos Business Intelligence |
Product Summary Info | § BPC takes advantage of SAP new NetWeaver platform (Newer BPC v10 based on NW and HANA architecture) § Included are legacy OutlookSoft and Cartesis products (strong reputation in consolidation, multi-country reporting) § Each module is designed to be managed and maintained by the business users that own the business processes § Primary end user interface through MS Office (mainly Excel) § Integrated Planning and Consolidation module § Tightly integrated to core SAP ECC and BW system § Ease of reporting as it is excel based § Business Managed | § Complete suite of "Enterprise Performance Management" tools § HFM replacing legacy Enterprise § Planning could sit on top of either Essbase or HFM, and offers a process-driven workflow manager. § Smart View offers spreadsheet reporting, offline planning, and report display in all MS Office format. § BI+ provides a self-service reporting platform and executive dashboard. § DQM (ETL tool) implements a self-service data load workflow process. | § Each module tailor made for specific purpose or defined process § Planning - budgeting/forecasting § Controller - consolidation and month-end close from different ledgers into a common chart of account structure § Workforce Performance - detailed HC analysis. § Performance Applications - predefined reporting modules for customer, financial, and supply chain reporting. § MS Excel interface available for complex needs |
Key Advantages | § Fully integrated multi-dimension model § Full integration with MS Excel § More flexible data write back. § No aggregation calc needed § Pre-packaged business process flows and self-service flows (the workflow feature) § Cross-training opportunity for existing AV SAP resources § Upward compatibility for future versions for SAP. § Zero foot print (Highly Scalable) § Automated predictive analytics ( what if Analysis) § Collaborative Forecasting § Audit trails can be tracked for SOX Compliance § Can support leading ledger for IFRS Support § Highly Customizable UI § Highly mature due to tight integration with NetWeaver | § Familiar interface for FP&A users § Significant synergy if integrating AV's existing Hyperion consolidation and planning solutions § Fastest response time for user queries § Full integration with MS Office § Offline planning available § "Workforce" planning module tailored to the detailed HC planning here in AV § Distributed admin functions via full web interface | § Existing Cognos knowledge available within AV (IT and Finance) § Planning module can scale to thousands of users § Pre-defined modules and rolling forecast approach help shorten planning cycle § Distributed admin function § Offline planning available |
Key Disadvantages | § Two versions – MS versions and NW versions § Core SAP skill set not directly transferable to BPC technology § Can leverage BW skills for BPC Backend for NW version only. | § IT architectural complexity would increase if implementing all web-based features § Highest need for technical BI resources vs. the other two choices. § Planning, Consolidation and reporting needs different skills | § Need to redesign based on existing Hyperion app. § Need to design interface with Corporate Hyperion Planning application |
Implementation Effort (typical – Can vary based on client’s requirements) | § Typical effort to implement the application infrastructure and base solution: 3-4 HC, 3-4 months, total $700K - $950K. § Pre-Engineered content like RDS are available for certain business functions which would reduce the implementation time considerably. § Phased roll-out to each group / region is recommended. § Training Cost is very minimal | § Typical effort to implement the application infrastructure and base solution: 4-5 HC, 4 + months, total $1.200M - $1.500 M. § Phased roll-out to each group / region is recommended. § Training Cost is high | |
Other Consideration | § SAP BPC 10 is in the flagship product for SAP § Tightly integrated to SAP HANA § Replaced BW SEM's position as the focus of SAP's next generation EPM Platform § Recommended for iterative implementation | § Flagship BI product for Oracle § Leverages OBIEE for data integration | § Widely recognized as a leading BI product (not EPM product) along with Essbase for many years § Very mature product |
