Sneak Peek in to SAP Analytics Cloud release for Q3 2024

[Orla_C]

With Q3 2024 fast approaching we bring you some exciting and eagerly anticipated new features in SAP Analytics Cloud. We will first take a sneak peek in to our Top 5 features in QRC3 2024. A full list of what is coming can be found on our Roadmap Explorer.

Live SAP BW – Report-Report Interface (RRI)

A much-anticipated new feature, particularly for our BW customers is the Report-Report Interface (RRI).  This allows end users to use the RRI to jump from the executed query (sender) to another report (receiver) as maintained in the RRI back-end transaction (RSBBS):

Supported report types include:​

• BW Query​
• Transaction ​
• Web Address​
• ABAP Report​

Opens the receiver report of type:

• BW Query in the Data Analyzer

Just Ask Enhancements

Just Ask was launched for the first time at the beginning of 2024, we are delighted to show you all the new features we have added for Natural Language Queries:

First, we add the ability to Hide model objects. This enables administrators to simplify models that are available for questions. We also have a number of enhancements to natural language understanding:

Just Ask: Prompt Guide

A Prompt Guide is now available to provide users with guidance for best usage of Just Ask features. The guide includes:

• Examples questions to query
• Highlights of key features
• Tips to optimize performance 

Just Ask: Display Dimension Attributes

Dimension attributes for models in Just Ask are now visible in the following:

• When selecting the + button next to next to the search bar
• Model Overview tab (in the Manage Model area)
• Explore Data tab (in the Manage Model area)
• In the Rules section

Just Ask Comparison

You can now use the following in Just Ask questions: (SAP Road Map Explorer)

• Compare two measures: Compare sales with expenses
• Compare two measures and a dimension: Compare sales with expenses by location
• Time comparisons: Compare sales with expenses by location in current year
• Combine a comparison and a calculation: Compare average sales by location with average expenses by location this year
• Combine a version dimension with a measure comparison: Compare actual sales with forecast in Canada

Plan Entry – data file upload (End-user)

An exciting new feature for our Planning users is the introduction of a native story trigger and process to allow mass upload of data by end-users. 

• Data Management space in the modeler will include a new “Upload Jobs” section
• Modeler will create an upload job by wrangling a template file which reflects the basic structure of the file the end-user is expected to load for that job
• Data import trigger/widget can be inserted in the story by the story author and reference a previously defined model upload job

Standard Unit Conversion

Another exciting new Planning feature allows Modelers and Planners create measures and conversion measures of type Unit, to perform standard unit conversion, such length, weight, height. 

A unit conversion measure will convert source values from the base measure to the specified target units, that belong to the same unit group, using values from the standard unit conversion table. Some examples of unit groups include Length, Density and Weight.

You can also add calculated measures based on the unit conversion, or work with the converted values in your stories and for planning purposes.

The Standard Unit Conversion table is available for reference from the Conversions tab of the Modeller.  

More details can be found in this great blog on Planning extensions by @AmandaJMurphy 

Integration with Microsoft PowerPoint

Last but by no means least we are delighted to announce the SAP Analytics Cloud, add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft PowerPoint. You can now intuitively add accurate and trusted data to your PowerPoint presentations, reusing your existing SAP Analytics Cloud widgets.

SAP Analytics Cloud, add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint will enable users to:

• Intuitively connect to an SAP Analytics Cloud tenant
• Readily find SAP Analytics Cloud stories and associated widgets
• Select a widget and filter its data, if necessary
• Add the widget to the slides
• Refresh the widget's data on demand

There are plenty more exciting deliverables coming your way this quarter and we will be taking a deeper dive into these items in our What’s New video and blog series so stay tuned. For a full list of all features coming in QRC3 2024 for SAP Analytics Cloud check out the Roadmap Explorer

Want to experience new and existing features for yourself? Take the leap and start your journey towards making data-driven decisions with confidence by signing up for a free trial, today.

#sap #sapanalytics

[arnoldtob]

Hi,

thats really great features! The data upload has already been requested several times, but finaly the department can do it instead of IT.

Just a question:

When does the Powerpoint addin get released inside the Micrososft Store? With the Q3 update in august?

thx

br Tobias

[Orla_C]

Hi Tobias,

Both the MS Addin for Excel and the PPT are delivered through the Microsoft Store as they are add-ins to MS products.

Updates to the Store are monthly so the release may not line up with the QRC release date, can be earlier or slightly later but within Q3 itself.

Thanks,

Orla

[playaben82]

Hi Orla,

 Thanks for sharing the new features. Regarding the report to report functionality, it seems fantastic to me, but in an older scenario where the user jumped from a Web Application Designer query to another Web Application Designer without having to input the values of the entry prompt in the target. Now I am wondering if jumping from a query in an SAC story to another SAC story with another query in live connection will work. Using the web address type assignment of fields or input variables that both the source and destination BW queries share with each other... Do you think this functionality would cover the capability of jumping from one BW query like sender  to another SAC story with BW query like target?

Best Regards,

Rubén

[Heidi_G_P]

Hello Orla,

Can you please inform, if this RRI will work from a SAC story (to other models and Data Analyzer) as well? If it is not the case, then when is it in pipeline? Also described here:

https://influence.sap.com/sap/ino/#/idea/319601

Best regards,

Heidi

[arnoklein]

Hi Rubén @playaben82 ,

unfortunately, story as a target is not supported. For such use cases, I would recommend to use the hyperlink feature in SAC.  As mentioned by Orla, BW queries will be opened in Data Analyzer.

Best Regards,

Arno

[arnoklein]

Hi Heidi @Heidi_G_P ,

BW queries will be opened in Data Analyzer, Insights are not supported. Future versions of the RRI feature in SAC may offer BADI support (https://me.sap.com/notes/3484564).

However, the jump from a story to an insight would be covered by the influence item you mentioned and probably not via RRI.

Best regards,

Arno

[Ashish_Farkya]

Great feature addition for a great product. These additional features would definitely convince clients to switch over to SAC from legacy Reporting/planning solutions.