What’s New in SAP Analytics Cloud Release 2024.05

[meganhoy]

SAP Analytics Cloud brings together analytics and planning with unique integration to SAP applications and seamless access to heterogenous data sources. It helps everyone in your organization make decisions without doubt with trusted insights and integrated plans.

This blog post introduces the features of the SAP Analytics Cloud 2024.05 release available for SAP Analytics Cloud FastTrack customers. For SAP Analytics Cloud Quarterly Release Cycle (QRC) customers, this release and its features will be available as part of the QRC Q2 2024 release. View the QRC release schedule here.

System Administration

Although not required, you may upgrade to the latest SAP Analytics Cloud agent version 1.0.399 to take advantage of all data acquisition types.

The agent’s minimum version remains at 1.0.75, with the following exceptions:

• Version 1.0.99 for SAP ERP/SQL Database
• Version 1.0.365 for SAP universe (UNX). The SAP Analytics Cloud agent requires additional setup steps, for more details see SAP Note 3262098
• Version 1.0.353 for SAP Business Warehouse (BW)
• Version 1.0.235 for SAP HANA View
• Version 1.0.248 for File Server

For more information, see System Requirements and Technical Prerequisites.

Regarding supported features and required updates for the integration of SAP BW with SAP Analytics Cloud, refer to SAP Note 2541557 for further details.

Regarding supported features and required updates for live universe access through SAP BusinessObjects Live Data Connect with SAP Analytics Cloud, refer to SAP Note 2771921 for further details.

Please download the latest version of the Simple Deployment Kit from Service Marketplace.

Note: To avoid downloading older versions and potentially exposing users to a vulnerable bundling of the Cloud Connector with SAPJVM, or Apache Tomcat, only the three latest versions of the kits are available to download.

For Cloud agent version change management details, refer to SAP Note 3264839.

Release Highlights

• Administration and Service Management
  • Expiration of file-repository backups | (SAP Road Map Explorer)
• Data Exploration
  • Variable Dialog Enhancements | (SAP Road Map Explorer)
• Microsoft Office Integration
  • SAP Analytics Cloud add-in for Microsoft Excel
    • Recent List in Open Dialog
    • Custom Function: GETVARIABLES
    • Support for SAP BW and SAP S/4HANA live models
• Story Design
• Lite Viewer Incremental Updates
• Story Extensibility
  • Enhance Exporting all Table Content to Excel

Administration and Service Management

Expiration of file-repository backups

Model backups stored in the file repository older than 90 days will expire. Expired files will be available in the deleted folder in the file repository, where they are retained for 30 days by default before permanently being deleted from the system. The automated cleanup of backup files reduces housekeeping efforts. (SAP Road Map Explorer)

Data Exploration

Variable Dialog Enhancements

Enhancements have been made to the variable dialog for improved function and usability: (SAP Road Map Explorer)

• New compact and responsive design
• A new settings panel with the option to configure the text presentation of variable values (ID,

description, or ID and description together)

• Improved interaction with and readability of multi select variables
• The single select now appears as editable text in the input field

 

Microsoft Office Integration

SAP Analytics Cloud add-in for Microsoft Excel

Recent List in Open Dialog

The Select Data Source dialog does now include the recent list Recent Data Sources containing the last 10 data sources you used on this tenant and device. The data sources can be from different connection types.

Additionally, the connections are now grouped by type, for example, SAP Datasphere or SAP S/4HANA systems, where you can select the corresponding data sources.

This feature is available to all customers as of Feb 28, 2024.

Custom Function: GETVARIABLES

Introducing new custom function SAP.GETVARIBALES. This custom function can be used to retrieve variable values of a data source.

Parameters:

• Model ID / Data source
• Variables (optional)
• Display variable (0=ID, 1=Description) (optional)
• Display value (0=ID, 1=Description) (optional)
• Layout (separate cells, single cells etc.) (optional)
• Orientation (0=vertical, 1=horizontal) (optional)

This feature is available to all customers as of Feb 28, 2024.

 

Support for SAP BW and SAP S/4HANA live models

In addition to live connection, the SAP Analytics Cloud, add-in for Microsoft Excel now supports live models in SAP BW and SAP S/4HANA.

This feature is available to all customers as of Feb 28, 2024.

Story Design

Lite Viewer Incremental Updates

Lite Viewer now supports the following features and will NOT re-direct the Viewer to the Full Application:

• Launch Data Analyzer from Chart and Table
• Geographical Visualization – Heatmap Layer
• Export to PDF with Geographical Visualization will no longer display a Ghost Widget within the Export

Story Extensibility

 

Enhance Exporting all Table Content to Excel

In addition to Point of View, users can now select “All” as the scope to export all the data of a table to an XLSX file.

This blog post only provides a high-level overview of the latest features and enhancements of SAP Analytics Cloud. You can find more details on these features in your In-App Help Guide for FastTrack customers and see this SAP Knowledge Base Article if you’d like to learn more about FastTrack and Quarterly Release Cycle releases. 

If you have any questions regarding the content in this blog post, you can comment below. If you have product specific or technical questions, post a question to our SAP Analytics Cloud Questions & Answers forum. Visit our SAP Analytics Cloud Community pages to find more product information, best practices, and more. And check out our SAP Road Map Explorer to see more upcoming features of SAP Analytics Cloud.