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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 2023.07 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 2023 release. View the QRC release schedule here.
Although not required, you may upgrade to the latest SAP Analytics Cloud agent version 1.0.372 to take advantage of all data acquisition types.
The agent’s minimum version remains at 1.0.75, with the following exceptions:
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.
For Cloud agent version change management details, refer to SAP Note 3264839.
We are excited to introduce the System Overview into the SAP Analytics Cloud side navigation bar. The System Overview, formerly known as the Administration Cockpit, is the successor of the System Monitor.
Through System Overview, users have access to:
There are two ways to access the System Overview:
For more details about the release of System Overview, check out this blog post by thomas.fery.
Enhancements have been made to the Usage Statistics available in the System Overview. Usage Statistics provide users with valuable insights into how SAP Analytics Cloud is being used by addressing key areas to make data driven decisions and to optimize projects.
For more details, check out this blog post by thomas.fery.
The Widget Analysis has been enhanced to provide content creators and planning users with critical information necessary for optimal performance while working on planning data including information on Planning Versions that are used in the widget.
For more details, check out this blog post by thomas.fery.
Administrators can now configure BYOK directly in SAP Analytics Cloud Private edition tenants. Go to System > Administration > External Systems tab to configure the integration with your SAP Data Custodian Key Management Service and enable BYOK. Only administrators with the new role ‘key administrators’ or with the key administrator permission granted can perform this operation. The new UI replaces the existing mechanism where a support ticket had to be raised to configure this capability.
In the optimized story experience, users can navigate between different widgets on story pages as well as within the menu options in the widget context (More Actions) menus using keyboard and shortcut keys. This feature is currently only supported in view mode in the optimized story experience.
The vertical filter bar in the Optimized Story Experience allows story viewers to switch the orientation for the filter panel between horizontal and vertical. With this wave, the vertical filter bar orientation is now supported in edit mode for story designers using the Optimized Story Experience, creating a more consistent user experience between edit and view mode. The saved orientation in edit mode defines the default orientation when opening in view mode.
We are now supporting the ability for story designers to configure the variance color in the Optimized Story Experience. This provides a greater flexibility for users to represent variances in different colors or colors that follows their own branding:
UPDATE: This feature has been delayed to a future QRC release.
UPDATE 06/21/23: This feature is available as of release 2023.09.
In the Optimized Story Experience, we are supporting the ability to expand, drill and choose hierarchy levels within Charts for SAP BW data models, including charts that have custom groups:
Please note that SAP BW data models cannot support Expand on multiple dimensions at the same time - only the outer dimension will be expanded.
In the Optimized Story Experience, we are now supporting the ability to sort members in filters, which provides users with more interactivity within filters and closes gaps with SAP BW data models:
Please note that for SAP BW data models, there is an existing limitation when sorting within a visualization or when a filter is impacted from cascading effect. As a result, when sorting is applied in a filter with unbooked members, this will hide the unbooked members in the filter.
Data Change Insights is an SAP Analytics Cloud capability that automatically detects significant changes to data in a story within a particular period. Story viewers using the optimized story experience, can subscribe to notifications to keep notified of data changes of specific charts on specific pages on a regular basis. Notifications can be sent to the user’s email, system notifications, or the tenant home screen. Data Change Insight subscription is based on SAP Analytics Cloud scheduling infrastructure and can be set based on priority, threshold, and data change type.
Data Change Insight supports import and live connections and can be turned on within the Story Details setting and context menu of each chart.
By default, snapshots generated in Data Change Insights are saved in a default repository. However, users can configure snapshots to be saved in a remote repository schema.
We have made enhancements to Input Control APIs to provide story developers with more flexibility to create advanced scenarios.
In addition, story developers can write scripts for an input control’s onSelect event, which are executed when viewers change the member selections
Supported Input Control Types:
Custom Widgets can now be hosted on SAP Analytics Cloud tenants instead of an external web server. The privilege of uploading custom widgets remains the same. The URL of the contribution JSON file needs to be adjusted to be hosted in the SAP Analytics Cloud tenant.
Pre-requisites:
The SAP Analytics Cloud mobile application now supports new responsive layouts, canvas layout and advanced features. This is supported for iOS and Android.
Users can leverage the following new and improved functionality on mobile devices:
We've continued to work on closing feature gap parity with the Classic Experience.
These are the set of features that are now supported in the Optimized Story Experience:
In SAP Analytics Cloud modeling, there is a provision to define a group and bind the dimensions according to business requirements. With this wave, in the available objects list and builder panel of data analyzer the dimensions are now grouped as defined in the model. This will make it easier for users to find groups defined in the modeling layer and easily navigate to respective dimensions mapped in groups.
User can create an ad-hoc analysis based on SAP Datasphere data sources:
These SAP Datasphere data sources can be opened in Data Analyzer via:
Due to technical reasons, SAP Datasphere connection must be enabled first to load its content. See SAP Note 3311141 for more information.
In the optimized story experience, story users can open a table in Data Analyzer from a chart visualization in a story via the actions menu item ‘Open Data Analyzer’.
In this first phase part of Q2 QRC, the supported chart types are:
To be able to use the action menu item for a chart, the data analyzer property has to be enabled via the Story Details dialog (by selecting Story Details ->Data Exploration Settings->Enable Data Analyzer for all supported widgets) in the File menu of the story. When opening data analyzer from a chart, the chart data is transferred and mapped to the data analyzer table.
Note that there is currently the restriction that you cannot enable data analyzer per widget on the chart builder panel. See SAP Note 3313794 for more information.
When opening Data Analyzer from the table and supported chart types in a story, users can now choose to open Data Analyzer in a new browser tab or open it in the current tab. When Data Analyzer is opened in a new tab, the story will remain open in the initial tab When opening Data Analyzer in the current browser tab it is opened in place as overlay.
In both scenarios, the story will retain its state. This makes it easier for users to navigate back to story without changing the prior story state.
We have added toolbar functions Undo, Redo and Reset in Data Analyzer. These functions support all actions that manipulate the data source in the table such as sorting, swap axis and more.
Note that they do not support table styling settings and general appearance settings of UI elements as of Q2 QRC.
The available dimensions and measures in the data analyzer filter line dropdown list now displays all the levels of the hierarchies for the accounts, and all attributes of the dimensions on different levels. Previously, the list of available dimensions and measures together with their hierarchies and attributes was represent as a flat list on the filter line dropdown. This provides users with a clear visual of hierarchical account data and provides differentiation between dimensions and its attributes.
The Enable Legacy Export option that allows you to enable data exports to other applications such as SAP S4/HANA, SAP Business Integrated Planning, SAP BW and SAP BW4/HANA using OData services, can now be found under the Data and Performance tab in the model preferences.
We have added a new Subscriptions Overview tab in the Connections tool for management of all delta subscriptions across in an SAP Analytics Cloud tenant. This provides administrators with a unified view of all subscription entities across all models in the system.
Admin users will enjoy the following benefits of the subscription overview tab:
The Data Import Service is an open API that allows users to import fact and master data to SAP Analytics Cloud. Along with its Data Export Service counterpart, the Data Import Service offers bi-directional data flows, helping users:
The apply selected dimension as a filter option is now available for stories based on the same SAP Datasphere model and with the Optimized Story Experience. Use this option in stories to create and open hyperlinks to other stories with dimension filters applied. This is supported for simplex and complex filter on tables and charts.
Introducing an updated hierarchy management tool in the modeler for editing parent-child hierarchies for dimensions.
It offers the following enhancements:
Two new functions have been added to the modeler:
With these formulas, users can now return the subtotal or percentage of subtotal for a member broken down by one or multiple dimensions. The formulas are supported by account models and the new model type.
For more details, check out this blog post by amanda.murphy .
See SAP Note 3309031 regarding nested SUBTOTAL or %SUBTOTAL.
In the allocation step of data actions, users can now create a structured allocation directly from the data action designer. The structured allocation step allows users to configure all known options including the addition of allocation rules. This update provides better integration of structured allocation into data actions, resulting in only one design time. Modification of existing allocation steps possible, thus, no recreation necessary to change configuration
In the allocation step of data actions, users can now choose non-default hierarchies for source and target dimensions. Creating hierarchies specific to your allocation scenario allows you to define an efficient and easy-to-maintain set of allocation rules.
In data actions, users can now change the default model after data action steps are defined. This improves user experience as previously users could only change the default model before defining data action steps, or delete all steps to change the model.
BEFORE
AFTER
The copy step of data actions has new copy rule behaviors for copy rule for copying along time dimensions. Users can now use user-managed time dimension, time dimensions with week granularity, and time dimensions with weekly patterns.
We are introducing new privilege ‘Data Action Monitor Administration’ for the data action monitor. This privilege provides authorization rights for full monitoring rights of the data action monitor to non planning admin users. A user can be assigned Read or Manage permission.
If a user has Read or Manage permission for Data Action Monitor Administration, they can now view all data action jobs, including the name, trigger source, and model data. Additionally, if a user has Manage permission for the data action monitor administration and Execute privilege for the data action, they can cancel data actions that were triggered by other users.
Users assigned the planning admin role have this privilege by default for backward compatibility.
Users can now view data actions that are part of a multi action executed by the calendar task in the Data Action Monitor.
Users can now add data locking steps to protect data from unwanted changes via Multi Actions either from a story, calendar, or the App Designer. Multi actions with data lock step simplifies workflow for planners to only one action for the complex process. Users will have the ability to lock data after the execution of specific calculation logic (ie: data actions, allocations, predictive forecasts).
In the version management panel, users can now directly create a blank public or private version by clicking on the + button. Prior, copying and publishing an existing version was the only way to create a new public version, but now it can be done with the + button.
Additionally, a new toggle button ‘Show versions in use only’ has been added to the version management panel. This toggle is on by default and allows users to display only the versions that are currently being used in the selected table widget. This is currently not supported for value driver tree widgets.
How comments (data point and dimension) in tables refresh now follows the modes set for Data Refresh in table settings. This helps avoid unnecessary fetching of comments and improve the performance of your optimized story, especially when there are many tables, hidden tables, or a large number of comments.
Comment requests will not be sent for the following settings:
Please note that these options are for view mode only.
For a story in optimized story experience, forecast layout now supports flexible time. Users can now create a forecast layout using calculation input controls even when model enables Week-Based Date Pattern or uses a user-managed time dimension.
When creating an input-ready query with Universal Display Hierarchy (UDH) activated in the SAP BW modeling tool, planning users can use planning capabilities, like entering data, in a table built on an SAP BPC live connection model. To this this, the Universal Display Hierarchy must be activated in its underlying query.
Comment statistics will now give users information on the number of comments associated with a planning or analytic model, at model and version level. Information such as number of data point comments, number of dimension comments, and threads are all part of the statistics.
A user must have permission to manage and read comments in the tenant and read permissions on planning and analytic model in the tenant to view comment statistics.
Users can now add long text paragraphs in all form of comments (excluding dimension comments). 10,000 characters is the new character limit per comment (dimension comments continue to have 255 character limit per comment). This will allow user to add more detailed explanations or summaries in comments.
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 release.
If you have questions regarding the content in the 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 our out SAP Road Map Explorer to see more upcoming features of SAP Analytics Cloud.
Are you looking to learn more about SAP Analytics Cloud?
This blog post introduces the features of the SAP Analytics Cloud 2023.07 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 2023 release. View the QRC release schedule here.
System Administration and Technical Requirements
Although not required, you may upgrade to the latest SAP Analytics Cloud agent version 1.0.372 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
- New System Overview
- Improved Usage Statistics
- Show Planning Version info in the Widget Analysis
- Self-Service for Bring Your Own Key
- Dashboard and Story Design
- Accessibility – Keyboard Navigation Support in Story View Mode
- Vertical Filter Experience for Story Designers
- Configure the Variance Colour
- Expand and Drill Hierarchy Levels (Live BW)
- Sort Members in Filters (Live BW)
- Data Change Insights Notification Subscription
- Page Input Control "SelectAll" Get/Set and onSelect Script API
- Hosting Custom Widget on SAP Analytics Cloud Tenant
- Mobile Support for Canvas Layouts and Advanced Mode
- Optimized Story Experience Feature Parity Update
- Data Exploration
- Data Analyzer
- Dimension Group Support in Builder Panel
- Launching of Live Models from SAP Datasphere
- Open Data Analyzer from Story Chart Visualization
- Updated Story Integration
- Undo/Redo & Reset Actions
- Show Hierarchies on Filters dropdown for accounts/dimensions
- Data Analyzer
- Data Integration
- Data Modeling
- Apply selected dimensions as filter for hyperlinked stories with Datasphere model
- Hierarchy management tool updates
- Subtotal Formulas in the Modeler
- Enterprise Planning
- Data Actions – integration of allocation design time
- Changing Hierarchies in Allocation Step of Data Actions
- Data Actions – Modify underlying model reference
- New Copy Rule Behaviours for Data Actions
- Data Actions – Monitor admin role
- Data Action Monitor – Handling data actions triggered from multi actions in calendar
- Multi Actions – Data Locking Step
- Plan Entry – updated version handling and creation in story
- Send comment query only when data refresh on table is refreshed/displayed
- Support Flexible time for Forecast Layout (on new stack)
- BPC live connection: Universal Display Hierarchy should be supported in grid
- User Collaboration
Administration and Service Management
New System Overview
We are excited to introduce the System Overview into the SAP Analytics Cloud side navigation bar. The System Overview, formerly known as the Administration Cockpit, is the successor of the System Monitor.
Through System Overview, users have access to:
- Fast and easy access to admin information
- Real-time license consumption
- Fast security review
- Full Where-Used list of any object
- Identification of housekeeping potential
There are two ways to access the System Overview:
- System > Overview from side navigation bar – directly open the System Overview
- System > Monitor from side navigation bar– an information pop-up will notify that the System Overview is the new successor of the System Monitor with a direct link to the new page
For more details about the release of System Overview, check out this blog post by thomas.fery.
Improved Usage Statistics
Enhancements have been made to the Usage Statistics available in the System Overview. Usage Statistics provide users with valuable insights into how SAP Analytics Cloud is being used by addressing key areas to make data driven decisions and to optimize projects.
For more details, check out this blog post by thomas.fery.
Show Planning Version info in the Widget Analysis
The Widget Analysis has been enhanced to provide content creators and planning users with critical information necessary for optimal performance while working on planning data including information on Planning Versions that are used in the widget.
For more details, check out this blog post by thomas.fery.
Self-Service for Bring Your Own Key
Administrators can now configure BYOK directly in SAP Analytics Cloud Private edition tenants. Go to System > Administration > External Systems tab to configure the integration with your SAP Data Custodian Key Management Service and enable BYOK. Only administrators with the new role ‘key administrators’ or with the key administrator permission granted can perform this operation. The new UI replaces the existing mechanism where a support ticket had to be raised to configure this capability.
Dashboard and Story Design
Accessibility – Keyboard Navigation Support in Story View Mode
In the optimized story experience, users can navigate between different widgets on story pages as well as within the menu options in the widget context (More Actions) menus using keyboard and shortcut keys. This feature is currently only supported in view mode in the optimized story experience.
Vertical Filter Experience for Story Designers
The vertical filter bar in the Optimized Story Experience allows story viewers to switch the orientation for the filter panel between horizontal and vertical. With this wave, the vertical filter bar orientation is now supported in edit mode for story designers using the Optimized Story Experience, creating a more consistent user experience between edit and view mode. The saved orientation in edit mode defines the default orientation when opening in view mode.
Configure the Variance Colour
We are now supporting the ability for story designers to configure the variance color in the Optimized Story Experience. This provides a greater flexibility for users to represent variances in different colors or colors that follows their own branding:
- Variance colors can be configured for positive, negative and null values
- There are three ways to customize a variance color: Theme Preferences, Custom CSS or on a per visualization through the Variance Panel
- It is supported for all Chart types that support a variance and variance bar/pin in Tables
Expand and Drill Hierarchy Levels (SAP BW)
UPDATE: This feature has been delayed to a future QRC release.
UPDATE 06/21/23: This feature is available as of release 2023.09.
The goal of this feature is to be in parity with HANA data modelsUsers can either interact directly with a datapoint to Drill up/down or set a hierarchy level using the context menu for choosing hierarchies
Choosing a hierarchy level using the context menu will be considered the highest hierarchy level – as a result, drilling up will be disabled
Users can right click a datapoint to Expand/Collapse
Sort Members in Filters (SAP BW)
In the Optimized Story Experience, we are now supporting the ability to sort members in filters, which provides users with more interactivity within filters and closes gaps with SAP BW data models:
- Members in story, page and local filters can be sorted in ascending or descending order
- If there are hierarchies, parent nodes will get sorted first and then child nodes will be sorted within each parent
- The Sort Order will also respect the display as options that are set (i.e., If members are displayed in ID, then the Sort Order will be based on ID)
Please note that for SAP BW data models, there is an existing limitation when sorting within a visualization or when a filter is impacted from cascading effect. As a result, when sorting is applied in a filter with unbooked members, this will hide the unbooked members in the filter.
Data Change Insights Notification Subscription
Data Change Insights is an SAP Analytics Cloud capability that automatically detects significant changes to data in a story within a particular period. Story viewers using the optimized story experience, can subscribe to notifications to keep notified of data changes of specific charts on specific pages on a regular basis. Notifications can be sent to the user’s email, system notifications, or the tenant home screen. Data Change Insight subscription is based on SAP Analytics Cloud scheduling infrastructure and can be set based on priority, threshold, and data change type.
Data Change Insight supports import and live connections and can be turned on within the Story Details setting and context menu of each chart.
By default, snapshots generated in Data Change Insights are saved in a default repository. However, users can configure snapshots to be saved in a remote repository schema.
Page Input Control "SelectAll" Get/Set and onSelect Script API
We have made enhancements to Input Control APIs to provide story developers with more flexibility to create advanced scenarios.
- ‘setAllMembersSelected’ – script API to set “All” members in Input Control
- ‘isAllMembersSelected’ – script API to identity whether member “All” is selected
In addition, story developers can write scripts for an input control’s onSelect event, which are executed when viewers change the member selections
Supported Input Control Types:
- Dimension Member Input Control
- Calculation Input Control
Hosting Custom Widget on SAP Analytics Cloud Tenant
Custom Widgets can now be hosted on SAP Analytics Cloud tenants instead of an external web server. The privilege of uploading custom widgets remains the same. The URL of the contribution JSON file needs to be adjusted to be hosted in the SAP Analytics Cloud tenant.
Pre-requisites:
- The uploaded Zip file should be less and equal to 5MB
- Max 25 custom widgets per tenant
- The file types for Icon should be *png or *jpg
Mobile Support for Canvas Layouts and Advanced Mode
The SAP Analytics Cloud mobile application now supports new responsive layouts, canvas layout and advanced features. This is supported for iOS and Android.
Users can leverage the following new and improved functionality on mobile devices:
- Canvas Layouts, New Responsive Layouts and advanced features (i.e., scripting, theme/CSS, etc.) are now supported for Mobile
- Users now have the option to disable the mobile app toolbar in embed mode for iOS Safari
- Widgets can now be overlapped and widgets can also be resized to appear side by side
Optimized Story Experience Feature Parity Update
We've continued to work on closing feature gap parity with the Classic Experience.
These are the set of features that are now supported in the Optimized Story Experience:
- Export to PDF (improved dialog)
- Renamed Measures & Dimensions included in Export to CSV (ALL)
- SAP Universe Data Models
- Copy and Paste – Across Pages (Optimized Design Experience)
Data Exploration
Data Analyzer
Dimension Group Support in Builder Panel
In SAP Analytics Cloud modeling, there is a provision to define a group and bind the dimensions according to business requirements. With this wave, in the available objects list and builder panel of data analyzer the dimensions are now grouped as defined in the model. This will make it easier for users to find groups defined in the modeling layer and easily navigate to respective dimensions mapped in groups.
Launching of Live Models from SAP Datasphere
User can create an ad-hoc analysis based on SAP Datasphere data sources:
- SAP Datasphere Analytical Dataset
- SAP Datasphere Analytics Model
- SAP Datasphere Perspective
These SAP Datasphere data sources can be opened in Data Analyzer via:
- Select Model Dialog
- Chart or table in Story with SAP Datasphere enabled
- URL parameters:
- URL parameter: systemType URL value: DATASPHERE
- URL parameter: datasourceName URL value format: [<SchemeName|Space>][<PackageName>][<DATASPHEREMODEL>]
- URL parameter: connection URL value format: <connectionName>
Due to technical reasons, SAP Datasphere connection must be enabled first to load its content. See SAP Note 3311141 for more information.
Open Data Analyzer from Story Chart Visualization
In the optimized story experience, story users can open a table in Data Analyzer from a chart visualization in a story via the actions menu item ‘Open Data Analyzer’.
In this first phase part of Q2 QRC, the supported chart types are:
- Column
- Bar
- Line
- Numeric
- Pie
To be able to use the action menu item for a chart, the data analyzer property has to be enabled via the Story Details dialog (by selecting Story Details ->Data Exploration Settings->Enable Data Analyzer for all supported widgets) in the File menu of the story. When opening data analyzer from a chart, the chart data is transferred and mapped to the data analyzer table.
Note that there is currently the restriction that you cannot enable data analyzer per widget on the chart builder panel. See SAP Note 3313794 for more information.
Updated Story Integration
When opening Data Analyzer from the table and supported chart types in a story, users can now choose to open Data Analyzer in a new browser tab or open it in the current tab. When Data Analyzer is opened in a new tab, the story will remain open in the initial tab When opening Data Analyzer in the current browser tab it is opened in place as overlay.
In both scenarios, the story will retain its state. This makes it easier for users to navigate back to story without changing the prior story state.
Undo/Redo & Reset Actions
We have added toolbar functions Undo, Redo and Reset in Data Analyzer. These functions support all actions that manipulate the data source in the table such as sorting, swap axis and more.
Note that they do not support table styling settings and general appearance settings of UI elements as of Q2 QRC.
Show Hierarchies on Filters dropdown for accounts/dimensions
The available dimensions and measures in the data analyzer filter line dropdown list now displays all the levels of the hierarchies for the accounts, and all attributes of the dimensions on different levels. Previously, the list of available dimensions and measures together with their hierarchies and attributes was represent as a flat list on the filter line dropdown. This provides users with a clear visual of hierarchical account data and provides differentiation between dimensions and its attributes.
Data Integration
Enable Legacy Export Option
The Enable Legacy Export option that allows you to enable data exports to other applications such as SAP S4/HANA, SAP Business Integrated Planning, SAP BW and SAP BW4/HANA using OData services, can now be found under the Data and Performance tab in the model preferences.
View All API Subscriptions
We have added a new Subscriptions Overview tab in the Connections tool for management of all delta subscriptions across in an SAP Analytics Cloud tenant. This provides administrators with a unified view of all subscription entities across all models in the system.
Admin users will enjoy the following benefits of the subscription overview tab:
- Ability to view and delete Subscriptions/Chains and query delta link of individual Subscriptions
- Ability to navigate to model from open source model link
- Table Search and Sorting allows for easier isolation of Subscriptions Chains
New Data Import API
The Data Import Service is an open API that allows users to import fact and master data to SAP Analytics Cloud. Along with its Data Export Service counterpart, the Data Import Service offers bi-directional data flows, helping users:
- Export data out of SAP Analytics Cloud models
- Perform advanced operations using external engines, custom logic, proprietary machine learning algorithms
- Import enriched data to SAP Analytics Cloud models
- Consume that data in SAP Analytics Cloud planning and analytical workflows
Data Modeling
Apply selected dimensions as filter for hyperlinked stories with Datasphere model
The apply selected dimension as a filter option is now available for stories based on the same SAP Datasphere model and with the Optimized Story Experience. Use this option in stories to create and open hyperlinks to other stories with dimension filters applied. This is supported for simplex and complex filter on tables and charts.
Hierarchy Management Tool Updates
Introducing an updated hierarchy management tool in the modeler for editing parent-child hierarchies for dimensions.
It offers the following enhancements:
- Lazy loading of members (>1,000 members in dimensions) removes the requirement to load all dimension members upfront to enable the hierarchy management tool, which allows users to handle dimensions with a large amount of members.
- New sorting capability enables users to sort all direct children of a parent member by their ID or description (ascending or descending) and the sort order will be saved
- New filter capability to filter the members that are currently displayed in the tree to those matching the entered value (either in ID or description)
- For small dimensions with less than 1,000 members the member list offers the additional view “Unused” (in addition to “All” and “In Use”), which displays only members that are not yet contained in the hierarchy.
Subtotal Formulas in the Modeler
Two new functions have been added to the modeler:
- SUBTOTAL
- %SUBTOTAL
With these formulas, users can now return the subtotal or percentage of subtotal for a member broken down by one or multiple dimensions. The formulas are supported by account models and the new model type.
For more details, check out this blog post by amanda.murphy .
See SAP Note 3309031 regarding nested SUBTOTAL or %SUBTOTAL.
Enterprise Planning
Data Actions - Integration of Allocation Design Time
In the allocation step of data actions, users can now create a structured allocation directly from the data action designer. The structured allocation step allows users to configure all known options including the addition of allocation rules. This update provides better integration of structured allocation into data actions, resulting in only one design time. Modification of existing allocation steps possible, thus, no recreation necessary to change configuration
Changing Hierarchies in Allocation Step of Data Actions
In the allocation step of data actions, users can now choose non-default hierarchies for source and target dimensions. Creating hierarchies specific to your allocation scenario allows you to define an efficient and easy-to-maintain set of allocation rules.
Data Actions – Modify underlying model reference
In data actions, users can now change the default model after data action steps are defined. This improves user experience as previously users could only change the default model before defining data action steps, or delete all steps to change the model.
BEFORE
AFTER
New Copy Rule Behaviours for Data Actions
The copy step of data actions has new copy rule behaviors for copy rule for copying along time dimensions. Users can now use user-managed time dimension, time dimensions with week granularity, and time dimensions with weekly patterns.
Data Actions – Monitor admin role
We are introducing new privilege ‘Data Action Monitor Administration’ for the data action monitor. This privilege provides authorization rights for full monitoring rights of the data action monitor to non planning admin users. A user can be assigned Read or Manage permission.
If a user has Read or Manage permission for Data Action Monitor Administration, they can now view all data action jobs, including the name, trigger source, and model data. Additionally, if a user has Manage permission for the data action monitor administration and Execute privilege for the data action, they can cancel data actions that were triggered by other users.
Users assigned the planning admin role have this privilege by default for backward compatibility.
Data Action Monitor – Handling data actions triggered from multi actions in calendar
Users can now view data actions that are part of a multi action executed by the calendar task in the Data Action Monitor.
Multi Actions – Data Locking Step
Users can now add data locking steps to protect data from unwanted changes via Multi Actions either from a story, calendar, or the App Designer. Multi actions with data lock step simplifies workflow for planners to only one action for the complex process. Users will have the ability to lock data after the execution of specific calculation logic (ie: data actions, allocations, predictive forecasts).
Plan Entry – updated version handling and creation in story
In the version management panel, users can now directly create a blank public or private version by clicking on the + button. Prior, copying and publishing an existing version was the only way to create a new public version, but now it can be done with the + button.
Additionally, a new toggle button ‘Show versions in use only’ has been added to the version management panel. This toggle is on by default and allows users to display only the versions that are currently being used in the selected table widget. This is currently not supported for value driver tree widgets.
Send comment query only when data refresh on table is refreshed/displayed
How comments (data point and dimension) in tables refresh now follows the modes set for Data Refresh in table settings. This helps avoid unnecessary fetching of comments and improve the performance of your optimized story, especially when there are many tables, hidden tables, or a large number of comments.
Comment requests will not be sent for the following settings:
- Refresh option is set to Refresh Active Widgets Only and table visibility is Hidden
- Refresh option is set to Always Pause
Please note that these options are for view mode only.
Support Flexible time for Forecast Layout
For a story in optimized story experience, forecast layout now supports flexible time. Users can now create a forecast layout using calculation input controls even when model enables Week-Based Date Pattern or uses a user-managed time dimension.
BPC live connection: Universal Display Hierarchy should be supported in grid
When creating an input-ready query with Universal Display Hierarchy (UDH) activated in the SAP BW modeling tool, planning users can use planning capabilities, like entering data, in a table built on an SAP BPC live connection model. To this this, the Universal Display Hierarchy must be activated in its underlying query.
User Collaboration
Comment Statistics
Comment statistics will now give users information on the number of comments associated with a planning or analytic model, at model and version level. Information such as number of data point comments, number of dimension comments, and threads are all part of the statistics.
A user must have permission to manage and read comments in the tenant and read permissions on planning and analytic model in the tenant to view comment statistics.
Support 10K Character in Comments
Users can now add long text paragraphs in all form of comments (excluding dimension comments). 10,000 characters is the new character limit per comment (dimension comments continue to have 255 character limit per comment). This will allow user to add more detailed explanations or summaries in comments.
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 release.
If you have questions regarding the content in the 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 our out SAP Road Map Explorer to see more upcoming features of SAP Analytics Cloud.
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