Ever imagined utilizing your piles of data collected over the ages to predict your future, helping you with the decision-making process, providing you with enhanced visualizations of data, on-point statistics, and a lot more functions entirely automated? Well, if you feel stumbled with any of the above activities, you’re at the right place! 

Because this blog entails SAP’s one such solution that can bring a drastic change in the way your business operates, we are going to discuss the Analytics Cloud (SAC). A solution exclusively built to transform your business with the intelligence of the 21st century. 

SAC: The Introduction 

Businesses of this era are built to sustain and run smoothly only with the aid of technology in each and every task they do. SAP Analytics Cloud is a cloud SaaS-based Business Intelligence tool provided by SAP.  

This tool is developed on SAP HANA-based BI platform and provides analytics compatibility for the data coming from different databases, CRM, and ERP solutions. You can fetch data from Microsoft SQL, ERP solutions, and Salesforce. Business users can compile the data, and perform the data discovery, ad-hoc reporting, and analysis to support predictive planning. 

SAP Analytics tool converts the raw data from the transactional system into meaningful insight for making better decisions. Its analytics feature depends on data algorithms, programming, and operations research to get data insight. Data analysts and business decision-makers can utilize these insights to visualize, plan, and predict to stay ahead of the business game. 

SAC: The Evolution 

There has been a proliferation of analytics platforms and tools in the market, trying to capture the analytical needs of business users. Since then, the Software vendors have been merging and acquiring niche companies with relevant capabilities to enhance their feature set within their platforms. Some of the major acquisitions include Google’s acquisition of Looker, Salesforce’s acquisition of Tableau, Sisense’s acquisition of Periscope, and so on. 

SAP had previously been a niche player in the area of business intelligence and analytics, with tools such as Business Explorer and Web Application Designer unable to meet the majority of business needs. As a result, users began to abandon enterprise data warehouses in favor of other reporting tools. 

In order to set the pace once again, SAP decided to invest in its existing Business Objects platform and capitalize on its core features while supplementing its capabilities with machine learning, planning, and predictive analytics.  

With the advent of in-memory computing with SAP HANA, SAP announced Project Orca in 2015. Internally codenamed Project Orca, SAP Analytics Cloud was formerly known as SAP Cloud for Planning, SAP Cloud for Analytics, and SAP BusinessObjects Cloud. With its success and a rich roadmap, it became SAP Cloud for Analytics and has now been rebranded as SAP Analytics Cloud. 

SAC: Multitude Features

 The primary organizational structure of  SAP Analytics Cloud is called a Model. These models include hierarchical dimensions that allow organizations to manage their organizational structure, accounts, or any other parameter they require to plan or evaluate results. 

In SAP Analytics Cloud, there are two different model types:  

• Planning – Enables users to carry out planning tasks within those models 
• Analytics– A “read-only” structure that enables users to carry out analysis with the data gathered 

Models can be created manually, by sourcing a file from your system, by obtaining data from a cloud application like SuccessFactors or Google Drive, or by establishing a connection to a data source like BPC, SAP BW, SAP ERP, SAP HANA, or SAP Universe. 

Selecting the spreadsheet’s cells and asking SAP Analytics Cloud to generate a chart using them are both equivalent tasks that make it easy to analyze the data. The software will evaluate the data and suggest the most effective visualization strategy. Users can then change the chart type, add or remove elements, and modify the format before sharing the updated chart by including it in a fully formatted presentation that satisfies all branding requirements. 

Users of SAP Analytics Cloud can manage allocation decisions, manage currency exchange tables, and configure formulas for various accounts on the scheduling side.  The management of multiple data scenarios simultaneously is possible. To ensure the process is finished on time, users can create tasks and set reminders. Users can collaborate on any element or even a particular value within a cell by using the application’s collaboration features, which are available throughout. On the basis of those conversations, tasks can also be developed. 

SAC: The Standout Starlight 

1. Planning and analytics are combined in a single cloud-based solution by SAP Analytics Cloud. You can simulate any scenario for better business outcomes, move from insight to action in an instant, and generate plans from predictions automatically to support agile decision-making. 
2. The SAP Analytics Cloud supports analytics and planning across the entire organization with seamless integration into SAP applications and sources as the analytics and planning layer of the SAP Business Technology Platform. Thereby you get to utilize data by bringing analytics closer to the point of decision to match various LoB’s of your business. 
3. To speed up analytics and planning projects, SAP Analytics Cloud includes over 100 preconfigured best-practice SAP business content packages across LoB (line of business) and industries. 
4. You can develop cutting-edge analytics with a complete solution with the help of SAP Analytics Cloud. It uses machine learning to automate insights, enables you to create specialized analytics apps more quickly, and delivers high-performance analytics at scale. 

SAC: Featuring Benefits 

• Improved decision-making based on data and increased business performance
• Best data use with the functionalities of integrated organization’s strategy 
• Analytics extended across devices and applications for more efficient use. Automatically analyze data, highlight key drivers, and support simulations and what-if scenarios. 
• A cloud-based solution designed to handle enterprise-level Internet of Things data makes you future-proof 
• Eases your financial analysis and planning process 
• By adding comments to visualizations, responding to comments, and liking comments, Analytics Cloud makes it simple for employees to communicate with one another 
• Deliver businesses reliable, accurate insights that are easily accessible in the cloud 
• Improved ROI (Return On Investment) and increased value from current investments 
• Integrate analytics and collaboration tools right into your planning procedures to eliminate application switching. 
• Obtain constant updates by either choosing the biweekly or quarterly updates cycle 

SAC: The Conclusion 

Organizations can obtain a comprehensive and “real” view of their environment through SAP Analytics Cloud’s ability to pull data from various external sources. Whether a Mid-market or a large enterprise you can relax and enjoy your quick wins with the cutting-edge analytics of SAP Analytics Cloud cause it delivers what the business needs which enables businesses to test new concepts more quickly and eases the startup process. 

Willing to know more, do contact our SAP Experts, cause we’re all set to deliver the best-in-class solutions for your business.