All you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA

Introduction

SAP Business Planning & Consolidation 11 (SAP BPC 11) exclusively available for BW/4HANA, was released in June 2017. The solution is not a successor of previous versions of BPC for SAP NetWeaver or Microsoft platform but a complete new product.

This Insight will discuss :

  • the key benefits compared to prior versions of  SAP BPC
  • the recommended Rich Client for front-end Planning & Reporting
  • How BPC 11 relates to BPC 10.1 for S/4HANA
  • License considerations
  • Migration paths

Key Benefits compared to prior BPC versions

BPC 11 supports both Standard and Embedded Models.

Most functionalities are derived from BPC 10.1 for NetWeaver, complemented with additional enhancements. Since it is running on BW/4HANA, the solution also takes advantage of the benefits related to the BW/4HANA Platform.

All you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA

click to enlargeAll you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
Embedded vs. Standard Model

BPC 11 is brought on the market exclusively for BW/4HANA, leveraging the SAP HANA Database. So SAP BPC 11 does not run on BW 7.x releases (only on BW4/HANA). Also, BW-IP is no longer supported.

All you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
click to enlargeAll you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
SAP BPC 11 Architecture

SAP BW/4HANA has been developed around four dimensions:

  • Simplicity
  • Openness
  • Modern Interface
  • High Performance

SAP BPC 11 fully inherits those characteristics and delivers additional features specific to the product.

Simplicity

In line with BW/4HANA, BPC focusses on simplifying the back-end and front-end. E.g. traditional InfoCubes for data input in BPC are replaced by advanced DSO’s, new strategic InfoProvider for data persistence.

All you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
click to enlargeAll you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
Back-end/Front-end Simplification

BPC 11.0 gets simplified ad-hoc reporting with query enhancements in SAP BusinessObjects Analysis for Office. The Web Worksheet is also redesigned for Web Reporting/Planning simplification. It now allows to have within one worksheet several grids and charts for both reporting and data input.

With BPC 11 you are now able to enter comments. They are cell based across queries/workbooks. There is no length limitation any more. Also, comments can be submitted on any type of cells – not only data cells, but also hierarchy nodes, sub totals and restricted key figures.

The data integration with BW/4HANA has also been reviewed to reduce time and effort to load data towards BPC. Various forms of integration from BW/4HANA can be leveraged to use SAP or non-SAP data as part of the planning process, e.g. using Smart Data Access (SDA) or Smart Data Integration (SDI).

Openness

SAP BPC 11 has a deeper integration with SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC). It allows – nearly - real-time data synchronisation back and forth between the two platforms. By using SAP Analytics Cloud to supplement the BPC 11.0 Planning Process, users get access to a range of additional features. E.g. applying Predictive Analytics capabilities to get better forecasting results, performing advanced BI Analysis on BPC data and SAP Digital Boardroom integration to support real-time view on company metrics.

All you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
click to enlargeAll you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) integration with SAP BPC 11

Modern Interface

SAP BPC 11 follows SAP Fiori 2.0/HTML5 design principles for a harmonized look & feel. The home page now includes tiles for charts or any graphical representation, quick access to any object or page, and personal activities sorted by due dates. Also, users can personalize their home page by re-ordering and re-sizing the tiles.

 

All you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
click to enlargeAll you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
SAP BPC 11 Fiori 2.0 -HTML5 Design

SAP BPC has historically been owned by the core accounting and finance teams, who spend significant time in Excel.
This was also the main interface for BPC. By re-thinking the UX based on the new Fiori principles, SAP opens up BPC 11.0 to a wider range of users.

All you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
click to enlargeAll you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
SAP BPC 11 New User Interface

High Performance

Beside the performance improvements part of the BW/4HANA Platform, BPC 11.0 benefits from extra performance enhancements such as:

  • Query Formula Operations pushed down into SAP HANA. E.g. Disaggregation Functions
  • FOX formulas no longer run on the BW Application Layer but are also pushed down to SAP HANA (custom coding for BPC Embedded models)

Additional features will continue to be developed as the system gets upgraded. Similar to what we are seeing with S/4HANA, this could lead to redesigning business processes as a result of the performance innovations offered by SAP HANA.

Recommended Rich Client (AO vs. EPM)

SAP Analysis for Office, as of version 2.4 SP03, is the recommended Excel Add-in for BPC 11.0:

  • The EPM Plug-in used for BPC Standard Models
  • The Analysis for Office Plug-in dedicated to BPC Embedded Models

Please note that the EPM Add-in of BPC 10.1 is no longer supported with BPC 11.0 on BW/4HANA.

How does SAP BPC 11.0 relate to the BPC optimized version for S/4HANA?

SAP S/4HANA has an embedded BW 7.5 system which also includes SAP BPC 10.1 for planning and consolidation. Both products (SAP BPC 10.1 add-on for S/4HANA and BPC 11.0 for BW/4HANA) are totally independent and run on different platforms.

  • BW/4HANA is the central Datawarehouse to collect and harmonize data from multiple sources. BPC 11.0 on BW/4HANA as a standalone model/DWH outside ERP, but which can connect in real time to your ECC (S/4HANA or not).
  • S/4HANA allows transactional data and master data to be accessed in real time. BPC 10.1 is mainly used for real time financial and operational data.

SAP BPC 11 on BW/4HANA is a completely different product than the BPC-Optimized version for S/4HANA.

Both versions can perfectly co-exist and are used for different scenarios:

 

All you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
click to enlargeAll you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
SAP BPC 11.0 (BW/4HANA) vs. SAP BPC Optimized Version (S/4HANA)

License

A new licensing model has been developed for BPC 11.
Next to the BPC and the HANA license, there is now a BW4/HANA license component as well. For more accurate information, please contact us for the latest info.

Migration Paths

All existing SAP BPC customers can start the migration.
Depending on their current version, four major paths are available and are assisted by tools for limited disruption:

 

All you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
click to enlargeAll you need and wanted to know about SAP BPC 11 on BW4/HANA
Migration Paths towards SAP BPC 11 for SAP BW/4HANA

Takeaways

BPC 11.0 is the latest product offering built on the next generation BW/4HANA Architecture.

It is deployed for both the Standard and Embedded Models and fully leverages BW/4HANA innovations by focussing on:

  • Simplification
  • Openness
  • A Modern Interface
  • High Performance

Regarding the front-end Client, SAP Analysis for Office becomes the primary interface; the EPM Plug-in for BPC Standard and the Analysis for Office Plug-in for BPC Embedded. The EPM Add-in of BPC 10.1 is no longer supported.

SAP BPC on BW/4HANA is a completely different product than the BPC-Optimized version for S/4HANA.
Both versions can perfectly co-exist and are used for different scenarios:

  • BPC 10.1 for real-time financial and operational data
  • BPC 11.0 on BW4/HANA as a standalone model/DWH outside ERP, but which can connect in real time to your ECC (S/4HANA or not)

A new licencing model is proposed for BPC 11.0 with prices slightly different as opposed to prior versions.

For clients who are already using BPC, four migration paths are available depending on their current starting point:

  • SAP BPC & SAP BW on any DB
  • SAP BW-IP on any DB
  • SAP BW-IP/PAK on HANA DB
  • BPC Microsoft

Feel free to contact us with any remaining questions on SAP BPC on BW/4HANA.