Discover how we consolidated sales figures across multiple non-SAP Systems with SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP HANA
I recently assisted a client in the development of a sales report with some unique and interesting requirements. Their company had acquired a mix of new companies around the world. Although each company continued to operate relatively autonomously, they had all been joined under the header of a single business unit requiring a consolidated view of sales and profitability figures. I was additionally informed that leadership had decided against requiring this group of acquisitions to adopt SAP, meaning that most of the sales data would be coming from a collection of non-SAP systems.
To that point, each entity was required to provide figures at month end which were then painstakingly cleansed and combined via a manual effort into a consolidated view. The process was labor intensive, subject to errors and rather insecure. Our mission was to drive efficiency and accuracy with the development of a system generated consolidated sales report.
Solution
From the outset, we decided to distill the problem into two separate parts. We first would need to determine how to collect data from each source system and then transform and unify everything into a single database. After considering many options, we decided to utilize SAP HANA for this purpose. SAP HANA provided an avenue for connecting to and extracting data from each of the non-SAP systems we were working with. Additionally, the flexibility of an SAP HANA database would allow us to fully automate the process of cleansing/transforming the data from each disparate system.
The second piece of the puzzle was to determine which data visualization tool was best suited for our needs. Ultimately, we chose SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) as the best option. SAC functionality allowed for enhanced security features, real-time reporting through its Live-Connection capability and the flexibility to provide meaningful analytics for a variety of users.
(Please contact me if you would like a more in depth look at the technical details of our solution)
Project Benefits
The benefits of the successful completion of our Global Consolidated Sales Report project far outweighed the many challenges we faced. Benefits include:
- Increased Efficiency
Automating the sales report saved numerous users across the organization an immense amount of time as the monthly construction of the report no longer required manual intervention. Our client also enjoyed increased accuracy in sales figures as the element of human error was removed from the equation.
- Standardization of Processes
In developing the logic for collecting and cleansing data, we quickly realized that every business entity had different ideologies and procedures for reporting exceptions (i.e. credits, returns, warranties, etc.). Automating the process required a single, standardized procedure for handling exceptions, leading to advances in reporting accuracy.
- Data in Real-Time
Leveraging SAP Analytic Cloud’s Live-Connection functionality means that the report provides sales figures in real-time. Sales figures can now be actively managed throughout the month allowing leadership to more effectively adjust sales strategies in pursuit of goals and targets as needed.
- Enhanced Detailed Data View
Utilizing SAP Analytics Cloud’s drilldown capability granted users access to a level of data granularity previously impossible to achieve with the manual version of the report. This functionality allows users to click on high level figures within charts/graphs and jump directly to the line by line make up of that metric if desired.
- Increased Security
SAP Analytic Cloud’s security features enabled our client to:
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- Limit external exposure by eliminating the need to distribute the report’s sensitive contents in spreadsheet form
- Limit visibility of the report’s data internally by user. For example, a user’s access to data can be limited to a single plant or sales region if required.
- Ease of Consumption
SAP Analytics Cloud allows users to review dashboards and reports on a variety of devices. We also configured SAC to be available without a VPN connection and integrated Single Sign On functionality to further reduce barriers to accessing information. Users now have secure access to the report from anywhere with any device.
Lessons Learned
There are always lessons to be learned in any project, a few of our key takeaways include:
- Perform Data Calculations/Transformation within Database
Although SAP Analytics Cloud does include functionality for developing custom calculations and fields within individual stories/charts, we found it extremely advantageous to complete calculations and data transformation activities within our SAP HANA data model. This functionality in SAC is limited, especially when building a story tied to a Live-Connection data model.
- Challenges with Large Data Sets
Overcoming the challenges associated with extremely large data sets requires some planning and creativity. In some cases, we encountered performance issues (longer than normal wait times), particularly with Live-Connection data models. The problems intensified as we strove to provide increased data granularity. We found optimizing the construct of our data models to be one of the keys to minimizing the impact of a large data set.
- Input Control Restrictions
Input Selection boxes in SAC are presently limited to 4,000 items for a Live-Connection Model, so for many scenarios we found filtering by specific material was not an option. Allowing users to view data at a granular level was a priority, so we tackled this problem with a few different solutions:
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- Provided a series of Input Selection boxes that allowed users to filter by material type, material group, product hierarchy or in an extreme case, by a custom category stored in the underlying data model
- SAC includes drilldown functionality which we would often build into high level charts. Clicking on them would then transport users to a grid view which then could provide unlimited granularity if needed
Conclusion
With a focus on cooperation, compromise and creativity, we were able to deliver a system generated Consolidated Global Sales Report. For a business unit consisting of autonomous organizations all utilizing different ERP systems, the successful completion of this project is considered a huge win. The functionality inherent in SAP HANA and SAP Analytics cloud enabled a secure solution that is actively saving our client time and is sure to improve their ability to make informed business decisions for years to come.
Please feel free to contact me for additional information about this specific project or with general questions about our experience with SAP HANA and SAP Analytics Cloud.
