Introduction to Digital Boardroom ASUG Webcast

This was an ASUG webcast last week.  Below are my notes as I heard them.

Figure 1: Source: SAP

 

Future looking statements may not happen – and apply to these notes

Figure 2: Source: SAP

 

During SAP Board meeting, Dr. Plattner, why board presentation materials were in static PowerPoint while data from PowerPoints are coming from SAP systems.  SAP CIO Helen Arnold took an action to have an actual live system during the board meeting to show data.  The proof of concept was successful; this was a common issue with other companies

 

“Reimagine board room for the digital economy”

 

Three values are shown above

Figure 3: Source: SAP

• With total transparency – see company situation in real time
• Align executive decisions on one source of the truth

Figure 4: Source: SAP

 

On the webcast, SAP said you get a complete picture in real time – get 360 degree reporting without duplication

 

Using Cloud for Analytics – new capabilities – a Cloud BI application, acquire data and store in Cloud- data duplication

 

In Cloud for Analytics – hybrid mode – online connectivity to backend system such as HANA or BW – in these scenarios you can connect to live system and get real time information. Using HANA you can have one reporting environment

Figure 5: Source: SAP

 

Maximize impact on audience

 

It is not just about the software but how it is presented

 

Idea is in the boardroom, you have 3 large 65 inch screens, side-by-side

 

Screens are touch-enabled, similar to your tablet, phone, pinch, swipe

 

Left is the overview

 

Middle – main and exploratory screen

 

Right is the context screen

Figure 6: Source: SAP

 

Content is from different business areas aligned on a single semantic model

 

Directly connected to local SAP S/4HANA, SAP HANA and SAP BW platform content, or Other Data Sources through Smart Data Integration

 

Align decisions to one source of the truth across business areas

 

From data sources in real time so everyone sees the same information

Figure 7: Source: SAP

 

“Instant data-driven insights” include “simulations, what-if analysis – what impact to your decisions are”

Figure 8: Source: SAP

 

Answer ad-hoc questions on the fly

 

Data exploration – have screens and visualizations  — visualizations are not static, they can be interacted with  and perform what-if analysis scenarios through data exploration and find root causes

Figure 9: Source: SAP

 

Intuitive and powerful analytical exploration capabilities with simple user interface

 

Drill down to lowest line item level in system of records

Figure 10: Source: SAP

 

Planned for this year is the value driver tree to perform what-if analysis scenarios through data exploration and simulations based on planning models

 

Create financial formulas to model business and model how company derives revenue, profit, and see impact on KPI’s by changing one of the influence drivers defined

Figure 11: Source: SAP

 

Simplified boardroom process – reduce preparation, effort, and includes a touch experience

Figure 12: Source: SAP

 

This is a photo of the solution with the 3 screens that are touch-enabled

 

Reusable content

 

Built in design best practices

Figure 13: Source: SAP

 

Reduce boardroom prep and effort, with an interactive agenda, created through an agenda builder, define agenda, and hyperlinks to overview dashboards and contextual information

 

Present based on agenda

 

Not just show predefined stories, free to answer ad-hoc questions

Figure 14: Source: SAP

 

SAP Digital Boardroom is part of the SAP Cloud for Analytics suite, delivering “ visibility for the executive management team”

 

It is for the top floor to the shop floor

 

You can use this as a status cockpit

Figure 15: Source: SAP

 

• End to end predefined content from transactions to visualizations
• Optional Services offering to kick-start deployment

 

Planned innovation – connect to S4/HANA – connect to CDS views to model data and able to leverage those models in Cloud for Analytics

Figure 16: Source: SAP

 

Uses Cloud for Analytics modeling capabilities, planning, BI

 

Planned predictive, GRC

 

Ability to connect to cloud and on-premise

Figure 17: Source: SAP

 

Online connectivity allows you to leave data “in place” or in HCP

 

Can query on premise; the browser connects to C4A and data sources

 

If your browser is behind firewall, then when query data then the data doesn’t have to go up to cloud to browser

 

It is using the INa protocol with a reverse proxy which sits in your firewall

Figure 18: Source: SAP

 

Online mode without replication

 

On the right with data acquisition mode – good for data preparation

 

Implementation Strategy

Figure 19: Source: SAP

 

Prepare, plan, maybe do a design thinking workshop

 

SAP offers services

Figure 20: Source: SAP

 

You can do a value prototyping exercise based on best practices and load your data into that scenario

Figure 21: Source: SAP

 

SAP Runs SAP

 

SAP CFO Luca Mucic uses

 

It is cloud app, do not need expensive IT department, access data in real-time

Figure 22: Source: SAP

 

No notes on this one, but a recap

Figure 23: Source: SAP

 

Example from SAP with what if was shown during a live demo

 

Agenda screen, first order of business

Cloud application, in hybrid, and going against on premise data, live in real time, against 750M rows of data

 

Question & Answer

 

Is it only available in S/4 HANA ?	No this is not limited to S/4 HANA. Multiple connections are supported
are you able to filter from that main “Agenda” screen?	not from agenda builder but yes on the next story pages
What is the relationship between digital boardroom and Lumira or design studio?	Ty Millers’ webcast in this series has a great overview that will help answer this question – comparing Cloud for Analytics, Lumira and Design Studio. The webcast recording in on line at ASUG.comhttps://www.asug.com/discussions/docs/DOC-43265
Is this SAP’s tool to compete against QlikView, Tableau, Spotfire? some of the visualizations seem similar to those tools	sure Agile Visualization. The others are primary desktop on premise
yes in the 3 screen display, can you filter across all visualizations simultaneously?	will follow but don’t think so. Filtering within a single screen
I don’t want my data to go to the cloud, can boardroom read from my BW on HANA DB?	Yes
It seems that the boardroom content has to be planned, built, tested, moved to Prod. How would this work for ad-hoc content? Our leadership will want different measures and market data right off the press, with ppts put together hours before the meeting	yes is agile
Does Digital Boardroom security framework integrate with Cloud for Analytics? or HANA?	Digital Boardroom is Cloud for Analytics and can leverage HANA security

 

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