This blog covers some of the latest new features and enhancements in SAP Analytics Cloud* and SAP Digital Boardroom release 2017.12.
SAP Analytics Cloud agent version required for data acquisition with this release:
For more information, see System Requirements and Technical Prerequisites.
Highlights of this release:
Learn with our latest video tutorials
Accelerate your go-live with our latest SAP Analytics Cloud content, free of charge to all SAP Analytics Cloud customers. Our content packages are designed by our industry and line of business experts to help you get a jump start with best practices, templates, data models, and much more.
Are you working on purpose-built data marts, POCs, or in any other situation where user-specific data restrictions are not required?
Now when you are creating live data connections to SAP S/4HANA Cloud or to an SAP HANA database hosted in SAP Cloud Platform, you can save time and effort by securely storing a specific set of user credentials with the connection. This will allow all users on your system to refresh stories and query whatever data those user credentials are authorized to access from the connection, without having to supply their own credentials.
You can now schedule the export of models to a file server location in addition to the local file repository. To use this feature, you will need an existing file server connection, and your tenant administrator will also need to enable this functionality via the “Allow model import from File Server” toggle on the System Configuration tab under System > Administration.
Once the toggle is enabled, you can select a model under Browse > Models, click the Export Data icon, and schedule the export by selecting Export Model As File > Create New Schedule.
Several improvements have been made to the Modeler formula editor, including a new syntax tree that allows you to navigate more easily to a node of interest, and better hints for functions and operators.
You can now add borders around tiles on a canvas page to improve the readability of your stories. Choose from options like the border style (dotted, dashed, solid, etc.), color, and line width.
Tile borders can be added or modified individually using the Styling Panel, or within Story Preferences.
Variance is a powerful tool for analyzing data, but it can also be a little tricky to use if you are new to the feature. Based on your feedback, we’ve now improved the way SAP Analytics Cloud handles invalid/unsupported variance types. If you have an invalid variance, it will be displayed in red in the Builder Panel. In addition, depending on the chart type, we now have smarter fallback behavior — an unsupported variance type will be automatically switched with the last valid variance type when you click outside the Builder Panel.
For a times series forecast to consider additional measures, these measures must have values in the future periods. We have now added a notification help you see more easily where you are missing future values.
New date options are now available when you create or edit a currency conversion in the Calculation Editor, allowing you to apply a rate from a year, quarter, or month before or after the date for each value.
For example, if you want to use conversion rates from one year before each value’s booking date, select Booking Date - 1 and choose Year as the interval.
In this release, we’re pleased to bring you a couple of new enhancements for input task forms:
*SAP Analytics Cloud was previously known as SAP BusinessObjects Cloud
**Legal disclaimer
SAP has no obligation to pursue any course of business outlined in this blog or any related presentation, or to develop or release any functionality mentioned therein. This blog, or any related presentation and SAP’s possible future developments, products and or platforms directions and functionality are all subject to change and may be changed by SAP at any time for any reason without notice. The information in this blog is not a commitment, promise or legal obligation to deliver any material, code, or functionality. This blog is provided without a warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. This blog is for informational purposes and may not be incorporated into a contract. SAP assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in this document, except if such damages were caused by SAP’s willful misconduct or gross negligence.
All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions.
SAP Analytics Cloud agent version required for data acquisition with this release:
- Version 1.0.63 for the new “export models to a file server location ” feature
- Version 1.0.59 for SAP Business Warehouse (BW)
- Version 1.0.57 for SAP ERP / SQL databases
- Version 1.0.51 for all other data source types
- Note: Although it is not required, you can upgrade to the new agent version 1.0.63, no matter what data acquisition type you use. Do this to take advantage of updates made to SAP Analytics Cloud agent.
For more information, see System Requirements and Technical Prerequisites.
Highlights of this release:
- New content for industries and lines of business
- Shared logins for live connections to SAP S/4HANA Cloud or SAP HANA on SCP
- Schedule export of models to a file server location
- Usability improvements in the Modeling formula bar
- Tile borders
- Improved limitation handling and fallback behavior for variances
- Improved UX for selecting inputs in time series forecasting
- New date options for currency conversion
- Input form enhancements
Learn with our latest video tutorials
- Add an R visualization to a story
- Set up linked analysis between charts and tables in a story
- Use Smart Discovery and Smart Insights in a story
- Full tutorial playlist >
SAP Analytics Cloud Content
New content for industries and lines of business
Accelerate your go-live with our latest SAP Analytics Cloud content, free of charge to all SAP Analytics Cloud customers. Our content packages are designed by our industry and line of business experts to help you get a jump start with best practices, templates, data models, and much more.
Core: Data Integration
Shared logins for live connections to SAP S/4HANA Cloud or SAP HANA on SCP
Are you working on purpose-built data marts, POCs, or in any other situation where user-specific data restrictions are not required?
Now when you are creating live data connections to SAP S/4HANA Cloud or to an SAP HANA database hosted in SAP Cloud Platform, you can save time and effort by securely storing a specific set of user credentials with the connection. This will allow all users on your system to refresh stories and query whatever data those user credentials are authorized to access from the connection, without having to supply their own credentials.
- Learn more about live data connections
- Learn how to create a direct live data connection to SAP HANA (video tutorial)
Schedule export of models to a file server location
You can now schedule the export of models to a file server location in addition to the local file repository. To use this feature, you will need an existing file server connection, and your tenant administrator will also need to enable this functionality via the “Allow model import from File Server” toggle on the System Configuration tab under System > Administration.
Once the toggle is enabled, you can select a model under Browse > Models, click the Export Data icon, and schedule the export by selecting Export Model As File > Create New Schedule.
Core: Modeling
Usability improvements in the Modeling formula bar
Several improvements have been made to the Modeler formula editor, including a new syntax tree that allows you to navigate more easily to a node of interest, and better hints for functions and operators.
Core: Data Analysis, Stories, and Tables
Tile borders
You can now add borders around tiles on a canvas page to improve the readability of your stories. Choose from options like the border style (dotted, dashed, solid, etc.), color, and line width.
Tile borders can be added or modified individually using the Styling Panel, or within Story Preferences.
- Please note that tile borders are currently not supported for mobile devices.
- Learn more about styling tiles
Improved limitation handling and fallback behavior for variances
Variance is a powerful tool for analyzing data, but it can also be a little tricky to use if you are new to the feature. Based on your feedback, we’ve now improved the way SAP Analytics Cloud handles invalid/unsupported variance types. If you have an invalid variance, it will be displayed in red in the Builder Panel. In addition, depending on the chart type, we now have smarter fallback behavior — an unsupported variance type will be automatically switched with the last valid variance type when you click outside the Builder Panel.
Predictive
Improved UX for selecting inputs in time series forecasting
For a times series forecast to consider additional measures, these measures must have values in the future periods. We have now added a notification help you see more easily where you are missing future values.
- Learn how to run a forecast in a time series chart
- Learn how to add a predictive forecast to a trend time series chart (video tutorial)
Planning
New date options for currency conversion
New date options are now available when you create or edit a currency conversion in the Calculation Editor, allowing you to apply a rate from a year, quarter, or month before or after the date for each value.
For example, if you want to use conversion rates from one year before each value’s booking date, select Booking Date - 1 and choose Year as the interval.
- Learn more about displaying currencies in tables
- Learn how to manage model currency settings and currency conversion tables (video tutorial)
Input form enhancements
In this release, we’re pleased to bring you a couple of new enhancements for input task forms:
- For input forms, your assignees can now provide data for areas that are unbooked.
- You can now use the calculation dimension in input forms. Please note this applies to restricted calculations in a forecast layout only, not to formula-based calculations.
Additional resources:
- Video tutorials
- Events and recordings
- SAP BusinessObjects help resources
- Official roadmap contains more info on future plans, subject to change.
Previous feature summary blogs:
- SAP BusinessObjects Cloud release 2017.11
- SAP BusinessObjects Cloud release 2017.10
- SAP BusinessObjects Cloud release 2017.09
- More >
*SAP Analytics Cloud was previously known as SAP BusinessObjects Cloud
**Legal disclaimer
SAP has no obligation to pursue any course of business outlined in this blog or any related presentation, or to develop or release any functionality mentioned therein. This blog, or any related presentation and SAP’s possible future developments, products and or platforms directions and functionality are all subject to change and may be changed by SAP at any time for any reason without notice. The information in this blog is not a commitment, promise or legal obligation to deliver any material, code, or functionality. This blog is provided without a warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. This blog is for informational purposes and may not be incorporated into a contract. SAP assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in this document, except if such damages were caused by SAP’s willful misconduct or gross negligence.
All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions.
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