What’s New in SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Digital Boardroom Release 2018.03
This blog covers some of the latest new features and enhancements in SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Digital Boardroom release 2018.03. Please note that the Analytics Cloud Help documentation is updated at the same time as the upgrade to this release, so the links here may not yet reflect what is described below until after the upgrade is complete.
SAP Analytics Cloud agent version required for data acquisition with this release:
- Version 1.0.85 for SAP Business Warehouse (BW)
- Version 1.0.91 for SAP ERP / SQL databases
- Version 1.0.75 for all other data source types
- Note: Although it is not required, you can upgrade to the new agent version 1.0.93, 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:
- Planning: Enhanced forecast layout
- Data Integration: Create freehand OData queries using the Query Builder
- Predictive: Insert dynamic text token in chart footer based on Smart Insights
- Digital Boardroom: Reset topic option
- Mobile: Support for dimension input controls
- Mobile: Disable mobile application password
- Mobile: Improved viewing options for stories across multiple devices
- Data Analysis, Stories, and Tables: Improved lane reflow in responsive pages
- Data Analysis, Stories, and Tables: Dimension and data labels for scatterplot
- Data Analysis, Stories, and Tables: Axis labels for time members reflecting hierarchy level
Learn with our latest video tutorials
- Create a model from SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics
- Apply filters to a chart in a story
- Apply filters to a geo map in a story
- Full tutorial playlist >
Planning
Enhanced forecast layout
Looking to simplify the maintenance of your plan input templates? Gone are the days of having to manually update each template to reflect the new roll over between actuals and forecast period for blended and rolling forecasts. Now, you can use a combination of formula based input controls, and the ability to create and refer to centrally maintained attributes on the category/version dimension to allow you to change the cutover date from actuals to plan for all planning reports/templates.
Learn more about forecast layouts
Data Integration
Create freehand OData queries using the Query Builder
Want increased power and flexibility when connecting to OData sources? In addition to the original “Build a Query” capabilities for OData, you now have the option of creating more tailored and powerful queries using the new “Freehand Query” capabilities.
In addition to all the functionality available within the standard query builder, the freehand query editor provides additional capabilities including:
• FunctionImport (execution of remote functions that reside at the data source)
• Prompts (allowing parameter passing as part of the query)
Learn more about building a query
Predictive
Insert dynamic text token in chart footer based on Smart Insights
You can now insert a dynamic text token in chart footers based on the Smart Insights feature and supplement your data visualizations by providing additional context behind the numbers. This helps you understand the most intricate parts of your data and see which factors provide the largest contributions to your visualization. You can also continue your data exploration by utilizing the additional entry point to the smart insight panel.
Learn more about smart insights
Digital Boardroom
Reset topic option
Oh no! Clicked the wrong filter? Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. In this update, we have added a reset topic option in the Context Menu that allows you to reset all changes made within a specific Digital Boardroom session. You can quickly reset any changes you have made to the current topic without having to reload the entire application to return the presentation to the original state.
Mobile
Support for dimension input controls
The mobile app now supports dimension and measure input controls, allowing users to switch dimensions or measures in a chart or table.
Learn more about creating dimension input controls
Disable mobile application password
Making logging in via mobile simpler! You can now disable the application password prompt for all mobile application users. Once a user sets up the mobile app on their device, they will no longer be prompted to re-enter their application password every time they go into the app.
Improved viewing options for stories across multiple devices
You can now use the device preview area of Stories to set different font sizes for the resolutions of different device types. Story designers can target how text is displayed for a single story when viewed across multiple mobile devices.
Data Analysis, Stories and Tables
Improved lane reflows in responsive pages
We have improved the reflow logic! Preserve the content layout and proportions in your responsive pages and have greater control of how your content is consumed on different devices. Our new reflow logic will ensure that your story not only looks visually appealing but also delivers a consistent message to all your content consumers.
Interested in learning more? Check out this post on improved lane reflows
Dimension and data labels for scatterplot
Scatter plot charts can now display:
• Dimension labels
• Data Labels
You also can display data labels for the highest and lowest values only! This will be available for both the x and y-axis and is available for the bubble chart. Being able to see min/max only gives you the ability to see the range of your data without making your chart overwhelming.
Axis labels for time members reflecting hierarchy level
The feature ensures charts with time dimension are easy to read and effortless to create. This is perfect for when you are comparing data with different data granularities. For example: If you want to compare total revenue in 2015 to Q3 2016
- Video tutorials
- Guided learning
- Events and recordings
- SAP Analytics Cloud help resources
- Official roadmap contains more info on future plans, subject to change.
Previous feature summary blogs:
- SAP Analytics Cloud release 2018.02
- SAP Analytics Cloud release 2018.01
- SAP Analytics Cloud release 2017.24
- SAP Analytics Cloud release 2017.23
- More >
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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.
This all looks very good and I hope it all works out for SAP and it's customers this time around....
What do I mean by that?
Many people are probably too young too remember, but this is not the first time SAP has come up with the idea of the "digital boardroom". The first time was round about 2002 as I recall, maybe even earlier.
At the time SAP did all these mock ups of boardrooms with huge monitors covering all the walls, filled with pie charts and the like. They said that within a few years all board meetings will be run this way, preferably using the brand new technology new dimension SAP product SEM (Strategic Enterprise Management). That SEM product did not live up to its hopes and is now defunct, with parts of it remaining in the ECC core.
I remember going to Deloitte Consulting headquarters in North Sydney that year and they had a life size mock up of a digital boardroom as well. People actually thought it was going to happen.
The question has to be - if boards of directors did not want it then, why do they want it now? Naturally the technology is going on twenty years better, but there would have to be some sort of shift in desire as well. As Mr Spock once said it is not much good having a massive improvement in a quantitative sense in your solution unless there is also a qualitative change in the nature of the problem.
He postulated that perhaps is someone got so much better all by itself then people would change their underlying natures in response.
As Stalin once said "quantity has a quality all of its own"
He (Spock not Stalin) was talking about how to ensure the evil mirror empire enslaved the galaxy forever whilst avoiding the fate of tyrannies throughout history, but the point is the same one. All the digital boardrooms in the universe would not have helped in that situation.
Yes that's right, one of our co-founders Hasso Plattner has had the enduring vision. The coming of age of "in-memory platforms" has helped materialise it.
I'm happy that you mention SEM, the company i worked for was an early-adopter too inc. implementing BW and CRM at a similar time.
Perhaps you'll recognise the Value Driver Tree , as that is of a similar vintage too, and therefore a resurfacing concept.
I'm afraid the subtleties of your prophesising are lost on me, are we happy or sad about recent product developments?
I remember the "driver tree" and the "balanced scorecard".
We were one of the two first SEM adopters in Australia, the other was the department of defense. As a brand new product it did not work very well, or indeed at all, at that point, However as a "ramp up" we had SAP staff on site to help.
Regardless of the technology though ... beta then, very advanced now 20 years on (so happy about product development and the POTENTIAL it has), the point I am making is .... has the desire on the business side that was not there then (2000) arrived now?
Generally I find many IT projects die not due to the catastrophic failure of the software (that is considered normal in some upper management circles) because that can be fixed but by a (sometimes subconscious) lack of desire to actually solve the business problem the project (software) was supposed to be addressing
What SEM was proposing was nothing new and it was anchored in well known concepts like Data Warehousing/Business Intelligence. I believe most SEM/BW/BI projects in the past failed or did not achieved what it was envisioned because people didn't know what they wanted in terms of producing insightful reports. I got tired of seeing BI implementations simply extracting data from ECC and presenting in slightly better-looking front-end...
Despite all improvements in the technology side with HANA/Analytics etc, without a proper re-definition of what the business wants/expects from the tool, no API in the world will help.
At the same time it all goes from a marketing appeal, e.g.: no-one talks about BI anymore, like BI was not a concept but a tool and has died with SEM, everything is Analytics now....
funny isn't it. BTW the 'death of BI' trend has been led by external analysts to some extent - (Gartner's magic quadrant for example) marginalises BI these days, probably on the assumption that it's pervasive/incumbent already.
regards, H
Agree with you, but it's a whole movement, not sure who's leading: there is a "rebranding" initiative by vendors to make more of the same look "new", most consultants I know don't want to be called BI anymore... lol, customers have re-branded departments to "insights" or "analytics"...
Haha so true! I've got a team near me called "Analytics & Insights" 😉
All the best, H
We need more robust APIs to support the SAP Analytics Cloud
I am really happy to say it’s an interesting post to read . I learn new information from your article , you are doing a great job . Keep it up
All the responsive tiles are have become less usable after this upgrade. You have to leave a huge space in the lane for dashboards to work with tables 🙁
Don't hesitate to reach out to the product support in case you encounter any problem at your end. I'm sure dev guys will be addressing your concerns. Cheers,
Mark
Hi Experts,
Currently is there any way we can set dynamic visibility for any chart?
My requirement is to hide few charts based on selection.
Thanks and Regards,
Rishabh
Hi Rishabh,
there is no such a feature yet. I'd suggest to raise this under our Customer Influence for SAP Analytics Cloud and Digital Boardroom.
Cheers, Mark
@Colin you say that: The mobile app now supports dimension and measure input controls, allowing users to switch dimensions or measures in a chart or table. Allowing for input control usage in tables is one of the features that I am most eagerly anticipating, but as far as I know, it is not available yet?