The Power of SAP S/4HANA #6 – Actual Maintenance Cost Analysis

Tracking maintenance costs is key for an efficiently run business. In traditional ERP systems, standard reports usually do not offer enough flexibility to provide a thorough analysis. Very often a data export into an external reporting tool is required, meaning, that the analysis might be outdated by the time it is complete.

SAP S/4HANA offers you a solution for this business challenge. The new Actual Maintenance Cost Analysis app uses real-time data providing you with the insights you require to take immediate action. This is achieved by presenting business operations and business analytics in one dashboard.

When you open the application, you are greeted with the default overview page. Depending on your setting, the filter bar on the top of the page has either the classical appearance (compact filter), or as in our example a visual filter. Below that you find an area where the data is visualized. Here you have a selection of 10+ different chart types. At the bottom of the screen you see the transaction documents – in this case maintenance orders.

There is no need to complete or settle the maintenance order, as soon as it has actual cost involved, the entry appears in the list and the values are updated. This can occur in a number of ways – as with traditional ERP – for example, by posting a goods receipt for a purchase order related to the maintenance order or by confirming the time for one of the operations.

To further filter data, just click on the elements inside the graphics as the documents and charts interact with each other and the data points, bars etc. inside the chart can be used as filters.

The dashboard also allows for direct interaction with the documents. By clicking on the maintenance order, you will see a list of possible actions you can take. The items on the list depend on the settings of the user, as every user can configure the list to match their preferences in the app.

Examples include:

• Change Maintenance Order
• Display Maintenance Order
• Display Material Availability
• Run Actual Settlement

Creating a custom view to match the user preferences is quick and easy and is open to all users. Objects you can change on the screen include – among other things:

• Filter type
• Chart Type
• Measures
• Axis dimensions

View the flexibility by comparing the two screenshots below, taken in the same app.

The app allows you to slice and dice data. You could, for example start with a yearly overview, then break it down by month. Or you could decide to visualize the monthly costs per work center or plant. Drill down further, breaking down the costs of a plant per technical object type or by equipment. Once again, I would like invite you to take a look at the screenshots: on the left you have a high level yearly summary, on the right a breakdown of cost per equipment.

Once you have configured a view that you would like to use more often and perhaps even share with colleagues you have multiple options available:

• Send the page to one of you co-workers by clicking the share button
• Save the view as a Fiori Tile on your Fiori Home Page
• Save the view as a variant, with the options to make it default or even public

The new Actual Maintenance Cost Analysis empowers maintenance planners with real-time insight and allows to act proactively. Watch the video to get a first impression.

The introduced app is only one of the manifold innovations enabled by SAP S/4HANA. To find out more, stay tuned for our upcoming videos and blogs and feel free to have a look here:

SAP S/4HANA Feature Scope Description: http://spr.ly/6009Ds0UT

SAP Fiori Application Library: http://spr.ly/6006Ds0Uw

SAP S/4HANA Trials: http://spr.ly/6005Ds0Uc