Overview of the Newest Innovations in SAP Analytics Cloud Q3 2020

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This blog post is based on a webinar for SAP Analytics Cloud – “What’s New in SAP Analytics Cloud Q3 2020”.

At SAP, we constantly innovate to bring the latest features to your fingertips. This blog post will provide you with an overview of the newest innovations in Q3 2020 for SAP Analytics Cloud in 4 key areas:

• Business Intelligence


• Analytics Designer


• Smart Features


• Planning

Join the discussion below: What would you like to see for the future of SAP Analytics Cloud?

Business Intelligence:

• String functions. The string function helps to manipulate strings and create calculated dimensions at a story level instead of a data source level, as shown in the image below. This is specifically useful when you’d like to change the name of an item on a chart to help with the cross-cultural understanding of your dashboard or to create additional columns within charts and split information. To learn more about string functions, including a detailed demo, refer to 2:40 of the webinar.
  
  
  
  • Tip: To see what string functions are available in SAP Analytics Cloud, press control and the space-bar at the same time in the calculation editor. 
  
  
  
  

• Styling Panel. Labels in charts can be difficult to read due to many styling related issues. Data labels can be too large, charts can have conflicting colors, or data points can be too condensed. Now, the Styling Panel allows you to add data label backgrounds colors with the ability to decrease the opacity. To see this update in action, go to 8:35 of the webinar.


• Explorer View. As a designer, you’ll likely want the viewer to be able to change the design and structure of your table. Once you enable Explorer View and click “Configure Measures & Dimensions”, you’ll see the new feature – a checkbox which, by default, only shows dimensions which are used in the table when explorer loads. This speeds up loading time, improving your application’s user experience. Visit 10:05 to view a demo of this new feature.

• Paste Filter Values. “Paste Filter Values” allows you to search and filter through multiple values and choose whether to append or overwrite the existing selection. This feature makes it much easier and quicker to make changes to story and page filter selections, especially when working with a large list of values. To see a detailed demo of this feature visit 12:00 of the webinar.

 

Analytics Designer:

• Integration with the SAP Analytics Cloud Mobile iOS app. The SAP Analytics Cloud iOS app is optimized to enhance your building and viewing experience. You can now use swipe gestures to navigate from one tab to another. Viewing your charts in the new full screen mode makes it easier to analyze your charts as a whole. Also, full screen mode allows you to sort, rank, filter, and exclude data from a chart and input your analyzed values into your dashboard. You can also swipe on an application within the app to view the application details, share it through messages and emails, and mark the application as a favorite. To learn more about the SAP Analytics Cloud mobile iOS app, refer to 19:08 of the webinar.

• Loading invisible widgets in the background. Now, the invisible widgets will be loaded in the background and only the visible widgets will be loaded for the start-up. This new feature has accelerated the start-up performance exponentially. To see a side-by-side comparison of the loading time of the new feature compared to the previous version, go to 24:25 of the webinar.


• Navigation panel. The new update allows you to add and remove key figures from your table. Within the navigation panel, you can now drag and drop rows to change the sequence of the dimensions easily. Visit 29:20 to view a demo.

 

Smart Features – Predictive Planning:

• Predictive Planning. Predictive Planning consists of using previously collected data to help enhance and equip your business for the future through forecasting activities.


• Major use cases of Predictive Planning. Predictive Planning helps in 3 key areas, expense and cost planning, revenue and sales planning, and headcount planning. Additionally, there are key differentiators of predictive planning with SAP Analytics Cloud, which includes creating smart, integrated, scalable, and trusted models. Go to 36:17 of the webinar to learn more about the use cases and key differentiators.

• To see a live demo on using Predictive Planning in SAP Analytics Cloud, please refer to 38:45 of the webinar.

 

Planning:

• Commenting Widget. The new Commenting Widget is content specific in your model. With this new feature, each commenting widget can refer to a different area or dimension of your chart. If you have an area of your chart with the specific context in your commenting widget, the comment thread will also display in your chart. You can enter comments or responses directly into the widget. To see a demo on how to use the new widget, go to 43:45 of the webinar.

• Planning Panel. The new update has replaced several of the spreading menu items with a single user experience. To access this new capability, you can either select the “Distributed Values” item in your menu or you can right click on a value within your chart. If you click a context specific value, it assumes that the value is the source of your spread and presents the typical spreads you would assume with that value. To see a detailed demo on how to use this new feature go to 45:15 of the webinar.

• Value Driver Tree Story Widget. Now you can create Value Driver Trees directly in your story based on model and story calculations. Previously, the modelling paradigm was separate, but now, we have taken the widget and created the paradigm completely within the story. To see this update in action visit 48:18 of the webinar.

• Scheduling Data Actions. With the new Data Action Task, you now have the ability create and edit tasks within your story, and automatically publish a them upon completion. To see a demo on how to use this feature, visit 50:55.

For a detailed demo on how to use these new features in SAP Analytics Cloud watch this digital webcast with product experts Joshua Sacks, Jie Deng, Antoine Chabert, and Scott Godfree. Join the discussion below and share what you would like to see for the future of SAP Analytics Cloud!