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There are so many variables and external influences that can cloud our judgment and decision-making. That’s why, when you see someone who is truly confident in their decision, the reason is invariably: Data.
Data provides confidence because it is objective and backs up new ideas with solid evidence. It helps ensure that decisions rise above our biases and emotions. Data allows people to do what they do best: be innovative and creative. For this reason, data is one of the most valuable resources an organization has, and it is why data should be leveraged by all users – both business and IT alike – at all levels of the organization.
It starts with one vision, one story, one unified strategy. SAP's Unified Data and Analytics is an end-to-end strategy that takes care of the entire data journey and gives data purpose.
In this demo, we see a concrete use case from the healthcare industry. We meet Kate, a Senior Data Analyst, who works in a fictional Pharmaceutical Supply Company. Kate’s role is to ensure that the five hospitals they support are accurately supplied with enough medical resources like masks, medical disinfectant, and PPE Gear.
Kate needs to ensure the hospitals have the supplies they need, as well as leverage intelligent allocation of resources to ensure each hospital meets consumer demand. But Kate struggles with common data roadblocks to meet these needs, such as:
Lack of self-service data
Shortage of intelligent insights
The inability to trust insights without the layer of real-time data.
Throughout the demo, we explore some of the SAP solutions that help Kate create an end-to-end data journey. The solutions allow her to know where to allocate her medical supplies and helps her create a more accurate forecast, so she can proactively respond to consumer demands before it develops into a crisis situation.
SAP HANA Cloud is a solution that can provide fast performance and integrate with data of any size, this solution holds the historical billing and sales data for Kate’s company.
In the beginning of the demo, as we move through the SAP HANA Database Explorer, we can see the table that stores the historical data by clicking through the tables in the Catalog. Kate analyzes this data to understand:
Which hospitals are ordering the most products, and
Which products are most in demand.
This can also be useful for other areas of the business, like manufacturing, to know to ensure they keep up with consumer demands.
To analyze this data, Kate uses a calculation view that she created in SAP Business Application Studio to aggregate the data in the tables and share that data through a live connection with SAP Analytics Cloud.
Self-service analytics
Kate chooses the SAP Analytics Cloud solution so that she can collaborate with all users across the business, including Sales, despite their varying levels of technical abilities.
SAP Analytics Cloud is built for the business user and provides self-service access for optimal ease of use. It is the ideal solution as it not only answers the requests from Sales, but it also provides Business Intelligence, Planning, and Predictive capabilities – three solutions in one!
In the demo, we can see the multiple connection options available, both Cloud and on-premise, as well as SAP and non-SAP possibilities. Once the connection is established, we change direction and focus on creating that accurate forecast.
Orchestrating third party data and forecast values
SAP Data Intelligence Cloud supports Kate by orchestrating her 3rd party data like real time ICU capacities, which can be used to predict which hospitals will need a high number of medical supply units. This data can be seen in the tables as we move through the Metadata Explorer. SAP Data Intelligence Cloud is a solution many users love because it allows them to create forecast pipelines using personalized algorithms, giving users full trust in the forecast values and confidence in their data.
The forecast pipeline is run through the Scenario Builder and once the forecast values are created, Kate can then use her historical SAP HANA Cloud data, real time ICU data, and the new forecast values to make quick business decisions, giving her data purpose.
Ensuring data governance and security
With so much data and multiple data sources being used, it’s important that both data governance and security is managed accordingly. SAP Data Warehouse Cloud not only ensures that the data is properly governed but is also still fully accessible to other areas of the business.
The Space Management area in SAP Data Warehouse Cloud provides a collaborative working environment in the cloud. Users can log into one single source of truth and access all the data they need, without having to rely on IT for permission.
As we move into the Data Builder, the demo shows how the forecast data is easily brought into the solution via the drag and drop graphical modelling tool. The solution provides a safe space for non-technical users to access and model the data they need, while IT ensures the data is still governed and security is kept.
Kate can now consume her forecast data in the analytics cloud and use it alongside her other data to get a full picture of what her data is telling her.
Putting it all together
Everything then comes together, so that we can see Kate’s Story in SAP Analytics Cloud, a designated area where Kate uses charts and graphs to analyze her data. The story clearly shows the current medical supply levels across the five different hospitals.
In addition, the forecast data compares to the actual data to empower Kate to respond to consumer demand in real-time and allocate medical supplies efficiently.
SAP's Unified Data and Analytics allows organizations to unite all their data, trust their data-driven insights to make an impact, and champion the path forward to take charge of their transformation to the cloud.
