What’s New in SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Digital Boardroom Release Q3 2021

This blog post covers the new features and enhancements in SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Digital Boardroom from the Q3 2021 Quarterly Release Cycle (QRC).

Please note that the SAP Analytics Cloud Help Portal 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.

Technical Requirements

Be sure to upgrade to the latest SAP Analytics Cloud agent version 1.0.329 to take advantage of all the data acquisition types. Here are the minimum data acquisition requirements:

• Version 1.0.99 for SAP ERP/SQL Database
• Version 1.0.91 for SAP Universe (UNX)
• Version 1.0.233 for SAP Business Warehouse (BW)
• Version 1.0.235 for SAP HANA View
• Version 1.0.248 for File Server
• Version 1.0.75 for all other data source types

SAP Analytics Cloud fully supports Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome for all activities and areas of viewing, authoring, and administration. For more information, review the following System Requirements and Technical Prerequisites.

Top Feature Highlights

• Analytics Platform Services: Simplified Navigation
• Dashboard and Story Design: Optimized Story Viewer
• Business Content Delivery: Operational Workforce Planning
• Augmented Analytics: Smart Predict/Predictive Planning
• Enterprise Planning: Multi Actions

Click on the listed links to learn more about each feature update in Q3 2021. Alternatively, check out this SAP Analytics Cloud Product Plan and watch the What’s New Video below for further information as well.

Additional Feature Updates

• Data Integration
  • Import Connections
    • Enable Universal Model Fact Data Import Setting Options
• Data Modeling
  • Filter and Display Calculation Results Hierarchical in Calculation Preview
  • Import Data in Fiscal Period Format to the New Model
• Dashboard and Story Design
  • Data Visualization
    • Optimized Presentation for New Tables
    • Support Independent Rank on Single Dimension with Multiple Dimensions on Charts
    • Optimized View Mode Incremental Update
    • Switch Display Options for Dimensions using Universal Display Hierarchies
    • Define the Priority and Definition of Table Calculations
    • Apply Null and Zero Suppressions for Measure and Planning Models
    • Ignore Null Values in Table Calculations
    • Enable Optimized View Mode for Certain Live Data Models
    • Leverage Active View Port Rendering in Optimized View Mode
• Reporting
  • Sections Preferences
  • Create Linked Dimensions on ID for Parent Child Hierarchy Dimensions
  • Schedule Paginated Table and Section to Export Data
• Enterprise Planning
  
  • Adding Teams to Calendar Events
  • Easier Creation of Process Hierarchies
  • New Recurrence Pattern for Calendar Tasks: Minute
  • Copy Data Point Comments between Versions
  • Leverage Negative Reference Values in Structured Allocation
  • Include Value Driver Trees in Stories as PDF Exports
  • Activate Planning Event Sequences through Multi Actions
  • Leverage Models with Measures in Structured Allocations
  • Leverage Models with Measures in Value Driver Trees
  • Reopen Closed Calendar Events for Follow-Up Adjustments
  • Use Specific Number and Exit Conditions in Advanced Formulas
• Augmented Analytics
  • Smart Predict
    • Identify the Main Factors Influencing Individual Predictions
  • Predictive Planning
    • Detect Multiple Linear Trends in Time Series Forecasting Models
    • Refine Predictive Forecasts with Influencer Variables
• Analytics Design
  • Bookmark Property Support with Script API
  • Opening Bookmark/Application Sharing Dialog at Runtime
  • Leverage Graphical Visualization of Performance Logging Information
  • Configure Sandbox Restrictions for Web Page Widget
  • Save Insights from Data Analyzer into Private Files for Viewer Users
  • Add Input Control as a Dimension Member Filter
  • Manage Calendar Task Integrations at Application Runtime
  • Remove Default Filters from SAP Business Warehouse Query in Data Analyzer
• Mobile Analytics
  • Access Responsive Stories enabled with Optimized iOS based on Live SAP Data Warehouse Cloud Connection
  • Access Responsive Stories enabled with Optimized iOS based on Live SAP HANA Cloud Connection
  • Manage Lifecycle of Personal Bookmarks on SAP Analytics Cloud Mobile App
• Analytics Platform Services
  • New Product Navigation for SAP Analytics Cloud
  • Select Default Page Navigation Style Options
• Analytics Cataloging
  
  • Requesting and Granting Access to Content in the Catalog
  • Surfacing Catalog View in Creation Workflow
  • Flag Content Link Resource Type for Translation
• Add-In for Microsoft Office
  • Value Sorting
  • Work with Hierarchies
  • Filtering Data: Member Selector in Search
  • Locate Invalid Data Entries from the Error Pane Overview
  • Set Ranking Directions for Table Data Values
  • Enable Search and Display Options with Member Selector Enhancements

Top Feature Highlights

Analytics Platform Services

Simplified Navigation

For Q3 2021, a new and improved user experience has been introduced to meet the needs of every user with a more consistent and seamless design. There are three main navigation improvements to streamline how you interact with SAP Analytics Cloud:

• A simplified navigation sidebar that offers easier access to your applications with flexible display options so you can get the most out of your screen space. You can also right click to open the side navigation in a new browser tab.
• A unified top shell bar that provides an easy-to-read breadcrumb navigation to keep you oriented throughout any part of your folder path. Likewise, there is a new actions menu with suggested shortcuts based on your opened file.
• And a consistent content creation experience across your applications through single-entry start pages that allow you to browse through recent files and create new projects from a blank file or a template all in the same place.

These interface updates optimize the interconnected workflows throughout your data, analytics, and administration tools. For more information on the New Product Navigation, check out this IT Handbook on Design Changes for SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Data Warehouse Cloud.

Dashboard and Story Design

Optimized Story Viewer

You can now enable Optimized View Mode for live SAP HANA, HANA Cloud, Acquired Analytic, and Business Warehouse data models on a per story basis. This feature improves the usability for filters and widget interactions as well as the performance of dashboards in certain scenarios.

Active Viewport Rendering is the new default rendering behaviour in Optimized View Mode. Only objects that are visible on-screen will be rendered while all objects outside of the viewport will be paused until you modify the active viewport by scrolling in the dashboard. There are also many other performance and usability improvements such as the ghost loading indicator, tooltip experience, and your ability to undo or redo previous actions when interacting with stories.

For additional information on the Optimized Story Viewer experience, check out the following resources:

• Enabling Optimized View Mode
• Optimized View Mode Limitations
• Experience Performance and Usability Improvements with SAP Analytics Cloud Stories
• The New Rendering Experience – Active Viewport Rendering

Business Content Delivery

Operational Workforce Planning

A new arrival to the Business Content Center in Q3 2021 is Operational Workforce Planning. This content package offers a highly customizable solution for your organization to drive agile financial, operational, and talent decisions amidst rapidly changing business conditions.

Operational Workforce Planning supports standard human resource planning for both top-down and bottom-up processes such as headcount and full-time equivalent (FTE) planning, position level planning, personnel cost planning, and contingent workforce planning.

And while Operational Workforce Planning is optimized for SAP SuccessFactors and SAP S/4 HANA, it also has the ability to integrate with other extended planning and analysis content packages such as Integrated Financial Planning.

Augmented Analytics

Smart Predict/Predictive Planning

You can now implement automated time series techniques that mitigate disruption to business time series analyses caused by unpredictable external events. This feature keeps the planner aware of when disruptions are detected to enable more robust predictive forecasts and to optimize data-driven business decisions.

You can further refine your predictive forecasts by using the Influencers setting that allows you to select which influencer variables to include before training the predictive planning model. This feature improves the accuracy of predictive forecasts by selecting the most relevant influencer variables to include based on any known and unknown business conditions.

For more details and examples of these Smart Predict/Predictive Planning enhancements, check out the following resources:

• Adapting Predictive Planning to the New Normal of Planning
• Leveraging Influencers to Improve Your Predictive Forecasts Accuracy in SAP Analytics Cloud

Enterprise Planning

Multi Actions

Multi Actions is a new orchestration engine for operations related to multistep planning which delivers the ability to create complex workflows across multiple components. For this Q3 2021 release, you can run a sequence of data actions and version management steps on one or more models or versions.

In the Story or Analytic Designer, you can trigger the Multi Actions execution with one click. You can also set the value in the trigger and configure the styling of the trigger. This feature reduces the manual efforts on the administrator and end user, and the overall operational costs.

For additional information on Multi Actions, check out the following resources:

• Automate a Planning Workflow Using Multi Actions
• Styling Options for Multi Action Triggers

This blog post provides a high-level overview of the latest features and enhancements in SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Digital Boardroom. For further details, please visit the SAP Analytics Cloud Help Portal and the SAP Analytics Cloud Road Map Explorer.