What’s New in SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Digital Boardroom Q4 2021

This blog post covers some of the latest features and enhancements in SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Digital Boardroom from the Q4 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

SAP Analytics Cloud fully supports Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome for all activities and areas of viewing, authoring, and administration.

Be sure to upgrade to the latest SAP Analytics Cloud agent version 1.0.335 to take advantage of all the data acquisition types.

For more information, check out the following System Requirements and Technical Prerequisites. 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

Top Feature Highlights

• Data Discovery: Data Analyzer Access from the Side Navigation Bar
• Dashboard and Story Design: Best Practice Performance Tips for Story Designers
• Enterprise Planning: New Planning Area for Data Entry
• Mobile Analytics: Analytics Catalog on Mobile iOS App
• Add-In for Microsoft Office: Microsoft Office Add-In for SAP Data Warehouse Cloud

Click on the listed links to learn about each feature update in Q4 2021. Alternatively, check out this SAP Analytics Cloud Product Plan and watch the SAP Analytics Cloud Product Updates Video below for more information as well.

Additional Feature Updates

• Data Integration
  • Live Connections to SAP Business Warehouse
    • Enable and Disable SAP BW Query Conditions in Table Visualizations
    • Configure Text Display Options in Tables
• Data Discovery
  • Utilize Data Analyzer as a Module for Data Exploration
  • Set Number Formatting for Specific Measures in Data Analyzer
• Dashboard and Story Design
  • Enable Search to Insight in Optimized View Mode
  • Add Images into Table Cells for SAP Business Warehouse Models
  • Link on Matching Parent-Child Hierarchies in SAP Business Warehouse Models
  • Leverage Story Viewer Context Menu for Filters in Optimized View Mode
  • Utilize Dynamic Text Team Signature
  • Adjust Default Setting for Tab Navigation in Story View Time
  • Explore New Features of Optimized View Mode
  • Include Story and Page Filters in Measure-Based Calculated Dimensions
  • Leverage New Features of Optimized View Mode
  • Stabilize Front-End Client Calculations in Tables
  • Use Thresholds and Cross Calculations in Charts
  • Explore New Features of Optimized View Mode
  • Convert Currencies in Optimized View Mode
• Reporting
  • Apply New Reporting Layout Designs to Canvas Stories
• Enterprise Planning
  
  • Set Monthly Recurring Calendar Events
  • Plan against Dimension Properties on Unbooked Combinations
  • Decline Calendar Events as Assignee or Reviewer
  • Schedule Multi Action Tasks as Calendar Events
  • Enable a Currency Variable for the New Model
  • Populate Multi Action Parameters from Story Context
  • Transfer Multi Actions between Systems
  • Define Recommended Planning Area in Version Management
  • Add Automatic Calendar Tasks to Parent Processes
  • Leverage New User Interface of Calendar Wizard
• Augmented Analytics
  • Smart Assist
    • Leverage Improved Smart Insights Coverage for Live HANA Models
  • Smart Predict
    • Create Predictive Forecasts based on Hierarchy Node Selections
• Analytics Design
  • Display Images in Table Cells for SAP Business Warehouse Models
  • Access Data Source Information with the getInfo() API
  • Refresh Active Widgets Only in Charts and Tables
  • Enable Calendar Task Utility APIs
  • Integrate a Planning Area in Analytics Designer copy() API
  • Manage Links among Widgets in Linked Analysis Diagrams
• Mobile Analytics
  • Access Analytics Catalog in Mobile App on iOS
  • Allow Editing in the Tenant URL Screen with Default URL Policy applied by MDM
• Analytics Platform Services
  • Leverage Analytics Workspaces GA
  • Enable Warning Notification when Network is Offline
  • Apply Rich Text Formatting to Scheduled Messages
  • Access All Resource Types in My Files across Workspaces
  • Bring Your Own Key to SAP Analytics Cloud
• Analytics Cataloging
  
  • Customize the Layout of Catalog Cards with Rich Text Editor
  • Leverage Filter Enhancements in the Catalog
• Add-In for Microsoft Office
  • Apply Repetition of Member Values in Microsoft Excel Tables
  • Report and Plan on New Models

Top Feature Highlights

Data Discovery

Data Analyzer Access from the Side Navigation Bar

For this quarterly release, you can now click into the Data Analyzer from the side navigation panel. Under the Start New section, connect to either a data source or an existing model to use the Data Analyzer as a standalone exploration tool with the new starting page. You can also browse through a list of Recent Files and open existing insights for any further data exploration and maintenance.

Dashboard and Story Design

Best Practice Performance Tips for Story Designers

Additionally, story designers are now guided with best practice performance tips to ensure optimal story design. Note that these tips are only visible in Edit Mode. The performance optimization tips are provided as optional recommendations for story designers to apply throughout the content creation process at your own discretion. A notification icon will pop up to:

• Notify story designers to enable Optimized View Mode
• Notify story designers when too many pages are added to a story
• Notify story designers when too many widgets are added to a page
• Notify story designers to collapse page filter input controls

Enterprise Planning

New Planning Area for Data Entry

We are also introducing the Planning Area to optimize data entry and version copy performance. You can enable the Planning Area on a given model by selecting the toggle for Optimize Recommended Planning Area within Model Preferences under Data and Performance. Note that the scope of the Planning Area can be based on existing Data Access Control and/or Data Locking configurations.

This new concept for planning models reduces the amount of data and time necessary to create a private version or to edit a public version. Likewise, the Planning Area improves general version editing time for large data sets. It also simplifies planning workflows with enhanced visual cues for editable data while blocking data entry to non-editable cells.

Mobile Analytics

Analytics Catalog on Mobile iOS App

Another addition to this quarter is the Analytics Catalog in the SAP Analytics Cloud Mobile iOS App. You can now have a uniform experience with accessing responsive stories and designer applications on mobile devices as you would from the web version. By selecting the Analytics Catalog tab in the SAP Analytics Cloud Mobile iOS App, you have the ability to:

• Search through a list of published catalogs
• Open associated files and supported content types
• Sort list by recently added, most viewed, and alphabetical order
• Enable the overall Analytics Catalog as a default tab

Add-In for Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office Add-In for SAP Data Warehouse Cloud

Last but not least for this quarterly release, you can connect to live SAP Data Warehouse Cloud data sets using Microsoft Excel on both desktop and online versions for more flexibility. The Builder panel is available along with the functions to sort, expand, and collapse hierarchies and filter based on rankings. You now have the full power of Microsoft Excel, including complex formulas, all for your live SAP Data Warehouse Cloud data sets.

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.