Product Information
SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office – Storage of workbooks
SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office workbooks can be saved locally, on SAP Business Warehouse or on the SAP Business Intelligence Platform. With 2.8 SP18 workbooks can be also saved on the SAP Analytics Cloud repository.
SAP Analytics Cloud as repository
When having the setting EnableSacAsRepository enabled, Analysis for Office users can store workbooks (xlsx and xlsm files) on the SAP Analytics Cloud file repository. In Analysis for Office the preferred platform must be Selectable or SAP Analytics Cloud.
To save the workbook in the SAP Analytics Cloud file repository navigate in Microsoft Excel to File and Analysis. There users find the option to save workbooks on SAP Analytics Cloud:
Save Workbook
After an SAP Analytics Cloud logon, the folders of the file repository are shown in which the workbook can be stored. Via right-click it is also possible to rename and delete Analysis Workbooks directly on the file repository. After saving a message toast will confirm the successful upload.
SAP Analytics Cloud folders
In SAP Analytics Cloud users can search and filter for Analysis Workbooks like the other artefacts e.g., stories. Also, workbooks can be shared with other users and added to the catalog. The SAP Analytics Cloud Content Network allows to move workbooks to different SAP Analytic Cloud tenants. For that scenario the SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office setting SystemTransportMap described in the previous blog is helpful.
SAP Analytics Cloud repository
Pre-requisite on SAP Analytics Cloud side is that the SAP Analytics Cloud tenant is running on Cloud Foundry and has at least version 2023.10 deployed. Also, the user needs to be assigned to a role which has the create permission Analysis Workbook enabled. For opening workbooks, the read permission is required.
Further helpful settings:
- RemoveDataBeforeSaving: To avoid that critical data within the workbook is stored on SAP Analytics Cloud the setting removes all data before the workbook is saved. When opening the workbook, the user first needs to refresh the data. This setting can be promoted to an perMachine setting, so that a business user cannot overwrite it in the components tab.
- SkipLogonToBIPDialog: The optional BI Platform logon is not shown anymore when the preferred platform is not set to Business Intelligence Platform.
More information in the Admin and User guide.
Logon to SAP Analytics Cloud
The SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office Edition for SAP Analytics Cloud requires a mandatory SAP Analytics Cloud logon before accessing any connection. With SP18 this logon is less strict when using connections to on-Premise backends, e.g. SAP BW, only. After a successful logon to the SAP Analytics Cloud tenant a token is stored locally for the user (%AppData% -> Local\SAP\Cof). As long this token is valid (max. 29 days) there is no further logon to SAP Analytics Cloud needed. SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office is trying to refresh the token in the background when Analysis is used (max. once per day).
Hint: The SAP Analytics Cloud URL for the logon is stored in the setting LastSelectedSacSystem.
Maintenance of SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office
Based on the latest SAP Analytics Business Intelligence Statement of Direction, also the support for SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office was extended to at least end of 2029. Even there is no further feature improvement planned, corrections for customer issues will be delivered regularly with upcoming support packages.
Sounds like great functionality. Couple of questions if anyone can help.
Do AO Workbooks stored in SAC need to access only SAC DataSources or can the AO Reports also access S4 DataSources as well?
With the AO Workbooks stored in SAC is there any performance issues with accessing SAC DataSources vs S4 DataSources?
Any ability to schedule workbook runs and saving results?
Thanks for any details you can provide.
Hi Ken,
you can connect against all data sources:
Regarding the performance: You need to download the workbook from SAC which leads to a couple of seconds for SAC authentication and download from SAC server to you local machine.
There is no plan for scheduling workbook runs on SAC.
Regards,
Steffen
Hi Steffen Heine !
Nice feature, long waited for. Thanks!
Dear Steffen,
thank you for the update.
Your blog says, that support of variants and precalculation/scheduling is not planned. I think this is a major disadvantage compared to BI platform. How could I schedule workbooks in the future? Do I have to run the BI platform in parallel to SAC?
If we store AfO-workbooks on Netweaver: Are they accessible from SAC?
Best regards,
Michael
Hello Michael,
you can make workbooks stored in Netweaver accessible in a sense, that you can add them to the SAP Analytics Cloud Catalog by using the web services provided in Netweaver. This would be a possibility to provide a central entry point for all reports.
But this is not the same level of integration that Steffen describes in the blog post as users.
Best regards,
Jens
Hello, thanks for this blog.
Is there a way to embedd a URL in an SAC Story, which will open Analysis for Office on the user's Laptop, assuming it is installed in the default location on the user's laptop?
Thanks,
Andreas J.A.