Implementer's Guide to Rapid Financial Planning & Analysis for SAP S/4HANA using SAP Analytics Cloud

[MarkPBurke]

Blog updated: March 13, 2024

The audience for this blog:  Partners, Consultants, and Customers interested in implementing SAP Analytics Cloud on top of SAP S/4HANA for Corporate FP&A scenarios

• To download the free suite from SAP Analytics Cloud, follow this generic Business Content download guide HERE (search the word “Rapid” in Business Content Network)
• SAP internal staff can use demo 18508 in SAP Demostore
• Join our LinkedIn Rapid FP&A group, where we share additional insights
• For a full schedule of Demos and Training, please see the new Demo & Training Blog
• See all historical webinars and presentation decks on the Rapid FP&A WorkZone
• Email Rapid_FPA@sap.com if you have any questions or if you want a custom demo and/or advisory session or access the the training site: Rapid FP&A WorkZone

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See the quick VIDEO for this introduction to an exciting FREE business content offering from SAP.

Did you know? 

• The Rapid Financial Planning & Analysis for SAP S/4HANA suite of three models...
• Positioned for Corporate FP&A role under the CFO Office - a focused Finance solution for the top of your organization
• Best Practices in SAC's New Model Type
• Built by SAP Services in North America
• Endorsed by both S/4HANA and SAC Product Management
• Featured with SAC's original classic account model at Sapphire 2018 and re-released in August 2022 leveraging SAC's New Model Type - per Demand from Customers, Partners, and SAP Services

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SAC New Model Checklist:

Functionality	Result	Note
Model Structure Priority?	Account	Calculation + Label Flexibility
G/L Account dimension?	Standard Account dimension	Standard SAC
Sign Treatment?	Account Type	Standard SAC
Calculations available?	Account Formulas + Measure Formulas + Advanced Formulas	Maximizes Calculation Flexibility in SAC
Currency?	Local & Global	Measures via Standard SAC
Unit of Measure (UOM) for Sales Volume?	Base & Standard UOM	Per S/4 Option
Reports?	Variance: Actual v Plan Variance:  Year-over-year Summary & Trend	Standard in each of the 3 models
Quantity (Sales Volume)?	Planned as an Account	Simplifies Sales Planning
Cost of Goods Sold?	Standard COGS	Simplifies Sales Planning
Flow for Balance Sheet?	Opening, Change, Total	Measures via Standard SAC
Integration?	S/4 HANA, S/4HANA Cloud, SuccessFactors	Standard x 3 sources
Retraction?	S/4 HANA, S/4HANA Cloud	Standard x 2 sources

The Rapid FP&A suite is made up of:

• Rapid Financial Planning & Analysis for SAP S/4HANA (2EB)
• Rapid Sales Planning & Analysis for SAP S/4HANA (4DP)
• Rapid Workforce Planning & Analysis for SAP S/4HANA (3DJ)

Note:  Click on the hyperlinks above to tap into "Process "Navigator," where you will find a Test Script ("user guide") and implementation-friendly guides, including integration guides.

Business content is FREE to customers of SAP Analytics Cloud.

How do you import (Download) the Rapid FP&A Content for your SAC tenant?

When in SAP Analytics Cloud:

• Follow this generic Business Content download guide HERE (search the word "Rapid" in Business Content Network), or
• The links in the section above include a specific guide on how to import this content into your own customer tenant - follow the 2JX Import Model configuration guide

Here is the user interface for the Business Content Network in SAP Analytics Cloud:

What is new as of November 2022?

The #1 ask we have had in the Best Practice team is a conversion to the New Model Type, with regular quarterly releases through the end of 2023, and a rebuild into new XP&A dimensions planned for 2024

• Rapid FP&A deploys a Model Structure Priority of "Accounts over Measures", which allows important flexibility with calculations and labeling values in stories
• On the currency front, stored values for Actuals in both local and global currency provide 100% tie out to your SAP S/4HANA sources across all three models
• Leveraging the New Model Type capabilities, the Flow concept has been migrated from a generic "Dimension" to three "Measures", which provides more accurate quarter-end and year-end aggregation of balance sheet figures.  SAC documentation recommends Measures for flows.

• Read about the New Model HERE

What about this video series?
You can watch these videos when you want and in any order you want

• Each video is accompanied by a PDF attachment with the slides

• We have updated videos for the New Model Type on the Rapid FP&A WorkZone

What is the message to YOU from this blog?

Best Practice Rapid Financial Planning & Analysis for SAP S/4HANA Content is FREE.

The Suite is Rapid. Simple. Standard.

The video series is FREE!

Follow-up questions to the the author are also FREE!

You now have the FREE-dom  to implement Best Practices for Rapid Financial Planning & Analysis  for SAP S/4HANA at your customer.

Review the SAP Analytics Cloud roadmap HERE

Request a feature in SAP Analytics Cloud HERE

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To participate in the training -

(Note: The content referenced above is now on SAC's New Model Type, but the videos below are still on SAC's Classic Account Model as we await new videos!)

Step 1:  Watch this Video - which is an introduction to The Suite:

Financial Planning & Analysis Suite for SAP S/4HANA using SAP Analytics Cloud (Best Practices - Jan ...

Step 2: Watch the Videos below in any order and at any time

	Financial Planning & Analysis	Sales Planning	Workforce Planning
Documentation & External Links	Video Latest New Model Documentation (2EB)	Video Latest New Model Documentation (4DP)	Video Latest New Model Documentation (3DJ)
Planning Process	Video	Video	Video
Design	Video	Video Memo - S/4 Std Costing Videos: Std Cost 1 Std Cost 2 Std Cost 3 Std Cost Calculation (BEG)	Video
Dashboards	Video	Video	Video
Reports (Summary, KPI, Trend, Variance)	Video	Video	Video
Planning Input Forms Blog - Rolling Plan Process Blog2 - Master Data on-the-fly Blog 3 - Distribution of Values in Input Form	Video	Video Blog - Seasonality	Video
Calculations (Advanced Formulas / Account Formulas) Blog - flexible currency conversion	Video	Video	Video
Integration Blog - S4 source availability Blog2 - Import currency rates Blog3 - Data Warehouse Cloud + SAC	Video   Blog - Overview	Video	Video   Blog - S4 & SFSF integration

If you want to train on the entire suite, we suggest you watch FP&A videos top to bottom and then complete Sales and then Workforce top to bottom.

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Frequently Asked Questions:

• Can Best Practice financial planning solutions for SAP S/4HANA Cloud be implemented with SAP S/4HANA On-Premise?
  
  • Yes!   The planning models would be the same, and implementing the cloud connector will allow SAP Analytics Cloud to integrate with SAP S/4HANA on-premise.
• Do the Rapid FP&A solutions come with sample data, so I can explore the solutions before any integration to my own data?
  • Yes!   Rapid FP&A, Sales, and Workforce planning all come with sample data.  Actuals from January 2022 to September 2023, and a Planning horizon from October 2023 to December 2024.
• How do I learn more about support options for SAP S4HANA in the public cloud?
  • See HERE

Enjoy the video series!

Thank you,

Mark P. Burke
SAP S/4HANA Cloud – Product Manager
Financial Planning & Analysis
Palo Alto, CA

 

Thank you to our referenced Blog contributors:    @dirkpelz @Max_Gander @Alecsandra @linda_peruzzi @thomas hausel 

[former_member726196]

Hi Mark,

I am a bit confused because I was expecting finding activity type planning process. Is the business content SAP_FI_BPL_Budgeting_and_Planning - SAP Finance: Integrated Financial Planning for SAP S/4HANA not the same as the one you described ?

thanks

[MarkPBurke]

As of August 2022, both IFP and rFP&A are on the New Model Type.

The Rapid Best Practice FP&A for SAP S/4HANA solution (referenced above and featured at Sapphire 2018) is targeted at the Corp FP&A group of the CFO Office. 

Out-of-the-box:

• The approach in Rapid FP&A is strategic global/corporate planning & analysis, with a focus on end-user experience in the planning process.   Thus, Rapid FP&A often transforms S/4 data to improve UX and make planning & analysis easier and more appealing to non-accountants
• FX Conversion?  Yes.  Includes both local (company code) and global currency for both Actuals and Plan, enabling variance analysis across the enterprise
• G/L Accounts?   Standard SAC Account dimension. Sign flip on revenue and income from S/4 is handled by the standardized Account type attribute
• Model Structure Priority?  Accounts over Measures
• The default planning process and input templates?  A dynamic mix of Actuals and Plan in input templates, with rolling time using month names.  Top-down planning from the main Financial Model is driven by Profit Center and Cost Center
• Roots?   Influenced by BPC Standard and standard SAC Classic Account Models
• Planning process?  Driven by Workforce, Sales, and Capital Planning (roadmap item in the works), allowing for global review before considering any allocation processes
• Workforce planning?  Rapid WFP is a Finance-led process, which allows Finance to build rapid Employee-expense and headcount plans, align with HR, and compare to SAP S/4HANA Actual financials within rWFP.  HR plan data is pushed from the Rapid Workforce to the Rapid FP&A solution and could be used as an input to broader HXM
• Out-of-the-box, Rapid FP&A does not handle Product Cost Planning, Activity-based costing, or a detailed cost center-to-partner cost allocation process.  rFP&A may rely on IFP for these processes or customers may perform them inside SAP S/4HANA

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The Integrated Financial Planning model is a newer option for SAC content and may be of interest to the Controller and customers used to performing planning inside S/4HANA.  IFP has a regional influence, and its heavy cost-allocation-based Opex process may be of interest to industries in manufacturing.  IFP handles Product Cost Planning and relies on HXM content for Workforce Plan.

Out-of-the-box:

• The approach in IFP is operational planning, with a heavy focus on cost allocations and activity-based costing.  Thus, IFP is aligned with S/4's universal data structure and appeals to those comfortable with the structure of S/4
• FX Conversion?  No.  Includes local currency for both Actuals and Plan
• G/L Accounts?   Generic SAC Account dimension with natural signs from S/4
• Model Structure Priority?  Measures
• The default planning process and input templates?  Plan values only and customers Plan on a fiscal year with period numbers.  Top-down planning from the main Financial Model is driven by Profit Center
• Roots?   Influenced by BPC Optimized, BPC Embedded, and ECC-based Planning functions
• The planning process is driven by Workforce, Profitability, Opex-based allocations, and Capital Planning processes
• Workforce planning is handled by HR-owned HXM content, a broader array of workforce capabilities, with HR plan data pushed into IFP's Opex model
• Capital Planning is performed against Company Code, Profit Center, & Cost Center dimensions
• The solution handles Product Cost Planning, Activity-based costing, and complex cost allocation processes, historically performed inside SAP S/4HANA

Customer requirements vary by industry, by region, and by what planning process they followed in the past.   The content offerings allow a choice, and customers can make informed choices with content by reviewing content and documentation, but feel free to contact me if any questions (Mark.P.Burke@sap.com)

[former_member726196]

Thanks Mark for clarification. I will certainly contact you for some additional questions

Best regards

[xi-grohmann]

Hi Mark,

thanks very much for the videos. Can you please advise how I can get the presentation in PDF. Thanks,

Xiaomin

[MarkPBurke]

Please email Rapid_FPA@sap.com

[regysm21]

Hi Mark,

great videos!

 

Regards,

Regys

[ryan-liu]

Hello Mark,

 

One business content in SAP Analytics Cloud is [ Integrated Financial Planning for SAP S/4HANA ].

Could you tell us what's the difference between this business content with FP&A Suite ?

Thanks!

[MarkPBurke]

Hi ryan-liu .  See my comment at top of blog comments related to the same questions.  Contact me us at Rapid_FPA@sap.com if any follow-up required with more details.

[olizotte]

Hello Mark,

 

This is a great Blog with amazing videos!

Do you know which enhancement from the Road Map will allow the business content to derive the Profit Center? When should we expect this functionality to be available within the Sales Planning content?

Thank you,

[avsalynin]

markp.burke thanks for the convenient and cool video compilation!

Are there any similar videos on setting up S4Hana Live On-prem content in SAC?

[ThomasK]

Hi, the classic data model is a discontinued model in the meanwhile.
Are there efforts to bring the existing business content in interaction with S/4 HANA to the new data model?

Regards,
Thomas

[vtr1cob]

markp.burke , thkarner

Hello Mark, Thomas,

Great Videos. I love watching and learning SAC Planning literally day by day.

Now, i am trying to do one end to end planning cycle using FP&A content.

But, as mentioned by Mark, the model in FP&A is based on the old Classic model with one measure.

Can we use the new multi - measure model instead?

Also, I am using S/4 Hana On-premise system 2020. Hope this should work.

regards,

VTR

 

[Rajkosnam]

Nice Videos. Please suggest how to get the pdf's of presentations.

 

[arnau_gonzalez]

Hello everyone!

could please someone advise on how to do a delta/incremental from GLAccountBalanceFlow?

Are there any reliable fields which can be used to identify new records, like AEDAT?

Thanks in advance

[MarkPBurke]

Yes.  We will have this content converted to New Advanced Model with release during August 2022!

[MarkPBurke]

Yes.  We will have this content converted to New Advanced Model with release during August 2022!

[MarkPBurke]

Arnau - I do not know of any field today that can do that.  You can contact me if you wish to discuss what S/4 customers do today for integration.

[MarkPBurke]

HI Anthony.  See update as of mid-August 2022 above related to the New Model Type and latest features.   Feel free to contact me if any questions.

[former_member681578]

Hi Mark,

 

Thanks very much for the videos etc., they are great!

 

I was just wondering if there is anyway to get the FPA GL Account Structure in SAP HANA 1909? We have an on-premise version and although an upgrade is planned, it may not happen for quite a while.

 

Any help would be really appreciated.

 

Best regards,

Seamus

[MarkPBurke]

Hi Aleksey.   If I find any, I will post a link here.  Mark Burke

[pedrosan]

Hi Mark,

 

Do you know by any chance if we can pull data from SSFF ECP for the workforce planning? I know for a fact that our business content pulls data from SSFF EC but my understanding if those are different components within SSFF so probably the integration to ECP will requiere additional effort to configure the required objects like CDS views, Odata services and so on(not sure if those apply but I am basing my example on the S4 integration).

 

Kind regards,

 

Pedro

[MarkPBurke]

Pedro -- I will try to find out for you.  I sent you email.

[MarkPBurke]

Seamus -  It was great chatting with you about options this week.  Please let me know if any other information required.

[MarkPBurke]

For now, in New Model, we have relied on historical relationships in Actuals to drive Profit Center.  We tried using SAC validation rules but need at least one more level to accommodate what we needed.  Stay tuned in this area as we are continuing to look at possibilities.  The Rapid Sales Planning model now includes Profit Center as a dimension and transfers results into Rapid FP&A's P&L Model.  Please contact me if any questions.

[olizotte]

Thanks for the reply!

I understand the approach taken and will look into the new Business Content!

Thanks again,

[mfrieser]

Hello Mark,

Is there already a timeline for releasing the Capital Expense / Strategic Financial modules of the FP&A suite?

 

Thank you and best regards

Michael

[MarkPBurke]

Michael -- I will set up the plan in the coming 1-2 months for 2023.   I appreciate your patience.  Please email Rapid_FPA@sap.com if you want direct advice or early insight into plans.

Thanks,

Mark P. Burke
SAP Product Manager
S/4HANA Cross Topics
Palo Alto, California

[MarkPBurke]

Please email Rapid_FPA@sap.com

[MarkPBurke]

Hi all,

SAP Services and S/4 Product Management look forward to your continued engagement on the Rapid FP&A Suite.   Many new exciting additions are coming in the third release in February 2023.   The first two releases have been well-received and offer a common, standard, simple design across three models.

• Register NOW for the rollout of the "What's New in Rapid FP&A" live demo, taking place on February 21, 2023
• Join our LinkedIn Rapid FP&A group, where we share additional insights, too.

If you have any feedback or other questions or comments on your own projects, please email Rapid_FPA@sap.com

See you in 2023...

Mark P Burke
Rapid Planning & Analysis for SAP S/4HANA, Product Manager, S4 Cross Topics PM
SAP Labs San Francisco, CA United States

[I557638]

Hello Mark,

Would you be able to provide assistance regarding the content for Product Cost Planning in SAC? What are the prerequisite needed to carry out in S/4HANA? Is it necessary to carry out cost estimation in S/4 HANA? Also, would you have any additional information that could be of use?

 

Regards,
Shambhu Dev

[Private_Member_139731]

Hello Mark,

 

Great job to you and your team for the above content!

I've got a question for you, it seems that the FP&A model utilizes the FPA1 FSV from OB58; our customer is maintaining their FSV within the S4 Manage Global Hierarchies app.  Is there a way to copy an FSV from the Global Hierarchy App into the OB58 FSV or do you recommend tweaking the model and sourcing data from S4 Global Hierarchy directly?  Do you plan on updating the per-delivered content with such an approach?

 

I appreciate any insights!

 

Jeremie

[yakov]

Hi,

i am a little confused these vidoes seem to be about SAC in general. Are there any videos particularly about the Rapid FP&A content?

[yakov]

Hi @MarkPBurke 

the URL  rapid.sap.com/bp just redirects to me.sap.com/processnavigator . is there a diffrent way of getting to the Best Processes explorer now?