Week 1: Core Planning Capabilities

Unit 4: Creating Planning Models

Creating Planning Models
Basic concepts

▪ SAP Analytics Cloud uses a multi-dimensional modeling

paradigm similar to cubes in data warehousing
▪ Each data model comprises dimensions and measures
▪ Dimensions are used to describe certain aspects of a value
▪ Typically, several models are created to store data used in
different applications (e.g. sales planning, workforce
planning, financial planning)
▪ In SAC planning models, the KPIs or measures are
members of a special dimension of type account
▪ Examples:
– Dimensions: Time, Version, Product, Location
– Measures/Accounts: Revenue, Cost, Sales Quantity,
Headcount

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Creating Planning Models
Modeling environment

▪ The SAC modeler is the central place to create

and maintain (planning) models
▪ Models can be created in different ways:
1. Create model from scratch
2. Acquire model from data source
(e.g. SAP S/4HANA, SAP BW, SAP BPC)
3. Create model from flat file upload
▪ Activities done in the modeler:
– Maintain central model settings
– Add and maintain dimensions and accounts
– Maintain relations between dimensions
– Manage security (data access controls)
– Manage data locks
– Manage data import

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Creating Planning Models
Dimensions

▪ Dimensions are used to describe certain semantical

aspects of a data point
▪ Dimensions have the following components
(ID, description, custom properties, hierarchies)
▪ In SAC, there are certain predefined dimension types
(Account, Time, Version, Organization)
▪ Dimension members represent the master data of a
model

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Creating Planning Models
Member combinations

▪ Relations between dimensions can be defined to

allow only specific combinations of dimension
members
▪ In the reference dimension, an attribute is used
to define the list of members of the second
dimension (1:N relation)
▪ During data entry, the system checks the validity
of the member combinations
▪ Operations like disaggregation will also consider
valid member combinations (→ member derivation)

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Creating Planning Models
Account formulas

▪ The account dimension defines the

measures/KPIs used in the data model
▪ SAC allows to define calculated measures by
defining a formula for an account
▪ Formula logic allows for complex calculations:
– Lookup
– Conditional statements
– Link models
▪ Calculations are executed at reporting time
on-the-fly
▪ Results are not persisted

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Creating Planning Models
Central settings

In the Model Preferences dialog, central model

settings are defined
▪ Data Access and Privacy (see later session)
▪ Settings for time dimension:
– Time horizon and granularity
– Fiscal year settings (optional)
▪ Currency conversion

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Creating Planning Models
Currency conversion – Model settings

Currency conversion is configured in the model

settings
▪ Dimension with Currency Property: A data point
is stored in a single currency defined by the
attribute of a particular dimension
▪ Default Currency: Currency translation from
source currency to target happens on-the-fly. If
nothing else is specified, values are translated to
default currency
▪ Currency Rate Table: Table storing the FX rates
▪ Date Dimension: Dimension used to derive the
right FX rate

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Creating Planning Models
Currency conversion

▪ Values are stored in a single currency at

database level
▪ The currency is defined by the Currency
property of a dedicated dimension
▪ At reporting/planning time, the system
translates from this source currency into the
desired target currency
▪ If no explicit target currency is specified, the
model default currency is used

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