Introducing SAP Analytics Cloud

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to describe SAP Analytics Cloud and its core functions.

Introduction to SAP Analytics Cloud

SAP Analytics Cloud is an end-to-end cloud solution that brings together business intelligence, augmented analytics, and enterprise planning in a single system. As a cloud-based system, you can perform all these tasks from anywhere, on any device. SAP Analytics Cloud provides the analytics foundation for the SAP's Business Technology Platform.

SAP Analytics Cloud Core Functions

Core functions of SAP Analytics Cloud
Business Intelligence
Empower business users to safely and securely work with governed data and create interactive stories and dashboards. Uncover and deliver actionable insights across the enterprise with intuitive self-service analytics.
Augmented Analytics
Automatically receive strategic insights with SAP Analytics Cloud's embedded artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology, allowing you to go from insight to action in a fraction of the time. Avoid agenda-driven decision making by unveiling the true story of what is driving your business.
Enterprise Planning
Make end-to-end decisions with confidence in one single workflow, from planning to insights. Drive better business outcomes and gain full alignment across all business areas with extended planning and analysis in SAP Analytics Cloud.
Enterprise Platform Services
Gain a holistic view of your business in seconds with a seamless blending of multiple data sources. Live connections to both cloud and on-premise data sources eliminate silos and streamline secured access to information. This enables end-to-end analytics for the intelligent enterprise.

AI-Assisted Features in SAP Analytics Cloud

SAP Analytics Cloud AI-assisted features enhance your planning and analytics workflows by leveraging generative AI-powered capabilities. You can use AI-assisted features that are integrated into the SAP Analytics Cloud interface to efficiently complete tasks in your existing workflows. AI-generated content appears instantly within the application, accompanied by visual cues and text that indicate it's created by AI.

Once enabled by your administrator, the following AI-assisted features currently available in SAP Analytics Cloud:

  • AI-assisted data actions: When working in the script tab of an advanced formulas step from a data action, you can generate scripts or comments.
  • AI-assisted commenting: Summarize comments on table data cells and within a comment widget, extracting key information and insights.
  • AI-assisted calculations: When working in data analyzer, you can utilize natural language queries to generate calculation formulas in the calculation dialog.
  • AI-assisted chart summary: This is an AI-assisted feature available with SAP Analytics Cloud, add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint. When working in a PowerPoint presentation, you can generate a summary on a selected SAP Analytics Cloud chart with the help of generative AI.

For more information on the AI-assisted features available in SAP Analytics Cloud, go to the SAP Help Portal About AI-Assisted Features

Terminology

A word cloud in an SAP Analytics Cloud story with words used in this lesson.

While there are many terms unique to SAP Analytics Cloud, here are a few that you will encounter regularly, both in this course and in your day-to-day activities with SAP Analytics Cloud.

Connection

A connection is fundamental to communicating between SAP Analytics Cloud and a specific data source. System administrators create connections to the specific data sources for your stories and analytic applications.

Model

A model is a representation of specific business data of an organization or business segment. A model is the basis for stories and analytic applications.

Planning

Planning in general is all about setting strategic goals and then determining how to meet those goals by creating budgets, tracking progress in forecasts, and simulating scenarios to find new opportunities. Planning functionality within SAP Analytics Cloud enables you to perform all these activities in one simple interface.

Story

A story lets you explore data interactively to find insights, visualize information with charts and tables, and share, present, and comment on your findings with colleagues. It can be either dynamic, with many interactive elements, or very static, with little to no interaction capabilities.

A canvas page is a blank canvas allowing you to add any story elements anywhere on the page. The page is a fixed height and width, no matter what device, or size of device, is being used to view the story.

A responsive page is a story page that will adjust the size and location of the elements on the page depending on the device, or size of device, being used to view the story.

Widget

Widget is a generic term that refers to any element added to a story or analytic application. A chart or table is a widget, as is a text box or image. There are many widgets available to add to stories.