With SAP Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain, SAP is offering specific functions that simplify modeling for common calculations.
Originally, certain modeling, specifically, cross-bucket calculations, was possible only with L-code (separate kind of language). L-code gives extra flexibility, but customers themselves can not work with it, and it was done on request via the incident. If the configuration of the input key figures is changed, changes needed to be done to L-code as well. Additionally, in certain situations, L-code caused significant performance degradation.
With the significant number of simplified calculations now available new requests for L-code are no longer allowed. Various calculations allow for significant simplification, as well as using the formulas is also becoming easier. For example, with rolling aggregation, when previously modeled with L-script, about 200 lines of codes were needed, where as with SAP IBP specific function RAGGR, it is possible to have that calculation done with one statement.
Currently available simplified key figure calculations
- Last Period Aggregation
- First Period Aggregation
- Cumulative Aggregation
- Rolling Aggregation
- Dynamic Rolling Aggregation
- Count Aggregation
- Period Shift
- Coverage
- Weighted Average
- Calendar (to show working and non-working days)
- Generate Missing Time Periods
- Last Value
- Current Value
- Add Time Dimension
Adding a simplified key figure calculation to a key figure is easy. From the Planning Areas app, select the relevant planning area and key figure. Start typing IBP in the expression editor, and choose the desired function from the dropdown.
SAP continues to work on simplified key figure calculation and there are a few more calculations on the roadmap for SAP Foundation.