VC ERP Consulting Data & Analytics SolutionsSAP Analytics Cloud

SAP Analytics Cloud Solutions

SAP Analytics Cloud is a cloud-based platform that combines business intelligence, enterprise planning, and predictive analytics in a single solution. Powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence, it enables organizations to plan, forecast, and make informed, data-driven decisions across all levels.

It connects seamlessly to both cloud and on-premise data sources, allowing users to model, visualize, and explore data they can trust. SAC provides intuitive tools tailored to your role, enabling everything from interactive dashboards to advanced planning and forecasting. With AI-powered features like natural language queries and automated predictions, it reveals hidden patterns and supports fast, informed decision-making.

Modern Challenges of Planning & Analytics

At VC ERP Consulting, our 20 years legacy implementing industry-specific SAP ERP systems and a variety of analytics & solutions ensures we understand the toughest of challenges.

01 Inability to Respond Quickly to Market Disruptions

Supply chain shocks, sudden shifts in consumer demand, and new competitive threats emerge without warning. Legacy planning cycles that take weeks or months to update leave you reacting to events, not anticipating them. Missed opportunities, lost market share, and inefficient resource allocation as your plans are outdated before they’re even finalized.

02 Data Silos and the Inability to Harvest Insights from Big Data

Critical data is trapped in isolated systems- ERP, CRM, HRIS, and spreadsheets. This creates a fragmented view of the business, making it impossible to perform cross-functional analysis or understand the true drivers of performance. Decisions are based on gut feeling or incomplete information. You know the insights are somewhere in your big data, but you lack the tools to unify, analyze, and interpret it effectively.

03 Unreliable and Inaccurate Financial Forecasts

Forecasts built on outdated data, simplistic Excel models, and manual data entry are prone to human error and are inherently inaccurate. They fail to account for a multitude of internal and external variables. Poor forecasting leads to cash flow problems, inaccurate revenue projections, and misguided strategic investments, directly impacting profitability and stakeholder confidence.

04 Inconsistent and Disconnected Modelling and Planning

Finance, sales, operations, and HR often plan in separate spreadsheets using different assumptions and methodologies. Reconciling these disparate plans is a manual, thankless, and error-prone task. A lack of alignment between departments. The operational plan doesn’t support the financial plan, leading to internal confusion, wasted resources, and an inability to execute on strategy cohesively.

05 Slow, Manual Processes that Waste Time and Effort

Majority of the planner’s time can be spent on non-value-added tasks: data collection, validation, formatting, and version control in spreadsheets, rather than on actual analysis and strategy. Planners are buried in administrative tasks, innovation is stifled, and the planning process becomes a quarterly bottleneck that delays critical business decisions.

06 Lack of Pervasive Access to Insights

Insights are often confined to static PDF reports or a central BI team, creating a dependency that slows down decision-making for line-of-business managers and operational employees who need answers now. Decisions on the front lines are made without the full context, and potential opportunities or risks identified by operational staff are never surfaced to leadership.

Who is SAP Analytics Cloud Ideal For?

Business Analysts

Explore data, build dashboards, uncover insights, and support decision-making.

Financial Analysts / FP&A Teams

Use planning and forecasting features for budgeting, profitability analysis, and financial modeling.

Operations Managers

Monitor KPIs, operational performance, and optimize business processes.

Sales Managers

Track pipeline, quotas, forecasts, and performance against targets.

Marketing Managers

Analyze campaign performance, customer behavior, and ROI.

HR / Workforce Planners

Plan headcount, analyze workforce trends, and align resources with strategy.

Supply Chain Managers

Forecast demand, optimize inventory, and monitor logistics KPIs.

Executives & Decision-Makers

Consume high-level dashboards, storyboards, and predictive insights for strategy.

Data Analysts

Perform ad-hoc analysis, blending, and visualization.

Data Scientists

Use predictive and augmented analytics features (Smart Predict, machine learning models).

BI Developers

Build data models, complex dashboards, and reports.

Data Engineers

Connect and integrate SAC with SAP and non-SAP data sources.

IT Administrators

Manage user access, governance, data security, and integration.

SAP Analytics Cloud Solves Mission-Critical Business Challenges

Reporting & Analysis

Performance Reporting
This refers to the creation of standardized, often periodic, reports that track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) against targets. For example, a monthly sales report showing revenue by region vs. quota, or a quarterly operational efficiency report. SAC automates and distributes these reports, ensuring stakeholders always have access to the latest data.
Ad hoc Reporting
This is the ability for users to create their own impromptu reports on the fly without relying on IT. If a manager sees a dip in performance in a standard report, they can use SAC’s intuitive interface to drill down, filter by specific products, timeframes, or salespeople to investigate the root cause immediately.
Variance Analysis
This is a specific type of analysis that compares planned or budgeted figures to actual results and explains the differences (the “variances”). SAC makes this easy by visually highlighting variances (e.g., in red for unfavorable, green for favorable) and allowing users to explore the drivers behind them, such as “Why did marketing expenses exceed the budget by 15%?”
Driver Analysis
This goes deeper than variance analysis to identify the root causes or key “drivers” behind a metric’s performance. For example, SAC can use built-in algorithms to determine which factors (e.g., marketing spend, number of sales reps, website traffic) had the strongest correlation with a change in revenue.
Executive Dashboards
These are curated, visual summaries of the most critical business metrics, designed for quick consumption by senior leadership. They are interactive, allowing executives to drill into details if needed, and are often displayed in tools like the Digital Boardroom for strategic meetings.
Profitability Analysis
This is a sophisticated form of analysis that determines the true net profit of specific segments of the business, such as products, customers, regions, or channels. SAC can handle complex cost allocation rules to accurately assign revenues and costs, answering questions like, “Which is our most profitable customer segment?” or “Are we actually making money on Product X after all overheads?”

Planning

Budgeting
The core of traditional planning. SAC provides a centralized platform for creating detailed income and expense budgets. It moves organizations away from error-prone, disconnected spreadsheets to a collaborative, version-controlled, and audit-ready process.
Sales/Revenue Planning
Forecasting future sales, often broken down by product line, region, and salesperson. SAC can integrate with CRM systems (like Salesforce) and use historical data and predictive algorithms to create more accurate sales forecasts.
Capital Expenditure (CapEx) Planning
Planning for long-term investments in physical assets like machinery, buildings, or technology. This involves multi-year planning, depreciation calculations, and ROI analysis. SAC helps manage and track these large investment proposals.
Workforce Planning
Forecasting headcount needs, associated salaries, benefits, and hiring timelines. It ensures the organization’s people strategy is aligned with its financial and operational goals. This can integrate with HR systems like SAP SuccessFactors.
Expense Planning
Forecasting all operational costs not directly tied to production or headcount, such as marketing spend, travel, utilities, and office supplies.
Cash Flow Planning
Projecting the timing of cash inflows and outflows to ensure the company has sufficient liquidity to meet its obligations. This is critical for financial health and is distinct from profitability (a company can be profitable but have cash flow problems).
Cost Allocations
The process of distributing indirect costs (e.g., IT, HR, rent) to various departments, products, or projects based on specific drivers (e.g., headcount, square footage, usage). SAC automates these complex calculations, ensuring accurate profitability analysis and departmental charging.

Forecasting

Rolling Forecasts
Instead of a static annual budget, a rolling forecast continuously updates the outlook for the remainder of the year (e.g., always forecasting the next 12 months). This allows businesses to be more agile and responsive to changing market conditions. SAC is built to support this dynamic process.
Financial Statement Modelling
Building integrated models that connect the three key financial statements:
- P&L (Profit & Loss): Forecasting revenues and expenses.
- Balance Sheet: Forecasting assets, liabilities, and equity.
- Cash Flow: Forecasting cash movements.The power of SAC is that a change in a driver (e.g., sales growth) automatically propagates through the entire model, updating the P&L, which then flows to the Balance Sheet and Cash Flow statement.
Scenario Modelling
Creating and comparing multiple versions of the future based on different assumptions. For example, “What happens to our profitability if raw material prices increase by 10%?” (a “what-if” scenario) vs. “What if we enter a new market?” vs. a “best case” and “worst case” scenario. This helps organizations prepare for uncertainty.
Predictive Planning for Other Business Functions
Extending forecasting beyond finance into operations. SAC’s machine learning capabilities can be used to forecast things like:
- Demand planning for inventory management.
- Predictive maintenance for machinery.
- Customer churn risk.
- Supply chain bottlenecks.

Application Design & Integration (BTP)

Custom Application Designer
A low-code/no-code environment within SAC that allows developers to build fully custom, interactive analytical applications. These apps can have custom layouts, scripts, and logic beyond standard dashboards, tailored for a very specific business process (e.g., a custom vendor risk analysis app for procurement).
Analytics Applications
These are the applications built using the Custom Application Designer. They are standalone, role-based applications that combine planning, analytics, and predictive capabilities into a single workflow for a specific user group.
Closed-Loop Scenarios
This is a critical concept where insight leads directly to action. An analytics application identifies an issue or opportunity (e.g., “Inventory stock levels for Product Y are critically low”), and within the same application, the user can take an action (e.g., “Create a purchase order”) that writes back directly to the operational system (e.g., SAP S/4HANA). This closes the loop between analysis and execution, creating a continuous cycle of improvement.

Features and Benefits of SAP Analytics Cloud

SAP Analytics Cloud is a cloud-based analytics tool for companies of all sizes to get better at their Business Intelligence. Companies can analyze data; data can be imported or connected live, easily modeled, and then converted into engaging charts, graphs, tables, and other data visualizations to help inform more data-driven decision-making. SAC is built on the SAP Business Technology Platform and powered by the high-performance SAP HANA in-memory database, so you can trust it to support your organization’s need for agility, speed, and accuracy. Below are the features and capabilities of the SAP Analytics Cloud:

Features of SAP Analytics Cloud

01 Business Intelligence & Predictive Planning

SAP Analytics Cloud gives business users at all levels comprehensive, self-service analytics that adhere to the industry’s leading visual design standards while delivering superior value from Big Data.

Improve business outcomes with complete analytics
Turn insight into action right where you work
Gain instant insights & take action in context of business processes

02 Enjoy Smart Capabilities Designed for Business People

Leverage new insights revealed by emerging AI technologies to the right people at the right time, augmenting familiar business intelligence.

Data exploration and visualization
Efficient modelling and preparation
Augmented Analytics
Data science for all
Conversational analytics
Automated machine learning
Intelligent predictive analytics

03 Collaborative Enterprise Planning

Plan across all lines of business so you can translate real-time data insights into actions that correspond with your strategy.

Predictive planning
Integrated financial planning
Company-wide advanced analytics
Analysis, budgeting and forecasting
Driver-based planning
Zero-based budgeting
Scenario planning
Planning & analysis storytelling
Add-in for Microsoft Excel
Built-in planning best practices for P&A

Also Read: SAP Analytics Cloud: 6 Ways it Drives Stronger Business Performance

Benefits of SAP Analytics Cloud

01 A Single Source of Truth

SAC gives your organization a central, cloud-based platform for analytics and planning, so no more jumping between tools or reconciling numbers. Everything from strategy to execution is aligned through seamless integration with SAP S/4HANA, allowing your teams to plan, analyze, and act using real-time data directly from the system you already rely on.

02 Real-Time Collaboration

You and your colleagues can collaborate in real time, right within the planning environment. This means faster decisions, fewer delays, and a shared context for every discussion. Whether you’re aligning forecasts or reviewing performance, everyone would be looking at the same up-to-date information.

03 End-to-End Planning and Forecasting

With enterprise planning capabilities, SAC connects your financial and operational planning processes. It also includes built-in predictive planning tools powered by machine learning, so you can better anticipate future trends and adjust proactively.

Also Read: Top 6 Benefits of SAP Analytics Cloud – Central Hub of BI, Analytics & Planning

Want to see what SAC is capable of? Request a Demo!

Architecture of SAC

SAP Analytics Cloud is structured into three main layers:

Platform

Analytic Capabilities

User Experience

It also connects with cloud and 3rd-party data sources and is accessible through both web and mobile.

Platform Layer: Powered by SAP Business Technology Platform in SAC

This is the foundation of SAC, providing essential services required to manage data and analytics operations.

Data Connectivity: Connects to both SAP and non-SAP data sources (cloud/on-premise).
Data Modeling: Allows users to prepare and transform raw data into analytical models.
User Management: Role-based access and authentication using SAP Identity Authentication Service.
Auditing & Monitoring: Security and usage monitoring tools.
Content Translation: Supports multilingual dashboards and analytics.
Lifecycle Management: Manage versions and transport content across tenants/environments.
Collaboration: Users can collaborate within the platform using comments and discussion threads.
Scheduling & Publishing: Automated report delivery and scheduling.
APIs: Integration with external systems and extensibility through SDKs.

Analytic Capabilities in SAC

These are the core functionalities offered by SAC, divided into three main pillars:

Business Intelligence (BI)

With Business Intelligence in SAC, Users can explore data, build dashboards, and create enterprise reports. SAC’s intuitive interface allows for drag-and-drop visualizations and interactive exploration, making it accessible even to non-technical users.

Augmented Analytics

Augmented analytics brings artificial intelligence and machine learning here. This includes conversational analytics, where users can ask natural language questions and get visual answers; automated analytics that surface hidden trends; and predictive analytics for forecasting future outcomes based on historical data.

Enterprise Planning

Enterprise Planning integrates financial and operational planning directly into the analytics environment. Teams can collaborate on what-if simulations, build predictive plans, and manage workflows and approvals all in one place, reducing the need for disconnected spreadsheets and manual processes.

User Experience Layer in SAC

At the top is the User Experience Layer, which offers various ways for users to consume and interact with the analytics content. Through the Digital Boardroom, executives can view immersive, interactive presentations tailored for decision-making. Stories provide a canvas for creating dynamic, interactive dashboards and reports. For more complex scenarios, analytic applications allow developers to build custom interfaces using scripting. Also, SAC integrates smoothly with Microsoft Office, allowing users to work within tools like Excel while still benefiting from SAC’s analytical engine.

Access, Data Consumption, and Integration in SAC

SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) offers enhanced flexibility through mobile support, with native iOS and Android apps that allow users to access dashboards and insights anytime, anywhere. For streamlined access and content management, the SAP Analytics Catalog acts as a central hub where users can discover and launch all their reports and applications in one place.

SAC seamlessly integrates with a broad array of data sources, including SAP cloud solutions and third-party platforms. Whether connecting to cloud-native systems or on-premise databases, SAC delivers a unified, secure, and scalable environment for analytics across the entire business ecosystem.

SAC Deployment

SAC supports the following deployment models:

Also read: SAP Analytics Cloud & SAP S/4HANA: The Powerful BI Combo for Competitive Businesses

SAC for On-Premise Model

The deployment is the on-premise option, which allows SAC to connect directly to systems hosted within your company’s internal infrastructure. This is ideal for organizations with existing investments in local data centers or sensitive data requirements that demand on-site control. SAC enables real-time access to this data without needing to replicate it in the cloud.

SAC for Cloud Model

For organizations embracing cloud transformation, the multi-cloud deployment option provides the ability to operate SAC across various cloud platforms. This approach offers the agility and scalability needed to support your global, distributed workforce.

SAC for Hybrid Model (On-premise plus Cloud Strategy)

Complementing both of these approaches is the hybrid deployment model, which merges on-premise and cloud strategies. It allows organizations to maintain certain systems on-premise while gradually adopting cloud capabilities.

Joule in SAC

SAP Analytics Cloud empowers all users with AI-driven insights. At the heart of this is Joule, SAP’s conversational AI assistant, which radically changes how you interact with analytics and planning.

Who is Joule in SAC for?

SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) changes the way users engage with planning and analytics through AI, making it accessible and impactful for everyone, including

01 Business consumers

For business consumers, it delivers on-demand insights with a focus on timeliness, allowing Line of Business users to access analytics without technical barriers.

02 Business analysts and planners

Business analysts and planners leverage it to design ad hoc analytics, run simulations, build forecasts, and share dynamic business plans.

03 Data & Analytics professionals

Data & Analytics professionals use it to develop corporate planning apps, govern data access, design models, and ensure accuracy through advanced capabilities like SQL querying.

SAC’s AI Foundation

SAC’s AI features are driven by machine learning and statistical analysis. The Just Ask feature allows users to ask analytical questions in natural language and instantly receive answers as charts, tables, or metrics. It supports English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian and integrates Askdata technology for search-driven analytics.

Joule: Your AI Copilot

Joule acts as an in-context conversational assistant in SAC. Here’s how Joule simplifies and enhances workflows in SAC:

01 Deliver Analytical Insights

Answer natural language queries using Just Ask technology.
Return answers as charts, tables, or data visualizations.

02 Provide Expert Guidance

Advise users on SAC functionality (e.g., “Tell me how to create a forecast”).
Offer quick links to relevant SAC apps or tasks.

03 Automate Tasks

Execute actions without manual navigation (e.g., “Do this task: update the budget forecast”).

04 Contextual Conversations

Understand user intent within SAC workflows. Support follow-up questions for deeper analysis.

05 Empower Story Developers & Planners

Accelerate story creation and planning workflows.
Simplify complex tasks like model disambiguation (resolving ambiguous queries).

06 Scenario Selection

Dynamically identify relevant analytical scenarios based on user role/access rights, business context, and the data models available in SAP Datasphere or custom sources.

07 Multilingual Support

Process queries in English, German, Spanish, and French

Why Choose SAP Analytics Cloud?

SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) stands out among other solutions out there by offering a more integrated and flexible approach. SAC excels in the following areas, providing a comprehensive solution for businesses:

Comprehensive and Modern Enterprise Analytics with Native Planning: SAC is a complete enterprise analytics solution that modernizes analytics by combining business intelligence (BI), augmented analytics, planning, and predictive analytics into a single, fresh, and modern approach.

Unified User Experience: SAP offers a unified user experience across analytics and planning.

Superior SAP Data Connectivity: SAC provides unmatched connectivity by natively supporting live and acquired data connections for a wide range of SAP data sources, both on-premise and in the cloud.

Prebuilt Business Content for Rapid Value: SAP Analytics Cloud includes prebuilt content packages for various lines of business and industries, which can be easily imported and customized to accelerate deployment and provide immediate value.

Flexible Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Deployment Options: SAP supports a variety of cloud deployment options, including Amazon, Google, and Azure, as well as hybrid and on-premise deployments. This flexibility is a significant advantage for customers with diverse cloud strategies or those undergoing mergers.

Ease of Use with Pure Cloud Solution: SAP Analytics Cloud is designed for ease of use, featuring a modern interface consistent with other SAP applications. It helps reduce implementation and maintenance efforts while delivering robust analytics capabilities.

Also Read: Power BI vs SAC: Which BI Solution Reigns Supreme in Business Intelligence?

SAP Analytics Cloud Add-in for Microsoft Office

Mobile & Web Extensions

Access analytics with an Android, iPhone, or iPad to get the most recent information about your business anytime, anywhere.

Connect

Engage with colleagues on plans with any laptop at work, home and on the road

Plan

Plan, Analyse and Simulate with the familiar Microsoft Office 365 Online user experience

Explore

Create custom calculations and easily generate ad hoc reports

Engaging Connection

View and interact with mobile-ready stories and charts by using drill-down, filter on selection, and inspection capabilities

Productive Collaboration

Collaborate with colleagues through chat and receive and manage notifications, such as a shared story in an application

SAP Analytics Cloud Connection Types

Connection Type

Live

Import

SAP S/4HANA

Yes

SAP S/4 HANA Cloud

Yes

SAP BPC Embedded

Yes

SAP BPC NW & MS

Yes

SAP BusinessObjects Universe

Yes

SAP ERP

Yes

SAP Integrated Business Planning

Yes

Database

Connection Type

Live

Import

SAP S/4HANA

Yes

SAP BW

Yes

SAP BW/4HANA

Yes

Cloud Data Sources

Connection Type

Live

Import

SAP Cloud Platform

Yes

SAP Marketing Cloud

Yes

SAP S/4HANA Cloud

Yes

SAP Commissions

Yes

SAP Business ByDesign

Yes

SAP Fieldglass

Yes

SAP Cloud for Customer

Yes

SAP Marketing Cloud

Yes

SAP S/4HANA Cloud

Yes

SAP SuccessFactors

Yes

SAP Workforce Analytics

Yes

Dow Jones DNA

Yes

Google BigQuery

Yes

Google Drive

Yes

Google Sheets

Yes

OData

Yes

Salesforce

Yes

Qualtrics

Yes

Data Connections with SAP Analytics Cloud

Connect your on-premise and cloud data sources to SAP Analytics Cloud.

SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) is a cloud tool that lets you analyze data. To use it, you need to bring in data from different systems. There are two main ways to connect:

Import Connection – Copy the data into SAC, where it is stored and analyzed.
Live Connection – Keep the data in the original system, and SAC only asks for results when you open a report or dashboard.

Import Connection (Copying data into SAC)

It also connects with cloud and 3rd-party data sources and is accessible through both web and mobile.

Where does the data come from?

1. Cloud applications like Concur, Fieldglass, Google Drive, Qualtrics, SuccessFactors, and SAP apps like Business ByDesign or Cloud for Customer.

These connect using SAP’s Integration Suite / Open Connectors (a service that provides ready-made links to these apps).

2. Local (on-premise) systems like SAP BW, SAP ERP, SAP HANA, SQL databases, or even simple files (.CSV, .TXT, .XLSX).

To bring these into SAC, you install a small helper program called the SAC Agent inside your company’s network.
The agent can pull data from databases and file servers, then send it to SAC.

With import, once the data is in SAC, reports are very fast because they don’t have to go back to the source system every time. But the data can get “stale” until the next refresh.

Live Connection (Looking directly at the source)

With live connections, SAC does not copy data. Instead, every time you open a chart or dashboard, SAC asks the original system for the latest data.

Cloud sources

Some systems are already in the cloud, like SAP Datasphere, SAP HANA Cloud, SAP IBP, and SAP S/4HANA Cloud.

SAC can directly connect to them securely without extra setup.

On-premise sources (inside your company network)

Here, there are two main options:

Direct connection:

SAC (or your browser) talks straight to the on-premise system.
But this usually means opening your firewall and setting up something called CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing), so the browser doesn’t block the connection.
It’s simpler but less secure, because you’re exposing your internal system to the internet.

Tunnel connection:

You install a program called SAP Cloud Connector inside your company network.
This connector creates a secure outbound tunnel (like a private pipe) from your system to SAP’s cloud.
SAC sends queries through this tunnel, so you don’t have to open your firewall to outsiders.
Much more secure and easier to manage.

Live connections always give you up-to-date data, but they depend on the performance of your backend systems (HANA, BW, S/4HANA, etc.). If those systems are slow, your SAC dashboard will also feel slow.

Choosing between Import and Live data in SAC

Use Import when you want to store data in SAC, when the source can’t handle lots of queries, or when you’re working with files.
Use Live when you want real-time data or when rules say data must stay in the source system.

SAP Analytics Cloud Integrations Options and Services

VC ERP Consulting provides seamless integration with a wide range of data sources. These integrations enable real-time data connectivity, advanced analytics, and intelligent business planning. Below is a detailed overview of SAP Analytics Cloud integration options and the integration services we offer, including SAP systems, Microsoft Azure, and other enterprise platforms.

SAP Analytics Cloud Integration Services with SAP Ecosystem

SAC with SAP Datasphere Integration Services
VC ERP Consulting supports SAC integration seamlessly with SAP Datasphere using live data connections, enabling access to analytical datasets, models, and perspectives. This integration supports real-time analytics, planning capabilities, and Seamless Planning across enterprise systems.
SAC with SAP BW/4HANA & S/4HANA Integration Services
VC ERP Consulting offers SAC integration with SAP BW/4HANA and SAP S/4HANA, allowing businesses to perform real-time reporting and analytics directly on transactional or warehouse data.
SAC with SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) Integration Services
VC ERP Consulting supports SAC integration with SAP BTP services to enable advanced analytics, application development, and custom extensions. This connection facilitates seamless business intelligence workflows within the SAP ecosystem.

SAP Analytics Cloud Integration Services with Microsoft Azure & Synapse

SAC with Azure Synapse Analytics Integration Services
VC ERP Consulting helps you to connect SAC with Azure Synapse Analytics.
Microsoft Fabric
VC ERP Consulting helps you to connect SAC with Microsoft Fabric.

SAP Analytics Cloud Integration Services with Other Platforms

Google BigQuery: Import large-scale datasets from Google BigQuery for cloud-based analytics.
Microsoft SQL Server: Connect and analyze SQL Server data in SAC dashboards and reports.
Salesforce: Integrate Salesforce CRM data with SAC to generate actionable business insights.
Oracle Databases: Perform analytics on enterprise data from Oracle databases.
Flat Files & Google Drive: Import data from CSV, Excel, or Google Drive for flexible analytics workflows.

Integrating SAC with multiple platforms ensures businesses can leverage real-time insights, improve decision-making, and streamline planning across all enterprise systems. Whether it’s SAP Datasphere, Azure Synapse, Salesforce, or Google BigQuery, SAC provides a unified analytics experience for data-driven organizations.

1. Live Connectivity
Bring SAP Analytics Cloud to the source of the data.
Create models from data sources of on-premise or cloud systems, build stories based on these models and perform online analysis without data replication

2 Data Acquisition
Reduce the data mass by having SAP Analytics Cloud solely acquire the data from remote systems, which is needed for performing analytical workflows.

SAP BusinessObjects (BOBJ)
SAP Crystal Reports
SAP Analysis for Office

SAP Analytics Cloud Licensing

SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) offers two main commercial models:

Subscription-based Commercial Model
Consumption-based Commercial Model (SAP BTP Enterprise Agreement: BTPEA)

Subscription-based Commercial Model

Characteristics:

01

Provisioning:

SAP provisions your tenant with the licenses you’ve purchased based on your subscription contract.
The system owner of SAP Analytics Cloud is notified via email when the tenant is provisioned.

02

Licenses:

The number of licenses provisioned is dependent on the contract.
SAC offers three license types:

SAP Analytics Cloud for business intelligence, predictive edition
SAP Analytics Cloud for planning, predictive professional edition

SAP Analytics Cloud for planning, predictive standard edition
SAP Analytics Cloud for Digital Boardroom.

To get more information on features for each license type, ask us. We are experts in SAC and can help you out with any questions you may have regarding “Features by License Type for Analytic Models” or “Features by License Type for Planning Models.”

Consumption-based Commercial Model (SAP BTP Enterprise Agreement: BTPEA)

Characteristics:

01

Provisioning:

You create your SAC Cloud instance in the Business Technology Platform (BTP) cockpit.
The system owner of the SAC Cloud service instance (tenant) in the SAP BTP cockpit is notified via email when the tenant is provisioned.
For region availability information, refer to the SAP Discovery Center. For creation information, refer to “Create Your SAP Analytics Cloud Instance in SAP BTP Cockpit.”

02

Licenses:

Free plan has a fixed limit of:

6 Business Intelligence licenses
2 Planning Standard licenses

Test plan has a minimum requirement of:

20 Test licenses

Production plan has a minimum requirement of:

10 Planning Standard licenses
1 Planning Professional license

25 Business Intelligence licenses

03

Time Limitation:

Free plan: 90-day trial period.
Test and Production plan: As per contract terms

04

Number of Tenants:

Free plan: You’re permitted only one free tenant under the global account.
Test and Production plan: As per contract terms

The consumption-based model comes in two flavors: SAP BTP EA and Pay-As-You-Go for SAP BTP. The choice depends on your business needs and financial commitment. For more information, contact VC ERP Consulting.

Disclaimer: SAP Analytics Cloud features, capabilities, licensing, and pricing are subject to change at SAP’s discretion at any time. The information provided here reflects the current offerings but may be updated, modified, or discontinued by SAP without prior notice. VC ERP Consulting does not guarantee future availability or functionality.

Also Read: 5 Tips to Effectively Migrate Your Planning to SAP Analytics Cloud

SAC Services VC ERP Consulting Offers

VC ERP Consulting brings over 20 years of experience in delivering SAP solutions across industries, giving us a deep understanding of the challenges businesses face with planning, forecasting, and analytics. Since 2001, we have successfully completed more than 450+ projects Worldwide for over 200 clients worldwide, supported by a team of 300+ technical experts and seasoned SAP consultants.

As an SAP Gold Partner and Microsoft Partner, we follow proven best practices while tailoring every project to the unique needs of our clients. Our SAP Analytics Cloud services go beyond dashboards and reports. We specialize in integrating SAC with SAP and non-SAP systems to create a unified, real-time analytics environment. This ensures that your business gains a single source of truth, accurate forecasting, and AI-powered insights to support confident decision-making.

What sets us apart is our approach. We do not just deliver technical implementation; we partner with your team to simplify complex processes, transform fragmented data into clarity, and move from static reports to intelligent, AI-driven planning. Our solutions are scalable, cost-effective, and designed for long-term impact. Beyond deployment, we focus on adoption, training, and continuous improvement, empowering your organization to truly own its analytics journey.

With a proven global track record across India, the USA, Kenya, The Middle East, and East & North Africa, VC ERP Consulting is the SAC partner of choice for organizations looking to modernize analytics, unlock data-driven insights, and future-proof their planning and forecasting capabilities.

As an SAP & Microsoft Gold partner and an experienced expert in Analytics and BI, we offer you the following services:

SAP Analytics Cloud Strategy & Advisory Services

SAC Consulting & Roadmaps:

Define your analytics vision with business intelligence (BI) strategy frameworks and future-ready roadmaps.

Workshops & Assessments:

Awareness programs, inspiration sessions, quick scans, and SAC readiness assessments to accelerate adoption.

SAP Analytics Cloud Implementation & Integration

Seamless SAC Deployment:

Setup of live and imported data connections for reliable analytics.

Enterprise Integration:

Integrate SAC with:

SAP S/4HANA
SAP Data Warehouse Cloud / Datasphere
SAP Analytics Hub
Microsoft Excel, CSV, SQL databases, OData, BigQuery, Azure SQL, Amazon Redshift, etc.
OData Interfaces

SAP BW / SAP BW/4HANA
SAP BusinessObjects BI
SAP SuccessFactors, Ariba, Concur
Google BigQuery, Azure SQL Database, Amazon Redshift

Business Intelligence, Planning & Analytics with SAC

Interactive BI Dashboards:

Real-time, self-service analytics tailored for decision-makers.

Planning & Forecasting:

Collaborative planning, budgeting, and forecasting with SAC Planning and SAP Digital Boardroom.

Predictive & Scenario Modeling:

Advanced simulations for better financial and operational planning.

AI- & Machine Learning-Powered Analytics

Augmented Analytics:

Natural language queries, search-to-insight, and automated machine learning (AutoML).

Predictive Forecasting:

KPI driver analysis, demand prediction, and AI-powered decision-making.

Next-Gen Capabilities:

Embedded AI models, SAP Joule, Agentic AI, and intelligent business apps.

Data Management & Governance in SAC

Data Integration & Transformation:

Connect SAP and non-SAP data sources, manage transformations, and ensure high-quality data.

Data Governance:

Frameworks for access control, lineage, security, and enterprise-wide data management.

SAP Datasphere Integration:

Robust data modeling and governance for hybrid landscapes.

Pre-Built Content & Industry Accelerators

Ready-to-Deploy Templates:

Dashboards, KPIs, and predefined business content for rapid SAC adoption.

Industry-Specific Accelerators:

Tailored solutions for finance, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and more.

SAC Performance Optimization & Managed Support

Performance Tuning:

Dashboard optimization, predictive model recalibration, and performance improvements.

Managed Care Services:

Hypercare support and continuous post-Go-Live enhancements.

Training, Adoption & Change Management

User Training & Knowledge Transfer:

Hands-on enablement programs for business and IT teams.

Adoption Programs:

Change management frameworks to maximize ROI from SAC investments.

Migration & Transformation to SAC

Legacy Migration:

Transition from legacy analytics systems to SAC.

Report Rationalization:

Use automated tools to migrate and optimize reports with cost efficiency.

End-to-End & Vertical SAC Solutions

Comprehensive Analytics Services:

Data warehousing, performance testing, enterprise integration, and maintenance.

Advanced Planning & Simulation:

Optimization models, forecasting dashboards, and full-scale digital transformation support.

With 20+ years of SAP experience and 450+ successful projects, VC ERP ensures seamless integration, faster adoption, and maximum ROI from SAC.

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