Making business analytics easier ✅ and more effective ✅ is challenging. With this blog(series), I present my solution approaches for discussion. ✌
SAP Analytics is geared to the needs of business users
With its modern tools, SAP Analytics provides a good basis for establishing a business analytics platform. SAP Analytics Cloud offers business users a whole host of possibilities. My colleagues show impressive examples here as well. Technology is an important building block for a good solution. It is just as important to me to establish the analytics process.
In my projects, a good project methodology has helped me to establish such a process. The knowledge from thousands of projects has flowed into the Project Management “Body of Knowledge” as well as into the Architecture Management Framework “TOGAF“. Both methods have helped me to implement projects with success. They provide a good framework that guarantees good results with a sense of proportion and common sense.
Some SAP departments focus very strongly on the operation of existing BI applications. In my eyes, there is a great potential in using complementary tools (e.g. Power BI, Tableau, R-Studio, Jupyter Notebook, Google Analytics) for the best possible realization of new requirements with heterogeneous data sources. I think it is wrong to leave this potential only to new specialists.
SAP provides the right vision with its analytical products. Many good approaches can already be seen today. Many users despair because the products are not (yet) available for a wide range of applications. I cannot create a perfect SAP world for my customers. But my customers manage to create BI applications that are suitable for them with the help of our consulting.
Modern solutions are becoming even stronger:
- build on top of SAP HANA,
- use the “low hanging fruits” of applications like S/4HANA,
- establish the SAP Data Warehouse Cloud for the Business Data Model and
- push the SAP Analytics Cloud reporting platform.
These new applications can only be successfully established if the added value is felt directly by each individual user. The user rightly perceives that his recommendations are heard and are incorporated into these solutions. Own tool requests are not perceived as threatening, but are integrated into the platform.
For me, Digital Sales stands as an example of a successful transformation and digitization of an important business process. Personal contact remains the basis for a trusting and close relationship between customer and consultant. New topics and innovative solutions can be easily disseminated digitally. Perhaps you have already become aware of our “People Plan” solution? With the solution and the accompanying marketing, we manage the balancing act between the desire to show everyone the added value and pointless harassment.
Where do we go from here?
With the following blogs, I would like to encourage discussion. A website or blog cannot replace face-to-face conversation. Feedback with your perspective is very welcome to me!
The following posts are planned:
- Business Analytics vs. Business Intelligence
- What is SAP Analytics? The SAP Data Warehouse Portfolio
- SAP Analytics – The Front End Products
- Data Platform – An Important Pillar of Digital Transformation
- Leading wit Data – Why Power BI is Often a Choice
- Business Analytics Platform: Agility and Governance
- Advanced Analytics with R and SAP Tools
- Challenges SAP Analytics
- Bundling analytical competencies around the business analytics platform
- Predictive BI
- Personal recommendations for good project management for BI projects
- Fiori Launchpad – the central entry point
S/4HANA – Analytics - Architectural principles for transparent data handling
To conclude this short blog post, let me briefly introduce myself: I’m Adrian Bourcevet. I discovered my enthusiasm for Analytics 25 years ago. The AOK for Lower Saxony gave me a solid foundation with dual studies and my first steps as a controller for benefit expenses. This is where I first got to know reports and databases.
The chance to help develop SAP’s industry solution for statutory health insurance brought me to SAP Germany. These years were characterized by intensive training, initial project experience, and entry into analytical CRM.
Even then, the goal was to use advanced analytics methods to make statements about the future. Analytical CRM always meant building up or strongly expanding the data base.
This was the hour for the development of the Enterprise Data Warehouse. With SAP BW and the Analysis Process Designer (APD), our project team succeeded in taking the first steps towards business analytics with SAP.
In 2004, the time had come for me to switch to the customer side. For Volkswagen Bank, I was given the task of optimally preparing the bank for Basel II. Scalable, integrated solutions in SAP BW were the basis for the success of the project. In 2008, I moved to CubeServ AG in Switzerland. Immediately, I took over the responsibility for the Enterprise Data Warehousing division. Today, together with my team, I am responsible for the development and management of the CubeServ Group.
For me, consulting means developing the best solution for customers and providing open and honest advice in the process. In my work, it is important to me to work out the needs of the customers – with CubeServ, I have found a company that shares these values and lives them in the projects.