Agenda

Hands-On Workshop: SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) Planning - xP&A

Workshop Schedule

This session provides a foundational overview of SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) Planning. Participants will learn how SAC brings together analytics, planning, and predictive capabilities in a unified cloud environment. The focus will be on understanding SAC’s architecture, user interface, and the strategic value it delivers to enterprise planning processes.

Key topics:

  • Overview of SAC as an integrated planning and analytics platform

  • Strategic benefits of using SAC for enterprise performance management

  • Core components: models, stories, and data connections

  • User interface walkthrough and navigation tips

  • Planning workflows and collaborative features overview

In this session, participants will dive into the financial planning capabilities of SAC. The goal is to understand how to structure and manage comprehensive financial plans, integrate predictive insights, and support agile decision-making with rolling forecasts and real-time simulations.

Key topics:

  • Building and managing financial planning models (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow)

  • Predictive forecasting for revenue and cost projections

  • Implementation of rolling forecasts and planning versions

  • Driver-based planning to simulate financial impacts

  • Real-time scenario modeling and variance analysis

This session focuses on workforce planning as a critical component of business strategy. It demonstrates how SAC supports headcount and compensation planning, aligning HR and finance functions for more accurate and collaborative budgeting.

Key topics:

  • Designing workforce models: headcount, salary, and benefits planning

  • Modeling employee lifecycle events (hiring, attrition, transfers)

  • Use of input controls and planning assumptions

  • Managing private versions for departmental planning

  • Enabling collaboration between HR, Finance, and Business Units

Effective planning depends on accurate and timely data. This session explores SAC’s integration capabilities and shows how to manage multiple data sources, ensure data consistency, and build flexible scenarios for strategic decision-making.

Key topics:

  • Connecting SAC with SAP (S/4HANA, BW) and non-SAP data sources

  • Importing and synchronizing master and transactional data

  • Managing planning versions and locking mechanisms

  • Creating, comparing, and analyzing planning scenarios

  • Maintaining audit trails and ensuring governance

This final session covers how SAC enables collaboration across teams through structured workflows. Participants will learn how to manage tasks, track planning progress, and support distributed planning processes in a secure and controlled environment.

Key topics:

  • Setting up planning calendars and approval workflows

  • Assigning tasks and managing user responsibilities

  • Collaboration features: comments, notifications, and input tasks

  • Role-based access and data security in planning processes

  • Workflow tracking and progress monitoring through dashboards