FIN-CS and SAC - Plan Consolidations

Modernizing Financial Planning and Consolidation with SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)

A Business Use Case in the Context of SAP S/4HANA Finance for Group Reporting (FIN-CS)

In today's dynamic business environment, organizations need agile and comprehensive financial planning and consolidation processes. Traditional methods often involve manual data entry, complex spreadsheets, and disparate systems, leading to inefficiencies and delays. SAP S/4HANA Finance for Group Reporting (FIN-CS) provides a robust foundation for consolidation, while SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) modernizes the reporting process by offering real-time insights, advanced analytics, and collaborative planning capabilities.

The Challenge:

A multinational corporation with multiple subsidiaries struggles with its annual budgeting and forecasting process. Data is scattered across various systems, requiring manual consolidation and reconciliation. This leads to:

• Time-consuming and error-prone processes: Manual data collection and consolidation are inefficient and increase the risk of errors.
• Limited visibility and insights: Static spreadsheets hinder real-time analysis and scenario planning.
• Lack of collaboration: Sharing and collaborating on plans across departments and subsidiaries is challenging.

The Solution:

By integrating FIN-CS with SAC, the company can transform its planning and consolidation process:

1. Streamlined Data Collection:
   • Leverage SAC's import data connections to extract actuals from FIN-CS (ACDOCA table) and serve as the basis for planning.
   • Utilize SAC's planning features (data copy, spread, allocations, etc.) to efficiently create budgets and forecasts.
   • For subsidiaries on non-SAP systems, upload plan data directly to FIN-CS (ACDOCP table).
2. Real-time Consolidation and Reporting:
   • Export plan data from SAC to FIN-CS (ACDOCP table).
   • Execute consolidations in FIN-CS, leveraging its powerful rules engine for currency translation, intercompany eliminations, and group adjustments.
   • Create live data connections in SAC for real-time reporting on actuals and plans from FIN-CS (ACDOCU table).
3. Enhanced Analysis and Collaboration:
   • Utilize SAC's interactive dashboards and visualizations to gain deeper insights into financial performance.
   • Perform what-if analysis and scenario planning with SAC's analytical tools.
   • Foster collaboration through SAC's built-in commentary and sharing features.

Benefits:

• Increased efficiency: Automate data collection and consolidation, reducing manual effort and errors.
• Improved accuracy: Ensure data integrity and consistency across the organization.
• Enhanced visibility: Gain real-time insights into financial performance and forecasts.
• Better decision-making: Support strategic planning with advanced analytics and scenario modeling.
• Increased agility: Quickly adapt plans to changing business conditions.

Conclusion:

Integrating FIN-CS with SAC empowers organizations to modernize their financial planning and consolidation processes. By leveraging SAC's intuitive interface, powerful analytics, and collaborative features, businesses can achieve greater efficiency, accuracy, and agility in their financial management. This leads to better decision-making, improved performance, and a stronger competitive advantage.