Plan data in SAC and Actual data in SAP S4 - analyze - plan vs Actual in AFO

Combining plan data from SAC and actual data from SAP S/4HANA for analysis in Analysis for Office (AFO) involves a few key steps. Here's how you can achieve this:

1. Data Acquisition:

• SAC Plan Data: Acquire your plan data from your SAC planning model. You can connect AFO directly to SAC, as explained in the previous response, and import the relevant planning data.
• S/4HANA Actual Data: Extract the actual data from your SAP S/4HANA system. You can use AFO to connect directly to S/4HANA or utilize other data extraction methods like SAP Data Services or SAP BW/4HANA to stage the data.

2. Data Harmonization:

• Common Structure: Ensure that the plan data from SAC and the actual data from S/4HANA have a consistent structure with matching dimensions and key figures. This is crucial for accurate comparisons.
  • Example: If your SAC plan data has dimensions like "Cost Center" and "Account," your S/4HANA actual data should have the same dimensions with identical values.
• Data Transformation: If necessary, perform any data transformations in AFO or other tools to align the data formats and units of measure.

3. Data Consolidation:

• Merge Data in AFO: Once your data is harmonized, you can combine it within AFO. You can achieve this by:
  • Creating a Multi-Provider: If you're using SAP BW/4HANA as a staging layer, you can create a MultiProvider that combines the plan and actual data. Connect AFO to this MultiProvider.
  • Using AFO Data Functions: Leverage AFO's data functions (e.g., DSUM, DAVERAGE) to combine data from different sources within your AFO workbook.
  • Copy and Paste: In simpler cases, you might be able to copy and paste the data into a single AFO worksheet.

4. Analysis and Visualization:

• Variance Analysis: Create calculations in AFO to determine the variance between plan and actual values.
  • Example: Calculate the difference between "Planned Revenue" and "Actual Revenue" for each Cost Center.
• Visualizations: Utilize AFO's charting capabilities to visualize the plan vs. actual data. Create charts like:
  • Bar Charts: Compare planned and actual values side-by-side.
  • Line Charts: Track plan and actual trends over time.
  • Variance Charts: Highlight areas of significant deviation between plan and actual.

Important Considerations:

• Data Security: Ensure appropriate security measures are in place to protect sensitive planning and actual data.
• Data Refresh Frequency: Determine how often you need to refresh the data for your analysis. Consider scheduling regular data updates to keep your analysis current.
• AFO Version: Confirm that your AFO version supports the necessary data sources and features for this analysis.

By following these steps, you can effectively combine plan data from SAC and actual data from S/4HANA in AFO to perform insightful plan vs. actual analysis and support informed decision-making.