SAP BPC, the SAP product made easy for financial users
November 19, 2019

SAP BPC, the SAP product made easy for financial users

Juan Carlos Crespo | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

SAP NetWeaver Edition

Overall Satisfaction with SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)

Currently we use both functionalities of SAP BPC: Planning and Consolidation.
  • Planning: With BPC we manage the financial budget across all the business units of the Company. We configured standard interfaces with the GL of our ERP (SAP R3) so we can easily measure the actuals vs. the annual plan. With the use of the EPM add-in for Excel, the financial users can create, consume and share reports.
  • Consolidation: With the interfaces from the General Ledger to BPC it is easy to acquire information (balances) for reporting purposes. Also, we have configured business rules such as inter-company eliminations, adjustments or journals, so by executing a package from the EPM add in for Excel the consolidation team has been empowered and there is no IT involvement in the process.

Pros

  • User friendly, with the use of the EPM add-in for Excel, business users can work in a familiar environment.
  • SAP Analytics Cloud easy and native integration for dashboarding purposes.
  • Can manage several business scenarios (versions): actuals, plan, forecast, etc.
  • For Consolidation, there is a required dimension for auditing purposes (audit trail) so it is useful for internal and external audits.

Cons

  • EPM add-in is only available for the Microsoft Windows Operating System.
  • In order to open or refresh an inform, it is required to have the EPM add-in for MS Office already installed.
  • Difficult to configure, ex. Script logic for ad-hoc adjustments.
  • Data process unification was the major benefit in our case, prior to BPC it was difficult to unify the budget information of each business unit across the Company, now we have deployed standard input schedules (forms).
  • Now, for better or worse, BPC is our standard, the normal way to work.
  • We have the idea that BPC in the short term will be replaced by SAP Analytics Cloud.
First integration is difficult, must need a SAP Business Warehouse specialist to configure data sources from the General Ledger standard extractors and integrations from the ERP to the BW (back-end database of BPC).
We selected BPC because our Company is SAPified from the backbone. Has native and proven integrations so to start we only have to activate the pre-installed SAP Business Content and configure based in our current metadata (entities, chart of accounts, intercompanies, cost center, etc.).
In a traditional company that uses SAP ERP it is well suited. You can also acquire data from non-SAP data sources but it requires some technical skills to achieve this. It is great for reporting within Excel, can create local members (KPI) within reports, and has the advantage of all the functionalities that MS Office provides.

SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) Feature Ratings

10.0
Long-term financial planning
10
Financial budgeting
10
Forecasting
10
Scenario modeling
10
Management reporting
10
10.0
Financial data consolidation
10
Journal entries and reports
10
Multi-currency management
10
Intercompany Eliminations
10
Minority Ownership
10
Local and consolidated reporting
10
Detailed Audit Trails
10
8.3
Financial Statement Reporting
10
Management Reporting
7
Excel-based Reporting
10
Automated board and financial reporting
6
6.8
Personalized dashboards
5
Color-coded scorecards
5
KPIs
10
Key Performance Indicator setting
8
Benchmarking with external data
6
10.0
Flat file integration
10
Excel data integration
10
BI Standard Reporting ()
Not Rated
Ad-hoc Reporting ()
Not Rated
Report Output and Scheduling ()
Not Rated
Data Discovery and Visualization ()
Not Rated
Access Control and Security ()
Not Rated
Mobile Capabilities ()
Not Rated

Using SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)

Unlike other SAP traditional products, SAP BPC was meant to be simple and familiar to financial users.
ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Well integrated
Consistent
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
Familiar
None
  • Reporting with the EPM Add in for MSOffice
  • Data management and execution of processes
  • Metadata management
  • Ad-hoc adjustments need script logic
  • Strong financial knowledge is a must for the consultant that is going to implement SAP BPC.
  • Need a BW specialist first-time configuration.

Comments

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