The SAP Roadmap vs. The Anaplan Solution: Intro
Introduction to a Multi-part Series
Written by Jon Pause
What is the SAP BPC roadmap? Great question! If you own, develop, or depend on BPC in anyway, this question should be on your mind.
For over a decade, you have been told you need to invest millions to connect your excel sheets to the BPC platform with the promise of achieving SAP’s marketing utopia of making decisions faster. You’ve made big strides improving some processes along the way. You have effectively reduced some time collating data. But, the solution never struck you as “the answer.” Solutions were limited by functionality, dimensionality, performance, and flexibility. Finding solutions for some critical path items required complex workarounds, that probably cost you more money to implement. The maintenance of those workarounds requires specialized resources and there never is an easy fix.
Well, the recently announced SAP roadmap tries to clear up the confusion. https://blog-sap.com/analytics/2019/05/08/deep-dive-into-saps-strategy-for-enterprise-planning/
They are saying that the SAP Analytics Cloud is the solution. But will this solve issues you’ve experienced with BPC?
They are saying by taking the same rigid account based hierarchy and core advanced logic engine, and sticking it in the cloud all your BPC frustrations will go away, right? The planning utopia promised by SAP AEs is finally within reach! Just one more “upgrade.”
Quoting Dr. Evil “Riiiighhhht”.
I spent over a decade architecting and delivering successful BPC projects on both Microsoft and Netweaver platforms. In just six short months working in Anaplan I can confidently assert that Anaplan is a far superior platform.
In short, Anaplan DOES MORE, COSTS LESS, AND IS EASIER TO MAINTAIN. Please join me over the next couple months as I review the differences between Anaplan and SAP. Simple due diligence mandates you need to hear before spending another dime on the BPC or SAC platform. Join me as I discuss:
1.) The Honeycomb -- An overview of what connected planning should be. You will be shocked by what’s possible with Anaplan.
2.) Open Source Planning: The Hyperblock -- An overview of the technology stack that allows you achieve true connected planning.
3.) The Cost of not Achieving Connected Planning -- Efficiencies are good. Lower costs are great. The real differentiator is the competitive advantage you gain from being more nimble and reducing your risk profile.
4.) Implementations: Anaplan vs SAP -- Why is Anaplan easier and faster to implement?
5.) Resourcing: Anaplan vs SAP – Resources matter. Why Anaplan’s training platform and simple coding architecture enables analysts across your entire organization.
6.) System Maintenance: Anaplan vs SAP – One factor often overlooked in Total Cost of Ownership calculations are the ongoing hidden costs of staffing and upgrading your system.
7.) The Anaplan Way: Owning Continuous Improvements-- Are you owing continuous improvement? See why modifying your plan to accommodate your changing business is imperative in today’s economy.
8.) Total TCO: SAP vs Anaplan – Why Anaplan’s value proposition makes the decision to switch easy.
9.) A Planning Culture -- With a new open source platform the sky is truly the limit. What organizational changes can you make to harness the full value of connected planning?
10.) How to get started with Anaplan? -- ROI is paramount. No matter where you are in your BPC lifecycle there is a reason to evaluate BPC. From resolving obscure planning challenges to re-envisioning major planning processes, find out how to get the word out and shine at your organization.
By the end of the series you will see why Anaplan has become a Gartner Leader for: Finance, Sales Management, S&OP.
SAP has given you this roadmap:
1. They are one of the last companies to acknowledge what you and I already know, that the future of planning is in the cloud.
2. They are late to the game. SAP is a 20th century company trying to shoehorn the same old technology stack based solely on OLAP cubes into the 21st century. Now, more nimble solutions are built from scratch in the cloud have been shown to be more flexible, perform better and are more easily implemented and maintained.
3. SAC at this point is more of a BI, reporting and visualization tool. It is NOT ready for prime time as a planning solution, and because SAP is late to the cloud party, SAC is YEARS behind Anaplan. Will they ever catch up? Can you afford to wait?
4. Those on the Microsoft platform have a particularly important decision to make, as you will no longer be supported next year.
Don’t be left in the dust. Join me next time when we discuss The Honeycomb and see the potential waiting to be unlocked with Anaplan.
About the Author
Jon has been working on advancing connected planning for over 15 years. Previously a solution architect in the SAP EPM space, Jon brought both industry insights and delivery experience to the Anaplan platform.
He is a connected planning specialist who has demonstrated the ability to adapt software tools to multiple industries, technology platforms, and business needs. Using a combination of technical knowhow, creativity in adapting cutting edge software capabilities, and the understanding that business process is a key ingredient to success Jon consistently delivers “value‐add” projects for his clients.