Case Study: How to Plan for an SAP BPC Implementation

by Uday Gupta, Senior BI Architect

See how to approach an SAP Business Planning and Consolidation (BPC) implementation, including acquiring the software and setting up the project team. Then find out how to manage it, from assigning security access to users, to developing applications sets and areas.

Key Concept
SAP Business Planning and Consolidation (BPC) 5.1 is the new name for the software originally known as OutlookSoft. SAP BPC 5.1 is only installed on SQL Server architecture. Thus, SQL Server Data Transformation Services (DTS) is required for extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) purposes. SAP BPC 5.1 is an intricate and complex software from the beginning of its installation and requires very careful planning. I am working on a project implementing SAP BPC 5.1 at a company that has R/3 Release 4.6C and SAP BW Release 3.1/3.3. The company wanted a better revenue and staff planning system that caters to the needs of making more accurate planning decisions in less time. The company is already using an Excel-based system and an online system, but both systems consume large amounts of time and dont provide accurate information. I will cover how to approach an SAP BPC 5.1 project from creating the project team, to downloading the software, to the implementation of the software. Implementing SAP BPC either on a single or multi-tier server requires you to complete certain prerequisites, especially on the Windows server environment. Although I am referring to an older version of SAP BW and R/3, many of the processes in this article also apply to SAP ERP Central Component (ECC) and SAP NetWeaver BI. This SAP BPC implementation involved six phases: Phase 1. Download SAP BPC Phase 2. Implement SAP BPC Phase 3. Set up the project team Phase 4. Set up security access for the project team Phase 5. Integrate SAP BPC with R/3 and BW Phase 6. Develop the application set and area

1. Download SAP BPC

My team spent a considerable amount of time discovering how to download the SAP BPC 5.1 software, including the software license. This is actually not in any documentation. You can download it directly at http://service.sap.com/swdc. Search for the software using the term SAP BPC 5.1. Note that you need a Service Marketplace ID and password to access this download. Also, this ID must be authorized by SAP to download the software. Make sure you download the version for MS SQL Server. You can download the hardware and software requirements at https://websmp204.sap-ag.de/instguides.

2. Implement SAP BPC

The hardware requirements for implementing SAP BPC are very detailed, just like any software, and they need to be followed carefully. You can find the master install guide at https://websmp102.sap-ag.de/instguides.

During the implementation step, you will come across a screen that asks for the company name. Make sure that the company name is SAP rather than the company for which the software is licensed. As you work through the installation steps, ensure that each item has a check mark next to it (Figure 1). If the system encounters problems during setup, a red X appears next to the area with the error. Make sure you address these errors at this point in the process so that you do not have problems when you configure the software. In my example in Figure 1, the ASP.NET version is incorrect. To resolve this error, I contacted the Windows Server technician to upgrade ASP.NET version V1.1.4322.

Figure 1

Successful steps show a check mark. Xs indicate an error occurred.

Tip!
While installing the software, ensure that your network and hardware technicians are available to resolve issues. When all components that are required for SAP BPC install correctly, you can finish the installation. After the software is installed, you should see the launch page, which you can also access directly using the SAP BPC URL http://<server name>/osoft.

Cant View the SAP BPC Launch Page?

If you do not see the BPC launch page, check your Internet Explorer settings. Follow menu path Tools>Internet Options>Security>Custom Level. In the Security Settings screen, scroll down to User Authentication>Logon and make sure that Automatic logon with current username and password is selected (Figure 2). Click on OK to save and continue. Next, click on Trusted sites under the Security tab. Enter the SAP BPC URL in the field that appears and then click on the Add button.

Figure 2

Check the Internet Explorer security settings

3. Set up the Project Team

SAP BPC 5.1 is dependent upon the SQL Server for extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) development. I recommend that you involve an expert on SQL Server who not only understands SQL Server, but also understands the Data Transformation Services (DTS) aspect. Figure 3 shows an example of good project structure. Each roles responsibility is shown in Table 1.

Figure 3

SAP BPC implementation project team

Role Responsibilitie s
Client project manager Executes the project plan and facilitates meetings to ensure all project tasks are completed. Communicates with stakeholders.

Ensures all consulting activities are completed on time and within budget. Helps to resolve issues Consulting and conflicts in all aspects of implementation. Holds design sessions to gather implementation project manager requirements. Client business planning expert Consulting BPC expert Client BPC expert Consulting SQL expert Client SQL expert Provides knowledge and input into how the company is using the current planning system. Helps provide requirements for SAP BPC. Communicates with the business side to resolve business process issues. Ensures that the software installation is completed. Configures SAP BPC dimensions, input schedules, reports, and security. Provides detailed knowledge handover to client BPC experts. Manages SAP BPC, including input schedules, reports, dimension members, and testing. Works closely with client business planning experts. At my company, the client BPC experts are members of the same team. Handles the design, implementation, and testing of ETL activities on SQL. Resolves ETL errors within SQL for BPC. Provides detailed knowledge handover to client SQL expert. Manages ETL activities on SQL, such as batch schedules. Resolves ETL errors within SQL for SAP BPC.

Client R/3 expert Provides feedback about areas that could create conflict in the BPC design Client BW/BI expert Client hardware admin Client SQL database admin Client Basis admin Provides data objects for SAP BPC when SAP BW or SAP NetWeaver BI is a data source for BPC. For my current project, the BW expert also manages SAP BPC, including the activities outlined in the BPC Admin Console. Works closely with the consulting BPC and client BPC experts. Ensures all hardware requirements are met prior to BPC installation. Available at all times to resolve any hardware or network issues. Ensures that the SAP BPC SQL database is implemented prior to BPC installation. Should be available at all times to resolve any database issues. Provides Basis-level support for the project Project team responsibilities

Table 1

You can combine some of the roles in Table 1 for example, client BPC experts can also serve as power users who can build reports and input schedules. The consulting project manager can also serve as the consulting BPC expert and the client BW expert can also function as the client BPC admin expert. It is best to have the BW expert constantly shadow the consulting BPC expert to learn the configuration of the system. Its vital to have a client SQL expert because changes in tables could occur or you might need to add dimensions after the BPC system is in production stage. For the project Im working on, we made sure to involve all the R/3 and BW experts in design sessions along with the client BPC experts. This allowed the BPC experts to understand the SAP system and ensured that client and consulting BPC experts designed the BPC system based on our existing R/3 and BW systems.

4. Set up Security Access for the Project Team

After you install the software and set up the project team, the next step is to provide the BPC team with security access. The security in the BPC system is based on Active Directory you create the users from the server on which the admin user exists. I recommend that the hardware, network, consulting BPC, and client BW experts use the admin ID at the server level during the software install. The client BW expert creates the users in SAP BPC by clicking on BPC Administration from the BPC launch page. Click on Manage Security on the left side of the screen, and then click on Add new user from the task pane on the left.

In the screen that appears, select the relevant domain and the users for which you want to provide BPC access. Then go through the user detail and assignments screen to select the team (Figure 4).

Figure 4

Select the users based on the relevant domain

5. Integrate SAP BPC with R/3 and SAP BW

SAP BPC data design is much easier if you have R/3 and SAP BW (or SAP NetWeaver BI). However, this is not a requirement. If you have these systems in place, it ensures that much of the data design thought process is already completed. Your companys requirements determine whether you use R/3, SAP BW, or both as the data source. For my current project we have R/3 and SAP BW in place. It sources Cross Application Time Sheet (CATS) data and revenue postings from SAP BW and employee master data and salaries from R/3. Sourcing the data from SAP BW was easy because we had raw data stored in the DataStore object (DSO) and reporting data in InfoCubes. We used InfoCubes to provide data to the SQL server via InfoSpokes. The team maintained some master data directly within BPC, such as organizational structures and customers. Otherwise, loading master data from R/3 or SAP BW into SAP BPC would have required additional development on SQL Server. It is critical to note that BPC ETL is driven by SQL Server. You will encounter some limitations to data for example, SQL Server table keys can only be a maximum of 20 characters, whereas SAP BW can have objects with more than 20 characters. It is best to identify these limitations early in the design sessions to avoid redesigning the ETL, input schedules, or reports after the design is finalized. This saves you valuable time and resources. Identifying the limitations also helps client business planning experts see how the data will be visible in both the input schedules and reports. This is important because you may need to truncate or concatenate some data in SAP BPC. This could cause confusion when a user looks at a report in SAP BPC and compares it to the data in SAP BW or R/3. During the design sessions, it is also important to determine which characteristics will be required for reporting and planning dimensions. Start this process early because the system design is impacted if you add dimensions during later stages of the SAP BPC project. Note you cannot use SAP BW or R/3 hierarchies directly in SAP BPC 5.1 you must develop them manually.

6. Develop the Application Set and Area

You must create an application set (AppSet) and an application area to develop data models and dimensions. The AppSet and application area are required to undertake the full planning process within SAP BPC and serve as the backbone to input schedules for entering plans and reports for analysis purposes. To enter into the development area of the software, click on BPC Administration from the launch page. The BPC Admin console has three sections (Figure 5). The left side shows your objects such as dimensions, application areas, and security. The middle area shows the details about the particular object that you have selected. The right side shows the tasks that you can perform for that object.

Figure 5

BPC navigation

Tip!
If you cannot see the Manage Dimensions area, then the software was not installed properly. Read SAP Note 1098427 for information about how to solve this issue. For example, when I click on the Account dimension on the left side, I see this dimensions details in the middle screen. On the right side, I can see all the tasks I can undertake with the dimension under the heading Manage Dimensions.

Create an AppSet
An AppSet is a SQL database universe that stores all the data about a certain subject area, such as financial, HR, or revenue planning. Its similar to an InfoArea in SAP BW. The consulting BPC expert or the client BW expert creates an AppSet by logging on to BPC Administration and clicking on Manage Application Sets. This brings you to the connection wizard (Figure 6). ApShell is the default AppSet use it to log on to SAP BPC. Click on OK and then click on Add a new application set (Figure 7).

Figure 6

Select the default ApShell as the AppSet

Figure 7

Create a new application set

In the screen that appears, give the new application set a name. Its best to create a copy of the original AppSet and use this copy to develop other AppSets. This process copies all the standard dimensions, report security, and necessary SQL objects, so the BPC configuration expert knows the work required on the SQL Server level. Give the new application set a name (Figure 8). Then click on the Go to Next Step 2 of 2 button at the bottom of the screen.

Figure 8

Name the new application set

Select all the check boxes and click on Add a New Application Set (Figure 9). The system copies all the applications, dimensions, standard reports, SQL tables, Web folders, and user security files from the original ApShell AppSet. The screen in Figure 10 appears after a successful copy of the AppSet.

Tip!
Keep in mind that if you have many database records in an AppSet, then it could take a long time to copy AppSet. If you are copying an AppSet from non-standard AppSet, then avoid copying database record. This reduces the time it takes to copy the AppSet.

Figure 9

Select which objects to copy

Figure 10 Successfully copied AppSet

Tip!
When copying an AppSet, if the system asks you to restart the send governor service, then you can do this on the Windows Server via Component services. Double-check to ensure that all the tables have been copied by logging on to SQL Database and searching for the tables. Your SQL Database Admin person should help you with this information.

Deactivate the AppSet in a Production Environment

If an AppSet is in production environment and you dont want it to be available for planning or reporting, you can set the status to inactive. This setting is useful when you are undertaking system maintenance, such as loading data or adding new dimensions. Under Manage Application Sets, click on Set Application set status. In the screen that appears, click on Not Available (Figure 11). Then click on Update application set status. After you click on this, you are still in the admin console screen. This process takes place on the right side of the screen. After you create the AppSet, log on to the AppSet to create the other objects you need, such as dimensions and applications.

Figure 11

Assign the application set status

Create a Dimension
During the project planning sessions, the team determines which dimensions are necessary. You can develop any characteristic such as cost center, work breakdown structure (WBS) element, or profit center that you require for planning or reporting as a dimension. You create hierarchies within the dimension (Figure 12). For example, you can create the profit center hierarchy within the profit center dimension.

Figure 12

Create dimensions

To create a dimension, go to BPC Administration and log on to the appropriate ApShell. Then go to the Dimension Library. Click on Add a new dimension (Figure 12). In the screen that appears, provide a dimension name and description (Figure 13). Remember that there should be no spaces or special characters in the name.

Figure 13 Define the dimension type

When finished, click on the Go to Step 2 of 3 button at the bottom of the screen. In this example I am creating the CostCenter dimension for staff planning. I applied the E - Entity dimension type because cost center is an organizational object. When finished, click on the Go to Step 3 of 3 button. In my example, the dimension only has the cost center and description. Click on Add a New Dimension to create the new tables in the SQL database. As you can see in Figure 14, the SQL database has three fields CURRENCY, EVDESCRIPTION, and ID.

Figure 14

Dimension properties

As mentioned in the previous section, the dimension key length in BPC can only be 20 characters long. If you have any characteristics in R/3 or SAP BW with more than 20 characters, and you want to use them for planning, youll need to trim them down to 20 characters to load the data to SAP BPC. Also, descriptions in BPC can be no more than 50 characters. After you create the dimension, you will see the message The task has been successfully completed (Figure 15).

Figure 15 Dimension created successfully Maintain Dimension Members

In my example, I am maintaining the cost center master data directly in SAP BPC rather then loading it from an R/3 or SAP BW system. In SAP BPC this process is known as maintaining dimension members. This process is required so I can plan and report on relevant transaction data. In my example, you load time sheet data for staff planning, so the employees cost center must be available prior to loading the transaction data. In BPC Administration, select Manage Dimensions and then select the relevant AppSet, ApShell3 in my example. Click on OK. In the Dimension Library on the left side of the screen, select Cost Center as the dimension. On the right side, click on Maintain Dimension Members. This creates an Excel sheet within SAP BPC in which you can maintain the dimension master data or dimension members (Figure 16). When you are finished, click on Save to Server on the right side of the screen.

Figure 16

Maintain dimension members

Click on Process dimension under Dimension Tasks on the right side of the screen in Figure 16 to save the dimension data to the SAP BPC server. When you process the dimension, it saves the dimension data to the SQL Server. You can now use this dimension for planning and reporting purposes in input schedules and reports. You can also view this data from SQL Server in the relevant dimension table.