What it does
SAP Analytics Cloud combines business intelligence and planning, with connections to SAP and other data sources. Reports, prebuilt business content and scenario tools help teams examine operational and financial questions.
SAP Analytics Cloud combines business reporting with planning scenarios. Reports are organized as stories, using a connected data model to supply the measures and dimensions for charts and tables.
From Stories, choose a responsive layout, a fixed canvas or a template. A responsive story adapts to mobile screens. Add a chart or table from the toolbar or Assets panel, then select its dataset or model. Models can come from My Files or an SAP Datasphere connection. The Builder panel assigns the fields; Styling changes presentation, and the left Filters panel controls the displayed data.
Planning tools can compare changed assumptions with observed results. For example, a budget scenario can change a sales driver while retaining the original actuals for comparison.
SAP's current Business Data Cloud purchasing model uses core capacity units with separate analytics and planning entitlements. A sales discussion establishes the applicable package and monetary price. The basic trial follows a guided experience with a subset of features. It requires an SAP account, and the welcome email supplies the trial account details.
Strengths
- Combines planning scenarios and business analysis in one product.
- Connects SAP and third-party business data with prebuilt content.
Watch out for
- Business Data Cloud licensing has capacity and package prerequisites.
Best for
- Organizations aligning business planning with shared operational data
Sources
- SAP Business Data Cloud commercial capacity model (Oct 27, 2026)
- SAP Analytics Cloud basic trial account setup (Oct 27, 2026)
- SAP Analytics Cloud story layouts, data and controls (Oct 27, 2026)
- SAP Analytics Cloud | BI, Planning, and Predictive Analysis Tools (Oct 25, 2026)
- SAP Analytics Cloud Pricing (Oct 25, 2026)