Presenters: Graham Finney, VP ServicesEric Normand, Director of Services Justin McNeely, Account Executive

Escape Excel Hell10 Reasons to avoid using Excel as the go-to

solution for Budgeting and Planning

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� Canadian consulting firm focused exclusively on SAP Enterprise Performance

Management solutions

� Implementing SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation (BPC) since

2003

� Currently support the majority of Canadian customers using BPC

� Consultants located across Canada

� Consultants have Finance background, CA, CGA, CMA, CPA

� Services include: Evaluation, Design, Implementation, Project Management,

Training, and Support

Sample of Canadian SAP BPC

Customers

Excel Based Approach to Budgeting

and Planning

� Today more than 75% of companies are using Excel as the go-to solution for budgeting and forecasting

� This leads to an ineffective and time consuming process (80/20).

� Organizations experience frustration and a lack of confidence in the data, and this can potentially result poor decision making.

Benefits of Excel

■ Widely used application

■ Easy to learn basics and availability of training

■ Control over report format

■ Flexible reporting capabilities (Graphs, Charts, etc.)

■ Robust functionality (Calculations, Modeling, etc.)

Introducing SAP BusinessObjects

Planning & Consolidation (BPC)

MS SQL Server

SAPNetWeaver

SAP BPC Approach to Budgeting and

Planning

� Centralized database

� Data is assembled in cubes for multidimensional capabilities

� Facilitates a collaborative approach to Budgeting and Planning

� Utilizes Excel while removing limitations of an “Excel only” approach

� User focused and process oriented

What the Industry Analysts are

saying…

� Gartner SAP is a Market Leader and has the strongest vision

� IDC SAP #1 in Performance Management Tools

� Forrester SAP has the strongest offering in the Business

Performance Solutions market

� Microsoft – SAP press release November 2009

Microsoft Corporation supports the SAP® BusinessObjects™ Planning and

Consolidation application, version for the Microsoft platform, as a preferred

solution for customers running their business applications on the Microsoft

platform.

10 Reasons to Avoid Using Excel as

the Go-to Solution

■ Data is local to spreadsheets

■ Dis-synchronization of data

■ Manual updates introduce data quality issues

■ Collaboration and communication

■ No standardized approach

■ Versioning is difficult

■ Structural changes required time and efforts

■ Basic Difference in way formulas are built

■ Lack of meaningful audit trails

■ Data security is a challenge

#1 Data is Local to Spreadsheets

Excel Based Approach

� Static version of the data

� Versioning is difficult

� Understanding what numbers are correct

� Accumulation and consolidation of data is

manual and difficult

SAP BPC Approach

� All data and versions are stored centrally

� Data accumulation in real time and

automatic aggregation

#2 Dis-synchronization of data

Excel Based Approach

� Multiple versions of spreadsheets

scattered on desktops and file servers

SAP BPC Approach

� Single data repository provides a single

version of the truth

#3 Manual Updates Introduce Data

Quality Issues

Excel Based Approach

� Spreadsheet links

Where does this number come from?

Is it updated?

� Maintenance of a multitude of

spreadsheets is difficult and error prone

SAP BPC Approach

� Brings together financial and non-financial

data from a variety of sources

� Consistent presentation and aggregations

� Embedded data validation rules

� Unified database removes the need for

spreadsheet links

#4 Collaboration and Communication

Excel Based Approach

� Inability to easily share information

� Sharing of final reports is generally facilitated

by email

� Lengthy and inefficient update process when

multiple participants are involved in the

update of a report

� Bringing data together from multiple files and

data sources can be a challenge

SAP BPC Approach

� Data is stored centrally with no need to

email various reports/versions

� Multiple users can contribute to the same

report/data simultaneously

� Step-by-Step process flows to guide users

� Notes and commentary can be added to

reports and aligned with data

#5 No Standardized Approach

Excel Based Approach

� Loose and unstructured process requiring

time to monitor

� Unstructured data

� Lacks multi-dimensional view

� Reports with different formats and layout

floating around

SAP BPC Approach

� Business Process Flows to guide users

step by step

� Real time progress monitoring and

approvals

� Corporate reports are locked down while

ad hoc reports are flexible

� Data aggregation is performed

consistently and across multiple

dimensions for better insight

� Consistent look and feel can be applied

easily to all reports

#6 Versioning is Difficult

Excel Based Approach

� A saved spreadsheet represents a

version

� Version comparisons and analysis

involves a lot of manual manipulation

SAP BPC Approach

� Versioning is possible with a simple drop

down selection

� In report drill down functionality to ease

root cause analysis

� Version comparisons are facilitated with

out of the box reports

� Unlimited number of versions

� Security manages user access to versions

� BPC has the built-in intelligence to

perform variance analysis

#7 Structural Changes are Difficult

Excel Based Approach

� Multiple worksheets/workbooks require

major updates for the simplest change

� Impact to formulas, links, charts, and graphs

� Very time consuming

SAP BPC Approach

� Structural changes are managed centrally

� Structural changes automatically reflected

on reports

� Instantaneous updates to reports and

input schedules

� Integrity of reports is preserved (formulas,

graphs, etc.)

#8 Basic Difference in the Way

Formulas are Built

Excel Based Approach

� Calculation formulas often differ between

spreadsheets

� Increased maintenance

SAP BPC Approach

� BPC formulas are defined and maintained

centrally

� Calculations can be defined once across

all budget versions and actuals, where

appropriate

#9 Lack of Meaningful Audit Trail

Excel Based Approach

� Difficult to determine what and when

changes have been made and by whom

� No tie back to source systems

� Limited to keeping copies of files

SAP BPC Approach

� Audit of data and application changes

� All details are automatically tracked

(changes in values, time stamp, user

stamp, etc.)

� Removes the need for multiple

spreadsheet copies

#10 Data Security is a Challenge

Excel Based Approach

� Security is mostly left in the hands of

each user

� Typically all or nothing

SAP BPC Approach

� Role based security can be aligned to

teams or individuals for ease of

maintenance

� Security on tasks that users can perform

and data they can access / update

� Consistent security model between

budget / forecast versions and actual

10 Reasons to Avoid Using Excel as

the Go-to Solution

■ Data is local to spreadsheets

■ Dis-synchronization of data

■ Manual updates introduce data quality issues

■ Collaboration and communication

■ No standardized approach

■ Versioning is difficult

■ Structural changes required time and efforts

■ Basic difference in way formulas are built

■ Lack of meaningful audit trails

■ Data security is a challenge

Keep Excel, Remove the Hell

■ Centralize data

■ Synchronize reports with real-time data

■ Remove need for extensive manual updates

■ Collaborate and communicate with others in the process

■ Standardize company processes, reports, calculations

■ Remove limitations with versioning

■ Manage structural changes centrally

■ Maintaining better control of calculations

■ Gain transparency into the data and audit results

■ Enhance security and controls

© SAP 2009 / Page 23

Thank you!

Justin McNeelyAccount Executive

Performance Analytics Corporation

T (905) 599-7001

E justin.mcneely@performanceanalytics.ca

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