Enabling Business Friendly Semantics in Power BI from SAP Datasphere.

Enabling Business Friendly Semantics in Power BI from SAP Datasphere. 

As a large commercial construction company, with a long history in North America, Barton Malow is committed to building People, Projects, and Communities. While Barton Malow has been in business for over 100 years, they are not resting comfortably with past processes.  Rather, Barton Malow is on a mission to transform the construction industry through innovation and increased efficiency in the building process.   

To that end, they are focused on leveraging data and having a data-driven culture to aid them in their mission.  However, on the journey they encountered a bit of a road bump with SAP Datasphere and Power BI.   

 
THE PROBLEM 

To get started, here is a bit of background on the situation. The Barton Malow team was facing a significant challenge with the inability to automatically feed business metadata from SAP Datasphere into Power BI. In addition, Datasphere does not check for duplication of business names (only technical names are checked) and if duplicate business names are in the same source, the Power BI load failed. 

This limitation necessitated the implementation of a manual process for gathering and loading data into Power BI daily.  The workaround consisted of manually pulling the metadata into a JSON file then putting through a PBI rename step. This not only increased the risk of errors but also consumed valuable time and resources, hindering the company’s ability to leverage data-driven insights effectively and efficiently. 

 

THE SOLUTION 

To overcome these problems, the Tek team worked with them to thoroughly understand the current situation and design an automated solution to the issues.   The solution leveraged the HANA cloud directly using Business Application Studio and modeling HDI container based calculated views, which were then accessed by Power BI.  This approach enabled the retrieval of business names without manual intervention. 

 

THE RESULTS 

At the end of the day, the outcome was a solution that provided: 

  • Improved business process efficiency with the elimination of manual processes. 
  • Seamless availability of business names in Power BI to support self-service and data-driven culture. 

 

Ready to move your data strategy forward and unlock the full potential of your data? This client success story is just one example of how we help businesses modernize their data architectures, streamline operations, and drive faster decision-making.   

 

Let us help you achieve the same success! Contact us today to discuss how we can support your migration to SAP Datasphere.   Contact TEK – Tek Digital Transformations 

 

STREAMLINING AUTOMOTIVE INCENTIVES PLANNING

By – Merri Beckfield
STREAMLINING AUTOMOTIVE INCENTIVES PLANNING

 

Most car buyers likely aren’t aware of the work put into planning the incentives we often see advertised.  That is, those special offers (such as cash back or an amazing 0% interest rate) encouraging each of us to purchase a new vehicle.  The effort that car manufacturers put into this is quite significant.  The number of variables that need to be considered to come up with an incentive offering that is competitive, cost effective, and drives sales is somewhat daunting.  Factors beyond the forecast of demand, costs, and manufacturers margin such as the impact to the margin of the car dealer and varying market conditions by state create added complexity.

In collaboration with a large-scale automotive manufacturer, we tackled the challenge of streamlining the automotive incentive planning process. By implementing an end-to-end solution which leveraged predictive techniques, automation, and strong change management the team was able to streamline the process: reducing the duration from weeks to days and delivering an 80% reduction in manual interventions.

 

“Our planners love the new experience and we as a leadership team, we are thrilled with the improved speed to market.”​ – Director of FP&A

 

THE PROBLEM

Before diving in, it’s important to understand the challenges that were being faced by the manufacturer driving the need to do something.  The supply chain was in a state of turmoil, and rising banking interest rates were significantly impacting auto incentives. Financial closing was a cumbersome and complicated process due to the intricacies of dealer contract terms and dealer stock. The organization was finding it nearly impossible to react to market conditions and adapt new promotions to the market without engaging in heavy manual labor. Incentive planning was a time-consuming and manual task, lacking the flexibility needed to keep up with the fast-paced market.

 

 

THE VISION

To improve the situation, the auto manufacturer clearly defined their vision and objectives. First, they wanted to tackle the entire incentives lifecycle, ensuring that the evolving incentives management systems could deliver meaningful business value across all system elements. A major focus was enabling granular geographic planning, allowing for more precise program design and targeted deployment. Specifically, the ability to plan targeted incentive offers down to the region or state level. Second, they wanted to streamline operations via automated program execution integrated with financial systems, which would lead to faster, more reliable incentive rollouts. This needed to include the ability to include considerations around dealer stock in the closing process. Finally, they sought to enhance post-mortem program performance analysis, enabling their brands to effectively balance volume and profit margins while achieving both brand and corporate sales objectives.

 

THE SOLUTION

To overcome the challenges, together the team came up with a strategy and plan to develop an end-to-end incentives life cycle planning application which considered all the key variables.  The solution not only leveraged predictive analytics to create a granular plan by geography to the region/state level, but it also leveraged workflows, along with automation to streamline the planning process.

One key to success of the solution was leveraging SAP Analytics Cloud as the single enterprise planning tool.   By providing end-to-end capabilities in a “one stop shop”, manual interventions were minimized.  Planning duration was reduced from weeks to hours. 

From a technical point of view, the technology powering the solution was SAP Analytics Cloud for the planning functions. Data harmonization was done in BW4HANA.  To achieve, VIN level planning write back functionality to BW4HANA was leveraged. 

From a business point of view, the following capabilities of the solution were transformative:

  • Including dealer stock considerations in the financial close process.
  • Having flexibility in managing dealer margins.
  • Being able to plan and create targeted offers down to the state level.

 

 

THE RESULTS

 

With a remarkable 80% reduction in manual tasks, the team significantly minimized manual interventions, allowing planners to focus on more strategic initiatives. The application has enabled effective budget allocations and provided real-time spend visibility, which means users can make informed decisions more rapidly.

Users are enjoying an improved experience thanks to the seamless integration of sales, incentive, and financial planning, along with automated financial adjustments that streamlined processes. Collaborating with stakeholders to design effective workflows has paid off, as users now can analyze and plan incentive budgets much more efficiently.

Plus, reconciling incentives and optimizing programs has never been easier! The flexibility to add new planning models on-the-fly and personalized reporting options, complete with filters for models and even VINs, empower users to align plans across programs and measure their effectiveness.

Overall, this application has not only enhanced operational efficiency but also fostered a culture of collaboration and data-driven decision-making.

 

The partnership between our organization, TEK and SAP, was incredible.
​We were able to leverage SAP Analytics Cloud to modernize and automate a process that was broken and expensive.
….
TEK brought in the best-in-class experts with deep automotive industry experience and thought leadership​”
Director Finance and Planning
 

If you are facing a similar planning challenge (regardless of industry), let us help you achieve the same success! Contact us today to discuss.  
Contact TEK – Tek Digital Transformations

Solving Legacy BI Headaches for a Global Distributor

By – Merri Beckfield

From my vantage points, I have the privilege of observing organizations at varying points in their journey to data insights.   And for SAP customers who have been waiting for the right moment for SAP Datasphere, there is now a focus on starting the journey.

Today, I’d like to share a bit about the journey of a supply chain management and logistics solutions provider who went all in on modernizing their SAP BI solutions.

 

THE PROBLEM

When we first started together, they were an SAP ECC shop with an on-premises, legacy BW data warehouse solution with over 500 BEX queries.  Users were sourcing data from a variety of systems for reporting and decision making.  On the front end, SAP Business Objects and Tableau were in the mix.    This is certainly a very common scenario.

With their legacy BI solution, the organization was facing some common challenges. They were struggling to achieve the necessary speed and cost-effective storage needed for their operations. Additionally, the lack of integration resulted in the loss of SAP context for data stored in third-party databases, further complicating their data management efforts.

 

THE SOLUTION

To overcome the challenges, together we came up with a strategy and plan to seize-the-moment with an upcoming S/4 implementation.  Rather than rework the legacy BI solutions to fit S/4 into the picture, the team took the opportunity to replace the existing BI solution with an all-in move to SAP Datasphere.  To mitigate risk, a “joint success plan” was put into place which laid out a phased migration (with a pilot) approach.  This allowed the team to work in an agile fashion, apply learnings along the way, and reap some business benefits along the way.

This all involved fully implementing a 3-tier Datasphere landscape, along with BW bridge.  To be honest, we learned a few things about BW bridge (and its limitations) along the way! The data and data flows were fully migrated from BW to Datasphere in a manner that allowed us to take advantage of the work previously done in BW (why reinvent the wheel?).  Security was fully integrated into the new solution.  The queries for the front end were updated to the new solution. And a data lake solution was put into place for cost-effective data storage.

 

THE RESULTS

At the end of the day, the outcome was a solution that provided:

  • Enhanced agility and scalability vs. their prior solution.
  • Streamlined data access by integrating SAP and non-SAP data sources
  • Real-time integration implemented to S/4 Hana for faster time to insight.

Ready to move your data strategy forward and unlock the potential of SAP Datasphere? This client success story is just one example of how we help businesses modernize their data architectures, streamline operations, and drive faster decision-making.

Let us help you achieve the same success! Contact us today to discuss how we can support your migration to SAP Datasphere.   Contact TEK – Tek Digital Transformations

Tek AI

Tek AI

The AI/ML industry has witnessed significant advancements since its inception, primarily driven by the growth in computational power and the availability of vast datasets. Historically, the field has evolved from rule-based systems to complex algorithms capable of learning and making predictions.

The global AI market, currently valued at over $196 billion, is expanding rapidly with a projected CAGR of 38.1% between now and 2030, a potential significant increase in value over the next several years. (Grand View Research)

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Data Fabric – A Game Changer

Data Fabric - A Game Changer 

Today, businesses have access to more data than ever before. It comes in all kinds of sizes, types, and locations. With all this data comes a challenge – how to manage it effectively to drive meaningful insights and results. That’s where data fabric
comes in. Data fabric is an emerging technology that enables businesses to manage their data in a more efficient and streamlined way. It’s essentially a unified data management platform that brings together data from multiple sources and makes it accessible in one place.

This game-changing technology is set to transform the way businesses operate, allowing them to make more informed decisions and ultimately, drive growth. In this article, we’ll explore what data fabric is, how it works, and its benefits for businesses of all sizes. Read on to discover how data fabric can help you achieve
your goals

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A Look at Artificial Intelligence in SAP’s Business Technology Platform

A Look at Artificial Intelligence (AI) in SAP's Business Technology Platform (BTP) 

Looking to elevate your company’s performance? Aiming to enhance the speed and effectiveness of your operational processes? Or maybe seeking a superior method for forecasting? fI so, it’s time to explore the Artificial Intelligence solutions offered by SAP within the SAP Business Technology Platform. By harnessing the power of Al, your organization can significantly enhance performance, improve decision making, advance innovation, and boost customer satisfaction. As demonstrated by the quick rise of Al tools like ChatGPT, Al has now reached a level of maturity where it can offer significant benefits to businesses that utilize this technology. In this article, we will explore the role of Al in modern businesses, the key components of SAP BTP’s Al offerings, and real-world use cases that demonstrate how SAP’s Al solutions are transforming business.

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Plan, Visualize, Manage Promotion and Incentive Program Budget

Plan, Visualize, Manage Promotion and Incentive Program Budgets

In the modern digital world customers with information at finger tips are making more informed decisions in buying or leasing products.

Manufacturers can now connect with customers directly, transform the traditional selling practices by offering customized incentive programs. Using advanced analytics manufacturers can get deeper insights into customer sentiments and influencing factors for closing a deal with the customer.

With dynamically changing ownership models and competitive incentives landscapes, manufactures and retailers need more tools to manage incentive programs and budgets to swiftly modify programs by gaining insights into customer’s preferences to win deals.

TekAnalytics offers a flexible and easy to customize solution for Trade Promotion and Incentive Programs Management. The end-to-end Incentive Planning and Trade Promotion management solutions covers process steps for a series of activities aimed at successful product sales. Sales promotions and program activities, retailer incentives, promotional campaigns and many other tasks can be accurately planned, budgeted, executed and audited using TEK-TPIM®.  Get your complimentary whitepaper copy today!! 👉👉

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Optimized inventory with Improved Product Flow and Turn

About the Client: Major US Manufacturer and Distributor

The Client is a manufacturer and distributor of food packaging and foodservice products, supplying packers, processors, supermarkets, restaurants, institutions, and foodservice outlets across North America.

 

Business Challenge:

  • The current setup has no Integrated supply chain consolidated reports
  • For manufacturers, not only is it difficult to predict the maintenance needs of equipment but also to determine the necessary inventory of spare parts for potential repairs.
  • Increase availability of spare parts for servicing and repairing of machinery and manufacturing assets and reduce the cost of maintaining inventory

 

The Solution:

  • Gather data from supply chain history for drilling, rigging, pipeline materials, other inputs, part failure, and part usage history, lead time history (for reorders), history of disruptions to supply chain, planned and the actual history of ramping of capacity.
  • Establish an optimal freight cost model that can ensure on-time delivery.
  • Characterize statistical properties (distributions and correlations) in parts demand and lead times.
  • Understand and account for historical disruptions by leveraging data from SAP BW and flat files to leverage SAP Analytics Cloud (Analytics, Planning, and Predictive ).
  • Link data sources with an analytics engine.
  • Using the current state of inventory and chosen economic scenario, automatically set optimal inventory levels for all parts.   

 

Results and Benefits:

  • Develop a flexible framework for using inputs of historical data, economic and manufacturing capacity scenarios, and predictive models to set optimal inventory levels by using SAC predictive tools
  • Optimized inventory level-setting with fully quantified operating characteristics of expected cost and probability of stocking out

Need additional Assistance?  Contact us today!

Maximize Auto Parts fill rate with SAC Predictive reporting

About the Client: Fortune 100 Automotive Customer

The Fortune 100 Automotive Customer is one of the world’s largest and most important car manufacturers with 6 million market capture. It has 50 production locations across the five continents with 200000 employees across the globe. To be a leading, profitable volume manufacturer as well as playing a leading role in the new world of the automobility industry in the long term.

 

Business Challenge:

Maximizing the Dealer orders Fill percent or Fill Rate is always a key focus in the automotive after-sales stream. Increasing fill rate without piling excessive inventory at a plant requires not only a deep dive into fill rate and supply chain metrics across multiple dimensions but also deep learnings into data patterns and identify influencers impacting the fill rates.

 

The Solution:

A complete cloud-based reporting solution for tracking fill rate from Plant to the part level. Our consultants in partnership with the business developed a regression-based predictive model by taking the last 3 years’ dealer order history and fill rates into the account. The Model predicts future fill rates for the dealer odder demand data in the planning system.

  • Gather data from supply chain history for drilling, rigging, pipeline materials, other inputs, part failure, and part usage history, lead time history (for reorders), history of disruptions to supply chain, planned and the actual history of ramping of capacity.
  • Unified Historical and planning data along with master data within BW/4HANA
  • Reporting Model which enables multiple drill-down levels and secured at region leve
  • An easy-to-use yet very effective SAC-based visualization to track Fill rates historically and also drill down to material level with multiple end-user level capabilities including Ranking, Ad-hoc exploring.
  • Considering 3 years dealer order history, created a regression model which predicts fill rate and quantities at a part level for demand planning data
 

 

Results and Benefits:

  • The SAC story completely replaced excel based fill rate tracking. Users no longer need to perform any manual excel calculations to derive KPI’s which tremendously save time in analyzing.
  • A very user friendly yet robust UI design
  • A deeper insights into the fill rate data across multiple dimensions and
  • 95% confident regression model trained from 3 years historical data which predicts the future fill rates, this will help users to maintain optimal inventory

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