This is Part 2 of 2 dealing with EPM Integration and Financial Information Management. If you have not read Part 1 discussing Installation, please read it first. For me, there are two components to configuration.  First there are systematic configurations to bring the environment up and running.  And then there is usability configuration to setup user & groups (although it’s part of environment configuration...), but most importantly creating and configuring data store connections.

Topics: Process Improvement, Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Cloud, Financial Information Management, BPC (Business Planning & Consolidation)

SAP Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) solutions span across various technology stacks.  Some are on NetWeaver, some are on Microsoft, some are leveraged utilizing the Business Intelligence platform, and some are standalone.

Topics: Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Financial Information Management, Roadmap, Data

SAP released the latest update to the Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) roadmap on March 19^th.  Although I won’t go into great detail on the roadmap or discuss every new feature, I will provide high level overview of the highlights as I see them. 

Topics: HANA, Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Innovation, Roadmap, Value, Data, BPC (Business Planning & Consolidation)

EPM & BPC Training: Addressing the Needs of Adult Learners

Posted by Jennifer Harlan on Thu, Mar 07, 2013 @ 11:03 AM

No single model of training will be the best for all situations, and different learners have different learning styles. Many educators have only recently started to recognize using multiple learning styles when developing educational materials.

Topics: Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Training, BPC (Business Planning & Consolidation)

Are you Ready for a BPC Upgrade?

Posted by David Meharry on Thu, Feb 28, 2013 @ 11:02 AM

At some point all software will be upgraded to take advantage of new features, new technology, and/or to keep in synchronization with other software which has been upgraded. I’ve assisted a number of companies with BPC software upgrades.  Some have been very quick and efficient while others were not as efficient as they could have been. 

Topics: Process Improvement, Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Performance, BPC (Business Planning & Consolidation)

A lot of people use the terms dashboard and scorecard interchangeably, believing that the two are really one and the same. The reality is that they are quite different and are used for different Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) purposes. When discussing the differences, it is easy to make an analogy with two things that we are very familiar with: the dashboards in our cars, and the scorecards or report cards we all received in school. Like the dashboard in your car--which monitors speed, fuel level, and distance traveled.   

Topics: Process Improvement, Enterprise Performance Management (EPM)

Adding Value Through the Consolidation Process - Part One

Posted by Mike Sullivan on Wed, Feb 06, 2013 @ 09:02 AM

If you have recently evaluated replacing your consolidation system, you were undoubtedly faced with justifying the value of the solution. While a new solution will have a plenty of new features and performance benefits, at the end of the day, the accounting rules that need to be followed and the results being generated are the same. Today, we are seeing more consolidation system evaluations based not only on adding value, but more importantly their ability to integrate with and add value to the overall enterprise performance management (EPM) processes. Implementing SAP Business Planning and Consolidation (BPC) is one way of accomplishing that, particularly through the use of business process flows (BPFs).

Topics: Process Improvement, Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Consolidation, Value, Data, BPC (Business Planning & Consolidation)

What's in a name? – A history lesson on the many name changes of what is now known as BPC.

Topics: Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Value, BPC (Business Planning & Consolidation)

What is an EPM Installation Consultant? – Part 3: Post Implementation

Posted by Charles Dagaev on Fri, Jan 11, 2013 @ 09:01 AM

In Part 1 of this series, I discussed the differences between installation consultants and technical consultants. In Part 2, we dug into the details of technical landscape design. In this third and final post of the series, I'll outline some of the Column5 Technical Services that can help ensure your project keeps moving forward in the post implementation environment.

Topics: Process Improvement, Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Performance, Implementation

What is an Installation Consultant? – Part 2: Landscape Design

Posted by Charles Dagaev on Wed, Jan 09, 2013 @ 09:01 AM

In Part 1 of this series, I discussed the differences between installation consultants and technical consultants. In Part 2, let's dig into the details of technical landscape design.

Topics: Process Improvement, Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Performance, Implementation, BPC (Business Planning & Consolidation)