As there are various scenarios possible in upgrading an existing BPC system to the latest Embedded version, I would like to start with a little explanation on what options are available for existing BPC customers:
Although, there are various upgrade scenarios possible, this blog focuses on upgrading your SAP BPC solution to BPC 10.1 Embedded as the target.
An upgrade could take place at any stage of the project life cycle as change in technology is creating situations that are more dynamic and challenging than ever before. For example, an existing BPC 10.0 NW system could be upgraded to 10.1 Embedded or in a new BPC 10.1 Standard implementation, during design stage, the project management board could take a collective decision to move from Standard to Embedded version of BPC. Whatever may be the situation, the challenges faced and lessons learnt are very similar. I have summarised my experience with such a design time migration from BPC 10.1 Standard to Embedded in the rest of this blog.
Check out our on-demand webcast, 10 Things You Need to Know about SAP BPC Embedded
The journey experience is very different to a normal BPC upgrade as BPC Embedded is a new product in the SAP EPM stack and requires a different skillset to be implemented. It uses a key figure based modelling approach to planning (similar to SAP BW) rather than an account based approach (as in BPC Standard). There are various challenges faced and lessons learnt during this interesting, challenging but ultimately rewarding journey. Here are a few important points that could make your journey better prepared and therefore much more enjoyable!
Tools of the trade & skillset: There are a set of new tools that are used during BPC Embedded implementation and it is worth paying careful consideration of the impact this has on the team skills you require:
Contingency: It is absolutely essential to plan enough contingency in the project plan as there will be so many more dependencies on other teams or on SAP itself compared with a SAP BPC Standard project.
Business teams vs Technology teams: It is normal for BPC consultants to work very closely with the the business owners during successful BPC Standard implementations and, indeed, co-location is often the physical manifestation of that. For Embedded projects, however, it is essential to involve IT counterparts as well and to have them engaged just as closely. Close team work and shared requirements and business objectives are key:
The skill set required for business teams to own BPC Embedded system is somewhat different to BPC Standard. The BPC Embedded administrators require a good understanding of BW, BEx, analysis for office etc. which are all core parts of the BPC Embedded solution, apart from the usual BPC administration knowledge. So, recognise this early and develop Administrator skills appropriately from day one of your upgrade project. There are many other components of a successful BPC project that are common across the BPC versions, such as good planning, a clear blueprint, adequate testing, change management, end user training, clear integration design etc. However, my personal experience, with the project mentioned above, proved that these key differences, primarily in skills needed, are the most important areas that needs more focus and contributed to day-to-day challenges if not thought through in advance of your SAP BPC Embedded project commencing. So, take time to plan your Embedded BPC project if it is to be a success as just relying on your past successful BPC Standard implementation experience will not be enough.
For the right use cases though, BPC Embedded will deliver very successful projects and push BPC into levels of integration and efficiency that it would have not been possible to achieve in BPC Standard, so the effort is worth it! For assistance in evaluating a migration to BPC Embedded, contact your local Column5 representative.
Learn more about SAP BPC Embedded by checking out our upcoming live webcast, The 10 Things You Need to Know about SAP BPC Embedded:
SAP BW-IP, SAP BPC NW 10.1 Standard and SAP BPC NW 10.1 Embedded Compared
Integrated Planning with SAP BPC 10.1 Standard
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Surya Tamada, Principle Consultant and Leader of the Column5 SAP BPC Embedded Centre of Excellence