SAP Analytics and reporting challenges:
- Very complex transactional oriented data structure.
- Hundreds of normalized tables with complex relationships.
- Need to join many tables on-line for each report.
- Submitting report is time and resources consuming.
- Rigid system (Performance limitations, Security rules).
- No built in flexible tool to “play” with the data (“Sandbox” concept).
- Complex programming environment (ABAP) – Not suitable for analysts.
- Very long and expensive “Time-to-Market” for reports and analytics.
- Most users are not able to analyze the raw data using SE16N transaction but are limited to predefined set of SAP transactions which usually shows one object at a time.
- BW/BO tools are not sufficient for real-life analytical needs.
- SAP is not a self-service BI environment.
SAP/ISU objects are complex to understand and has complex structure of inter-relationships:
SAP/ISU contains hundreds of tables with peculiar names:
SIGMA Approach:
The Concept:
- Identify relevant SAP R/3 tables/fields and extract them completely on a daily basis into the target environment.
- Solve and “denormalize” all complex SAP relationships within the target environment.
- Build “SIGMA Business Data Models” aimed for end-users and business analysts,
- Automate the process and tune for performance excellence .
- Deploy a sandbox GUI tool that allow end-users to: Explore, Visualize, Manipulate, OLAP, Report, Chart, Model, Simulate, Import, Export and more…
- Single point, single version of the truth of business data easily accessible by every analyst.
- An outside “Sandbox” solution that allow end-users to easily exploit the transactional data hidden in SAP with no limitations and with maximum flexibility.
- Quick “out-of-the box” deployment and implementation.
- Minimal support is needed. Reports and analytics are completely done by end-users.
- Gives the power of mastering the data in the hands of those who needs it, rather than in the expensive hands of SAP/ABAP programmers.