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Moving to SAP Business Planning and
Consolidation: Technical Tips and Advice on
SAP BPC 10.0/10.1 Migration and
Implementation
What will change when moving from Excel-based budgeting and planning to an integrated SAP
Business Planning and Consolidation platform? How do you prepare, and which BPC release will
you choose?
BPC experts and Financials 2014 Singapore speakers Puneet Gupta, Kranthi Kumar and
Sanjeev Mehta of CPM Consulting took reader questions in this Q&A on planning for an SAP BPC
implementation or migration.
View the chat replay here to review this online Q&A. You can also read the edited transcript, below,
where we've highlighted a few key areas of questions - basic overview of BPC 10.0 and 10.1, BPC
features and changes from previous releases, BPC integration with other solutions and tools, and a
number of questions on BPC scripting including FOX.

Allison Martin, SAPinsider, Financials 2014: Welcome to todays chat on moving to SAP
Business Planning and Consolidation 10.0 and 10.1.
Im pleased to be joined by Puneet Gupta, Kranthi Kumar, and Sanjeev Mehta, of CPM Consulting.
These three EPM consultants and experts are also speakers at our upcoming Financials 2014
event in Singapore.
Puneet Gupta is Managing Partner and a co-founder of CPM Consulting. Kranthi Kumar, Associate
Partner, CPM Consulting, brings a special focus on EPM and SAP Process Control. And Sanjeev
Mehta leads the Consolidation practice, with more than 16 years of SAP and Finance experience.
Gentlemen, thank you for joining us!
Sanjeev Mehta, CPM Consulting: Allison, it is our pleasure to be joining you today.
Puneet Gupta, CPM Consulting: Hi, all. Happy to join the chat today.
Allison Martin: Puneet, Kranthi, and Sanjeev, readers started posting questions for you last week,
so well let you respond to those now!

BPC 10.0 and 10.1 Overview

Comment From CY Chiu
Could you please explain: What is BPC?
Sanjeev Mehta: SAP BPC is SAP Business Planning and Consolidation. It is an integrated tool
which supports Legal Consolidation, Management Reporting, Budgeting & Forecasting it is
available in a version for the Microsoft Platform and a version for SAP NetWeaver

Comment From Niranjan Kamishetti

What are the new changes in SAP BPC 10.1?
Puneet Gupta: BPC 10.1 has the following new features:
- A NEW HTML5 Web Client for smoother navigation and mobile readiness.
- A NEW Embedded model with tighter integration with SAP Business Warehouse to maximize
investment.
BPC 10.1 has two modeling options:
- Classic / Standard Model (similar to traditional BPC)
- Unified / Embedded Model (leveraging the powerful features of BI - IP, with stronger integration
with BW)
The Classic/Standard model is very similar to SAP BPC 10.0 with new functionality in the web
interface (based on HTML5 instead of Adobe Flex technology in order to better support mobile
devices along with EPM Unwired).
You will find the bigger differences with the new Unified/Embedded model option. It is very similar
to SAP BW's planning capabilities known as "Integrated Planning" but leverages (and therefore
requires) HANA planning functionality (previously known as PAK or "Planning Applications Kit"
where a lot of the BW Integrated Planning capabilities got pushed down into HANA).

The Unified model also includes functionality found in BPC 10.0 and the Classic odel such as
Business Process Flows and Work Status. Both the Classic and Unified models share use of the
EPM Add-In for Excel (similar to SAP BPC 10.0).

Comment From Karthi

What is the difference between IP and BPC?
Puneet Gupta: In BPC 10.0 NW, IP concepts are foreign or have a logical equivalent. For
example, Characteristic Relationships doesn't fully apply to SAP BPC, which is more hierarchydriven than master data attribute-driven, while Work Status is very similar to (but different than)
Data Slices.
As of 10.1, the capabilities of IP have been tried to combine with BPC Unified modeling. So, in
essence, BPC 10.1 offers two options, either to choose Classic (or Standard) BPC or to use Unified
(or Embedded) BPC, which offers IP features too along with BPC features.
In BPC 10.1 there is a new Unified Model which leverages the BW-IP framework under the hood.
This will allow you to leverage the type of planning you are comfortable with inside of Integrated
Planning.
In the Unified Model pretty much all the IP functionality is supported, improved and/or accelerated if
pushed down to HANA , including Data Slices and Characteristic Relationships. The Classic Model
is similar to BPC 10.0 NW, as highlighted above.

Comment From Guest: Other than HTML5 does 10.1 classic provide any additional features
over 10?
Puneet Gupta: The main advantage of 10.1 is that more integrated with underlying BW platform.
BPC 10.1 has two modeling options: the. Classic / Standard Model (similar to traditional BPC)
and the Unified / Embedded Model (leveraging the powerful features of BI - IP, with stronger
integration with BW)
The Classic / Standard model is very similar to SAP BPC 10.0 with new functionality in the web
interface (based on HTML5 instead of Adobe Flex technology in order to better support mobile
devices along with EPM Unwired).

You will find the bigger differences with the new "Unified / Embedded Model" option which is very
similar to SAP BW's planning capabilities known as "Integrated Planning" but leverages (and
therefore requires) HANA planning functionality (previously known as PAK or "Planning
Applications Kit" where a lot of the BW Integrated Planning capabilities got pushed down into
HANA). The "Unified Model" also includes functionality found in BPC 10.0 and the "Classic Model"
such as "Business Process Flows" and "Work Status". Both the "Classic" and "Unified" Models
share use of the EPM Add-In for Excel (similar to SAP BPC 10.0).

Comment From CY Chiu

Could you please highlight new functions in version 10.1?
Sanjeev Mehta: All the features and functionalities of previous versions of BPC are available in
BPC 10.1.
BPC 10.1 has the following new features:
- A NEW HTML5 Web Client for smoother navigation and mobile readiness.
- A NEW Embedded model with tighter integration with SAP Business Warehouse to maximize
investment.
In order to answer the question there is a key distinction to be made between the "Unified Model"
and "Classic Model" in SAP BPC 10.1.
The "Classic Model" is very similar to SAP BPC 10.0 with new functionality in the web interface
(based on HTML5 instead of Adobe Flex technology in order to better support mobile devices along
with EPM Unwired).
You will find the bigger differences with the new "Unified Model" option which is very similar to SAP
BW's planning capabilities known as "Integrated Planning" but leverages (and therefore requires)
HANA planning functionality (previously known as PAK or "Planning Applications Kit" where a lot of
the BW Integrated Planning capabilities got pushed down into HANA). The "Unified Model" also
includes functionality found in BPC 10.0 and the "Classic Model" such as "Business Process
Flows" and "Work Status". Both the "Classic" and "Unified" Models share use of the EPM Add-In for
Excel (similar to SAP BPC 10.0).

Comment From nag

Are there are any significant changes/improvements/new features in 10.1 Classic compared
to 10.0 NW, other than new UI?
Karthik AJ: Yes, BPC 10.1 classic has got a new web interface in Classic (Standard). It also
enables you to work along with the Unified (Embedded) model, which will help you gain the
benefits of BI-IP/PAK features too.

Comment From Mohammed Ilyas Ansari

What are the shortcomings/limitations of the BPC 10.1 unified model as compared to BPC
10?
Sanjeev Mehta: First of all, BPC 10.1 unified & BPC 10 (which uses the classic approach) are
different in many aspects.
As of now, BPC 10.1 unified still uses BW modelling functionalities & EPM Add-in is used primarily
for reporting. So as such we cannot point out limitations. But you can say BPC 10.1 has all its
modelling done in BW and does not support functionalities like work status, journals, consolidation,
etc.

Comment From CY Chiu

What is difference between BPS and BPC?
Sanjeev Mehta: BPC is a single, unified, and integrated platform for all your planning, budgeting,
forecasting, and consolidation requirements.
BPC is a business-driven environment, rather than IT-driven. For any IT owned systems, a very
significant pain point for an end user is having to wait for IT to make their requested changes.
Because BPC can be maintained by the business, it puts the power back in their hands. BPC is
seamlessly integrated with MS Office tools.

Comment From Ed
Can you comment on the use of embedded BPC and client strategy?
Sanjeev Mehta: Customers evaluating the BPC embedded model coming from a BPC 7.X/10.0/BIIP environment can take advantage of new features, such as:

Deeper BW Integration Ability to access data and masterdata from infocubes based on similar
(Multiple Key Figure) data structure

Planning Sessions Creation of What-If scenarios based on full data sets, optimized by SAP
HANA

Matrix Security

Calculated Key Figures / Inverse Formulas - Dimension members defined by a formula* with
input enablement

Cell Locking - Keep measure values fixed upon calculations when performing items such as
disaggregations or inverse formulas

In short , BPC embedded is more applicable for customers familiar with the BI-IP environment.

BPC Features, Changes & Improvements

Comment From Daniel Juvinao
The use of member formulas is not a recommended practice in terms of performance or in
the new version. Does 10.1 have an improvement for this feature?
Sanjeev Mehta: There have been significant performance enhancements for member formulas.
Though having member formulas is not a recommended practice, they might be handy in certain
scenarios.
Also, SAP is now working to move member formula execution to the HANA layer to improve
performance. But this is still a work in progress.

Comment From Javier

How has legal consolidation changed in the latest versions of SAP BPC?
Sanjeev Mehta: It depends on the version we are comparing with...
From BPC 10.0 onward, SAP introduced Consolidation Manager. Additionally on the Consolidation
Business rules, they have included new rules to address equity pickup scenarios as required by
IFRS.

Comment From Ghassan Al-Hashem

Can BPC utilize a set of KPIs against strategic objectives and goals?
Puneet Gupta: Although BPC can be used for this requirement, the product SSM (SAP Strategy
Management) is the better fit for setting and tracking various KPIs against strategic objectives and
goals.

Comment From Ghassan Al-Hashem

Does BPC support text fields as planning input? I mean to have text fields as planning input
- not numeric - and be summarized, reported.
Puneet Gupta: Yes. BPC has the powerful feature of capturing comments against your planning
data.
Planning data can only be numeric. However, you can use comments to support your planning
inputs. Comments can even be stored at the higher levels in your dimension hierarchy.

Comment From Ghassan Al-Hashem

Can BPC utilized for all planning types, CAPEX and OPEX, for strategic, long, mid and short
term plans?
Puneet Gupta: Yes. We have done numerous successful implementations of these natures.

Comment From Saurabh

Can we use the standard SAP objects like 0ACCOUNT or 0COMP_CODE in a consolidation
model?
Sanjeev Mehta: For consolidation, we will be using SAP BPC Standard version & SAP BPC
standard version does not support using SAP BW Objects directly as BPC dimensions. We will still
need to create BPC dimensions and map them with SAP BW Objects.

Comment From Niranjan Kamishetti

What are changes in security levels in BPC 10.1?
Sanjeev Mehta: SAP BPC 10.1 standard security works in the same way as BPC 10.0 security
(which is integrated to NW security). In case of 10.1, embedded authorizations are controlled
currently at the BW level.

Comment From Javier

Does the 10.1 unified version handle a key figure model (i. e., multiple key figures for one
record)?
Karthik AJ,CPM Consulting: Yes, 10.1 Unified (Embedded) models run on key-figure modeling.

Comment From Chandra

Does 10.1 unified model support consolidation?
Sanjeev Mehta: Yes. The 10.1 Unified Model does not have consolidation, for which you can use
10.1 Classic. The 10.1 Unified / Embedded Model is leveraging BI - IP, with stronger integration
with BW.

Comment From Archana

Can BAdIs be written on HANA database for performance improvement in BPC 10.1?
Puneet Gupta: You can implement the calculations using native HANA SQL Script that is triggered
through an ABAP BAdI, which in turn is (as usual) triggered via Script Logic. The ABAP BAdI is also
able to pass the calculation context (e.g. Entity, Category, Time) to the HANA procedure in order to
limit the calculations data range.

Comment From Archana

Is there a change in signed data's length in BPC 10.1?

Sanjeev Mehta: Are you looking for large key figures in BPC? If yes, then you can look at the note
1829297 - Large Key Figure support for Planning and Consolidation 10.0.

Comment From Jenny

Can we automate the prompt selections when running the data manager package in the
EPM add-in?
Puneet Gupta: The standard feature of BPC doesnt support this flexibility. However, it can be
customized to cater to this requirement.

BPC Integration with Excel, BI, and

Other Solutions & Tools

Comment From Kathrin

How does integration with SAP GRC work?
Sanjeev Mehta: BPC uses NW authorizations. Integration of GRC with BPC is pretty similar to
integration with NW.
You can create BPC roles in your own namespace and these roles can be assigned via SAP GRC
Access Control compliance user provisioning.

Comment From Saurabh

How can we integrate any third-party tool in BPC, such as any Microsoft Excel-based tool?
Sanjeev Mehta: Please help elaborate as to what you want to integrate it for? Is it for data loading
to BPC or is it an Add-in to Excel?
Comment From Saurabh
For example, any Excel-based tool that is used to load data in BPC and it will be like an addin in Excel.

Sanjeev Mehta: BPC has seamless integration with Microsoft tools like Excel. So the Excel-based
tool can be easily used to load data in BPC, e.g., through Input form OR uploading the file to BPC.

Comment From Kathrin

What reporting to visualization is typically done using BPC only, and what is done using
other BusinessObjects tools?
Sanjeev Mehta: With seamless integration of BPC with MS Office tools, it is easy to create
charts/visualisations, using the MS Office products. BusinessObjects tools like Dashboards can be
used, extensively, for various Dashboarding requirements, which is, again, seamlessly integrated
with BPC.

Comment From Prakash

Does BPC 10.1 support APO as well for supply chain planning DP and SP?
Sanjeev Mehta: There is no direct link between BPC 10.1 & APO or supply chain planning. These
two planning solutions use the NW platform and can be integrated by leveraging the BW integration
capabilities of both planning solutions.

Comment From Meiyalagan

In BPC 10.1 Unified Model, is the BW infoObject used directly as a BPC Dimension?
Puneet Gupta: Yes. The advantage of the unified model is that it can leverage on the existing BW
infoObjects, to ensure a stronger integration with BW system.

Comment From Perry

Currently we are to load dimension members from BW master data. How can you load the
GROUP dimension members from BW master data, having all dimension property have
equivalent attributes? In our case when we load members with mapping for Parent_group
propery, the DM fails.

Puneet Gupta: Is Parent_Group created as an attribute or hierarchy in BW system? It must be an

attribute in the BW system. Another point to be noted is that the values in this attribute must be a
valid master data.

Comment From Carlton Cheung

In 10, is there an easy way to display BPC comments via BI or BO reports (i.e. without have
to write custom extractors on comments table)?
Puneet Gupta: Custom extractor will be needed to read the comments table; since the technical
name of the comments table changes for each model.

Comment From Saurabh Gupta

How can we achieve one-click submission of SEM BCS in BPC 10.0?
Sanjeev Mehta: BPC provides the standard functionality of Data Manager Package, which the
user can execute for their respective submissions.
The Business Process Flow (BPF) is very flexible to handle such tasks and can be easily
configured as per the needs of different organizations.

Comment From Saurabh

Do we have something like one-click submission in UCMON in SEM BCS in BPC? In other
words what we have as alternate of UCMON in BPC?
Sanjeev Mehta: BPC has a Consolidation Monitor. This feature provides an overview of the whole
consolidation process in one single screen. The monitor tracks the following items:

Status of the controls

Work Status

Execution status for currency conversion

Execution status for consolidation

This will be very useful for all the users who need to monitor the progress of the consolidation
process (at a group or at a local level), as they have all the information they need on one single
screen.

Comment From Saurabh

Can we use the current SEM system as backend BW system for BPC?
Puneet Gupta: The SEM system is different from the BPC platform. Using SEM, you can use the
products like BPS, BCS, CPM, etc. However, BPC is directly installed on top of BW, and hence BW
is the backend for BPC. Having said that, if you are currently using SEM, all the data is already
available in your BW system. This data can be used by the BPC system for further operations.

Comment From Saurabh

Currently we have an SEM BCS system for consolidations where we use one-click
submission from UCMON. Do we have the same type of feature in BPC?
Sanjeev Mehta: The features are:
1. Business Process Flow - which is flexible enough to be configured for the diverse data
submission needs of an organization.
2.Consolidation Monitor - this feature provides an overview of the whole consolidation process in
one single screen. The monitor tracks the following items:

Status of the controls

Work Status

Execution status for currency conversion

Execution status for consolidation

This feature will be very useful for all the users that need to monitor the progress of the
consolidation process (at a group or at a local level), as they have all the information they need on
a single screen.

Comment From Saurabh

In continuation of my previous question, we can use data from SEM but can we connect
current SEM BW system with BPC such that whatever we create in front end in BPC will
appear in SEM?
Puneet Gupta: Yes, technically, its possible. However, please note that SEM and BPC will use two
separate cubes. So, there needs to be transfer mechanism between these two cubes. Also, proper
mapping needs to be available during this transfer; since the structure of the data in SEM and BPC
will be different.

Implementation & Migration

Comment From Mohammed Ilyas Ansari

What are the important factors to consider while migrating from 7.5 to 10?
Sanjeev Mehta: Migration from MS version to BPC 10 NW is primarily done manually as there is
no direct integration path. But take note that as BPC NW can use BADI and other NetWeaver
functionalities, few of the requirements can be addressed much better in NW.
So, you first need to identify which functionalities you are going to redefine & which ones you are
planning to perform technical migration.
We have recently done few projects for similar requirement and will be able to provide more
specific details, if we can understand your existing environment.

Comment From Vamsi

What are prerequisites to migrate BPC 7.5 MS to BPC 10.1 NW with or without HANA?
Sanjeev Mehta: Assuming BPC 10.1 NW is a new implementation, there are no prerequisites...
But if you are looking at implementing BPC 10.1 NW on existing BW system, then BW should be
upgraded to at least version 7.4 SP5.

Comment From Mohammed Ilyas Ansari

What is the prerequisite in the BI system for BPC 10.1 unified? Does the BI system needs to
be in 7.4 version and is HANA mandatory?
Sanjeev Mehta: For Unified version, yes, SAP HANA is mandatory and your BW should be at
least version 7.4 SP5.

Comment From Archana

On what basis should we migrate to BPC 10.0 to BPC 10.1 - classic model or unified model?
Puneet Gupta: If you are already on BPC 10.0, then migrating to BPC 10.1 classic model will be
more sensible, since both of them use the same architecture. On the other hand, the unified model
has a different architecture, with the support of multiple key figures.

Comment From Javier

So when facing a new implementation from scratch, one has to decide whether to use the
Classic model OR the Unified model?
Puneet Gupta: If you already using the older version of BPC, then migrating to the BPC 10.1
Classic model would make more sense, since they use the same underlying architecture (Accountbased model).
On the other hand, if you are implementing a new BPC 10.1 system, you can opt for the Unified
model, which is more integrated to the BW system. However, we need to remember that the
Unified model doesn't support consolidation yet. Having said that, the classic and unified models
can co-exist in a single platform.

Comment From Mohammed Ilyas Ansari

For BPC 7.5 to 10 migration, how much is the effort split between Basis & BPC consultants?
Also does the migration tool take care of security configuration/setup?
Sanjeev Mehta:

1. Basis portion of migration is significantly less. We have done projects where Basis migration
takes around 10 days per environment, including preparation. You additionally need to account for
the time it takes to migrate data, if the BW version is migrated as well.
2. On the other hand, BPC effort is high if you are looking at redesigning all the templates based on
EPM 10.0.
3. As there is a difference in security configuration, we still need to perform manual steps to define
authorization (BPC 7.5 uses table-based authorization controlled in the .NET layer, while 10.0 uses
NW layer).

Comment From Vivek

In your view, what will be the recommended approach to migrate BPC 7.5 NW to BPC 10.1
Classic - NW on HANA?
Puneet Gupta: BPC 10.1 has two modeling options: the Classic / Standard Model (similar to
traditional BPC) and the Unified / Embedded Model (leveraging the powerful features of BI - IP, with
stronger integration with BW).
SAP has a standard mechanism to migrate from BPC 7.5 NW to BPC 10.1 Classic (or Standard)
Model. Although this method takes care of most of the objects, there are certain objects that need
to be modified, manually. A typical example for this would be BADIs. The BADI implementations
needs to be adapted with new internal APIs of 10.1.

Comment From Carlton Cheung

After migrating from BPC 7.5 NW to 10, do the BPC Cube and Multiprovider technical names
remain the same? And does SAP support writing BEx queries on the new BPC 10
cubes/multiproviders?
Sanjeev Mehta: Under Maintain models, SAP has provided an option to use BPC cubes as source
for other areas. If this is enabled, then multi provider names will remain same.
But SAP does not support BEx queries on BW cubes/multiproviders yet.

Comment From Srinivas B

What is the advice you give to customers on SEM-BPS/BCS and BI-IP? What should be their
logical next steps?
Puneet Gupta: SEM-BPS and BI-IP were SAP tools, for planning, budgeting and forecasting
requirement whereas, BCS is the consolidation tool.
SAP BPC is the single and unified platform for catering to the planning, budgeting, forecasting, and
consolidation requirements. SAP is developing and investing heavily into BPC. BPC is
administered by Business Experts, not by IT. For any IT owned systems, a very significant pain
point for an end user is having to wait for IT to make their requested changes. Because BPC can
be maintained by the business, it puts the power back into their hands.
The ideal way forward would be to move to BPC from the existing platform, which can support
simple to complex business requirements.

Comment From Carl

We are currently on BPC 7.5 NW and are considering upgrading to BPC 10 or 10.1. We have
a large number (20+) of BPC models, most of which have complex custom logic (using
BADI/ABAP) and custom VBA in the input schedules. How much time and effort should we
allow to migrate each model to the new version? And is it ever easier to reimplement and
model instead of using the migration tool?
Sanjeev Mehta: Migration from BPC 7.5 to 10.0 or 10.1 can be categorized into 3 steps...
1. After system upgrade, run the migration tool. This will migrate all the Objects, like dimensions,
master data.
2. Then update the BADI's with new classes - This should be straight forward.
3. Update the templates to EPM Add-In reporting.
Main effort in migration is dependent on the reporting effort and the testing time & it really not
based on the number of models.
Typically for 100 templates with around 10 BADIs, we take 3 to 4 months to complete migration and
testing.

Comment From Guest

We are using BPC 10 NW and planning to migrate to BPC 10.1 "unified model". Do we need
to rebuild the whole environment again from scratch?
Puneet Gupta: There is a migration approach from BPC 10.0 to BPC 10.1 classic model. On the
other hand, the unified model is pretty similar to IP. Migration from 10.0 to the unified model is not
feasible.

Comment From CY Chiu

How can we implement SAP BPC 10.1 in our company?
Sanjeev Mehta: The approach to the implementation of BPC depends on lot of factors. For
example:
- Are you using any of the previous versions of BPC and planning to upgrade to BPC 10.1?
- What are your key Business Processes - Planning and/or Consolidation?
You can approach us with more specific requirement, so that we can advise you on the best
possible approach.

Comment From Daniel Juvinao

In terms of effort, is it recommended to migrate directly from BPC 7.5 to BPC 10.1? And
also, how long on average would it take for the migration of a classic model of 10
dimensions? Any recommendations?
Sanjeev Mehta: BPC 10.1 has two modeling options: the Classic / Standard Model (similar to
traditional BPC) and the Unified / Embedded Model (leveraging the powerful features of BI - IP, with
stronger integration with BW)
SAP has a standard mechanism to migrate from BPC 7.5 NW to BPC 10.1 classic (or standard)
model. Although this method takes care of most of the objects, there are certain objects that need
to be modified manually. A typical example for this would be BADIs. The BADI implementation
needs to be adapted with new internal APIs of 10.1.
Typically, for a project of medium complexity, with around 100 templates, technical migration should
take less than 3 months. However, the actual duration and effort of the migration depends on the
complexity of the existing solution.

Comment From Daniel Juvinao

Does SAP have a tool - or plan to build a tool - to perform the migration in a more natural
way from BPC 10 to BPC 10.1?
Sanjeev Mehta: BPC 10.1 has two modeling options: the Classic / Standard Model (similar to
traditional BPC) and the Unified / Embedded Model (leveraging the powerful features of BI - IP, with
stronger integration with BW). SAP has an easy and standard mechanism to migrate from BPC
10.0 NW to BPC 10.1 Classic (or Standard) Model.

Comment From Karthi

A question about BPC on HANA and optimization of logic: How can it be done to improve
runtime?
Sanjeev Mehta: The upgrade from 10.0 to 10.1 is pretty smooth and easy. The web interface of
BPC 10.1 is much improved with HTML5, with the capability to run on iOS and Android devices.
It also offers the features of PAK/IP in the unified (or embedded) modeling of 10.1.

Comment From Venkata Sabbasani

We are upgrading BW BPC 10.0 on DB2 SP11 to HANA Database migration only. Is the
optimization needed right away to get faster performance? Or will upgrading just to the
HANA Database alone improve performance out of the box like 50%?
Sanjeev Mehta: If the DB2 database is not currently with BLU acceleration, and if it is migrated to
a HANA appliance, then there will be a slight improvement in performance.
However, if the HANA BPC component is installed, it will improve the performance significantly as
claimed by SAP, which is more than 50%.
By leveraging native HANA features for calculations, the approach provides additional performance
benefits over the use of ABAP.
Weve used HANA as our primary calculation tool and have implemented different kinds of
calculations. Some statistics:

1. Lite Optimization process went from 45 minutes in BPC 7.5 NW to 28 seconds with BPC on
HANA.
2. Copy of 1.5 million records from one category to another decreased from 12 minutes in BPC 10
to 6 minutes with BPC on HANA.
3. 50% or greater increase in backend calculation time through fiddler when running reports in BPC
on HANA.

Comment From Karthi

With BPC on HANA - optimization of logic: How it can be done to improve runtime?
Puneet Gupta: The good news is that since BPC 10.0 SP11 theres an option to create a native
HANA data model, originally meant to improve the write-back performance and internally used, for
example, for the allocations.
As a side effect, the native HANA model also provides us with the ability to directly interact with the
BPC data model in the HANA database. It allows us to come up with an approach to implement the
calculations using native HANA SQL Script that is triggered through an ABAP BAdI, which in turn is
(as usual) triggered via Script Logic.
The ABAP BAdI is also able to pass the calculation context (e.g. Entity, Category, Time) to the
HANA procedure in order to limit the calculations data range.
The HANA procedure queries the data through a calculation view that unions data from the BPC
cubes OLAP view as well as the delta table, which includes the write-back data that hasnt been
merged back into the main table yet. The calculation is then performed using SQL Script relying
either directly on SQL statements or the procedural features, such as loops.
At the end, the procedure calculates a delta between the result data and the current cube data and
writes it back into the BPC-generated write-back table.

Comment From CY Chiu

What is the impact of implementing BPC without HANA?

Sanjeev Mehta: From a product perspective, BPC HANA and non-HANA are pretty much the
same. HANA is applicable for larger enterprises that require processing of very large volume of
data.\

Comment From C Mooney ESB

In 2013 we successfully implemented SAP BPC 10.0. It is stable and working well. There is a
policy in our company to apply upgrades/service packs every 2 years. But as the system is
working well, and it only recently went live, there is a reluctance by the business to
upgrade. What are the advantages of moving from 10.0 to 10.1?
Puneet Gupta: The upgrade from 10.0 to 10.1 is pretty smooth and easy. The web interface of
BPC 10.1 is much improved with HTML5, with the capability to run on iOS and Android devices.
It also offers the features of PAK/IP in the Unified (or Embedded) modeling of 10.1

Comment From Mohammed Ilyas Ansari

How seamlessly can UJBR & UJT_MIGRATE_75_to_10 be used for migrating from 7.5 to 10?
How do EVDRE reports get converted to EPM reports during this migration? Do we need to
consider any additional points for EVDRE reports conversion to EPM reports?
Karthik AJ: The UJBR program can be used to backup and restore in to your 10 environment and
the UJT_MIGRATE_75_to_10 will migrate your environment (appset) from 7.5 to 10. SAP has
provided an EvDre migration program to convert the EvDre reports to EPM reports. This EvDre
migration comes with the EPM add-in itself.
After this migration, you will be able to use and benefit from the EPM add-in features.

Comment From Carlton Cheung

What are the biggest issues or traps you have found when migrating from BPC 7.5 to BPC
10.1?
Puneet Gupta: BPC 10.1 has 2 different types of modeling techniques: Classic / Standard mode
and the Unified / Embedded model.

SAP has a migration methodology from BPC 7.5 to BPC 10.1 Classic model. This process migrates
most of the objects. However, excel templates and BADIs need special attention.

Comment From Guest

We have BPC 7.5 MS version, and we need some advice on the migration to BPC 10 on NW.
Sanjeev Mehta: Migration from MS version to BPC 10 NW is primarily done manually, as there is
no direct integration path. But take note that as BPC NW can use BADIs and other NetWeaver
functionalities, few of the requirements can be addressed much better in NetWeaver.
So, you first need to identify which functionalities you are going to redefine and which ones you are
planning to perform technical migration.
We have recently done a few projects with similar requirements and will be able to provide more
specific details, if we can understand your existing environment.

Comment From Niranjan Kamishetti

How do we transfer the transaction data from the Unified to the Classic model? Is there any
process?
Sanjeev Mehta: The unified model primarily uses BW cubes for processing. So, we can use
standard load to infoprovider to move data from the unified to the classic model.

Comment From Guest

During migration from version 7.5 to 10, what are the special steps we need to take?
Karthik AJ,CPM Consulting: SAP has a standard mechanism to migrate from BPC 7.5 NW to
BPC 10.1 classic (or standard) model. Although this method takes care of most of the objects,
there are certain objects that need to be modified, manually.
A typical example for this would be BADIs. The BADI implementations need to be adapted with new
internal APIs of 10.1.

Comment From Hery Darmawan

We are implementing SAP BPC 10.0. We have had problems with the initial BPC-Web Logon
(getting hang or blank screen). We have raised an OSS Message and are working with SAP
BPC support team but still no resolution yet. We have also followed several
recommendations from SAP Notes and Forums. Do you have a similar experience on this?
Puneet Gupta: If the version of IE is 11, one of the common reasons we have seen for this kind of
problem is the compatibility setting of IE. This can be resolved by enabling compatibility view in IE
11 for the BPC URL/IP.

Comment From Guest

Do we need to upgrade ERP to the latest ESP if currently we are on ESP 5.0 and would like to
implement BPC 10.1?
Sanjeev Mehta: There is no dependency of ERP ESP for integration with BPC 10.1 as it uses BW
data sources for integration as BW can integrated with all versions of SAP ERP.

Comment From Vivek

In your view, what will be the recommended approach to migrate BPC 7.5 MS to BPC 10.1
Classic - NW on HANA?
Puneet Gupta: Since, the underlying architecture is very different in NW from MS, there will be a
need to manually recreate the objects. Hence, this can be considered as a new implementation.

Comment From Vivek

In your view, how stable is the BPC 10.1 product? What are the critical watchpoints in
implementation of BPC 10.1?
Sanjeev Mehta: We have started implementing BPC 10.1 classic version for a customer as soon
as GA was announced and so far we did not find any major issues that impact the project. So, it
remains as stable as 10.0, with new web UI.

Comment From Vamsi

We have BW 7.4 SP5 and going to HANA soon. How much effort is needed to migrate the old
BPC 7.5 MS Application on to BPC 10.1 on NW? Migration or reimplementation - which is the
best option?
Sanjeev Mehta: Typically, we would prefer a reimplementation as it gives better chance to use
HANA & 10.1 capabilities.
For example: We have done a project where we have combined 3 detailed cubes in older version
to 1 cube in BPC 10.0 on HANA and this helped in seamless data flow & in reporting as well.
We will need more specific details to give you better recommendation.

Comment From draksharam

Is SAP coming up with configurable components for SAP BPC rapid implementation for
each industry, considering that BPC is only a technical tool right now, with all the business
process including financial modeling to datasource activation to be done by consultant? It
takes considerable implementation hours in its current form.
Puneet Gupta: SAP has an RDS [Rapid Deployment Solution] for the common planning scenarios
like Operational Headcount, Extended Financials etc.
Based on our prior experience of 100+ successful implementations, across various industries, we
have designed a few industry-specific CPM proprietary add-ons that can help expedite your overall
implementation timelines.

Comment From Guest

We are on BPC7.5 NW and are considering upgrading to BPC10 or 10.1. We a large number
of existing BPC models (20+) most of which have custom logic (using BADI/ABAP) and VBA
on the input schedules.
Sanjeev Mehta: Migration from BPC 7.5 to 10.0 or 10.1 can be categorised into 3 steps...
1. After system upgrade, run the migration tool. This will migrate all the Objects, like dimensions,
master data
2. Then update the BADI's with new classes - This should be straight forward

3. Update the templates to EPM Add-In reporting

Main effort in migration is dependent on the reporting effort and the testing time, and really is not
based on the number of models.
Typically for 100 templates with around 10 BADIs we take 3 to 4 months to complete migration and
testing.

Scripting, FOX, and BADIs

Comment From Karthi
A question on BPC 10.1 script logic - What is the compatibility with old versions?
Puneet Gupta: The Classic BPC 10.1 model uses the same syntax as used in the previous
versions of BPC.
On the other hand, the Unified model of BPC 10.1 provides a powerful FOX Formula for designing
complex logics, as used in IP.

Comment From Raju

FOX can replace BADIs?
Karthik AJ,CPM Consulting: Yes, FOX scripting can help to handle complex calculations. It can
be used to perform calculations instead of BADI.

Comment From Jason

What is FOX script?
Karthik AJ: FOX script is the programming language used in BPC 10.1 - Embedded (Unified)
models similar to the BI-IP/PAK. This will help to perform complex calculations in BPC.

Comment From Raju

Does the 10.1 Classic model support FOX?

Sanjeev Mehta: No. Only BPC 10.1 Unified (or Embedded) model supports FOX script.

Comment From Guest

Is there the inclusion of FOX programming instead of logic scripts in the unified solution?
Karthik Jayapal: Yes, FOX script programming is used in the unified/embedded solution of BPC
10.1 instead of logic scripts. Logic scripts are currently supported in the classic/standard solution of
BPC 10.1

Comment From Javier

Is there any support to migrate script logic to FOX-like logic?
Karthik AJ,CPM Consulting: No, we have to build the FOX logic. FOX scripts will run on
Embedded (Unified) solutions, which will be based on key-figure modelling. Script logic will run on
standard (classic) solutions, based on Account-based modeling.

Looking Ahead
Comment From Snez
This is perhaps out of the scope of today's discussion - but what would you say to a
Business that currently uses BW 7.3 IP as they are planning platform - should they and why
migrate to BPC?
Sanjeev Mehta: As SAP recommends, go forward product for planning will be BPC and BPC
Embedded or Unified version was mainly designed to address next steps of BI-IP customers.
BPC Unified version uses PAK modelling (same as BI-IP), with ability to report using EPM Add-In,
define Business process flows in BPC.
So, you take the advantage of strong BI-IP + EPM Add-In Reporting or process flows using BPC
Embedded/Unified.

Comment From Jason

We're planning to implement USGAAP starter kit for BPC consolidation. I think the
automation level and upgrade version is somewhat less than IFRS kit. Do you think SAP will
still go with a two- track approach with same effort?
Sanjeev Mehta: We will need to check with SAP on this. As of now, SAP is focusing more on IFRS
as it is widely adapted globally.

Allison Martin: Thank you very much to Puneet, Kranthi, and Sanjeev for joining us today. Im
looking forward to seeing you in Singapore in just a few weeks.
Sanjeev Mehta: You are welcome. Thank you for all the readers for their interesting questions as
well.
Puneet Gupta: Thank you for all your questions. We are happy to continue the conversations over
a phone call or in a face to face meeting - please email us at infoasia@boaweb.com. Please do not
hesitate to contact us, we are happy to help!
Please also feel free to contact me with any additional questions. You can tweet me on
@Puneet7777. You can also visit us at SAP Financials Singapore at Booth 410. It would be our
pleasure to meet you there.
Allison Martin: Thank you to everyone who joined us for todays chat. Well wrap up the Q&A
now as Puneet, Kranthi and Sanjeev finalize their last posts.