In order to make strategy happen there is a need for powerful management information systems. SAP focuses on the application of modern business administration concepts, e.g. Value Based Management, the Balanced Scorecard, the Management Cockpit or flexible planning methods. The book describes the methodology and implementation of a powerful tool for enterprise management. Practical examples show how SAP Strategic Enterprise Management/Business Analytics (SAP SEM/BA) can help to improve cross functional planning, reporting and analyzing. SAP SEM/BA is a leading edge IT-solution for top management and related departments in large enterprises and groups. It demonstrates the state of the art of modern management information and decision support systems.

This section covers the different components of SEM and how they support the management processes of companies and groups of companies end to end, and on various levels to help maintain competitive advantage in the global economy.

Following topics are covered in this section:

• Define the business concepts behind SEM
• Assess which SEM Functional Areas address which traditional management concerns.
• Understand the relationship between BW and SEM
• Describe in brief the differences between an OLTP and OLAP environment
• Describe in brief the BW architecture.
• Understand and explain the different implementation possibilities re:SEM and BW.
• Understand how SEM-BPS helps organizations to vertically align strategic planning and business planning
• Strategy Management and Performance Measurement with the Corporate Performance Monitor.
• Understand the business reason to implement SEM-BCS
• Explain the functionality and architecture of the SEM-BCS component.
• Describe the benefits delivered by the SEM-BCS component.

Part II: SEM-BPS Business Planning and Simulation

This section covers the following topics:

• SEM-BPS in a business environment
• Planning in multidimensional company organizations
• Modeling of planning structures
• Data basis for SEM products
• BW design from SEM’s point of view
• Data inflow to SEM-BPS
• SEM_BPS planning architecture
• Manual Planning
• Layout Builder
• Possibilities of Layout Formatting
• Macros
• Planning Functions
• User-defined planning functions
• Predefined planning functions
• Variables in SEM-BPS
• Planning folders
• Planning hierarchies in SEM-BPS
• Planning Applications
• Technical view of planning applications
• Balance sheet planning
• Profit planning
• Simplified resource planning

Part III: SEM-CPM Corporate Performance Monitor

This section will discuss the following topics:

• Measure Builder - Business Content - Measure definition and measure catalog. Customize measures in measure builder for use in conjunction with balance scorecard, risk management, value driver tree and management cockpit
• Management Cockpit – Describe the board concept of management cockpit - Definition of walls, logical views, frames, and the structure of a cockpit hierarchy.
• Balanced Scorecard - Analysis and design of a Balanced Scorecard - Business Content, strategy templates.
• Risk Management - Risk Builder: Creating risks and risk catalogs - Balanced Scorecard: Risk assignment and valuation
• Value driver trees - Strategy-independent modeling and analysis of value driver trees

Part IV: SEM-BCS – BW based Business Consolidation

This section will discuss the following topics:

• Introduction to OLAP-based management consolidation using the SEM-BCS component.
• Carrying out a consolidation process using the consolidation monitor
• Data model of OLAP-based consolidation
• Data-transfer methods (flexible upload, manual entry)
• Master data (for example, versions, consolidation chart of accounts)