{"id":100011,"date":"2025-10-13T09:15:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T07:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/?p=100011"},"modified":"2025-10-13T09:27:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T07:27:28","slug":"sap-instead-of-excel-how-modern-investment-planning-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/en\/blog\/sap-instead-of-excel-how-modern-investment-planning-works\/","title":{"rendered":"SAP instead of Excel: How modern investment planning works"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"100011\" class=\"elementor elementor-100011 elementor-99999\" 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data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bf23be4 e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"bf23be4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ecs_container_type&quot;:&quot;flex&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-911b62c elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-global elementor-global-75893 elementor-global-75856 elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"911b62c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:&quot;.bdt-ep-advanced-icon-box-title, .no-table-of-content&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;,&quot;h4&quot;,&quot;h5&quot;],&quot;container&quot;:&quot;.elementor-widget-theme-post-content&quot;,&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;No headings were found on this page.&quot;,&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;numbers&quot;,&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tContent\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__911b62c\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-chevron-down\"><\/i><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__911b62c\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-chevron-up\"><\/i><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__911b62c\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<i class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cc6be71 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cc6be71\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What are the challenges of investment planning?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-38d20e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"38d20e4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"147\" data-end=\"608\">Investment planning comes with a number of challenges that make the decision-making process complex and risky. It is shaped by <strong>uncertainty and forecasting errors<\/strong> due to an unpredictable future with unexpected changes and developments. Investments also often tie up large amounts of capital over many years, and <strong>wrong decisions<\/strong> can rarely be corrected without incurring major losses. This makes capital commitment and long-term planning particularly difficult.<\/p><p data-start=\"610\" data-end=\"1004\">Another challenge is the <strong data-start=\"635\" data-end=\"664\">evaluation of investments<\/strong>. Investments are not always easy to quantify, and the choice of evaluation method can strongly influence the decision. A comprehensive investment evaluation must also include an assessment of risks. Yet in today\u2019s volatile world, it is extremely difficult to identify and correctly interpret political, economic, and technological risks.<\/p><p data-start=\"1006\" data-end=\"1568\">In addition to these external conditions, which are often hard to assess, there are also <strong data-start=\"1095\" data-end=\"1118\">internal challenges<\/strong>. These may include financing issues due to limited equity capital and expensive external financing, conflicts between departments with differing priorities, and time pressure that can lead to hasty decisions and insufficiently reviewed investments. Finally, <strong data-start=\"1377\" data-end=\"1414\">regulatory and legal requirements<\/strong> \u2014 such as environmental standards, tax laws, or subsidy conditions \u2014 can have a significant impact on investment projects, especially when they change.<\/p><p data-start=\"1570\" data-end=\"1742\">Investment planning therefore requires careful analysis, realistic assumptions, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a clear strategy in order to master these challenges.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a19f61e e-con-full e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"a19f61e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ecs_container_type&quot;:&quot;flex&quot;}\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-34a9b61 e-con-full e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"34a9b61\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;ecs_container_type&quot;:&quot;flex&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73e7e37 elementor-position-left elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-vertical-align-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-box\" data-id=\"73e7e37\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-box-wrapper\"><figure class=\"elementor-image-box-img\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1240\" height=\"1753\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/PIKON_MaturityModell_for_BusinessPlanning_EN_2025-2-4.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-92175\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/PIKON_MaturityModell_for_BusinessPlanning_EN_2025-2-4.png 1240w, https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/PIKON_MaturityModell_for_BusinessPlanning_EN_2025-2-4-212x300.png 212w, https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/PIKON_MaturityModell_for_BusinessPlanning_EN_2025-2-4-724x1024.png 724w, https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/PIKON_MaturityModell_for_BusinessPlanning_EN_2025-2-4-768x1086.png 768w, https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/PIKON_MaturityModell_for_BusinessPlanning_EN_2025-2-4-1087x1536.png 1087w, https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/PIKON_MaturityModell_for_BusinessPlanning_EN_2025-2-4-600x848.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1240px) 100vw, 1240px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"elementor-image-box-content\"><h3 class=\"elementor-image-box-title\">Questionnaire \u2018Become a data-driven company with the PIKON maturity model\u2019<\/h3><p class=\"elementor-image-box-description\">Our questionnaire helps you to solve 6 problem areas and derive a roadmap for your path to becoming a data-driven company.\n<br><br>\n<a class=\"cta-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/en\/doc\/pikon-maturity-model-for-your-business-planning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5460ebd e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5460ebd\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ecs_container_type&quot;:&quot;flex&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f9a8d43 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f9a8d43\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What are the components of investment planning?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cf9aec6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cf9aec6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Investment planning consists of several interrelated <strong>steps<\/strong> or components that need to be carried out systematically in order to make sound investment decisions.<\/p><ol><li><strong>Defining the investment objective<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>In this step, the purpose of the investment is clarified. What is the goal of the investment? Typical objectives include growth, cost reduction, quality improvement, innovation, or market expansion.<\/p><ol start=\"2\"><li><strong>Determining the investment need<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>The next step is to assess the necessity of the investment. Is it a replacement investment for a defective machine, or an expansion investment to increase production capacity? This allows investments to be prioritised accordingly.<\/p><ol start=\"3\"><li><strong>Searching for and evaluating investment alternatives<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>What different investment options are available? At this stage, different providers, technologies, or approaches are compared and evaluated based on technical, legal, and economic criteria.<\/p><ol start=\"4\"><li><strong>Profitability analysis<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>The investment is then analyzed using business evaluation methods such as the capital value method, internal rate of return, payback period, cost comparison, or profit calculation. Factors such as duration, cash flows, risk, taxes, and residual value are taken into account.<\/p><ol start=\"5\"><li><strong>Financing plan<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>Here, the question of how the investment will be financed is addressed. Will it be covered by equity, debt, leasing, subsidies, or external participation?<\/p><ol start=\"6\"><li><strong>Investment decision<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>The responsibility for selecting the optimal investment alternative lies with top management \u2014 typically the executive board, managing directors, or an investment committee.<\/p><ol start=\"7\"><li><strong>Implementation planning<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>Once the decision has been made, time, resources, and responsibilities must be allocated and scheduled. This ensures effective project organization and management, including risk planning and milestone planning.<\/p><ol start=\"8\"><li><strong>Control and post-calculation<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>Finally, a comparison of planned and actual data must be carried out to evaluate profitability and the achievement of objectives.<\/p><p>The findings should be documented to inform future investment decisions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e26d028 e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e26d028\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ecs_container_type&quot;:&quot;flex&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9c2fe21 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9c2fe21\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How can investment planning be implemented in SAP?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e8fd9b4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e8fd9b4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">SAP Analytics Cloud<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-90ce693 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"90ce693\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"189\" data-end=\"463\">Implementing investment planning in <strong data-start=\"225\" data-end=\"254\">SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)<\/strong> is a powerful way to make investment processes data-driven, collaborative, and transparent. SAC offers both planning and analytics functions, which makes it particularly well suited for investment projects.<\/p><p data-start=\"465\" data-end=\"548\">Concretely, investment planning in SAC can be set up in the following five steps:<\/p><p data-start=\"550\" data-end=\"764\"><strong data-start=\"550\" data-end=\"586\">1. Defining the planning process<\/strong><br data-start=\"586\" data-end=\"589\" \/>The first step is to clarify the framework: which types of investments will be planned, who will be involved in the process, and which time horizons and budget limits apply.<\/p><p data-start=\"766\" data-end=\"1116\"><strong data-start=\"766\" data-end=\"786\">2. Data modeling<\/strong><br data-start=\"786\" data-end=\"789\" \/>Based on these definitions, a planning model can be created in SAC with the required dimensions and key figures. Typical dimensions include investment type, cost center, time, region\/location, or status. Possible key figures could be investment amount, duration, residual value, depreciation, ROI, or internal rate of return.<\/p><p data-start=\"1118\" data-end=\"1656\"><strong data-start=\"1118\" data-end=\"1149\">3. Using planning functions<\/strong><br data-start=\"1149\" data-end=\"1152\" \/>SAC provides a range of planning functions. One example is data entry forms, which allow planned investments to be entered or updated. SAC also offers a version concept that supports working with multiple versions (plan, actuals, forecast) to enable comparisons. Editable versions make dynamic planning directly within SAC possible. Values can be distributed in various ways and with different weightings. Formulas are also available for calculating figures such as payback period or net present value.<\/p><p data-start=\"1658\" data-end=\"1946\"><strong data-start=\"1658\" data-end=\"1697\">4. Approval and commenting workflow<\/strong><br data-start=\"1697\" data-end=\"1700\" \/>SAC includes collaboration features for the planning process. Users can submit planned investments, which managers or budget owners can then approve. Comment functions allow justifications or questions to be documented directly within the tool.<\/p><p data-start=\"1948\" data-end=\"2305\"><strong data-start=\"1948\" data-end=\"2000\">5. Creating dashboards, scenarios, and forecasts<\/strong><br data-start=\"2000\" data-end=\"2003\" \/>Interactive dashboards can be built to monitor budgets (planned vs. approved vs. actuals), run scenario planning (\u201cWhat happens if project X is postponed?\u201d), compare forecasts and versions (plan, actuals, forecast, scenario A\/B), and track KPIs such as ROI, investment volume, and budget utilization.<\/p><p data-start=\"2307\" data-end=\"2445\">Overall, SAP Analytics Cloud provides an integrated, flexible, and collaborative platform for investment planning. Key benefits include:<\/p><ul><li data-start=\"2449\" data-end=\"2499\">Transparency through centralised data management<\/li><li data-start=\"2449\" data-end=\"2499\">Scenario planning (\u201cwhat-if\u201d analysis)<\/li><li data-start=\"2449\" data-end=\"2499\">Workflow support through tasks, approvals, and comments<\/li><li data-start=\"2449\" data-end=\"2499\">Seamless integration into SAP system landscapes<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-134d35c e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"134d35c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ecs_container_type&quot;:&quot;flex&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8c9f693 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8c9f693\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Datasphere<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-24d5cf1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"24d5cf1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"117\" data-end=\"310\"><strong data-start=\"117\" data-end=\"184\">The combination of SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) and SAP Datasphere<\/strong> provides a powerful platform to implement investment planning and analysis in an integrated, scalable, and data-driven way.<\/p><p data-start=\"312\" data-end=\"661\">This solution also enables the adoption of the most modern planning approach: <strong data-start=\"390\" data-end=\"411\">Seamless Planning<\/strong>. This describes a planning process in which all relevant data, departments, and systems are interconnected. The result is rapid responsiveness, as changes become immediately visible \u2014 a capability that is particularly critical in volatile markets.<\/p><p data-start=\"663\" data-end=\"737\">The collaboration between SAC and Datasphere can be outlined as follows:<\/p><table><tbody><tr><td width=\"305\">SAP Datasphere<\/td><td width=\"305\">SAP Analytics Cloud<\/td><\/tr><tr><td width=\"305\">Data integration &amp; modeling<\/td><td width=\"305\">Planning, analysis &amp; visualisation<\/td><\/tr><tr><td width=\"305\">Central data sources (SAP S\/4HANA, BW, non-SAP)<\/td><td width=\"305\">User-friendly data entry and evaluation<\/td><\/tr><tr><td width=\"305\">Governance &amp; data quality<\/td><td width=\"305\">Collaborative planning &amp; simulation<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><p>This could be implemented in <strong>6 steps<\/strong>:<\/p><ol><li><strong>Build the investment data model in Datasphere<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>In Datasphere, all relevant sources are connected, and a semantic data model is created. Possible data sources include SAP S\/4HANA, Excel spreadsheets, or even an investment history from SAP BW. The goal is to establish a unified, well-maintained, and trustworthy data foundation for planning in SAC.<\/p><ol start=\"2\"><li><strong>Connect Datasphere with SAC<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>The data models from Datasphere can be used directly in SAC. For this, either a live connection with real-time access to data or an import connection with replicated data in SAC is required.<\/p><p><strong data-start=\"754\" data-end=\"768\">Important:<\/strong> For planning processes, the import mode is necessary to enable data entry.<\/p><ol start=\"3\"><li><strong>Create the planning model in SAC<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>Based on the Datasphere data, a planning model with dimensions and key figures (see above) is created in SAC.<\/p><ol start=\"4\"><li><strong>Set up input forms and workflows (SAC)<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>SAC allows the creation of data entry and planning forms to capture planned investments. These can be enriched with comments, enabling a collaborative workflow for approval and authorisation processes.<\/p><ol start=\"5\"><li><strong>Build dashboards, scenarios &amp; forecasts (SAC)<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>Interactive dashboards can be developed for budget monitoring (planned vs. approved vs. actual), scenario planning (\u201cWhat happens if project X is postponed?\u201d), forecasts and version comparisons (plan, actuals, forecast, scenario A\/B), as well as KPI monitoring (ROI, investment volume, budget use).<\/p><ol start=\"6\"><li><strong>Optional feedback or reporting in Datasphere<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><p>Planned values or scenarios can be synchronized back into Datasphere or S\/4HANA \u2014 for example, to support approval processes, integrate with corporate planning, or serve as part of a central reporting platform.<\/p><p>The combination of <strong data-start=\"1907\" data-end=\"1925\">SAP Datasphere<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"1930\" data-end=\"1959\">SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)<\/strong> provides a powerful solution for modern data management and integrated planning. Datasphere ensures a central and consistent data foundation \u2014 a true <em data-start=\"2110\" data-end=\"2133\">single point of truth<\/em>. SAC complements this with self-service functionality for data entry, commenting, and collaboration. Planning and analysis come together in one tool, enhanced by real-time reporting via live connections. The solution is both flexible and scalable, making it ideal for organisations of any size.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-345d0d8 e-con-full e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"345d0d8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ecs_container_type&quot;:&quot;flex&quot;}\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-67e0544 e-con-full e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"67e0544\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;ecs_container_type&quot;:&quot;flex&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4022817 elementor-position-left elementor-widget__width-initial no-table-of-content elementor-vertical-align-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-box\" data-id=\"4022817\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-box-wrapper\"><figure class=\"elementor-image-box-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1240\" height=\"1753\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SAP-BW4HANA-zu-SAP-Datasphere-DE-4.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93595\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SAP-BW4HANA-zu-SAP-Datasphere-DE-4.png 1240w, https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SAP-BW4HANA-zu-SAP-Datasphere-DE-4-212x300.png 212w, https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SAP-BW4HANA-zu-SAP-Datasphere-DE-4-724x1024.png 724w, https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SAP-BW4HANA-zu-SAP-Datasphere-DE-4-768x1086.png 768w, https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SAP-BW4HANA-zu-SAP-Datasphere-DE-4-1087x1536.png 1087w, https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SAP-BW4HANA-zu-SAP-Datasphere-DE-4-600x848.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1240px) 100vw, 1240px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"elementor-image-box-content\"><h3 class=\"elementor-image-box-title\">Checklist \"Fom SAP BW or SAP BW\/4HANA to SAP Datasphere\" <\/h3><p class=\"elementor-image-box-description\">Our checklist helps you find the right migration path from SAP BW or BW\/4HANA to SAP Datasphere.\n<br><br>\n<a class=\"cta-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/en\/doc\/from-sap-bw-or-sap-bw-4hana-to-sap-datasphere\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ed9dd06 e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"ed9dd06\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ecs_container_type&quot;:&quot;flex&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-886ac3e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"886ac3e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP)<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2a6fc47 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2a6fc47\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"174\" data-end=\"592\">Investment planning in <strong data-start=\"197\" data-end=\"239\">SAP IBP (Integrated Business Planning)<\/strong> is generally possible, but it is not the typical use case. SAP IBP is primarily designed for supply chain planning (demand, inventory, production, and sales planning). However, with custom configuration, investment planning can be mapped \u2014 particularly when investments are closely linked to operational planning (e.g., capacity, assets, production).<\/p><p data-start=\"594\" data-end=\"1031\">Using SAP IBP for investment planning makes particular sense when investments in plants, machinery, or capacities have a direct impact on the supply chain. It is well suited for proactively planning investment needs, for example when anticipating sales growth and the associated construction of new facilities. In addition, SAP IBP offers an integrated planning platform that holistically connects finance, supply chain, and resources.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b6e692d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b6e692d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">SAP BPC<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eb764e7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"eb764e7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"171\" data-end=\"383\">SAP BPC is a platform for financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and consolidation. It provides extensive functionality to represent investment planning in a detailed, flexible, and well-controlled manner.<\/p><p data-start=\"385\" data-end=\"559\">SAP BPC is ideally suited for a structured, detailed, and finance-oriented investment planning approach that can be closely integrated with corporate processes and systems.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d465d9 e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5d465d9\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ecs_container_type&quot;:&quot;flex&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-446bbf3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"446bbf3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How can we support you?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f46a298 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f46a298\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"131\" data-end=\"459\">We offer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/en\/services\/consulting\/planning\/\">comprehensive consulting services<\/a> that combine deep expertise in best-practice processes for FP&amp;A and xP&amp;A with strong IT know-how in SAP planning solutions such as <strong data-start=\"305\" data-end=\"328\">SAP Analytics Cloud<\/strong>. With this expertise, we can develop tailored solutions for your FP&amp;A requirements and ensure that your processes run optimally.<\/p><p data-start=\"461\" data-end=\"785\">We help you optimize your financial processes by implementing both efficient workflows and the right technologies. Our support covers the selection and integration of SAP tools, the automation of processes, and the training of your employees \u2014 enabling your company to fully leverage the benefits of modern FP&amp;A solutions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7a63efa e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7a63efa\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ecs_container_type&quot;:&quot;flex&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7d57f63 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7d57f63\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Conclusion<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-947826c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"947826c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"99\" data-end=\"448\"><strong data-start=\"99\" data-end=\"170\">Investment planning is a central component of corporate management.<\/strong> Its goal is to allocate financial resources efficiently in order to drive growth, secure profitability, and minimize risks. Sound analyses, realistic assumptions, and a structured approach are crucial \u2014 from defining objectives to profitability analysis and post-calculation.<\/p><p data-start=\"450\" data-end=\"699\">The challenges range from forecasting uncertainties and capital commitment to internal conflicts of interest and external conditions. Professional investment planning therefore requires not only business expertise but also the right digital tools.<\/p><p data-start=\"701\" data-end=\"751\">SAP provides several solutions for this purpose:<\/p><ul><li data-start=\"755\" data-end=\"904\"><strong data-start=\"755\" data-end=\"784\">SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)<\/strong> stands out with integrated planning, real-time analytics, scenario modeling, workflows, and user-friendly dashboards.<\/li><li data-start=\"907\" data-end=\"1052\">In combination with <strong data-start=\"927\" data-end=\"945\">SAP Datasphere<\/strong>, a scalable, data-driven platform with centralized data management (<em data-start=\"1014\" data-end=\"1037\">single point of truth<\/em>) is created.<\/li><li data-start=\"1055\" data-end=\"1157\"><strong data-start=\"1055\" data-end=\"1066\">SAP IBP<\/strong> is suitable when investment-related questions are closely tied to supply chain planning.<\/li><li data-start=\"1160\" data-end=\"1278\"><strong data-start=\"1160\" data-end=\"1171\">SAP BPC<\/strong> is ideal for detailed, finance-oriented investment planning with a focus on budgeting and consolidation.<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"1280\" data-end=\"1428\">Taken together, these SAP solutions enable modern, transparent, and collaborative investment planning as part of an integrated corporate strategy.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-17bb785 elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-items-middle\" data-id=\"17bb785\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a59ca6d\" data-id=\"a59ca6d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-e32328a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e32328a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-0b10d49\" data-id=\"0b10d49\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b1040cb no-table-of-content elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b1040cb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Contact us!<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-996d3a4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"996d3a4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Do you have further questions? We\u2019re happy to help.<br data-start=\"157\" data-end=\"160\" \/>Schedule a web meeting with our experts or leave your question in the comment section.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-d91887e elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d91887e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-dfb5fd3\" data-id=\"dfb5fd3\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44dfac8 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-pikon-author-box-widget\" data-id=\"44dfac8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"pikon-author-box-widget.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-image-box elementor-position-left elementor-vertical-align-top\"><div class=\"elementor-image-box-wrapper\"><figure class=\"elementor-image-box-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Martina_klein-1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Martina Ksinsik\" title=\"Martina Ksinsik\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"elementor-image-box-content\"><div class=\"elementor-image-box-title\">Martina Ksinsik<\/div><div class=\"elementor-image-box-position\">Customer Success Manager<\/div><div class=\"elementor-image-box-phone\"><a href=\"tel:+4968137962113\"><i class=\"fas fa-phone\"><\/i> +49 (0) 681 379 62 - 113<\/a><\/div><div class=\"elementor-image-box-mail\"><a href=\"mailto:martina.ksinsik@pikon.com\"><i class=\"fa-fw far fa-envelope\"><\/i> martina.ksinsik@pikon.com<\/a><\/div><div class=\"elementor-image-box-description\"><p><div class=\"activecampaign-inline-container \"><div class=\"activecampaign-inline-form\">[borlabs-cookie id=\"active-campaign-email-marketing-form\" type=\"content-blocker\"]<div class='_form_230'><\/div><script type='text\/javascript' src='https:\/\/pikon.activehosted.com\/f\/embed.php?static=0&id=230&6A7FE9321B09B&nostyles=0&preview=0'><\/script>[\/borlabs-cookie]<\/div><div class=\"activecampaign-inline-button\"><a class=\"cta-button\" href=\"#\">Schedule a web meeting<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From Excel to impact: accelerate investment planning with SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Integrated Business Planning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":100002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[451,755,75],"class_list":["post-100011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-posts","tag-analytics","tag-planning","tag-reporting","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SAP instead of Excel: How modern investment planning works - PIKON SAP Consulting International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Optimise your investment planning with SAP \u2013 faster and smarter than with Excel.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/en\/blog\/sap-instead-of-excel-how-modern-investment-planning-works\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SAP instead of Excel: How modern investment planning works - PIKON SAP Consulting International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Optimise your investment planning with SAP \u2013 faster and smarter than with Excel.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/en\/blog\/sap-instead-of-excel-how-modern-investment-planning-works\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PIKON SAP Consulting International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-13T07:15:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-13T07:27:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pikon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Vorschlaege-Bilder-Blog-24.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"627\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Johannes Strohh\u00e4cker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"SAP instead of Excel: How modern investment planning works - 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