SAP Certified Associate - Data Analyst - SAP Analytics Cloud

SAP Certified Associate - Data Analyst - SAP Analytics Cloud

1. What is an SAP Analytics Cloud Story?

   • An SAP Analytics Cloud story is a presentation-style document that uses charts, visualizations, text, images, and pictograms to describe data.
   • Many customers refer to stories as reports or dashboards. Either term is accurate because a story can reflect detailed information in a table format or high-level information in charts and other visualizations.
   • Because stories are browser-based, when a user views your story, you may want to encourage them to maximize their browser and select full screen in the story's toolbar to get a better view. If individual widgets are too small, viewers can also select full screen mode from each widget.

2. Classic Design and Optimized Design Modes

   • The Optimized Design Experience includes many usability and performance improvements and is the prerequisite for future story enhancements like the integration of analytics design capabilities and digital boardroom features into the story.
   • Optimized Design Mode
   • Classic Mode

3. Selecting a Data Source

   • Datasets
     • Embedded: Embedded datasets are unique to that story and cannot be shared outside the story or refreshed.
     • Public: Public datasets can be shared among different stories.
   • A limitation to a public dataset is that you cannot change its data source. For example, if your public dataset was originally created from a flat file but you now want to use an SAP BW query, you have no option to make that change. Embedded datasets, on the other hand, do allow you to change the data source via the Add New Data option.
     • You can also convert an embedded dataset into a model, but any transformations you made to the dataset are lost and must be recreated in the model. A public dataset cannot be converted to a model.
   • SAP Analytics Cloud models are able to access the most data sources. A model can access a live data source directly, or it can import data from a source database or system. The figure Data Sources shows a small sample of the data sources available for stories.

4. Story Creation

   • No matter which page type you select, you are prompted to use either Optimized Design Experience or Classic Design Experience. As previously discussed, SAP encourages you to use Optimized Design Experience as much as possible since it will eventually be the only design option
   • Create a Template
     • There are prebuilt templates to choose from, or you can also create your own by saving a story as a template. Saving the story as a template first removes all custom formatting and data, then converts charts, tables, maps, input controls, and value driver trees into empty placeholders.

5. Build a Story from a File

   • When building a story using a file as the data source, you automatically create an embedded dataset. In the Data Preparation area, you can make changes directly to the data:
   • Resolve warnings regarding the data quality in your dataset: Typically, these data quality issues involve missing data, measures containing non-numeric characters, or dimensions assigned a mismatched data type. Issues are displayed as links within the impacted column entries. Select the links to view more detailed information listed under Validation in the
   • Manage measures and dimensions: You may need to delete or rename entities, add geo-enriched data, define level-based hierarchies, change the data type, set up the default aggregation type for your measures, etc. You use the Details panel for these manipulations.
   • Define transforms in cells, rows, or columns: You may need to filter or replace values, or concatenate or split columns.
   • Transform Data
     • The Custom Expression Editor accesses the Wrangling Expression Language (WEL) scripting editor to define your own transformations using predefined functions for specific wrangling capabilities. The following figure shows examples of the wrangling options you have.
     • The Transform Bar lists suggested transformations to apply to the column, such as replacing the value in a cell with a suggested value. You can also select Create a Transform and choose from the options listed under the transformation bar displayed above the grid.

6. Configuring Story Elements

   • For tables that are based on models, the set of features and options available depends on the model type (planning, analytics, or a model based on a remote SAP HANA system). Only the features and options that are supported by the model type are visible. For example, tables based on planning models allow users to make changes to the model data using version management, data entry, and allocations; but tables based on analytic models are read-only.
   • When you add a table to a story, a data grid is created with the basic dimensions and categories of the model aligned along the axes of the grid. You can change this basic layout using the following designer tools:
   • Styling tools
   • Chart Scaling
     • By default, charts are not scaled. However, this behavior can lead to incorrect data analysis, particularly if users are not paying attention to the actual values displayed in the chart.
       • You can also use chart scaling to ensure that you have a consistent display of values across multiple charts when they display the same measure value(s). In this video, we will explore why chart scaling is important and how to apply chart scaling to your SAP Analytics Cloud stories.
   • Variances in Charts
     • Variances in your charts let you show the difference between different measures in a chart, different versions of a measure, or the difference between time periods for a measure.
     • As illustrated in the following example, you can use the variance chart add-on for any two measures, even if the measures do not appear in your base chart.
     • You can also create a dynamic variance, a variance that is based on the measures in the chart context. If you change the measures in the chart, then the variance automatically updates.
   • Building Tables
   • Geo Maps
   • Applying Conditional Formatting
   • International Business Communication Standards (IBCS)
   • Configuration Widgets
     • Other Widgets
   • Story Preferences
   • Best Practices
     • Story Design and Performance Guidelines
   • Data Points

7. Manipulating Data in Stories

   • Sorting Data, Filtering Data, Blending Data, Calculating Data
     • Sorting Data

Images and files in the map