Frequently asked questions: Tap the power of advanced analytics with SAP Spend Control Tower
Get answers to common questions about SAP Spend Control Tower, SAP's new, next-generation analytics solution designed to give companies faster, better visibility into enterprise-wide spend data. Stiahnuť dokumentPUBLIC
Frequently asked questions
Tap the power of advanced analytics with SAP Spend
Control Tower
Topic: SAP Spend Control Tower solution
Date: 3 June 2024
Frequently asked questions
Tap the power of advanced analytics with SAP Spend
Control Tower
Topic: SAP Spend Control Tower solution
Date: 3 June 2024
© 2024 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved. See Legal Notice on www.sap.com/legal-notice for use terms, disclaimers, disclosures, or restrictions related to this material. 2 / 6
What is the SAP Spend
Control Tower solution?
OVERVIEW AND BENEFITS
SAP Spend Control Tower is SAP’s new, next-generation analytics solution
designed to give companies faster, better visibility into enterprise-wide
spend data. Built on SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) –
providing a strong foundation for rapid innovation – the new solution
quickly captures and transforms data from multiple source systems into
relevant information you can see all in one place. Automated connectors
expedite integration with SAP ERP, streamlining data extraction, cleansing,
enrichment, mapping, and more, with support for uploads from non-SAP
systems as well. A sleek and modern user interface powered by SAP
Analytics Cloud streamlines tasks and workflows, allowing you to complete
even complex analyses with simplicity and speed. The solution also
includes a new AI/machine learning (ML) model for spend categorization
based on United Nations Standard Product and Service Code (UNSPSC)
version 25 as well as supplier enrichment from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). The
underlying data model is delivered through the procurement data
warehouse capability, which is built with data lake architecture using SAP
S/4HANA, SAP BTP, and SAP Analytics Cloud.
What are some of the
current and planned
capabilities for SAP Spend
Control Tower?
The table below shows functionality highlights for the initial release of SAP
Spend Control Tower as well as capabilities planned for future releases
(subject to change):
Capability Initial Release Planned
Automated Data Ingestion
SAP Concur Reference Data
Flat File Data Ingestion
Standard SAP Analytics Cloud Dashboards
Reference Spend Information from SAP Fieldglass
Solutions
Pricing Dashboards
Diversity Dashboards with D&B Data
Expanded Diversity Data Model for Third-Party Data
Import
SAP Sustainability Footprint Management Solution
Integration and Scope 3 Emission Dashboard
What is the SAP Spend
Control Tower solution?
OVERVIEW AND BENEFITS
SAP Spend Control Tower is SAP’s new, next-generation analytics solution
designed to give companies faster, better visibility into enterprise-wide
spend data. Built on SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) –
providing a strong foundation for rapid innovation – the new solution
quickly captures and transforms data from multiple source systems into
relevant information you can see all in one place. Automated connectors
expedite integration with SAP ERP, streamlining data extraction, cleansing,
enrichment, mapping, and more, with support for uploads from non-SAP
systems as well. A sleek and modern user interface powered by SAP
Analytics Cloud streamlines tasks and workflows, allowing you to complete
even complex analyses with simplicity and speed. The solution also
includes a new AI/machine learning (ML) model for spend categorization
based on United Nations Standard Product and Service Code (UNSPSC)
version 25 as well as supplier enrichment from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). The
underlying data model is delivered through the procurement data
warehouse capability, which is built with data lake architecture using SAP
S/4HANA, SAP BTP, and SAP Analytics Cloud.
What are some of the
current and planned
capabilities for SAP Spend
Control Tower?
The table below shows functionality highlights for the initial release of SAP
Spend Control Tower as well as capabilities planned for future releases
(subject to change):
Capability Initial Release Planned
Automated Data Ingestion
SAP Concur Reference Data
Flat File Data Ingestion
Standard SAP Analytics Cloud Dashboards
Reference Spend Information from SAP Fieldglass
Solutions
Pricing Dashboards
Diversity Dashboards with D&B Data
Expanded Diversity Data Model for Third-Party Data
Import
SAP Sustainability Footprint Management Solution
Integration and Scope 3 Emission Dashboard
© 2024 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved. See Legal Notice on www.sap.com/legal-notice for use terms, disclaimers, disclosures, or restrictions related to this material. 3 / 6
Capability Initial Release Planned
Spend Classification – UNSPSC
Spend Classification – Custom
Supplier Enrichment
Industrial Benchmarks and Performance Dashboard
Advanced Opportunity Analyzer
Integration to SAP Ariba Category Management
Solution
Additional AI Content – Forecasting, Fraud
Detection
How does SAP Spend
Control Tower differ from
the SAP Ariba Spend
Analysis solution?
Like SAP Ariba Spend Analysis, SAP Spend Control Tower addresses the
problem of visibility into total spend across the enterprise, yet goes well
beyond that in myriad ways. The solution’s advanced, versatile platform
supports accelerated innovation across business functions, giving you quick
access to the latest developments and functionality. It provides a highly
intuitive and engaging user interface driven by SAP Analytics Cloud as well
as new AI/ML models based on advanced algorithms for spend classified to
UNSPSC version 25 taxonomy. Additional dashboards showing external
supplier diversity data, sustainability performance in relation to your spend,
global industry benchmarks and comparisons, deeper analysis of spend-
related data from SAP Concur solutions, opportunity recommendations,
pricing variation analyses, and more are planned for future releases. The
incorporation of new data science and AI-driven features covering fraud
patterns, anomaly identification, and forecasting is also planned, helping to
streamline data synthesis and analysis and enable your procurement
organization to make informed decisions more quickly and efficiently.
Does SAP Spend Control
Tower support Ariba
Classification Taxonomy
(ACT) codes?
No, the solution does not require or support ACT codes. SAP Spend Control
Tower uses UNSPSC version 25 or custom commodity codes.
Does SAP Spend Control
Tower include analytics on
diversity and green data?
Yes. SAP Spend Control Tower currently supports analytics on diversity and
green data in a way similar to what is offered in SAP Ariba Spend Analysis,
with the data available for you to add to custom reports. Preconfigured
dashboards for these areas along with additional related data are planned
for a later release.
Capability Initial Release Planned
Spend Classification – UNSPSC
Spend Classification – Custom
Supplier Enrichment
Industrial Benchmarks and Performance Dashboard
Advanced Opportunity Analyzer
Integration to SAP Ariba Category Management
Solution
Additional AI Content – Forecasting, Fraud
Detection
How does SAP Spend
Control Tower differ from
the SAP Ariba Spend
Analysis solution?
Like SAP Ariba Spend Analysis, SAP Spend Control Tower addresses the
problem of visibility into total spend across the enterprise, yet goes well
beyond that in myriad ways. The solution’s advanced, versatile platform
supports accelerated innovation across business functions, giving you quick
access to the latest developments and functionality. It provides a highly
intuitive and engaging user interface driven by SAP Analytics Cloud as well
as new AI/ML models based on advanced algorithms for spend classified to
UNSPSC version 25 taxonomy. Additional dashboards showing external
supplier diversity data, sustainability performance in relation to your spend,
global industry benchmarks and comparisons, deeper analysis of spend-
related data from SAP Concur solutions, opportunity recommendations,
pricing variation analyses, and more are planned for future releases. The
incorporation of new data science and AI-driven features covering fraud
patterns, anomaly identification, and forecasting is also planned, helping to
streamline data synthesis and analysis and enable your procurement
organization to make informed decisions more quickly and efficiently.
Does SAP Spend Control
Tower support Ariba
Classification Taxonomy
(ACT) codes?
No, the solution does not require or support ACT codes. SAP Spend Control
Tower uses UNSPSC version 25 or custom commodity codes.
Does SAP Spend Control
Tower include analytics on
diversity and green data?
Yes. SAP Spend Control Tower currently supports analytics on diversity and
green data in a way similar to what is offered in SAP Ariba Spend Analysis,
with the data available for you to add to custom reports. Preconfigured
dashboards for these areas along with additional related data are planned
for a later release.
© 2024 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved. See Legal Notice on www.sap.com/legal-notice for use terms, disclaimers, disclosures, or restrictions related to this material. 4 / 6
Is there a plan for current
users of SAP Ariba Spend
Analysis to switch to SAP
Spend Control Tower?
What support will we
receive for the transition,
and how long will the
process take?
CURRENT CUSTOMERS OF SAP ARIBA SPEND ANALYSIS
Yes. Customers with current contracts for SAP Ariba Spend Analysis will
gradually be transitioned to the new SAP Spend Control Tower. The
transition process is being organized in waves with sequencing based on
various considerations, including the customer’s number of source systems,
number of invoice and purchase order transactions, data access rules,
number of users in the system, and spend category taxonomy used (custom
vs. UNSPSC). If your company currently uses SAP Ariba Spend Analysis, SAP
will send communications about what to expect, your transition dates, and
any actions you need to take prior to and during your transition period.
Service team members, product team members, and delivery leads will
assist you with the transition process, helping with timelines, dashboard
adoption, and related tasks to get you up and running with SAP Spend
Control Tower. The time required to complete the transition will vary
depending on the complexity of your use case and requirements.
As we transition to SAP
Spend Control Tower, will
we still have access to SAP
Ariba Spend Analysis?
Will the custom reports that
we have built in SAP Ariba
Spend Analysis be moved to
SAP Spend Control Tower?
You will continue to have access to SAP Ariba Spend Analysis until you have
fully moved to the new solution and validated your data. Once you sign off
that you have completed the transition and are okay with shutting down the
old solution, we will deprecate your instance of SAP Ariba Spend Analysis,
and you will no longer be able to access it.
SAP Ariba Spend Analysis and SAP Spend Control Tower are built on very
different technologies, which means that custom reports cannot be moved.
New dashboards in SAP Spend Control Tower will cover all use cases in the
current SAP Ariba Spend Analysis solution. However, SAP Spend Control
Tower provides an easy-to-use interface that enables you to create or re-
create any custom reports, if you wish to do so.
Are there limitations on the
number of custom reports
that we can create in SAP
Spend Control Tower?
No. There are no limitations on the number of custom or ad hoc reports that
you can create in SAP Spend Control Tower.
My company uses UNSPSC
version 9.5; will the
transition to SAP Spend
Control Tower upgrade us to
the new version?
We use a custom taxonomy
for spend categorization;
Yes. Whether you are currently a customer using SAP Ariba Spend Analysis
or are purchasing SAP Spend Control Tower for the first time, you will be
upgraded to UNSPSC version 25 as part of the adoption process.
Yes. SAP Spend Control Tower will not cause loss of functionality for current
SAP Ariba Spend Analysis customers transitioning to the new solution, and
Is there a plan for current
users of SAP Ariba Spend
Analysis to switch to SAP
Spend Control Tower?
What support will we
receive for the transition,
and how long will the
process take?
CURRENT CUSTOMERS OF SAP ARIBA SPEND ANALYSIS
Yes. Customers with current contracts for SAP Ariba Spend Analysis will
gradually be transitioned to the new SAP Spend Control Tower. The
transition process is being organized in waves with sequencing based on
various considerations, including the customer’s number of source systems,
number of invoice and purchase order transactions, data access rules,
number of users in the system, and spend category taxonomy used (custom
vs. UNSPSC). If your company currently uses SAP Ariba Spend Analysis, SAP
will send communications about what to expect, your transition dates, and
any actions you need to take prior to and during your transition period.
Service team members, product team members, and delivery leads will
assist you with the transition process, helping with timelines, dashboard
adoption, and related tasks to get you up and running with SAP Spend
Control Tower. The time required to complete the transition will vary
depending on the complexity of your use case and requirements.
As we transition to SAP
Spend Control Tower, will
we still have access to SAP
Ariba Spend Analysis?
Will the custom reports that
we have built in SAP Ariba
Spend Analysis be moved to
SAP Spend Control Tower?
You will continue to have access to SAP Ariba Spend Analysis until you have
fully moved to the new solution and validated your data. Once you sign off
that you have completed the transition and are okay with shutting down the
old solution, we will deprecate your instance of SAP Ariba Spend Analysis,
and you will no longer be able to access it.
SAP Ariba Spend Analysis and SAP Spend Control Tower are built on very
different technologies, which means that custom reports cannot be moved.
New dashboards in SAP Spend Control Tower will cover all use cases in the
current SAP Ariba Spend Analysis solution. However, SAP Spend Control
Tower provides an easy-to-use interface that enables you to create or re-
create any custom reports, if you wish to do so.
Are there limitations on the
number of custom reports
that we can create in SAP
Spend Control Tower?
No. There are no limitations on the number of custom or ad hoc reports that
you can create in SAP Spend Control Tower.
My company uses UNSPSC
version 9.5; will the
transition to SAP Spend
Control Tower upgrade us to
the new version?
We use a custom taxonomy
for spend categorization;
Yes. Whether you are currently a customer using SAP Ariba Spend Analysis
or are purchasing SAP Spend Control Tower for the first time, you will be
upgraded to UNSPSC version 25 as part of the adoption process.
Yes. SAP Spend Control Tower will not cause loss of functionality for current
SAP Ariba Spend Analysis customers transitioning to the new solution, and
© 2024 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved. See Legal Notice on www.sap.com/legal-notice for use terms, disclaimers, disclosures, or restrictions related to this material. 5 / 6
can SAP Spend Control
Tower handle that?
We pay for SAP Ariba Spend
Analysis monthly refreshes;
what happens if we move to
SAP Spend Control Tower?
Are there any prerequisite
licenses we need to have to
deploy SAP Spend Control
Tower?
Do we need to use a specific
data center to deploy SAP
Ariba Spend Control Tower?
Will we be able to extract
data from SAP Spend
Control Tower to use in our
external enterprise business
intelligence solution?
Our company has SAP
Datasphere and SAP
Analytics Cloud; can we
export SAP Spend Control
Tower data to that
landscape?
Does SAP Spend Control
Tower support data loads
custom taxonomy will be supported for any first-time customers adopting
SAP Spend Control Tower as well.
There will be no change to your contract until you have fully moved to the
SAP Spend Control Tower SKU. If you have licensed monthly refreshes for
SAP Ariba Spend Analysis, you will continue to pay for that license until your
transition is complete.
PREREQUISITES
Though SAP Spend Control Tower uses several newer technologies –
including SAP BTP as its foundational platform, SAP Analytics Cloud for the
dashboards, and the data lake component for SAP HANA Cloud as the
reporting platform – these technologies are managed by SAP, and you do
not need to have an individual license for them. However, you will need to
deploy the Identity Authentication service and Identity Provisioning service
that are part of the SAP BTP license, as this is required to activate and
authorize your users and give them access to the dashboards in the
solution. If you do not happen to have an SAP BTP license, we will provide a
tenant for you at no charge so you can complete the authentication and
provisioning processes.
The initial release of the solution will be available only to US and EU data
center customers, but availability will be expanded to additional data
centers throughout 2024.
Yes, you will be able to extract data from the solution through application
programming interfaces (APIs). The process to do this will be similar to that
used within SAP Ariba Spend Analysis, though the API structure and end
points will differ. While data transfer caps will apply, most customers will be
able to meet their data extraction needs within the limits, and you will have
the option to purchase additional API capacity if necessary.
Although not included in the initial release, integrations to SAP Datasphere
and SAP Analytics Cloud are being planned for future releases.
Yes, SAP Spend Control Tower supports data loads for all types of source
systems. Automated connectors are included to enable streamlined
can SAP Spend Control
Tower handle that?
We pay for SAP Ariba Spend
Analysis monthly refreshes;
what happens if we move to
SAP Spend Control Tower?
Are there any prerequisite
licenses we need to have to
deploy SAP Spend Control
Tower?
Do we need to use a specific
data center to deploy SAP
Ariba Spend Control Tower?
Will we be able to extract
data from SAP Spend
Control Tower to use in our
external enterprise business
intelligence solution?
Our company has SAP
Datasphere and SAP
Analytics Cloud; can we
export SAP Spend Control
Tower data to that
landscape?
Does SAP Spend Control
Tower support data loads
custom taxonomy will be supported for any first-time customers adopting
SAP Spend Control Tower as well.
There will be no change to your contract until you have fully moved to the
SAP Spend Control Tower SKU. If you have licensed monthly refreshes for
SAP Ariba Spend Analysis, you will continue to pay for that license until your
transition is complete.
PREREQUISITES
Though SAP Spend Control Tower uses several newer technologies –
including SAP BTP as its foundational platform, SAP Analytics Cloud for the
dashboards, and the data lake component for SAP HANA Cloud as the
reporting platform – these technologies are managed by SAP, and you do
not need to have an individual license for them. However, you will need to
deploy the Identity Authentication service and Identity Provisioning service
that are part of the SAP BTP license, as this is required to activate and
authorize your users and give them access to the dashboards in the
solution. If you do not happen to have an SAP BTP license, we will provide a
tenant for you at no charge so you can complete the authentication and
provisioning processes.
The initial release of the solution will be available only to US and EU data
center customers, but availability will be expanded to additional data
centers throughout 2024.
Yes, you will be able to extract data from the solution through application
programming interfaces (APIs). The process to do this will be similar to that
used within SAP Ariba Spend Analysis, though the API structure and end
points will differ. While data transfer caps will apply, most customers will be
able to meet their data extraction needs within the limits, and you will have
the option to purchase additional API capacity if necessary.
Although not included in the initial release, integrations to SAP Datasphere
and SAP Analytics Cloud are being planned for future releases.
Yes, SAP Spend Control Tower supports data loads for all types of source
systems. Automated connectors are included to enable streamlined