Latest episode
OneStream or SAP BPC, decided by separating the plan from the consolidation.
A BPC model built over 10 years usually holds the plan and the consolidation in the same logic. OneStream (EPM software) and SAP's successors both separate the 2 first, then join them in different ways.
Groups running SAP BPC (SAP's planning and consolidation product) beside an SAP ledger look at OneStream once their S/4HANA programme has a date. SAP's route splits BPC in 2, between SAP Analytics Cloud and S/4HANA Finance for group reporting. OneStream puts both halves on 1 model.
- OneStream (EPM software)
- 1 model above every ledger the group runs, SAP or not. The plan and the consolidation are separate processes on shared dimensions.
- SAP BPC
- Planning and consolidation in 1 product on the SAP BW stack. There are versions for NetWeaver and BW/4HANA, and 1 embedded in S/4HANA.
- Where they differ
- Once the plan and the consolidation are separated, OneStream joins them on 1 model. SAP joins them across 2 products fed from the SAP ledger.
OneStream and SAP's successors each handle the 10 tasks of a BPC estate once the plan and the close are separated.
| OneStream (EPM software) | SAP BPC and SAP's successors | |
|---|---|---|
| Separate the plan from the consolidation logic | The 2 become separate processes on the same entities, accounts and periods, so a planning rule and a consolidation rule are written and owned apart. | BPC holds both in 1 model and 1 script logic, and SAP's successors split them into a planning product and a group reporting product. |
| Consolidate 20 entities, 12 of them on SAP | Every entity loads through the same data management layer, and the SAP entities carry no advantage over the others in the consolidation. | The SAP entities feed group reporting from the S/4HANA ledger directly, and the non-SAP entities arrive by file or interface. |
| Load 2 non-SAP ledgers from acquisitions | Each ledger has its own mapping, validation and drill back, kept per load beside the SAP loads. | Each ledger is mapped into the SAP data structures before group reporting or the planning product can read it. |
| Eliminate intercompany balances and hold the matching | Matching and elimination run per entity pair in the consolidation, and the matching report stays with the period. | BPC runs eliminations through its business rules, and group reporting runs them on the universal journal with its own matching. |
| Rebuild 10 years of script logic | The script logic is read as a specification, and each rule is restated in OneStream's rule set or dropped with a note saying why. | The script logic is restated in the planning product's data actions and in group reporting's rules, because neither reads BPC script. |
| Run a rolling forecast on last month's actuals | The forecast opens on the consolidated actuals in the same model, with no transfer between the close and the plan. | The planning product receives the actuals from the ledger or from group reporting through a data connection. |
| Branch a scenario and compare it with the budget | A scenario is a member of the scenario dimension, compared with the budget and the actuals in 1 cube. | A scenario is a version in the planning product, compared with the budget through the same model and stories. |
| Report the group result to the board and the auditor | The board pack and the statutory schedules read the same consolidated cell, with the journal trail under it. | Group reporting produces the consolidated result on the SAP ledger, and the planning product reports the plan. |
| Carry the BPC history across | History loads into the new model at the grain the new dimensions allow, with the old mapping recorded. | History moves into group reporting and the planning product separately, each at its own grain. |
| Administer the estate afterwards | 1 finance systems team administers 1 application above the SAP and non-SAP ledgers. | The SAP basis team, the S/4HANA finance team and the planning product's administrators each own a part. |
OneStream sits above the SAP ledger and treats every other ledger the same way.
OneStream reads balances from every ledger a group runs and holds the consolidation and the plan on 1 set of dimensions. An SAP ledger loads the same way as a Sage or NetSuite ledger, and the consolidation treats them all alike.
Our consultants have worked on 58 EPM implementations over 35 years, and we know the BPC estate with the plan and the consolidation in 1 script well. We go through that script rule by rule in our survey, and the price comes after.
The plan and the consolidation become 2 processes on the same entities, accounts and periods, owned by 2 people and read by 1 report. A planning rule you change in October no longer moves the consolidated result in November.
SAP BPC holds the plan and the consolidation in 1 product, and SAP's successors are 2.
SAP BPC runs on the SAP BW stack, with versions for NetWeaver and BW/4HANA and 1 embedded in S/4HANA. Each version has its own maintenance end date, so the version you run sets your deadline.
SAP has 2 successors to BPC. SAP Analytics Cloud takes the plan, and SAP S/4HANA Finance for group reporting takes the consolidation. Group reporting reads the universal journal in S/4HANA directly, which makes it the natural first look for a group with most entities on S/4HANA.
On SAP's route, the plan is rebuilt in 1 product and the consolidation in another, joined by SAP's own data connections. A group with 8 non-SAP entities maps each one into the SAP structures before either product can read it.
SAP's route suits a group that is all on S/4HANA, and OneStream suits a group with several non-SAP ledgers.
In a group with every entity on S/4HANA, group reporting consolidates on the universal journal the SAP finance team already owns. SAP Analytics Cloud holds the plan beside it. The choice is 2 SAP products the group half owns, or 1 new OneStream model.
In a group where 8 of 20 entities run other ledgers, and 2 more arrive with the next acquisition, SAP's route maps each non-SAP ledger first. The group then weighs the cost of those mappings against OneStream's 1 layer above every ledger.
BPC script logic often keeps the allocations and the eliminations in 1 file, and pulling them apart is the first task on either route. Constancia is an EPM consultancy and an official OneStream partner, and our survey separates the 2 sets of rules before we set a price.
We also set out the SAP BPC migration route to OneStream, and compare OneStream with Hyperion and Tagetik.
OneStream or Hyperion
Hyperion is another legacy estate where both routes out mean a rebuild.
Read the comparisonOneStream or Tagetik
Both products run the close, and they hold granular data in different places.
Read the comparisonSAP BPC to OneStream migration
The steps that take a BPC estate onto 1 model, with the plan and the close separated first.
Read the route
See more on our
Subscribe on YouTube
Every Sunday, 6am
The Sunday Close.
Our weekly newsletter on AI in finance.
Yours to enjoy with your Sunday morning coffee.
- AI in finance observations from Alex (CEO) and Brad (COO)
- Newest video from our YouTube channel
- AI in finance trends we have spotted each week
Tell us the date you are working to.
The people who would do the work read every message and reply inside 2 working days.