Real-Time data is required for some organizations for tactical Sales & Operational Planning, a good example is FMCG industry.
I have seen requirements in these scenarios,
- New customers added in source system, need to update daily or weekly sales plan NOW in BPC
- Competitive Analysis, need to update this to my sales force NOW
- Month-end, Quarter-end top-end adjustment entered, I have to finalize forecast NOW
There are two issues
1. How to get the data in BPC, and
2. How to collaborate-Real-Time
How to get the data in BPC
If you use SAP BW, you can achieve it with some effort. It's called 'Real-Time Data Acquisition'. This was available in BW 3.5 with restrictions, in BW 7.0 and later versions it got better. You can get Real-Time data from source system using this technology. This is not out of the box solution, customization's and development effort are required.
I am not aware if this can be achieved with BPC Microsoft version, would like to know if you have experienced with this.
How to collaborate-Real-Time
The limitation of BPC is, one has to refresh the report to see the Real-Time data. In collaborative planning when a team member is updating plan data, others have to wait for their turn to update. When planning portfolio of products and customers, collaboration is slow.
I see a great potential if everyone can see the same data and collaborate Real-Time, just like this Google Drive Real-Time API
Do you have a requirement for Real-Time Planning in BPC?
