Top 25 Interview Questions With Answers For SAP Analytics Cloud

Preparing for an SAP Analytics Cloud interview can be daunting, but with the right questions and answers, you can confidently ace your interview.

Top 25 Interview Questions with Answers for SAP Analytics Cloud

1. What is SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)?

SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) is a cloud-based solution from SAP that combines Business Intelligence (BI), augmented analytics, predictive analytics, and planning capabilities in one unified interface. It allows users to visualize data, generate insights, and make data-driven decisions in real-time.

2. What are the core components of SAC?

• Business Intelligence (BI)
• Planning
• Predictive Analytics
• Augmented Analytics (Smart Insights, Search to Insight)
• Data Integration

3. What types of connections are available in SAC?

• Live Connections: No data replication; queries data directly from source.
• Import Data Connections: Data is imported and stored in the SAC model.

4. What is a model in SAC?

A model is a structured representation of data in SAC. It defines dimensions, measures, and hierarchies and acts as the foundation for building stories and dashboards.

5. What is a Story in SAC?

A Story in SAC is a visual representation (dashboard) where users can create interactive charts, tables, maps, and other visual components using models or datasets.

6. Explain the difference between Model and Dataset in SAC.

• Model: Includes metadata, relationships, hierarchies, and is used for planning and complex analytics.
• Dataset: More lightweight, used for quick data exploration; lacks advanced modeling features.

7. What is Smart Discovery in SAC?

Smart Discovery is an AI-powered feature that helps identify hidden patterns, key influencers, and relationships within data automatically, enabling faster decision-making.

8. What are Dimensions and Measures in SAC?

• Dimensions: Qualitative data (e.g., customer name, region).
• Measures: Quantitative data (e.g., revenue, profit).

9. What are the supported data sources for SAC?

• SAP Sources: SAP HANA, S/4HANA, BW/4HANA, SAP Datasphere
• Non-SAP Sources: Google BigQuery, Amazon Redshift, SQL, OData, Excel, CSV

10. Can we schedule a report in SAP Analytics Cloud?

Yes, SAC provides publication and scheduling capabilities to distribute stories/reports via email at predefined intervals.

11. What are SAC Planning features?

• Data entry and forecast planning
• Version management
• Value driver trees
• Allocations and spreading
• Collaboration through calendar tasks

12. What is a Value Driver Tree in SAC?

A Value Driver Tree (VDT) is a visual planning tool that helps simulate business scenarios and understand how changes in one variable impact other related KPIs.

13. How does Live Connection ensure data security?

Data is never stored in SAC. All queries are executed directly on the source system, ensuring compliance and real-time analytics without data replication.

14. Explain the role of the Analytic Application in SAC.

Analytic Applications in SAC are built using scripting (JavaScript-like) to create custom dashboards with advanced logic and interactions beyond standard stories.

15. What are some chart types supported in SAC?

• Bar/Column Charts
• Line/Area Charts
• Pie/Donut Charts
• Tree Maps
• Waterfall Charts
• Heatmaps
• Geo Maps

16. What is Data Wrangling in SAC?

Data Wrangling is the process of cleaning, enriching, transforming, and shaping data before it's used in a model or visual. SAC offers intuitive interfaces to perform wrangling tasks during data import.

17. What scripting language is used in SAC Analytic Applications?

SAP Analytics Cloud uses a JavaScript-based scripting environment for building advanced logic in Analytic Applications.

18. How does SAC support collaboration among users?

• Calendar and task management
• Commenting and discussion threads
• Sharing stories and insights
• Integration with SAP Jam and Microsoft Teams

19. What are Predictive Scenarios in SAC?

SAC provides out-of-the-box predictive scenarios:

• Classification
• Regression
• Time Series Forecasting

These use machine learning models to generate predictions without coding.

20. What is the use of ‘Smart Insights’ in SAC?

Smart Insights help users understand the factors contributing to a specific data point. It dynamically analyzes the underlying data and provides automatic explanations and visualizations.

21. Can you create calculated measures in SAC?

Yes, calculated measures can be created using expressions and formulas within the model or at the story level to derive KPIs like profit margin, growth rate, etc.

22. What is Data Locking in SAC Planning?

Data locking restricts users from editing certain parts of a planning model. It ensures data integrity by controlling write access to specific versions or dimensions.

23. What is the difference between Private and Public Versions in SAC Planning?

• Private Version: Editable, visible only to the creator until shared.
• Public Version: Approved and accessible to all users for consolidated planning.

24. What is the Role-Based Security model in SAC?

SAC uses role-based access control (RBAC), where roles define what actions a user can perform (like read/write access) and what data they can access based on their assigned permissions.

25. What are the limitations of SAP Analytics Cloud?

• Limited custom visualizations compared to tools like Tableau/Power BI
• Script-based customization requires developer knowledge
• Performance issues with large datasets in import mode
• Some predictive features are still maturing