Jet Power Your Decision Making with Visual What-If Scenarios Using Xcelsius

by Nikhil Sharma, Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Mclean, VA (July 2010)

Using an interactive Xcelsius report to conduct what-if scenarios allows users to quickly see the effects of business decisions in an engaging manner. Find out how to create your own what-if analysis report. A sample data file and a working what-if analysis report are provided as download files to help you get started.

Categories: Analytics, Reporting, SAP BusinessObjects, Xcelsius

Key Concept

Business decision making is a complex mix of reporting, tracking trends, and benchmarking. This involves a simulation of the many parameters involved in complex business equations. What-if analysis is one of the ways to simulate and check the overall effect of changes.

Successful companies know how to best plan for possible scenarios by using what-if analysis. This enables companies to review potential outcomes to business decisions without affecting the business. SAP BusinessObjects Xcelsius Enterprise is one application you can use for this what-if analysis.

I’ll use the example of working capital to illustrate how to launch a what-if analysis with SAP BusinessObjects Xcelsius. A CFO of a retail enterprise (My Retail Business) wants to evaluate how the enterprise is doing with respect to working capital and how he can improve the overall cash flow position. Working capital depends on four main variables:

Accounts receivable (AR) days
Accounts payable (AP) days
Inventory days
Available cash

Would you like to see the full version of this article?

If you are an electronic license holder to BI Expert, please click here to log in.

If you would like information about becoming an electronic license holder — and having 24/7 unrestricted access to all articles and content in the BI Expert online knowledgebase — click here to see the available subscription options.

Or call 1-781-751-8799 to speak directly with a subscription and licensing specialist about customized access for you and your team.

Isn't your SAP implementation worth world-class information support?

Copyright © 2010 Wellesley Information Services. All rights reserved. Email: customer.service@bi-expertonline.com.
BI Expert, 20 Carematrix Drive, Dedham, MA 02026, USA.
Sales and Customer Service: 1-781-751-8799
SAP and the SAP logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and several other countries.