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Desktop Analyzer: Excel Front-End to SAP's PPM Module:

The Desktop Analyzer (version 4.93) suite of tools provides an Excel front-end to SAP’s Portfolio and Project Management (PPM 5.0 and 6.0) module, allowing users to update and analyze large quantities of data quickly and easily.

 

  • ​Set up your own Excel formulas to populate data.

  • ​Navigate the data cells as you would with any spreadsheet – arrow keys, page up and down, etc.

  • ​Cut/Copy and paste large blocks of cell values.

  • ​Use auto-fill to quickly populate many values.

  • ​Save your work to your desktop, work offline, then upload when you wish.

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Editions of Desktop Analyzer

Ready To Use

  • Staffing Edition

  • Item Planning Edition (Financial & Capacity)

  • Resource Planning Edition

  • Master Data Edition

 

Work In Progress – New Editions

  • DP Based Planning Edition

  • Timesheet Edition

 

 

Desktop Analyzer:  Demo Overview

Desktop Analyzer: Staffing Edition

The Desktop Analyzer – Staffing Edition allows you to download and update staffing information on your cProjects. Distributed role demand and staffing quantities are downloaded and easily updated in your Excel spreadsheet.  

 

  • Download and upload distributed Role Demand and Staffing quantities for one or many projects, directly from the Excel toolbar.

  • Supported Distribution Units – Hour, Hours & FTE.

  • Supported Period Type – Monthly & Weekly

  • Hard-Booking & Soft-Booking Supported.

  • Add/Switch/Delete Staffing feature supported from Excel UI.

  • ‘Resource Search’ functions available to aid Add and Switch staffing features.

  • Resource Net Availability and demand values with indicators displayed to support decision making.

  • Add and Switch staffing using Global ID (Business Partner ID) directly supported.

  • ‘Project Search’ functions available

  • Role search with open demand via Role function and/or Role Type available (** New Feature)

  • Staff from a functional perspective by downloading only data from the Roles you are responsible for, across projects.

  • The upload is optimized for maximum performance.

  • Uses SAP security and encrypted Web Services.

  • Respects SAP locking – will not update the Item if another user has it open already.

Plan project roles and resources directly via Excel.

 

Desktop Analyzer: Item Planning Edition

The Desktop Analyzer – Item Planning Edition allows you to download and update financial and capacity planning information on your portfolio items. 

  • Download and upload financial and/or capacity category/group/views for a single item, directly from the Excel toolbar.

  • Shift function allows you to move financial and capacity data by months and update item planned start and/or end date.

  • Support data filtering based on Category/Group/View.

  • Utility feature allows to perform simple arithmetic operations across views.

  • Forecasting Engine support (** New Feature)

  • Support Item Search

  • Enforces update of data only for planning period set for the item

  • Ability to update Decision Point dates. (Optional)

  • Uses SAP security and encrypted Web Services.

  • Respects SAP locking  (it will not update the Item if another user has it open already).

Desktop Analyzer: Resource Planning Edition

The Desktop Analyzer – Resource Planning Edition allows you to download and update staffing information on your cProjects based on Resource Pool(s)/Resource(s). Staffing data for all the resources under selected resource pool(s) or individual selected resource(s) are downloaded and easily updated in your Excel spreadsheet.  

  • Download and upload distributed Staffing quantities of all the projects for all the resources under selected resource pool(s) or for individual selected resource(s), directly from the Excel toolbar.

  • Supported Distribution Units – Hour, Hours & FTE.

  • Supported Period Type – Monthly & Weekly (**Newly Added)

  • Hard-Booking & Soft-Booking Supported. [Display Only] (**Newly Added)

  • ‘Resource Search’ & ‘Resource Pool Search’ functions available

  • Staff from a resource manager’s perspective by downloading only data for the Resources you are responsible for, across projects.

  • Provides visual indicators for resource utilization based on customer defined rules.

  • The upload is optimized for maximum performance.

  • Uses SAP security and encrypted Web Services.

  • Respects SAP locking – will not update the object if another user has it open already.

Desktop Analyzer: Master Data Edition

The Desktop Analyzer – Master data Edition allows you to download and update Item and Project fields in Excel.  Each Item or Project is a row in your Excel spreadsheet. 

  • Download and Upload up to 1000 Items at once, directly from the Excel toolbar.

  • Supports What-If versions.

  • Supports filtering of items to be downloaded.

  • Spreadsheet formats are configurable from the SAP server – determine which fields are included and which may be updated.

  • The upload is optimized for maximum performance.

  • Uses SAP security and encrypted Web Services.

  • Respects SAP locking – will not update the Item if another user has it open already.

Select the fields you desire to update for 1 or 1,000 projects.

 

Desktop Analyzer: DP (Decision Point) Based Planning Edition

The Desktop Analyzer – DP Planning Edition allows you to update Decision Point dates and financial/capacity data for each Decision Point. 

Desktop Analyzer: Timesheet Edition

Desktop Analyzer: Future Releases

Support for PPM 6.0

 

  • Staffing Edition

    • Restrict role downloading based on selected role function id(s) for project(s).

    • Restricting resource search based on selected role function id(s). [Assumption – 1:1 mapping between role function id & resource pool]

    • Create/Change/Delete Role feature support from Excel UI

 

  • Item Planning Edition (Financial & Capacity)

    • Support for switching planning data displayed – VCG, CGV, CVG.

    • Initiative Planning from Excel UI.

 

  • Master Data Edition

    • Support for Initiative Master Data Maintenance

Desktop Analyzer: Landscape Overview

Desktop Analyzer: Technical Overview

 

Technology Platforms

  • SAP: ABAP, web service configuration

  • Excel: .NET (C#)

 

Software & Versions Required

  • NetWeaver 7.02 with SP06 as the minimum patch level

  • SAP PPM 5.0 is SP4

  • MS Excel 2007 and above

  • Visual Studio 2008 and above

 

Target OS and Office version combinations

  • Windows 7: Office/Excel 2013, Office/Excel 2010, Office/Excel 2007

  • Windows XP: Office/Excel 2007

 

Prerequisites on Client System

  • Microsoft Office 2007, 2010, or 2013

  • Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 or 4.0

  • Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Tools for Office runtime

  • Microsoft Redistributable Primary Interop Assemblies

Desktop Analyzer:  Implementation Scenario

Scenario: Customer Implements Item Planning Edition

 

  1. SAP: move a transport request to customer development environment

  2. Config. Web-Service directly in environment

  3. SAP Table Config: Map Item or cProject level fields

    • Item Master Data only

    • cProject Header Level Master Data only

  4. Client side installation: Excel Add-In

Desktop Analyzer:  Questions Customers Ask

Can we own the source code?

  • SAP code is owned by customer

  • Excel side of code owned by PDB.                                 It’s delivered as an executable (.EXE)

 

Can we perform the enhancements?

  • SAP code: YES

  • Excel side of code performed by PDB

Desktop Analyzer:  3 Key Points

  • Desktop Analyzer can be used for master data maintenance, planning or staffing.

 

  • Many of SAP’s screen can be replaced with user friendly Excel interface using Desktop Analyzer.

 

  • Already user friendly screens of DA editions can be further customized based on client requirement.

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