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SAP Analytics Cloud - Planning Workflows and Calendar Reference

Source: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_ANALYTICS_CLOUD/00f68c2e08b941f081002fd3691d86a7/af4b7e39edd249d3b59fa7d4ab110a7a.html Last Updated: 2025-11-22

Table of Contents

  1. Calendar Overview
  2. Planning Processes
  3. Task Types
  4. Multi-Level Approvals
  5. Data Locking Integration
  6. Task Dependencies
  7. Notifications and Collaboration
  8. Best Practices

Calendar Overview

The SAP Analytics Cloud calendar organizes collaborative planning workflows, structures planning processes, and monitors progress across teams.

Accessing Calendar

  1. Main Menu → Calendar
  2. Or via direct URL: [https://<tenant>/calendar](https:///calendar`)

Calendar Views

View Description
Calendar View Traditional calendar grid (day/week/month)
List View Task list with details
Gantt View Timeline with dependencies

Key Capabilities

  • Create and manage planning processes
  • Assign tasks to users and teams
  • Track completion status
  • Configure automatic notifications
  • Schedule data actions and multi actions
  • Integrate data locking with workflows

Planning Processes

A planning process is a container for related tasks that make up a complete planning cycle.

Creating a Planning Process

  1. Open Calendar
  2. Click Create → Planning Process
  3. Configure:
    • Name and description
    • Start and end dates
    • Owner and participants
  4. Add tasks to the process

Process Properties

Property Description
Name Descriptive name
Description Detailed explanation
Start Date Process begins
End Date Process must complete
Owner Responsible user
State Draft, Active, Completed, Cancelled

Process Lifecycle

Draft → Active → Running → Completed
                     ↓
                 Cancelled

Activating a Process

  • Manual: Click "Activate" when ready
  • Automatic: Activates on start date
  • Dependencies: Activates when predecessor completes

Task Types

1. General Task

Standard work assignment for data entry or other activities.

Configuration:

Name: Q1 Budget Entry
Description: Enter Q1 budget for your region
Assignees: Regional Managers (multiple)
Due Date: 2025-01-31
Work File: Budget_Entry_Story
Data Context: Filter to assignee's region

Features:

  • Multiple assignees
  • Work file attachment (story or application)
  • Data context filtering
  • Progress tracking per assignee

Assignee Actions:

  1. Open task from notification or calendar
  2. Click "Open Work File"
  3. Enter/modify data
  4. Click "Submit" when complete

2. Review Task

Approval workflow for reviewing submitted work.

Configuration:

Name: Finance Review Q1 Budget
Description: Review and approve regional budgets
Reviewers: Finance Director
Predecessor: Q1 Budget Entry task
Action on Completion: Trigger data locking

Reviewer Actions:

  • Approve: Accept submission, move to next step
  • Reject: Return to assignee with comments

After Rejection:

  1. Assignee notified
  2. Task returns to "In Progress"
  3. Assignee revises and resubmits
  4. Reviewer notified for re-review

3. Composite Task

Combined general task and review in single configuration.

Use Cases:

  • Simple single-level approval
  • When general task and review have same timeline
  • Streamlined configuration

Configuration:

Name: Departmental Budget Approval
Assignees: Department Heads
Reviewer: CFO
Driving Dimension: Department
Due Date: 2025-02-15

Driving Dimension:

  • Automatically creates sub-tasks per member
  • Each department head sees only their data
  • Consolidated review for approver

4. Data Locking Task

Scheduled data lock state changes.

Configuration:

Name: Lock Q1 Budget
Model: Finance_Planning_Model
Data Slice:
  Version: Budget
  Year: 2025
  Quarter: Q1
Target State: Locked
Trigger: On predecessor approval

Lock States:

  • Open: Anyone with access can edit
  • Restricted: Only owner can edit
  • Locked: No edits allowed

5. Data Action Task

Scheduled execution of data actions.

Configuration:

Name: Run Budget Allocation
Data Action: Overhead_Allocation
Parameters:
  Version: Budget
  Year: 2025
Schedule: After Budget Entry approval

6. Multi Action Task

Scheduled execution of multi actions.

Configuration:

Name: Complete Planning Cycle
Multi Action: Annual_Planning_Workflow
Parameters:
  Planning_Cycle: 2025
Trigger: Process end date

Multi-Level Approvals

Implement hierarchical approval workflows using sequential review tasks.

Configuration Steps

  1. Create General Task for data entry
  2. Add Review Task Round 1 (first level approver)
    • Set predecessor: General Task
  3. Add Review Task Round 2 (second level approver)
    • Set predecessor: Review Task Round 1
  4. Continue for additional levels

Example: 3-Level Approval

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ General Task: Regional Budget Entry     │
│ Assignees: Regional Planners            │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                  │ Submit
                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Review Task Round 1: Regional Review    │
│ Reviewers: Regional Managers            │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                  │ Approve
                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Review Task Round 2: Corporate Review   │
│ Reviewers: Finance Director             │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                  │ Approve
                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Review Task Round 3: Executive Approval │
│ Reviewers: CFO                          │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                  │ Approve
                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Data Locking Task: Lock Approved Budget │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Rejection Flow

Round 2 Rejects
      ↓
Round 1 Reviewer notified (optional)
      ↓
Assignee notified, task reopened
      ↓
Assignee revises data
      ↓
Resubmit through all approval levels

Configuration Options

Option Description
Skip on Rejection Allow later approver to override earlier rejection
Auto-Approve Automatically approve if no action in X days
Escalation Notify manager if task overdue

Data Locking Integration

Manual Data Locking via Story

// Check lock state
var dataLocking = Table_1.getPlanning().getDataLocking();
var selection = Table_1.getSelections()[0];
var state = dataLocking.getState(selection);

// Set lock state (owner only)
if (state === DataLockingState.Open) {
    dataLocking.setState(selection, DataLockingState.Locked);
}

Calendar Data Locking Task

Trigger Types:

  • Scheduled: Specific date/time
  • Event-Based: After task completion
  • Manual: User clicks "Submit"

Configuration Example:

Task: Lock Regional Plans
Trigger: After "Regional Review" approval
Model: Finance_Model
Data Slice:
  Version: Budget_2025
  Region: [Assignee's Region]
Target State: Locked
Owner Transfer: Yes (to Finance Director)

Multi Action Data Locking Step

Include data locking in automated workflows:

Multi Action: Close_Planning_Cycle
Steps:
  1. Publish Budget version
  2. Run consolidation data action
  3. Lock Budget version
  4. Send notification via API step

Data Locking Best Practices

  1. Lock progressively - Lock completed regions while others work
  2. Use restricted state - Allow corrections before final lock
  3. Assign owners - Enable self-service lock management
  4. Event-based triggers - Automate locking after approvals
  5. Document unlock process - Define who can unlock and when

Task Dependencies

Dependency Types

Type Behavior
Finish-to-Start Task B starts when Task A finishes
Start-to-Start Task B starts when Task A starts
Finish-to-Finish Task B finishes when Task A finishes

Configuring Dependencies

  1. Open task in edit mode
  2. Go to Dependencies section
  3. Select predecessor task
  4. Choose dependency type
  5. Set lag time (optional)

Automatic Activation

When a task has dependencies:

  • Remains inactive until predecessor completes
  • Automatically activates on predecessor completion
  • Assignees receive notification

Example: Dependent Task Chain

Budget Planning Process (2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31)

Task 1: Load Actuals (Data Import)
  Start: 2025-01-02
  Duration: 1 day

Task 2: Regional Budget Entry
  Start: After Task 1 (Finish-to-Start)
  Duration: 14 days

Task 3: Corporate Review
  Start: After Task 2 (Finish-to-Start)
  Duration: 5 days

Task 4: Executive Approval
  Start: After Task 3 (Finish-to-Start)
  Duration: 3 days

Task 5: Lock and Archive
  Start: After Task 4 (Finish-to-Start)
  Duration: 1 day

Notifications and Collaboration

Notification Types

Event Recipients Channel
Task Assigned Assignees Email, In-app
Task Due Soon Assignees Email
Task Overdue Assignees, Owner Email
Submission Received Reviewers Email, In-app
Approved Assignees Email, In-app
Rejected Assignees Email, In-app
Process Complete Owner Email

Configuring Notifications

  1. Open process or task settings
  2. Go to Notifications tab
  3. Enable/disable notification types
  4. Set reminder schedules

Discussion Feature

Collaborate directly within calendar:

  1. Open task or process
  2. Click Open Discussion
  3. Start conversation with @mentions
  4. All participants can view and respond

Status Updates

Track progress with status indicators:

Status Icon Meaning
Not Started ○ Task inactive or not begun
In Progress ◐ Work underway
Submitted ◑ Awaiting review
Approved ● Completed successfully
Rejected ✕ Returned for revision
Overdue ⚠ Past due date

Best Practices

Process Design

  1. Start simple - Begin with linear workflows
  2. Test thoroughly - Run pilot before full deployment
  3. Document clearly - Detailed task descriptions
  4. Set realistic timelines - Include buffer for delays

Task Configuration

  1. Clear ownership - One owner per task
  2. Appropriate assignees - Match to data access
  3. Helpful work files - Pre-configure filters
  4. Meaningful names - Describe the action

Approval Workflows

  1. Minimize levels - Each level adds time
  2. Parallel when possible - Review different data simultaneously
  3. Clear rejection criteria - What requires rejection
  4. Escalation paths - Handle non-responsive reviewers

Data Locking

  1. Plan lock schedule - Know when data closes
  2. Communicate clearly - Inform users of deadlines
  3. Emergency unlock process - Define for corrections
  4. Audit trail - Track lock changes

Performance

  1. Stagger task starts - Avoid system overload
  2. Limit concurrent users - On complex stories
  3. Background data actions - For long-running operations
  4. Monitor process health - Check for bottlenecks

Example: Complete Annual Budget Process

Process: Annual Budget 2025

Duration: January 1 - March 15

Phase 1: Preparation (Jan 1-7)

Task 1.1: Load Prior Year Actuals

  • Type: Data Import Task
  • Assignee: System Admin
  • Duration: 1 day

Task 1.2: Initialize Budget Versions

  • Type: Multi Action Task
  • Action: Create_Budget_Versions
  • Predecessor: Task 1.1

Phase 2: Data Entry (Jan 8-31)

Task 2.1: Departmental Budget Entry

  • Type: Composite Task
  • Driving Dimension: Department
  • Assignees: Department Heads
  • Reviewer: Finance Manager
  • Work File: Budget_Entry_Story
  • Duration: 3 weeks

Phase 3: Review (Feb 1-21)

Task 3.1: Finance Review

  • Type: Review Task
  • Reviewer: Finance Director
  • Predecessor: Task 2.1
  • Duration: 1 week

Task 3.2: Executive Review

  • Type: Review Task
  • Reviewer: CFO
  • Predecessor: Task 3.1
  • Duration: 1 week

Phase 4: Finalization (Feb 22 - Mar 15)

Task 4.1: Lock Budget Data

  • Type: Data Locking Task
  • Trigger: After Task 3.2 approval
  • State: Locked

Task 4.2: Generate Reports

  • Type: General Task
  • Assignee: Finance Analyst
  • Predecessor: Task 4.1

Task 4.3: Board Presentation

  • Type: General Task
  • Assignee: CFO
  • Due: March 15

Documentation Links:

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