If you’re a seasoned SAP BPC user, you know its strengths – robust consolidation, familiar interface, and a solid track record. However, SAP BPC is nearing its end of life, with limited future development and potential compatibility issues on the horizon. Now is the time to consider the future of BPC and potential alternatives like OneStream.
When is BPC reaching its end of life?
SAP has announced the end of mainstream maintenance for BPC versions in 2026 and 2027, with extended maintenance ending in 2030. This means that after 2030, you won’t receive critical bug fixes and security patches from SAP, leaving your system vulnerable. Additionally, BPC will no longer see new features or functionality added, which can hinder your ability to adapt.
OneStream vs. BPC: A Clear Choice for Modern Finance
OneStream is the next generation of Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) solutions, offering a powerful alternative to BPC. It seamlessly integrates consolidation, planning, reporting, and analysis, empowering finance teams to operate at a whole new level. OneStream addresses common BPC frustrations with a robust set of features:
- Unleash Local-Level Detail: BPC’s limitations on local charts of accounts are a thing of the past. OneStream’s extensibility empowers you to tailor reports and data structures to your specific needs, eliminating workarounds and providing the granular control you’ve always wanted.
- Effortless Logic, Exceptional Performance: Writing logic in BPC can be a tedious task. OneStream simplifies the process dramatically. Imagine reducing 4,000 lines of BPC code to a mere 200 – that’s what one client achieved with OneStream, leading to a 10x speed improvement (from 5 minutes to 30 seconds!).
- Reporting Freedom & Faster Insights: BPC forces a choice between periodic and YTD applications. OneStream shatters these barriers allowing you to load data and report on balance sheets (periodic or YTD) with ease. This flexibility streamlines complex calculations like cash flow, saving you valuable time and effort.
- Superior Stability & Reliability: OneStream boasts a proven track record of stability and bug control compared to BPC. Automated loading and scheduling are a breeze, ensuring smoother data management. Plus, unlike BPC, Excel updates won’t disrupt your OneStream workflow and you’ll benefit from responsive technical support from knowledgeable representatives, not scripted chatbots.
- Future-Proof Your Financial Processes: With BPC nearing its end of life, OneStream offers a secure and future-proof solution. OneStream is constantly evolving to meet the needs of modern finance, ensuring your financial processes remain efficient for years to come.
Making the Move to OneStream: A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementation
Migrating from BPC to OneStream can seem daunting, but with careful planning and guidance from an experienced implementation partner, you can ensure a smooth and successful transition. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you navigate the process, including key technical considerations:
1. Partner Selection & Assessment
- Identify Your Needs: Start by thoroughly assessing your current BPC setup and identifying your specific requirements for consolidation, planning, reporting, and analysis. This will help you define the ideal skill set and experience when looking for your implementation partner.
- Evaluate Potential Partners: Research potential partners with expertise in BPC to OneStream migrations. Look for partners with a proven track record, strong technical capabilities, and a clear understanding of your industry’s specific needs.
- Collaborative Planning: Work closely with your chosen partner to develop a comprehensive migration plan. This plan should encompass all aspects of the process, from data assessment and transformation to system configuration, testing, user training, and launch.
2. Data Preparation & Cleansing
- Data Extraction & Transformation: Your implementation partner will assist with extracting your data from BPC and transforming it for OneStream. This may involve data cleansing and mapping to ensure data integrity in the new system.
- Data Quality Assurance: Work with your partner to implement data quality checks throughout the migration process.
3. System Configuration & Testing:
- OneStream Configuration: Your implementation partner will configure OneStream based on your needs and migration plan. This includes setting up dimensions, cubes, workflows, user security, and leveraging their expertise to optimize the configuration for your specific use case.
- Technical Considerations:
- Master Data: As mentioned earlier, dimension members and properties can transfer directly from BPC to OneStream, eliminating the need for elimination entities. Your partner will guide you through this process.
- Data Loading:
- Netweaver environments: Your partner can assess the need for additional ABAP programming within SAP to facilitate data extraction for OneStream.
- MS environments: Existing data extracts used for BPC can likely be reused for OneStream. Your partner will help you determine the optimal level of data detail for efficient migration and ongoing operations.
- Data Tie-Out: The flexibility of both BPC’s and OneStream’s reporting simplifies data validation processes. Your partner can assist with establishing these processes.
- Testing & Validation: Rigorous testing is crucial. Partner with your implementation team to test data loads, reports, and functionalities to ensure everything works seamlessly before going live with OneStream.
4. Go-Live & User Training:
- Data Migration & System Launch: Your implementation partner will manage the migration of your cleansed data to OneStream and launch the new system.
- User Training & Support: Work with your partner to develop and deliver comprehensive training to your finance team on using OneStream effectively. Your partner can also offer ongoing support to ensure a smooth user adoption process.
5. Post-Migration Optimization:
- Review & Refine: Continuously monitor and refine your OneStream processes post-migration. A good implementation partner sets you up for long-term success with OneStream by prioritizing knowledge transfer and empowering your team to manage the system effectively so you can adapt to future requirements without relying solely on external support.
Ready to transition to OneStream?
At SandPoint Consulting, we’ve built our team from Big 4 CPAs, industry experts, and proven consultants who have been in the accounting trenches. They possess deep knowledge of both OneStream and BPC, and have a proven methodology to minimize disruption and optimize your new system for your specific business needs. We prioritize data quality and security throughout the process, and we’ll continue to support you after go-live to help you leverage OneStream’s full potential. Let’s talk and see how you can unlock a future-proof EPM solution for your organization.
