SAP Integration Is Core to Business Growth
The simple answer: external data sources such as spreadsheets kill integration, process efficiency, and visibility. They can cripple a company’s ability to react nimbly to meet and exceed business goals and build sustainable and enduring customer relationships. At their best, spreadsheets are good at analyzing historical data without being able to truly excel at performing real-time analysis. Nor are they effective for collaborative planning and forecasting.
Moreover, depending too heavily on spreadsheets is risky. There is the risk of formula error, risk of input error, access control risk, data import risk, security risk and that may be just the tip of the iceberg. Spreadsheet solutions are particularly perilous because the developer often doesn’t properly document what the intent, business value and problem statement are. As a result, when the developer leaves the organization, there is no knowledge transfer or continuity. This could also lead to compliance issues for publicly traded companies.According to Market Watch, up to 88% of spreadsheets contain errors. On reflection, that’s no surprise; after all, spreadsheets are compiled, accessed, and edited by fallible humans instead of factual master and transactional data.
The alignment of people, process, and technology leverages the existing SAP investment, improves the return on that investment, positions the organization to sustain its own success, and readies it for S/4HANA.
It is abundantly clear: moving away from endless piles of outdated and non-integrated personal information systems (spreadsheets) and moving toward instantly scalable data management and analytics capabilities fueled by a proven methodology and skilled expertise is crucial to the core of business growth. It provides the ability to obtain accurate insights at the exact moment they’re needed. And that’s the true key to business supply chain success.
