Creating Data Actions in SAP Analytics Cloud (Part 1)

Introduction

This tutorial guides you through the process of creating data actions in SAP Analytics Cloud. You'll learn how to copy data between versions within a model, utilize advanced formulas to modify data, and integrate these actions into existing stories. This knowledge is essential for enhancing your data management capabilities in SAP Analytics Cloud.

Step 1: Create a Data Action

1. Open SAP Analytics Cloud and navigate to your model.
2. Access the 'Data Actions' section:
   • Find the 'Actions' tab on the left-hand side.
   • Click on 'Data Actions' to open the data actions interface.
3. Create a New Data Action:
   • Click on the 'Create' button.
   • Select 'Data Action' from the dropdown menu.
4. Define the Action:
   • Give your action a meaningful name, such as “Copy Data Between Versions”.
   • Choose the source and target versions for your data action.
5. Add Steps to the Data Action:
   • Click on 'Add Step'.
   • Select 'Copy Data' from the available options.
   • Configure the settings to specify what data to copy and from which version.

Step 2: Use Advanced Formula Step

1. Add an Advanced Formula Step:
   • Click on 'Add Step' again.
   • This time, select 'Advanced Formula'.
2. Define Your Formula:
   • In the formula editor, you can use various functions to manipulate the data.
   • For example, to increase a value by 10%, you might use:

     [YourDataField] * 1.10 
     

3. Test Your Formula:
   • Make sure to validate the formula to check for errors.
   • You can preview results for different scenarios to ensure it behaves as expected.

Step 3: Integrate Data Action into a Story

1. Open the Existing Story:
   • Navigate to the story where you want to add the data action.
2. Add a Button or Trigger:
   • Insert a button or a trigger element to initiate your data action.
   • This can often be found in the 'Insert' menu.
3. Link the Data Action:
   • Select the button and go to its properties.
   • Under the action settings, choose the data action you created earlier.
4. Test the Integration:
   • Preview the story to ensure that clicking the button correctly executes the data action.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to create a data action in SAP Analytics Cloud to copy data between versions, use advanced formulas to modify that data, and integrate these actions into a story. Experiment with different formulas and actions to fully leverage the capabilities of SAP Analytics Cloud. For more advanced techniques, consider exploring part two of this series.