How to build an annual budget and rolling forecast in SAP Analytics Cloud

The annual budget and the rolling forecast are the two processes SAP Analytics Cloud Planning was built for. They need data entry, multiple versions and automated calculations — exactly what Planning provides and Analytics does not. Here is how to set them up.

Use a Planning model

Because contributors enter numbers, this is a Planning model with a time dimension and a Version dimension from the start. If you are unsure which module to use, the Analytics vs Planning guide settles it.

The Version dimension is the backbone

Hold Actual, Budget and Forecast as distinct versions so you never mix realised and planned figures. You compare them side by side and copy one into another, as described in our guide on the Version dimension.

Seed and spread with Data Actions

Initialise the Budget from this year's Actual with a copy step, apply an uplift, then spread the annual figure across months using a seasonal profile — all in a Data Action. Contributors then adjust the monthly detail rather than starting from a blank sheet.

The rolling forecast

A rolling forecast always looks twelve months ahead: as each month closes, it drops off and a new one is added. Model it as a Forecast version where closed months take Actual and future months stay editable, refreshed each period with a Data Action. This keeps a constant forward horizon instead of a shrinking year-to-go.

Variance reporting

The output managers want is variance: Actual vs Budget, Forecast vs Budget, in value and percent. Define these as calculated measures across the Version dimension — recomputed at every level, never summed — and surface them in a Story with conditional formatting so overspend flags red.

Start from a built model

The Annual budget and 12-month rolling forecast templates ship with the Version dimension and these drivers ready. Browse more Finance templates or generate your own with the generator.