What is a QRC in SAP Analytics Cloud? QRC1–QRC4 explained

QRC stands for Quarterly Release Cycle. It's the rhythm SAP uses to ship SAP Analytics Cloud: four major releases a year, one per quarter — QRC1 in February, QRC2 in May, QRC3 in August, and QRC4 in November. Each wave bundles the new features for Stories, Planning, Modeling, connectivity and AI.

What does QRC stand for?

QRC = Quarterly Release Cycle. When people write "QRC3 2026", they mean the third quarterly release of 2026 — the one that lands in mid-August. The number after QRC is simply the quarter: 1, 2, 3 or 4.

What do QRC1, QRC2, QRC3 and QRC4 mean?

• QRC1 — the first release of the year, around mid-February.
• QRC2 — the second, around mid-May.
• QRC3 — the third, around mid-August.
• QRC4 — the fourth and final release of the year, around mid-November.

So "QRC4 2026" is the November 2026 release, and "QRC1 2027" is the February 2027 one. The exact dates shift slightly each year and can differ by data centre — the release tracker lists the current confirmed windows.

How does the cadence work?

Every quarter, SAP publishes the planned scope ahead of general availability in its Roadmap Explorer and the in-product What's New Viewer. Features roll out to tenants over a short window (a day or two), and availability of some capabilities — the AI ones in particular — can depend on your edition and licensing.

QRC vs FastTrack — what's the difference?

The QRC track is the standard quarterly cadence most customers are on: four predictable releases a year. FastTrack is an opt-in track that receives updates monthly instead of quarterly — useful for teams that want features sooner and can absorb more frequent change. Same platform, different release speed.

Why it matters for your models

Each QRC can change how Stories render, add chart types, or adjust planning and Data Action behaviour. The habit that keeps upgrades painless is the same every quarter: preview on a private test edition tenant, validate your critical stories and Data Actions, and keep your models clean. We publish a short, practitioner recap after each release so you know what changed and what's worth testing.

Where to go next

See the SAP Analytics Cloud release tracker for every QRC and its dates, the latest QRC3 2026 recap for what just shipped, and the full-year 2026 release calendar. Building something new? Start from one of the 64 free SAC templates.

Note: Release timing follows SAP's published quarterly cycle and can change. The authoritative sources are the SAP Roadmap Explorer and your in-product What's New Viewer. Independent project, not affiliated with SAP SE.