Planning in SAP S/4HANA is changing dramatically from the classic planning transactions that we know from SAP ERP.
SAP S/4HANA introduced table ACDOCP, which is the planning equivalent to Universal Journal table ACDOCA for the actuals. Table ACDOCP is a step toward providing full integration between planning and actuals in SAP S/4HANA. With the SAP Fiori app Import Financial Plan Data (F1711), you can import plan data into table ACDOCP. However, this data isn’t automatically available for all controlling transactions, such as plan allocations, activity planning, and so on, which is why users were still using classic plan transactions from SAP ERP. All controlling planning functionalities are available in SAP Analytics Cloud and replicate into table ACDOCP for further processing in SAP S/4HANA.
The strategic road map for planning in SAP S/4HANA identifies SAP Analytics Cloud as its planning tool. All planning functionality that we know from SAP ERP is retiring. The classic planning transactions, such as Transaction KP06 for cost center planning, are already deactivated in SAP S/4HANA. You can reactivate them (see SAP Note: 2474069 – Reactivate G/L Planning) because, to date, not all functionalities are accounted for in SAP Analytics Cloud, but with every release, more functionalities are being added to SAP Analytics Cloud to provide at least the same functionality as in SAP ERP if not more.
Note that the classic planning functionalities can only be reactivated in SAP S/4HANA—not in SAP S/4HANA Cloud. It’s not recommended to reactivate the classic planning functionalities (used in SAP ERP) if you’re implementing SAP S/4HANA but to implement your planning functionalities in SAP Analytics Cloud instead.
So how does SAP Analytics Cloud fit into the architectural landscape of SAP S/4HANA? In the figure below, you can see that SAP Analytics Cloud sits on top of SAP S/4HANA with live data connection with SAP Analytics Cloud to give you access to transactional data in real time. SAP Analytics Cloud also allows you to import data from other SAP sources (e.g., SAP Ariba and SAP SuccessFactors), as well as non-SAP sources. As you remember, the actual data of the margin analysis is saved in the Universal Journal (table ACDOCA), and the planning data is saved in the planning Universal Journal (table ACDOCP) together with all other financial data. There are no separate planning tables for margin analysis, which is why you don’t see any additional planning tables.
The update of plans and forecast occurs in near real time and offers a full integration of various planning models. A lot of planning input templates are delivered with SAP Analytics Cloud that help you enter your planning data at different levels of detail. SAP Analytics Cloud comes with different predictive algorithms and planning capabilities that allow you to analyze your data and adjust your planning with predictive insight on the fly. So what planning functionalities are actually available in SAP Analytics Cloud?
In the figure below, you can see a business process overview of financial planning. SAP Integrated Business Planning (SAP IBP) will continue to be the central planning tool for supply chain planning. SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP IBP are integrated and allow both the receiving and sending of data for revenue and production cost planning.
Note: To learn more about how to integrate SAP Analytics Cloud with SAP IBP, check out SAP Note: 2721602 – Connection to IBP with SAP Analytics Cloud.
As mentioned earlier, all planning functionalities in controlling have been added to SAP Analytics Cloud, so there’s no more reason to continue planning with the classic planning functionalities that we know from SAP ERP. Although not related to planning, creating budgets for cost centers and activating an availability control on cost centers are also relatively new functionalities with SAP S/4HANA.
Before we let you go, here’s a summary of the benefits of planning in SAP Analytics Cloud:
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Editor’s note: This post has been adapted from a section of the book Margin Analysis with SAP S/4HANA by Kathrin Schmalzing.
This post was originally published 12/2025.