SAS^® Cost and Profitability Management

SAS^® Cost and Profitability Management Features

Flexible & scalable modeling

High-performance, in-memory processing allows you to run and modify models an order of magnitude faster than with standard, write-to-disk technology. Complex models that used to take hours or overnight to update can now be run in a fraction of the time.
Rapidly create what-if scenarios that can vary costs, drivers, volumes and even workflows.
Client-server, web-enabled, multiuser architecture, scalable to meet complex modeling needs:
- Support for multiple concurrent modeling sessions.
- Centrally managed server with role-based security.
Model database independence. You can use Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle.
User-defined dimensions with various periods and scenario combinations.
Intuitive modeling user interface:
- Workspace to manage models, reports and OLAP views.
- Visual point-and-click assignment creation and views.
- Drag-and-drop control of dimension member hierarchies.
- Wizards with step-by-step guidance on building models.
Modeling method independence, including top-down, quantity-based assignment or bottom-up, consumption-rate modeling.

Dimensional profitability analysis. Calculate and report profitability contributions to business segments, such as product, customer and organization.
Rules-based driver:
- User-defined rules automate the creation of the most common assignments, saving considerable time versus manual creation of each assignment.
- Modeler still has full control over rule use, ETL processes and assignment creation.
Capacity costing, modeling and activity-based budgeting:
- Model available capacity versus used or idle capacity.
- Conduct what-if analysis for resource planning.
Account search to help you find dimension members within a deep hierarchy or search accounts with no cost/assignment or attributes.
Intramodular and reciprocal cost assignments:
- Assign costs in the same module.
- Allow flexible cost pooling and flowing.
- Simultaneous, two-way cost assignment between accounts.
- Trace detailed cost flows.
Advanced drivers and attributes:
- Basic, evenly assigned, percentage, weighted, sequencing, bill-of-cost, sales volume and calculated drivers.
- Text, numeric, calculated and dimensional attributes for reporting and analysis.
External and internal bills of cost that can be linked directly to an account.

Integration with SAS Visual Analytics lets you jump immediately from model output to a powerful visual toolkit of analysis and exploration.
Complete SAS Business Intelligence capabilities:
- Web-based reporting, query, analysis and deployment.
- Self-service reporting and analysis.
Seamless data sharing with SAS Strategy Management allows you to use scorecard metrics as drivers and measures, and to identify activity-based management measures and publish them as metric tables.
Dynamic creation of OLAP cubes for multidimensional data analysis.
Standard reporting templates, including idle capacity, unit cost, P&L, profit cliff, module hierarchy, multilevel contribution, resource contribution, unassigned cost.
Integration with SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office, which allows you to directly access the SAS Cost and Profitability Management database through Excel for reporting and analysis.

Data warehousing or data mart capability.
Automated, repeatable process for pulling volumes of data into and from activity-based models.
Embedded data quality processes.
The SAS services API allows you to import DBMS staging tables, automate model creation and maintenance, and import/export data to and from another DBMS.
Ability to read from/write to nearly any data on any technology platform in batch and real time.