Bring your planning to life with the value driver tree in SAP Analytics Cloud 

Sound familiar? You’re spending hours updating static plans when what you really need is a clear overview. In many organizations, planning still relies on static tables, while reporting has long adopted visual flexibility. You need a living, dynamic plan. The value driver tree in SAP Analytics Cloud makes this possible. In this blog, we’ll show you how this model helps you bring insights directly and visually into your planning.

What’s missing in standard planning tables

Standard planning tables are effective for organizing data, but they lack a clear visual overview of key drivers and connections. This is where the value driver tree steps in. The VDT provides a visual chain of drivers that shows the structure and impact of your core values at a glance. You can easily see how critical drivers influence one another and understand their impact on the end result. This makes your planning not only visually clearer, but also helps you make decisions more quickly.

how a value driver tree works in practice
Let’s take an example: Imagine you want to plan total personnel costs for the coming year, divided between internal and external staff. For both categories, you use the same value drivers, like base salary per FTE, expected salary increase, and the number of FTEs.

In a VDT, these variables are connected directly. This makes it easy to visualize the cost structure and calculate scenarios. By clicking on a VDT node, you can see the structure and connections between cost components immediately. If you adjust the base salary, you see right away what it means for the total cost. In a static table, this is more difficult and less clear, while the VDT shows the impact of changes at a glance.

Advantages of the VDT

• Visual representation of critical drivers

• Quick insight into total cost structure

• Direct data entry and real-time updates

• Scenario simulations for strategic planning

The images below show the VDT and a standard table. It’s clear that the value driver tree makes it easier to understand the cost structure visually and intuitively, thanks to the clear connections between nodes. Additionally, changes can be entered directly, giving you real-time insight into the entire value chain—ideal for simulating various scenarios.

How to build a value driver tree for your planning process

You build a VDT based on a planning model in SAP Analytics Cloud. You can add various value drivers as “measures,” with intermediate calculations stored as “calculated measures.” Add dimensions such as “Date” or “Version” to simulate different scenarios, and use filters to create specific VDTs per dimension. With one click, you can generate a value driver tree that automatically follows your model structure.

Step-by-step to create a custom VDT:

• Select your planning model: Add value drivers and intermediate calculations.

• Create a VDT in a Story: Choose “Auto-create VDT from Model” and select the top-level measure.

• Customize your VDT: Add extra nodes and calculations to tailor the VDT to your specific planning needs.

• Use filtering and styling: Create visual variants and versions to simulate scenarios and facilitate analyses.

Discover how a value driver tree can elevate your planning activities

Do you have questions about implementing the VDT? Don’t hesitate to contact Mathijs van Kooten (+31 6 3130044) or Katrin van Boxtel (+31 6 30011702) for more information.