Plan with Currency Conversion

For models with different currencies in SAP Analytics Cloud, you have the flexibility to plan on any available currency. However, most planning operations don’t apply currency conversion when copying data across currencies or disaggregating it to multiple currencies, so messages will let you know when this happens.

Planning with Currency Conversion in a Different Model Types

Models with Measures

Models with measures offer a couple of advantages for planning with currency conversion:

You don’t have to pick a single planning currency when you start planning on a version. You can enter data on base measures or currency conversion measures and immediately see the updated values for the other dependent measures.
You can copy data across different currencies using a currency conversion step in a data action. See Convert Currencies in a Data Action for details.
Models no longer limit the number of conversions that you can analyze and plan on in a story or analytic application.

Classic Account Models

With the classic account model, you choose whether to plan on the base currency values or a currency conversion when you start planning on a version. When you create a private version, you select how you want to plan in the dialog. When you start editing a public version, the currency is set by the first cell you edit and the cross calculation of that cell.

If you plan on the base currency values, you won't be able to enter values outside the cross calculations showing the base currencies.

If you plan on a currency conversion, all values stored in the version must also be converted to that currency, even values that are not currently visible, and corresponding rates must be maintained. Other cross calculations won't show values until you publish the version.

See Create, Publish, and Manage Versions of Planning Data for more information about copying and publishing versions.

Planning Across Currencies

Except with a conversion step in a data action, source values aren't converted when copying or disaggregating data across different currencies. For example:

If you copy a value of 500 USD to a cell that displays a value in Euros, the resulting value is 500 Euros.
If you enter 1 million to an unbooked account for North America while planning in local currencies, it could result in values of 500,000 CAD for Canada and 500,000 USD for the United States. The numerical value is divided evenly, but not the monetary value.

Data entry on North America

Automatic spreading to Canadian and US dollars

In cases such as this one, a message appears to let you know that data has been entered in multiple different currencies. To avoid this, you can plan on a single fixed currency instead, and the values will be properly disaggregated and then converted to the local currencies.

In a model with measures, you can also use conversion steps to copy and convert data in multiple currencies to a base measure with a fixed currency, which can then be used for planning.

Note

When a parent member has a booked value and child members that display multiple currencies, the parent member does not support planning operations. Data cannot be disaggregated to multiple currencies with booked values.

Messages are also displayed when you create an allocation process or a data action that copies data between different currencies. For example:

Setting the currency dimension as a target in an allocation step.
Using the currency dimension in a copy rule or as the Aggregate To dimension.
Copying data across measures with different currencies, without using a conversion step.

Example: Applying a Rate Version to a Forecast

Your organization uses a currency-enabled planning model to perform planning tasks, including forecasting.

Each quarter, you and your colleagues are responsible for creating a new forecast for the year by copying the forecast from the previous quarter, updating the figures based on changing assumptions, and publishing the forecast as a new public version. Currently, you have a forecast for the year created in Q1 with the following data, displayed in a fixed USD currency conversion:

	A	B	C	D
1			CATEGORY	Forecast
2			VERSION	ForecastQ1
3	ACCOUNT	ORGANIZATION
4	Expenses	World		$3 820 000
5		EU		$3 300 000
6		North America		$520 000

So far, no changes are required for the ForecastQ2 values. However, predictions about the value of the US dollar have shifted, so you need to adjust the conversion rates applied to ForecastQ2. Because you want to be able to compare the scenarios presented in each forecast, including different exchange rate assumptions, you don’t want to simply change the rates that apply to all forecasts for the year.

To do this, you can create a new rate version to apply to ForecastQ2. The ForecastQ1 version uses the default rates for the Forecast category. You can copy these rates to a new rate version for ForecastQ2 and then update the rates for Q3 and Q4.

You select Browse Currencies and choose the currency table for the model.

You select

next to the Category column header in the currency table, and select Forecast from the Filter section to show only the Forecast rates. Note that there is no Rate Version, because these are generic rates for the Forecast category.

	A	B	C	D	E	F
	Source Currency	Valid From	Target Currency	Category	Rate Version	Rate
1	USD	2017.01.01	EUR	Forecast		0.95
2	EUR	2017.01.01	USD	Forecast		1.05
3	USD	2017.03.01	EUR	Forecast		0.95
4	EUR	2017.03.01	USD	Forecast		1.05
5	USD	2017.06.01	EUR	Forecast		1
6	EUR	2017.06.01	USD	Forecast		1
7	USD	2017.09.01	EUR	Forecast		0.9
8	EUR	2017.09.01	USD	Forecast		1.11

To quickly create a new rate version, you copy and paste all of these cells below the existing data. To specify a rate version, set the Category to Specific for the first of the new cells and then select the bottom right corner of the cell and drag it to the other rate version cells to copy the value. Next, add a name in the Rate Version column, such as Q2Rate. You can then update the exchange rates for the new rate version by typing values in the Rate column, and then save the Currency table.

	A	B	C	D	E	F
	Source Currency	Valid From	Target Currency	Category	Rate Version	Rate
1	USD	2017.01.01	EUR	Forecast		0.95
2	EUR	2017.01.01	USD	Forecast		1.05
3	USD	2017.03.01	EUR	Forecast		0.95
4	EUR	2017.03.01	USD	Forecast		1.05
5	USD	2017.06.01	EUR	Forecast		1
6	EUR	2017.06.01	USD	Forecast		1
7	USD	2017.09.01	EUR	Forecast		0.9
8	EUR	2017.09.01	USD	Forecast		1.11
9	USD	2017.01.01	EUR	Specific	Q2Rate	0.95
10	EUR	2017.01.01	USD	Specific	Q2Rate	1.05
11	USD	2017.03.01	EUR	Specific	Q2Rate	0.95
12	EUR	2017.03.01	USD	Specific	Q2Rate	1.05
13	USD	2017.06.01	EUR	Specific	Q2Rate	0.9
14	EUR	2017.06.01	USD	Specific	Q2Rate	1.11
15	USD	2017.09.01	EUR	Specific	Q2Rate	0.8
16	EUR	2017.09.01	USD	Specific	Q2Rate	1.25

You can now return to editing the story to create a new forecast version that uses the Q2Rate exchange rates. For a model with measures, you can just copy the version and select the Q2Rate from the Rate Version list.
For a classic account model, the table needs to display local currencies (that is, the unconverted base currency data in your model). To do this, you add the Cross Calculations dimension to the table by selecting Add Measures/Dimensions under the Columns heading of the Builder pane, and choosing Cross Calculations. You then select (Manage Filters) next to the Cross Calculations dimension and choose Local Currency as well as Default Currency (USD), and select OK.
From the Tools menu, you select (Version Management) and choose (Copy) next to ForecastQ1. You name the version ForecastQ2 and choose Q2Rate in the Rate Version list. (For a classic account model, you need to select Local Currency in the Change conversion list first).

You can use the same process to continue adding new forecast versions and adjusting exchange rates as necessary. You can also apply rate versions to versions in different categories, or create currency conversions using the Calculation Editor to apply specific rate versions.