Planning with SAP has proven its value over many years—particularly the combination of SAP and Microsoft Excel. The traditional integration of Excel with SAP GUI provides a stable and flexible foundation for a wide range of planning requirements and remains firmly established in many organizations.
At the same time, planning processes have evolved significantly in recent years. User experience, performance, web accessibility, and modern user interfaces have become increasingly important. As a result, alternative approaches are gaining momentum.
Solutions such as the Allevo Business Client (ABC) and the Fiori Connector eliminate the dependency on the traditional SAP GUI while preserving the strengths of established SAP-based planning. This allows organizations to combine modern technologies with proven planning principles.
The standard solution: SAP GUI and Excel
Integrating Excel directly with SAP GUI offers several key advantages over standalone planning solutions. Minimal coordination with the Windows infrastructure is required, deployment is handled directly within SAP, and all relevant information remains available in the system. This supports a consistent and reliable single source of truth across the entire planning process.
In practice, however, organizations with heterogeneous IT environments may occasionally encounter compatibility challenges. Differences between Microsoft Excel versions or update levels, as well as the interaction between specific Excel and SAP GUI releases, can affect system behavior. As a general rule, newer versions of both Microsoft Excel and SAP GUI provide the best user experience and compatibility.
From a usability perspective, SAP GUI also lacks some convenience features users expect from modern applications, such as automatic totals displayed in the status bar or common keyboard shortcuts.
Nevertheless, the combination of SAP GUI and Excel remains a proven, high-performance solution. Especially in standardized system landscapes, it delivers outstanding reliability and planning stability. As the number of users grows or multiple Excel versions need to be supported, complementary approaches can further improve usability and operational flexibility.
Alternative 1: Offline planning with the Allevo Workbook
Concept: Data is exported from SAP to Microsoft Excel, edited locally, and then imported back into SAP.
✅ Advantages
Ideal for specific scenarios, such as providing access to external users
Quick to deploy and highly flexible
⚠️ Disadvantages
No real-time status—data remains offline until it is imported back into SAP
Additional effort required to export and import planning data
Increased risk of data inconsistencies between SAP and Microsoft Excel
Alternative 2: Allevo Business Client (ABC) Add-in
Concept: The Allevo Business Client (ABC) is integrated directly into Microsoft Excel as an add-in, eliminating the need for SAP GUI.
✅ Advantages
More stable and faster than SAP GUI
All data is temporarily loaded into the Excel master workbook and transferred to SAP using the Post function
Supports parallel use of multiple Microsoft Excel instances
Portable version available for quick deployment without a major IT rollout
Batch mode enables automatic processing of multiple planning objects in a single run (e.g., for large-scale planning cycles)
Optional Launcher App provides a centralized entry point and enables centralized management of Excel templates stored in SAP BDS (Business Document Service)
⚠️ Disadvantages
Coordination with Windows administrators required for installation
Document access only available via the SAP Web GUI
User guidance required, as the interface is Excel-like but functionally different (e.g., “Post” button instead of “Save”)
Alternative 3: Fiori Connector for the Allevo Business Client
Concept: The add-on for the Allevo Business Client (ABC) enables users to launch the application either via a Fiori tile or directly through a URL.
✅ Advantages
Direct access to the Allevo Business Client (ABC) without opening an Excel file first
URL-based control of the ABC launch process
URLs can pass parameters such as master files, object selections, layouts, and settings, enabling flexible URL-driven navigation and configuration.
Parallel processing of multiple masters
Multiple Allevo master files can be opened and processed simultaneously.
Supports Single Sign-On (SSO)
Flexible launch options:
Launch via SAP Fiori tiles
Launch from any application capable of displaying a URL
Launch via the familiar entry screen through the SAP Web GUI
⚠️ Disadvantages
Technical dependency on Windows administrators for Single Sign-On and installations
Without Single Sign-On: frequent password entry required
The Advantages of the Fiori Connector with Allevo
Automatically
A click on the Fiori tile or a URL automatically opens the required master files in Excel via the Allevo Business Client, eliminating the need to manually start Excel and the ABC.
Parameters
With the Connector, parameters such as layout, object, group, server, or master path can be passed, ensuring that the appropriate master is opened directly with the correct object selection.
Performance
Compared to Fiori alone, the ABC can launch multiple instances in parallel and process many objects automatically in batch mode, enabling particularly high performance.
Access
The master can be opened in read-only mode, allowing multiple users to work simultaneously without conflicts. Authorizations are managed through Allevo and SAP.
Integration
Through integration into existing processes, links from PowerPoint or portals can launch the Allevo Business Client (ABC) directly without opening Excel first — ideal for planning processes involving macros and complex formulas.
Alternatives to SAP GUI – Conclusion
The traditional combination of SAP GUI and Excel represents a proven and widely used solution, offering key advantages through direct integration and centralized data management. However, in certain scenarios, it can reach its limits, particularly in heterogeneous system landscapes or when higher requirements for stability and performance arise. Offline planning provides a valuable option for specific use cases, but is naturally limited in terms of data freshness and consistency.
In this context, the Allevo Business Client (ABC) represents a modern evolution, providing enhanced stability, performance, and flexibility — particularly through parallel usage and automated processes. Combined with the Fiori Connector, it creates an integrated environment that simplifies access, accelerates processes, and enables centralized control. This approach effectively complements existing SAP GUI-based planning while creating new opportunities for more efficient and scalable planning processes.
Would you like to learn more about the Allevo Business Client (ABC) or the Fiori Connector? Take a look at our one-pager for more information.
