Purchase - Key Business Questions
The questions below are grouped by the persona who typically asks them. Each question is answered either through a ready-made standard report or through an ad-hoc, self-service analysis you build yourself on the semantic model by combining the listed measures with the listed dimensions.
Head of Purchasing
Steer total spend, savings and vendor strategy; monitor trends vs. plan and last year.
How is our total purchase spend developing versus the previous year?
Answer with the report: Summary
- Measures: Purch Amount, Purch Amount PY, Purch Amount YoY %
Which vendors do we spend the most with, and how concentrated is our spend?
Answer with the report: By Vendor
- Measures: Purch Amount, # Unique Vendors, Purch Amount YoY %
How are purchase prices and quantities developing versus last year?
Answer with the report: Summary
- Measures: Purch Unit Price, Purch Unit Price YoY %, Purch Quantity, Purch Quantity YoY %
How much discount are we realizing on our purchases?
Answer ad-hoc (self-service): build this on the semantic model yourself.
- Measures: Purch Discount, Purch Discount %
- Break down by: Vendor, Calendar
Procurement Manager
Manage vendor and item mix, price development and discount performance.
Which items and item categories drive most of our purchase spend?
Answer with the report: By Item
- Measures: Purch Amount, Purch Quantity, Purch Unit Price
How do purchase prices develop per vendor and vendor country?
Answer with the report: By Vendor
- Measures: Purch Unit Price, Purch Unit Price YoY %, Purch Quantity
Where are we losing or gaining discount on our purchases?
Answer with the report: By Item
- Measures: Purch Discount, Purch Discount %, Purch Amount
How does spend split across purchase orders, receipts and invoices?
Answer ad-hoc (self-service): build this on the semantic model yourself.
- Measures: Order Amount, Receipt Amount, Invoice Amount
- Break down by: PurchDocumentType, Calendar
Buyer / Purchaser
Own vendor relationships and order execution for an assigned portfolio.
How do buyers and teams perform on spend and average order size?
Answer with the report: By Employee
- Measures: Purch Amount, Avg Order Amount, Purch Discount %
Which items am I buying, in what quantity and at what price?
Answer with the report: By Item
- Measures: Purch Quantity, Purch Unit Price, Purch Amount
How large is the current open order value still to be received?
Answer ad-hoc (self-service): build this on the semantic model yourself.
- Measures: Order Amount Open, Order Amount, Order Quantity
- Break down by: Vendor, Item, Calendar
Controller
Spend quality, discount capture, price effects and budget variance.
How does actual purchase spend compare against plan / budget?
Answer ad-hoc (self-service): build this on the semantic model yourself.
- Measures: Purch Amount, Purch Amount Plan, Purch Amount YoY %
- Break down by: Calendar, Client
Which vendors or items have rising prices that pressure our costs?
Answer with the report: By Vendor
- Measures: Purch Unit Price, Purch Unit Price YoY %, Purch Amount
How much discount do individual buyers negotiate relative to their spend?
Answer with the report: By Employee
- Measures: Purch Discount, Purch Discount %, Purch Amount
How is our vendor base evolving over time?
Answer ad-hoc (self-service): build this on the semantic model yourself.
- Measures: # Unique Vendors, # Unique Vendors YoY %
- Break down by: Vendor, Calendar, Client