Disaggregation in SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) refers to how values entered at a higher level in your data model—such as totals or parent members—are automatically broken down and applied to lower-level (leaf) members. It enables top-down planning by letting you enter a single value and have SAC spread it to the relevant details underneath.
Why Disaggregation Matters
In real-world planning, you often need to enter or adjust totals—for a region, product category, or business unit—and let the system allocate that value to more granular items like individual products or locations. Disaggregation makes this process seamless, avoiding the need for manual breakdowns.
Example
- You enter 10,000 as the forecast for North America. SAC determines how to split that amount across Canada, USA, and Mexico—based on historical data, existing values, or a chosen distribution rule.
How Sap Analytics Cloud Performs Disaggregation
When you enter a value on a parent member, SAC distributes it down to leaf members using one of the following approaches:
- Equally, if no prior data exists
- Proportionally, based on existing values
- Custom input or weights, if using the Planning Panel
Disaggregation also respects:
- Data locking: Values won’t be overwritten in locked cells
- Validation rules: Invalid combinations will be skipped
Disaggregation Settings & Data Security
You can fine-tune how disaggregation behaves using model settings:
- Based on Data Locking: Ensures values only flow to unlocked members
- Based on Validation Rules: Prevents distribution to invalid dimension combinations
These settings can be configured in the Model Preferences dialog. You’ll also see how they interact with data security settings in tables—impacting whether cells are editable, read-only, or ignored during data entry.
When Disaggregation Doesn’t Apply
Disaggregation won’t apply if:
- All potential target members are locked or invalid
- You’re entering values in dimensions that don’t support disaggregation (like calculated members
- Advanced filters (especially on the version dimension) are in place
In these cases, you’ll either get a warning or see no distribution at all.
