Planning Professional vs Planning standard Capabilities

[Verdia_Mayank]

Dear Members,

I am writing to inquire about the functionalities of the Planning Professional license compared to the Planning Standard license in SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC).

We'd like to clarify the additional functionalities offered by the Planning Professional license beyond the ability to create planning models in SAC. We don't have BPC nor have Legacy VDT in our solutions. We have purchased BI user license type as well so please help us understand apart from create/update/delete of planning model what else planning standard can't do? 

Below link on User administration, it makes me believe that BI predictive user License can do the same user management what a planning professional can do. 
https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_ANALYTICS_CLOUD/00f68c2e08b941f081002fd3691d86a7/b51b338827764edc847a6...

In this below link, SAP states that only create/update/delete of planning model needs planning professional license type .
https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_ANALYTICS_CLOUD/00f68c2e08b941f081002fd3691d86a7/20d92cebb9f94699949f9...

At our company, since we don't have BPC or Legacy VDT in our SAC solutions so if we don't wish to change our existing planning model (We have only 1 planning model) or don't want to create a new planning model, can a customer manage their solution with only planning standard and BI license and don't renew the subscription for plan. professional during next renewal cycle?

I hope i have explained the issue, looking forward for your advice. 

@Ivan-Mirisola @David_Braun @Edrilan_Berisha your expert guidance is much appreciated. 

Thanks,
Mayank

[Edrilan_Berisha]

@Verdia_Mayank please stop tagging people directly on your questions. Thanks!

[SeerOfSig]

So if I understand correctly you are asking what would happen if you don't renew your planning professional license and continue to plan on your existing planning model(s) with planning standard licenses?

I've not heard of any customer who has done this in the past. I assume that if, as you stated, no changes are needed to the existing models you can continue to plan on existing models without a planning professional license. However, you need to have a clear understanding of what this means. My understanding is that any change to existing planning models will no longer be possible. This includes changing the date settings (adding additional years to the model for planning), turning on or off data locking, changing audit settings, adding or removing dimensions from the model, etc.

I don't have an exhaustive list of what changes are not possible, but it is likely that you will at some point come across a need to make a change and will no longer be able to do so.

I suppose if you have multiple tenants (a test tenant and productive tenant for instance) you could have a planning license in your test tenant only and make and validate all changes there before transporting to production. Having no planning professional licenses on any tenant while still engaging in an active planning process seems like it carries risks that are difficult to fully define.

Regards,

Peter

[Verdia_Mayank]

Thanks @SeerOfSig for your inputs. Yes, we do have a Test Tenant which comes with 20 licenses with all access ( planner/planning prof/BI / Digital boardroom) but within our org we have 3 prod tenants used by individual groups/businesses and we are working towards consolidating them in single prod tenant to save cost and bring ops efficiency. Hence, wanted to understand if we don't keep plan. prof license ( which is the most expensive type of license) then what we will be loosing? i think your msg around (Changes like Date settings, (adding additional years to the model for planning), turning on or off data locking, changing audit settings, adding or removing dimensions from the model) .if you have a Date dimension with values until 2030 , can date setting be managed then? also, anything in SAC calendar which only plan. prof can do? Appreciate your inputs.