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The Future of Procurement: Unlocking Value Through Business Accelerators with Klaus Fischer

2025-10-22T16:00:00.063000+02:00

The Future of Procurement: Unlocking Value Through Business Accelerators with Klaus Fischer

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, procurement is no longer just a back-office function—it’s a strategic driver of growth, resilience, and innovation. This was the central theme of a recent episode of SAP’s “The Future of Procurement Podcast,” featuring Klaus Fischer, a veteran SAP leader and board advisor, whose career has spanned engineering, consulting, and transformative acquisitions. Fischer’s insights offer a roadmap for organizations seeking to unlock value by bridging finance and procurement, embracing technology, and fostering collaboration.

🏛️ From Engineering to Boardroom: The Journey of Transformation

Klaus Fischer’s story is emblematic of the evolution within procurement. Starting at SAP’s headquarters in Germany, Fischer’s career journey led him from engineering to strategic advisory roles, culminating in his pivotal involvement in SAP’s acquisition of Ariba—a move that redefined spend management and procurement for the enterprise. By integrating Ariba’s cloud-based capabilities with SAP’s robust ERP solutions, Fischer helped create a seamless, end-to-end platform that empowers organizations to optimize spend, drive compliance, and build resilient supply chains.

🔗 Breaking Down Silos: The Power of Finance and Procurement Alignment

A recurring theme in the discussion was the critical need for CFOs and CPOs to break down organizational silos. In a climate marked by low growth, high costs, and regulatory complexity, Fischer emphasized that external pressures—geopolitical shifts, tariffs, inflation, and supply chain disruptions—demand agile, integrated responses. Internal challenges, such as data silos and manual processes, further hinder agility. The solution? Unified platforms and processes that connect finance and procurement, enabling real-time decision-making and accelerating value realization.

🚀 Business Accelerators: Unlocking Value Quickly

Fischer introduced the concept of “business accelerators”—strategic initiatives that rapidly unlock value across finance and procurement. Mastering working capital, for example, is more critical than ever. By connecting invoice-to-pay and invoice-to-cash processes, organizations can optimize cash flow, reduce risk, and improve key performance indicators like day sales outstanding (DSO) and day payable outstanding (DPO). Change management and governance are essential to overcoming resistance and ensuring successful adoption of new technologies and processes.

🤖 AI and Unified Data: The Next Frontier

Looking ahead, Fischer identified AI-powered automation and unified data as game-changers for procurement and finance. SAP’s embedded AI capabilities—spanning category management, guided sourcing, spend visibility, and financial close—enable organizations to achieve dramatic improvements in speed, accuracy, and strategic outcomes. The trustworthiness and precision of enterprise AI are paramount, especially when managing complex, high-value transactions.

📈 Real-World Outcomes and Forward-Looking Insights

When finance and procurement teams collaborate, companies realize tangible benefits: optimized savings, reduced risk, improved compliance, and more effective supplier onboarding. End-to-end workflows and internal controls ensure consistency and resilience, even amid global disruptions. Fischer’s forward-looking advice for leaders? Embrace agentic AI, automation, and integrated business processes to stay ahead in 2026 and beyond.

💡 Conclusion: Procurement Never Sleeps—Neither Should Your Ideas

As organizations navigate uncertainty and transformation, the alignment of finance and procurement, powered by technology and strategic leadership, will be the key to unlocking sustainable growth. The future of procurement is collaborative, data-driven, and relentlessly innovative. What accelerators will your organization pursue next?

Share your thoughts, feedback, and ideas as we continue exploring the future of procurement together.

Please like, share, and subscribe!
Send feedback and questions to: TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

LISTEN to the Podcast HERE:

SAP: https://podcast.opensap.info/future-of-procurement/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5twXP1NehSqgCAznTnzQ5H

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-future-of-procurement/id1764078646

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Follow Klaus – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/klaus-fischer-a970a26/

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2511 Early Release Series for SAP Ariba and SAP Business Network releases

2025-10-22T18:29:59.816000+02:00

Sign up now for the 2511 Early Release Series

Follow this blog to receive notification of new series as soon as registration opens.

SAP strives to equip our customers and partners with valuable release readiness resources for each SAP Ariba and SAP Business Network quarterly release.

Early Release Series

The Early Release Series webcasts cover features planned for the upcoming SAP Ariba and SAP Business Network quarterly release. This platform, available to customers and partners, has a clear mission: deliver an interactive forum to engage with SAP product experts providing simple, direct answers to your most pressing questions. There is a different session for each product area with content tailored for the specific audience:

Supplier Management & Risk
Procure to Pay
Source to Contract
Business Network

If you want to learn more and actively engage with SAP subject matter experts, we encourage you to participate in these informative sessions. Register now!

Quarterly Release Communications

Notice of upcoming quarterly releases will be communicated to Buyer customers three weeks prior to the release date. Suppliers receive notice two weeks prior. Releases are communicated via email notification (look for subject line starting with: Advance Release Notice).

Anyone from your organization that has chosen to subscribe to product notifications will receive these announcements.

The release calendar for SAP Business Network and release calendar SAP Ariba Applications identify release timing several quarters in advance.

Where to find out more details?

On demand replays of webcasts from completed quarterly releases can be consumed from Release Readiness Resources: Webcast Archive Page

SAP Ariba Procure to Order 2511 Release Key Innovations

2025-10-24T15:39:33.778000+02:00

Hello SAP Ariba Community, We're thrilled to share great new innovations in our upcoming release, 2511 with a strong focus on improved management of service requisitioning and overall UX improvements in Guided Buying. We are also pleased to share expanded capability in SAP Ariba Procurement Mobile app and improved user experience for catalog administrators, we hope you enjoy the highlights.

Support for Hierarchical Service Items in Guided Buying (GUIDEB-300)

Complex service procurements (for example, a laptop repair plus software maintenance and a parts kit) traditionally generate multiple requisitions, follow‑ups and approval cycles.

Service hierarchies let your teams create a single, coherent requisition that models the real delivery structure of work and items. That reduces administrative overhead, shortens cycle time to order, and gives finance and procurement better visibility into bundled spend — all of which translate to faster time-to-value and lower operational cost.

Child items can include catalog and non-catalog services or goods. For example, you can create a non-catalog request for laptop repair service (parent service) and then add software maintenance service (child item) and computer cleaning kit (child item).

Service hierarchies help to define how services are structured and delivered, improving efficiency when ordering services.

You can use service hierarchies in the following scenarios:

When you create a service requisition using a non-catalog request or a line item form, you can add child items using the Add Child Item button.
On the checkout page, you can add child items to the request before you submit it.
If you submit a service requistion, you can withdraw it after it's submitted or partially approved, add child items, and then resubmit it.

When you create a non-catalog request for a service, the Add Child Item button, Expected Amount, and Max Amount display on the form, as shown in the following figure:

The following figure displays a hierarchical service request:

This feature can be enabled through the following parameter:

PARAM_ENABLE_NON_CATALOG_SERVICE_HIERARCHY which enables service hierarchies for non-catalog requests and line item forms.

Hide Interim Supplier RFQ Bids (GUIDEB-1262)

You can now configure Guided Buying to hide interim supplier RFQ bids from users and display only awarded bids.

By default, guided buying displays all bids to users. However, taking onboard your feedback, some customers may prefer to hide interim bids and display only the winning bid after it has been awarded.

This capability is available only in high-touch RFQ scenarios, where professional buyers evaluate and award bids in SAP Ariba Sourcing.

If you enable this feature there will be some subtle changes to the UI in the following screens:

Receive quotes
Awarding
Confirm award
Bid overview section
Compare bids (both graph and table view)

You can enable this capability by setting a new guided buying parameter PARAM_ENABLE_HIDE_BIDS_IN_HIGH_TOUCH to true.

For more information about configuring API communication, see Guided Buying Parameters for RFQs

Display Requisition Amount in Approver's or Watcher's Currency (PROC-1029)

Given the global nature of business these days it's quite likely approvers may be overseas, to simplify this experience for an approver we have introduced the ability to display requisition amount upon approval in the approver (or watchers) preferred/default currency.

New fields such as Total in Your Currency at the header level and Amount in Your Currency at the line level are displayed for a requisition when the requisition is sent for approval:

Your administrator can enable the through the following parameter: PARAM_ENABLE_APPROVERS_AMOUNT_IN_LOCAL_CURRENCY

Support for Budget Check in External ERP System for SAP Ariba Procurement Mobile App Requisitions (BMAA-479)

Its always important to know if your cost centre has sufficient budget to allow your requisition and corresponding PO to be created. We have now expanded requisition budget check capability to the SAP Ariba Procurement Mobile app too.

In the SAP Ariba Procurement mobile app, real-time budget check is performed in the external ERP system (normally the source to check the budget against the requisition) when users submit or withdraw requisitions, and also when requisitions are approved or denied.

To enable this capability your administrator can enable the parameter: Application.Mobile.EnableRTBCInExternalERPSystem

Enhancements to Catalog Replication Page (CMS-1418)

With this feature, the Catalog Replication page contains a new tab called Content that allows catalog administrators to search for catalogs quickly. The new design optimizes browsing and viewing large volumes of data.

Previously, the Catalog Replication page loaded all the catalogs in the Overview and Configuration tabs, which made it difficult for users to search for catalogs.

A new tab called Content is now displayed on the Catalog Replication page. As a catalog administrator, you can search for a catalog by its name and type (subscribed or unsubscribed). By default, the number of catalogs displayed on the page is limited to 1000.

We are happy today to have covered an important set of features to benefit end users, approvers and also catalog administrators with the aim to streamline work by presenting the right information front and centre to get the job done quickly and efficiently throughout the buying process.

For further useful information:

Register for the Early Release Series for 2511 release- Multi-registration link and for CIM customers- P2P link (Thanks Natalie!)
Resources:

Feature related materials

SAP Ariba Connect - Release Readiness (Customers except CIM)
Readiness Community page (For CIM customers)

SAP Community for Intelligent Spend Management page
SAP Help Portal pages - Procurement
What’s New

What's New in 2511 - Release Navigator for Spend Management

2025-10-28T14:26:00.593000+01:00

We're thrilled to announce the upcoming innovations for our 2511 Release! Our dedicated team has been working tirelessly to ensure you stay ahead with the latest enhancements. Below you can access the Release Navigator for Spend Management and easily locate all essential resources for a successful release, feature highlights for the upcoming release, and ways to connect to stay up to date!

Over the coming months, we'll be revamping and enriching our related content to mirror the newest advancements. Currently users can still access Business Network via the Release Navigator for Spend Management, you will be redirected to the Release Navigator for Supply Chain Management. As this journey continues, SAP Business Network content will begin to migrate from Spend Management communications to Supply Chain Management communications and portals! Dive into the 2511 release details below.

Here are feature Highlights for the 2511 release for SAP Ariba and SAP Business Network. Make sure to read through the blogs to learn more about these features and ensure you are properly prepared for these updates.

Accelerated Release Cycle for SAP Integration Suite, managed gateway for spend management and SAP Business Network Add-On 1.0 for SAP S/4HANA and SAP ECC (BPI-596)
AI Copilot Joule in SAP Ariba Supplier Risk (SRISK-1848)
AI Copilot Joule in SAP Ariba Contracts (SCONTR-1279)
Use of Spend Data for AI Recommendations in Category Segmentation (ARBCATA-504)
New Transactional Use Cases for Approvals and Navigational Use Cases for AI Copilot Joule in SAP Ariba Supplier Lifecycle and Performance (SLP-2288)
Spend Analysis Benchmarks — Company vs Industry Performance (ANALYSIS-1324)

Follow the Spend Management and Business Network and ReadinessS@Scale community tags, and Ryan Russman to stay up to date with the latest blog posts.

The 2511 release will incorporate release content updates only. With the migration of SAP Business Network to Supply Chain Management, the Release Navigator for Spend Management will continue to publish content updates but may delay UX updates to help minimize disruption to customers and partners.

Support.SAP.com – Release Ready page

SAP Activate – Roadmap Viewer

SAP Enterprise Support Value Map - SAP Enterprise Support Value Map for Spend Management and Business Network

Making Your Impact

At SAP, we greatly appreciate your input and suggestions. You are invited to submit feedback and suggest topics to be covered through our Topic Request & Feedback Survey. This survey provides you with an opportunity to provide insights on your experience with the release navigator for Spend Management and Business Network, as well as suggestions on how we can further enhance your release experience. Additionally, we encourage you to share your feedback, thoughts, or questions in the comment section below.

Drive more Business Value out of your SAP Public Cloud Solution Subscriptions.

2025-11-14T20:13:23.896000+01:00

If you are an SAP Public Cloud customer running solutions like SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Ariba, etc., or you are a new SAP Business Suite customer running public cloud packages, I want to make you aware of a great capability included in SAP for Me to help drive more business value out of your SAP subscription.

SAP for Me includes the Customer Insights Dashboard. This tool analyzes the history of your support data, product portfolio, renewals, support contracts, system landscape, cases, and more. Within this dashboard, there is a great section that shows Cloud Functional Usage. In the following blogs below from my SAP colleague Swetlana, you can learn more about how to use this Cloud Functional Usage section in detail. I advise you to review them before you continue so you can follow the example that I will present shortly.

Functional Usage for your Public Cloud Products in Customer Insights reporting in SAP for Me

Functional Usage - Value Drivers and Peer Group Comparison

SAP for Me – Customer Insights Dashboard - Cloud Functional Usage

In this blog, I want to use the Cloud Functional Usage Report included in SAP for Me to give you a couple of recommendations to increase your business value from your SAP Public Cloud Subscription by focusing on the Value Drivers and relevant industry peer groups when you run different SAP Public Cloud Applications—in other words, to bring business value to your entire public cloud landscape.

In the following example below, imagine you are a live SAP customer with a public cloud landscape including subscriptions for: SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Business Data Cloud (“SAP BDC” including Analytic Cloud and SAP Datasphere), and SAP BTP, or you may be a new SAP Business Suite Public Cloud customer as I discussed before.

Example - Live SAP customer with a public cloud landscape

In this example, you have already followed some of the recommendations provided in my last blog for SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, but now want to focus on increasing business value for the entire public cloud landscape.

First, you need to go to SAP for Me and select the Cloud Functional Usage Report. I suggest you quickly review the Usage History to view your solution capabilities, but I recommend adding the view by Product to make it simpler to identify in your landscape.

SAP for Me – Customer Insights Dashboard - Cloud Functional Usage – Usage History

With the product view, now you can look at the solution capabilities in your different SAP Product Subscriptions.

Cloud Functional Usage – Usage History view by Product

Per Swetlana’s previous blog explanations, you know that this view shows your current usage by solution capability for each specific subscribed product.

Now that you are looking at your usage, you can see the business impact, so you can now select the “Business Value” tab to focus on the value drivers and relevant industry peer groups. Here, I also recommend that you view the graphic by product.

SAP for Me – Customer Insights Dashboard - Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value

By doing so, you can now see the top 10 value drivers based on the most used solution capabilities in your landscape.

Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value – view by Product

You now have a great option to render this graphic by specific value driver(s), by product(s), or by both, which will give you plenty of flexibility to look at business outcomes. Let’s imagine you want to impact the reduction of finance costs in your organization to make your finance team more productive and cost-effective. You can select that value driver and look at your current usage in your company.

Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value – filtered by Value Driver “Reduce finance cost”

You can see here that this value driver is impacted by a couple of products including: SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition (Finance), SAP Analytics Cloud (SAP BDC), and Cash & Treasury Add-on (Finance).

You also see that there are plenty of solution capabilities not used (in gray), which you can evaluate to see if you can start using them to help drive more business value. However, what makes this report really useful is that you can look at your usage intensity or lack of usage by comparing it with your relevant industry peer group. This means you can benchmark your usage with your industry peer group to gain some insights on what other SAP customers are doing.

Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value – selected by non-used solution capabilities in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition

In the above example, I selected the 30 non-used solution capabilities in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, as I really want to impact the reduction of financial cost. When doing this, I see that my industry peer group is highly using 9 out of the 30 capabilities, moderately using 4 out of the 30 capabilities, and low using 17 out of the 30 capabilities.

So this helps you benchmark your usage with your industry peer group. Here it will make sense to see what are those 9 capabilities that I can evaluate to implement to help drive more business value. So, if I select the 9 capabilities in the industry footprint graph, I can now see the details below.

Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value – selected by highly used solution capabilities in relevant industry peer group in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition

If I then select the solution capability “Financial Reporting,” I get an overview of the functionality on how it contributes to the value driver. I also get additional information, such as the Fiori apps that I can start using or activate to benefit from this functionality.

Solution Capability – Financial Reporting

I can then click on all 33 relevant Fiori apps and go to the SAP Fiori Apps Reference Library to see the apps.

SAP Fiori Apps Reference Library filtered by Solution Capability – Financial Reporting

From there, I can get all information from the app, such as product information and implementation, and I can then check directly in my system landscape.

SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition – Looking at Fiori App “Display Cash Flow – Indirect Method”

I can then go back and look at the other components—like the Cash & Treasury Add-on—and compare them with the relevant industry peer group that I potentially should be considering. I see that the Financial Risk Management (which I don’t use) solution capability has a moderate usage among relevant industry peers, so I should evaluate its applicability.

Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value – selected by non-used solution capabilities in Cash & Treasury Add-on

I can click again on the solution capability to look at impacts, view the Fiori Application Library, and review the apps in my system as I did before.

Solution Capability – Financial Risk Management

This time, instead of looking at each app, I will click on the SAP Fiori Apps grouped by end user role “Treasury Risk Manager” to see the overall business role in the SAP Fiori Apps Reference Library.

SAP Fiori Apps Reference Library filtered by Solution Capability – Financial Risk Management – Treasury Risk Manager Role

You could also look at this using a list view or try the new list view that has significantly improved how information is rendered.

SAP Fiori Apps Reference Library New List View filtered by Solution Capability – Financial Risk Management

From here, you can go to your system landscape and then look to include the SAP business role you are not using, “Treasury Risk Manager.”

SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition – Activating “Treasury Risk Manager Role”

Now, let's take a look at SAP SuccessFactors. I go back to the Cloud Functional Usage Report, but this time I will filter by Product.

Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value – filtered by Product “SAP SuccessFactors”

Here you can now see the Top 10 value drivers for SAP SuccessFactors. Of course, you can select specific components to evaluate specific areas of improvement.

If I focus now only on SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, I can see that there are 4 solution capabilities I am not using which have a high impact on many value drivers.

Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value – selected by non-used solution capabilities in SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central

If I am very conservative and only focus on the high usage in the relevant industry peer group, I see that I could impact many value drivers by focusing on “Position Management” solution capability.

Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value – selected by highly used solution capability in relevant industry peer group in SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central

Like in the other example, I can click on the solution capability to review the details.

Solution Capability – Position Management

And then go to SAP SuccessFactors to activate the solution capability.

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central – Activating Position Management

And start using it in your system.

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central – Using Position Management

I could continue the exploration to the SAP BDC components (SAP Analytics Cloud & SAP Datasphere), see below and run another cycle as the ones I presented above.

Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value – filtered by Product “SAP BDC – SAP Analytics Cloud & SAP Datasphere”

I hope this Cloud Functional Usage information included in SAP for Me provides you with some ideas for your new projects, new business rollouts, or new business requirements for your entire public cloud landscape. Keep in mind that solution capabilities are expanding from traditional functional scope to also include SAP Business AI, so SAP will continue to add more in this area. Remember, this is not the only tool that can be used; SAP has other tools such as SAP Signavio, SAP WalkMe, SAP LeanIX, and SAP Cloud ALM that can be used in tandem to help drive more business value from your SAP subscription. I encourage you to discuss these points with your SAP Customer Success Manager, SAP Account Executive, or SAP Partner. They may be able to provide you with additional recommendations and guidance.

If you would also like to learn more about the new Adoption Report in SAP for Me, I recommend reading this blog SAP for Me – Adoption Report – Drive More Business Value Realization.

Your insights and opinions are valuable, so please don't hesitate to contribute by commenting on this blog.

Adoption Isn’t a Phase, It’s a Relationship

2025-11-20T16:16:07.130000+01:00

If you know me, you know I love an analogy. It’s always helpful to make new information make sense by likening it to something we already understand.

In my role here at SAP, I talk about adoption a lot. It’s a point that I (and my wonderful team, Solution Value Advisory) really push with our customers, who sometimes think of adoption as a step in the overall process, something you do after go-live. So, my analogy for today is to look at adoption like a relationship, because it’s never just about the software, but about the people and how they interact with the system and each other.

It’s not much of a stretch, really. At the start, it’s a mix of excitement, a little confusion, and commitment that comes with bringing something new into your life, and hoping it thrives, grows, and has the support of people around you.

The honeymoon stage
In my last role several years back, I worked on Ariba solution implementations. Being on a shared services team, I got to stick my hands into a lot of different customers’ Ariba deployments. It felt great, for the customer and for me, to reach what felt like a finish line: go-live. That point of the new solution(s) going live after months of setup and testing. The vibes were always good - everyone was hopeful, users explored the system, performed tests. Teams got trained. There was that spark of possibility, that sense of this time, things will be different.

But just like any new relationship, the shine fades if the day-to-day connection isn’t nurtured. Old habits creep back in, shortcuts resurface. And, before long, that beautiful new tool starts gathering dust. Remember, adoption doesn’t end at go-live, that’s when it begins.

Relationships thrive on consistency, and so do systems
Healthy adoption looks a lot like a healthy partnership: steady, intentional, and full of small moments that build trust.

It’s when someone logs in and sees that their preferences were remembered. It’s when data syncs across systems, so people stop fighting with spreadsheets and endless back-and-forth email. It’s when users realize the tool makes their jobs easier, not harder. It keeps the relationship alive.

But breakdowns don’t usually happen with a bang, but a fizzle. Users don’t revolt, they quietly disengage. They skip the process “just this once.” Then they stop trusting the data, because the process is getting skipped and they can’t find what they were looking for. And now something that was originally set up to create efficiency is now only causing frustration, and becomes a pain in the…well, you know. 😊

In my work with customers, I see this all the time. I work a lot with customers on their supplier management processes especially, and I see a lot of this disengagement when it comes to onboarding. Tools like SAP Cloud Identity Services and SAP Ariba Supplier Lifecycle & Performance (SLP) can be super powerful, but they depend on trusted data and consistency. If people don’t understand why something matters, they won’t invest in making it work.

The love language of AI is good data
Now we’re entering a new chapter, one where AI tools like SAP Joule are ready to help make our jobs easier. But even Joule, which might seem like magic when you see it presented, needs a foundation of trust. This has been my main message of the year - reminding people that AI doesn’t make magic out of thin air, rather it builds on what we give it. If data is messy, disconnected, or if established processes are underused, Joule’s insights will be, too.

(Pausing here for a shoutout to anyone who was at the Customer Success Day in NYC earlier this year where I did a whole session to essentially say, “Garbage in, garbage out”. The highlight, at least to me, was my AI-generated Ariba song parody of Naughty by Nature’s O.P.P. Who’s down with SLP? Yeah you know me!)

But back to my relationship analogy, think of it this way: if you never talk to your partner, you can’t expect them to finish your sentences. Joule works the same way. The relationship only deepens when we communicate through connected, clean, and well-adopted systems.

Adoption is ongoing care.
As I said before, adoption isn’t a task. We don’t “complete” adoption. We maintain it. We check in with our users, we update them on changes, and we listen when something isn’t working and adjust before resentment sets in. The most successful customers I see are those who treat adoption as a living process. Not just implementing technology, but inviting it into their company culture. When adoption is healthy, everything else (innovation, automation, AI, etc.) starts to flow naturally. But just like any great relationship, it takes attention, empathy, and patience.

I encourage you all to stay in tune with our roadmap, as there’s a lot of exciting stuff to come in 2026 when it comes to AI in SAP. But as you read up on that and start to think how cool it will be and how much time it will save to have all of those new capabilities, remember that now is the time to build the foundation for that new relationship.

If you have any doubts about how well your company is adopting your solutions and how you’re doing on usage in comparison to other customers, do reach out to your CSM who can either help, or can pull in the right people to have that conversation. Sometimes that person is me, so say hi and maybe I'll share my library of Ariba song parodies.

Achieving Best-in-Class Invoice Exception KPIs in SAP Ariba Buying & Invoicing

2025-11-24T21:26:12.387000+01:00

One of the clearest indicators of efficiency in an AP organization is the percentage of invoices that can be processed without an exception. Best-in-class performers consistently achieve 85–90% (or higher) invoice-throughput with zero exceptions. Many SAP Ariba customers operate far below that—often without realizing how much time, cost, and user frustration gets tied up in exception handling.

As part of the SAP Ariba Solution Value Advisory team, we work with customers every day to improve adoption and unlock measurable business value. And one consistent theme we see?
Within SAP Ariba Buying & Invoicing or SAP Ariba Invoice Management, when the “invoices without exceptions” KPI is low, it’s usually a sign that key reporting insights or powerful configuration options aren’t being fully leveraged. Many customers set these tolerances and exception rules at their go-live and never revisit them—even as their supplier base, purchasing patterns, and business priorities evolve. The good news is that by analyzing the right reports and adjusting targeted configuration settings, this KPI can be improved quickly and sustainably.

Let’s walk through why this matters, what you should measure, and how to improve it using SAP Ariba best practices.

Why This KPI Matters

Improving your exception-free invoice rate isn’t just about efficiency—it directly impacts:

1. Faster Invoice Cycle Times

Fewer exceptions mean fewer delays. Suppliers get paid quicker. AP teams get out of firefighting mode.

2. Stronger Supplier Relationships

Consistent processing builds trust, predictability, and reduces the back-and-forth inquiries.

3. Lower Operating Cost

Exception handling is expensive. Every unnecessary rework loop adds labor hours.

4. Better User Experience

Buyers, receivers, and AP processors spend less time resolving issues and more time on strategic work.

5. Clean Data Feeding Analytics & Automation

A cleaner invoice process unlocks more opportunities for automation, validations, and future optimization.

Step 1: Measure What’s Really Happening

Before solving problems, you need a clear look at them.

I always recommend customers start by running the following in SAP Ariba:

Exception Reports by:

Exception type
Supplier
Commodity

This gives a precise view of where your exceptions are coming from. Often, 80% of issues originate from 10–15 suppliers or a handful of commodities.

This becomes your roadmap.

How to create a custom SAP Ariba Analytical Report for Invoice Exception by Supplier

Create an Analytical Report

Name it "Invoice Exceptions by Supplier

1. Choose "Invoice Exceptions" as the Main Fact

2. Choose "Invoice" as the Second Fact

3. Choose the Measure "Invoice with Exception Count"

on the 2nd page of the report creation

4. Choose "ERP Supplier" from the Invoice Exception Fact as a Row Field

5. Choose "Invoice ID" from the Invoice Exception Fact and "Commodity L2" (Choose the level you desire) from the Invoice Fact as Data Fields

Run the report

6. Expand "[Invoice Exceptions] Invoice Exception Type" and select an invoice exception to see how many was raised for each supplier.

How to create a custom SAP Ariba Analytical Report for Invoice Exception by Commodity

Create an Analytical Report

Name it "Invoice Exceptions by Commodity

1. Choose "Invoice Exceptions" as the Main Fact

2. Choose "Invoice" as the Second Fact

3. Choose the Measure "Invoice with Exception Count"

on the 2nd page of the report creation

4. Choose "Commodity L2" (Choose the level you desire) from the Invoice Exception Fact as a Row Field

5. Choose "Invoice ID" from the Invoice Exception Fact and "ERP Supplier" from the Invoice Fact as Data Fields

Run the report

6. Expand "[Invoice Exceptions] Invoice Exception Type" and select an invoice exception to see how many was raised for each Commodity L2.

Interpret the Results and Identify Where to Act

Once you’ve run your exception reports by supplier and commodity, the real value comes from how you use the findings. This is where customers often unlock quick wins.

Start by reviewing:

Which suppliers generate the highest number of exceptions
Which commodities consistently trigger the same exception types
Patterns across PO types or line items

In most organizations, a small group of suppliers or categories is responsible for the majority of exceptions. This makes your next steps much more focused and targeted.

Use the Data to Drive Configuration Improvements

If you see that receiving exceptions are concentrated around certain suppliers or commodities, this is a strong indicator that your receiving process may not fit how those suppliers operate. For example, many high-volume, fast-shipping suppliers (office supplies, MRO, janitorial, IT accessories, etc.) ship and invoice so quickly that end users rarely have time to receive the items manually.

This is exactly where SAP Ariba’s configuration options can help.

Step 2: Strategy & Configuration Options to Improve Your KPI

Below are the most effective levers that customers have used to reduce invoice exceptions and move toward best-in-class performance.

1. Use Auto-Receiving for High-Velocity, Low-Risk Suppliers

If you see a high volume of receiving exceptions for certain suppliers—especially those who ship quickly (office supplies, MRO, janitorial, safety, IT peripherals)—auto-receiving can significantly improve your throughput.

Why this works

Many of these suppliers ship and invoice same-day. That leaves almost no time for end users to receive goods manually. Auto-receipt ensures:

Fewer receiving exceptions
Faster invoice processing
Less burden on casual users

How to configure

Auto-receiving can be based on:

Supplier & Supplier Part Number or by only Supplier
Commodity

2. Review and Adjust Tax Exception Tolerances

Tax exceptions are common, especially in jurisdictions where suppliers calculate tax differently or round amounts differently.

How to improve

Review your current tax variance tolerances
Identify suppliers consistently triggering small variances
Adjust tolerances to realistic levels aligned with procurement policy

This can be strategically relaxed only where justified—not globally.

3. Evaluate Shipping Cost Tolerances

Shipping exceptions often occur when:

The supplier charges small shipping amounts not included on the PO
When outside a stated percentage tolerance of the invoice amount

Options

Set reasonable shipping % tolerances
Use flat-rate dollar tolerances for specific suppliers
Update templates for certain commodities where shipping is always variable

4. Leverage Invoice Exception Overrides (By Supplier or Commodity)

This is one of the most under-used but highly effective tools SAP Ariba customers have.

What They Are

Invoice exception overrides allow you to set:

Different tolerance percentages
Different dollar limits

For specific suppliers, commodity codes, or currency.

Why It Matters

Most exceptions are not systemic—they are concentrated. Overrides let you tune the system where the problem exists, without weakening global controls.

Examples

For a trusted supplier with a predictable pattern, allow a slightly higher price variance.
For a commodity where tax always fluctuates (e.g., services), apply more flexible thresholds.
Ensure to adjust amount tolerances per currency

5. Work With Suppliers When Exceptions Follow a Pattern

Sometimes exceptions are not a configuration issue, but a supplier process issue.

Consider supplier-facing improvements such as:

Reinforcing PO-Flip usage
Ensuring suppliers invoice based on PO quantities only
Updating supplier enablement documentation
Aligning catalog pricing with contracts
Negotiating tax and shipping behavior

Remember—suppliers want faster invoice processing too.

Step 3: Communicate Improvements and Track Progress

Once you’ve implemented changes, measure the impact:

Exception rate by supplier month-over-month
Top 10 exception drivers (before vs. after)
Auto-receive success rates
Percentage reduction in tax/shipping exceptions

Customers who follow this approach typically see:

20–40% reduction in exceptions within 90 days
Major improvements in user satisfaction
A measurable boost in straight-through invoice processing

Final Thoughts

Improving your “invoices without exceptions” KPI is not about relaxing controls—it’s about applying the right controls in the right places. The strategies in this article come directly from working with many SAP Ariba customers, across industries, who have successfully increased adoption and reduced AP workload through targeted process and configuration optimization.

If your KPI is below best-in-class, use this as a starting point. A few focused adjustments can create a major lift in processing speed, supplier satisfaction, and AP efficiency.

Non‑PO Invoices: When to Use Them and When Not

2025-12-01T08:12:48.476000+01:00

Invoices submitted without a reference to a purchase order or a contract are common in many organizations. For their lack of reference, they are referred as non-PO Invoices in the invoice processing systems across the AP scope.

Non‑PO invoices solve real problems but also introduce risks. In this short guide I'm trying to explain how often they are used, when they make sense, what risks they represent, and practical actions to be taken by procurement leaders.

How much they’re used

Typical usage of non-PO invoices by organizations lies in 5–30% interval of invoice volume and 5–25% of AP spend. This can differ per industry segments, but higher ratios exceeding 30% may be indicators of slow PO processes, high services spend, many small vendors, or immature procurement systems. For organizations it points to opportunities for improvements in their efficiency and compliance targets.

When non‑PO invoices make sense

There are cases, where non-PO invoices are unavoidable and include number of scenarios that can be handled without loosing control:

Emergency or safety‑critical purchases where creating a PO would cause unwanted delays
Professional services billed on milestones, time & materials, or when scope/price is agreed after work begins
(unless they are covered by contracts to which the invoices could be referring to)
Suppliers that cannot accept POs (small/legacy suppliers in challenging regions)
Very low‑value transactions where PO overhead exceeds benefit
Highly exceptional cases, when PO cannot be created, e.g. system outages, transitions, etc.

When non‑PO invoices are NOT a good practice

Sometimes organizations keep their "long term" legacy practices, because "it is so comfortable to do it our time-proven way". Many opportunities can be missed, more manual effort in the invoice matching activities is required, and organizations tend to run in circles, unable to unlock the trap.

Try to avoid the following (or similar) areas, where non-PO invoices are part of the picture:

Repeat purchases from the same supplier that should be on contract or catalog
High‑value or strategic spend where PO terms protect pricing, delivery and liability
Categories with clear opportunities for consolidation or volume discounts
Environments with known fraud or duplicate payment risk and weak AP controls

When there is an overlay between the existing structured buying channels (catalog/contract spend), or guarding commercial terms (payment/delivery/liability), non-PO invoices can be easily replaced. This will deliver efficiency improvements.

Pros and cons

Decision makers in the procurement organizations might be aware of the positive and negative aspects of the non-PO invoice practice in their purchasing processes. Here is the overview:

Pros
- Speed and flexibility for urgent or complex purchases
- Preserves supplier relationships when suppliers won’t accept POs
- Simpler for T&M or milestone invoicing for services (if tools for contract compliance/services spend are unavailable)
Cons
- Higher maverick spend, weak spend control
- Low visibility into budget, contracts and supplier performance
- Higher AP processing costs and more invoice exceptions
- Increased risk of fraud or duplicate payments
- Slower month‑end reconciliation and weaker sourcing discipline

Practical policy decisions and actions

Define acceptable exceptions
- Publish a short list of allowed cases (emergency, validated supplier, low‑value threshold, services)
- require a business justification field on every non‑PO invoice
Set clear thresholds & approval matrix
- Use amount thresholds tied to approval levels
  (e.g., Dept Manager for <500; Directorfor<5k; Procurement+Finance for larger amounts)
Automate non‑PO workflows
- Force mandatory fields (exception reason, GL code, cost center)
- Route approvals automatically, and capture justification in the AR/AP system
Monitor & report monthly
- Track count and value of non‑PO invoices, repeat suppliers, time‑to‑approval, and % of total AP spend
- Create alerts for repeat non‑PO suppliers
Convert repeat non‑PO spend
- Onboard frequent non‑PO suppliers to catalogs, negotiated contracts or a managed marketplace (SpotBuy) within 60–90 days
Strengthen supplier onboarding
- Ensure vendors used for non‑PO invoices have basic validations (tax forms, bank details, insurance) before payments over a threshold
Balance convenience with control
- Offer low‑friction PO alternatives (catalogs, SpotBuy, pre‑approved templates) to reduce the need of non‑PO invoices
Audit & continuous improvement
- Periodically audit samples of non‑PO invoices for compliance, fraud indicators and opportunities to source differently

Quick target benchmarks

How do you know, where you stand and whether you are successful in achieving your targets? You might want to use this simple guide of measurable process metrics to help you gain visibility of the non-PO invoicing process:

Healthy: non‑PO invoice volume <15% and non‑PO spend <10% of AP
Risky: non‑PO invoice volume 15–30% or non‑PO spend 10–25% — implement remediation plan
Alarm: non‑PO invoice volume >30% or non‑PO spend >25% — immediate controls, audit, and supplier enablement required

Final takeaway

Non‑PO invoices should be a controlled exception, not the norm. Make sure to limit their use with a clear policy, automate approvals and data capture, track them closely, and convert recurring non‑PO purchases into PO‑based channels where better savings, visibility and control can be delivered.

The Future of Procurement and Maintenance: Bridging the Gap for Lasting Impact

2025-12-11T16:05:51.820000+01:00

The Future of Procurement and Maintenance: Bridging the Gap for Lasting Impact 🚀

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the intersection of procurement and maintenance is more critical than ever. The recent conversation with Aaron Horne, SAP Solution Advisor and a newly appointed member of the SAP Center of Excellence, sheds light on the challenges, opportunities, and emerging trends shaping the future of procurement, especially in maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO). This post distills the most salient insights from the discussion, offering actionable takeaways for professionals navigating this dynamic space.

From Engineering to Procurement: A Unique Perspective 🔄

Aaron’s journey from mechanical engineering and oil refinery project management to procurement advisory highlights the value of cross-functional expertise. His transition was driven by firsthand experience with the migration from Oracle to SAP, where he saw the importance of connecting maintenance data and processes with procurement systems. This blend of technical and operational knowledge enables a deeper understanding of the real-world needs of maintenance teams—a perspective often overlooked in traditional procurement strategies.

The Maintenance–Procurement Divide: Breaking Down Barriers 🛠️🤝

A recurring theme in the discussion is the historical friction between maintenance professionals and procurement teams. Maintenance managers, focused on keeping plants running, often perceive procurement as a barrier—more concerned with cost savings and compliance than operational continuity. Aaron candidly admits to having “hated” procurement processes in his previous roles, not because of the people, but due to conflicting priorities. The key insight here is the need for empathy and collaboration: procurement must understand the urgency and complexity of maintenance operations, while maintenance teams should appreciate the value procurement brings in supplier management and compliance.

Technology as an Enabler: AI, Automation, and User Experience 🤖✨

Emerging technologies, especially AI and automation, are transforming the procurement–maintenance relationship. The transcript highlights several forward-looking use cases:

Generative AI for Diagnostics and Inventory: Imagine a technician describing equipment symptoms and AI instantly identifying the right parts from inventory, streamlining repairs and reducing downtime. This not only improves efficiency but also enhances user experience for maintenance professionals.🧠
Predictive Analytics for Supply Chain: AI-driven forecasting can anticipate changes in maintenance schedules, ensuring suppliers are prepared for sudden spikes in demand. This proactive approach minimizes disruptions and supports better planning.📊
Document Intelligence: AI tools that can sift through hundreds of pages of manuals to extract relevant procedures or warranty information empower technicians to act quickly and accurately.📚

These innovations promise to make procurement tools more appealing and accessible to end users, fostering greater adoption and maturity in enterprise systems.

Collaboration and Continuous Improvement: The Path Forward 🤲🔄

The future of procurement and MRO lies in ongoing collaboration and feedback. Aaron emphasizes the importance of involving maintenance professionals in procurement decisions—from supplier selection to process design. Organizations that bring “boots on the ground” into the conversation are better positioned to align priorities and avoid costly missteps. Moreover, continuous improvement—adopting new features, refining processes, and maintaining open channels for product feedback—ensures that both procurement and maintenance can adapt to changing business needs.

Conclusion: Building Bridges for Sustainable Success 🌉

The conversation with Aaron underscores a powerful message: the future of procurement is not just about better products or smarter technology, but about building bridges between teams, fostering empathy, and driving continuous improvement. By embracing collaboration, leveraging AI, and prioritizing user experience, organizations can unlock new levels of efficiency and resilience in their supply chains.

Ready to shape the future? Share your thoughts, feedback, or experiences in the comments below—let’s keep the conversation going! 💬 email: thefutureofprocurement@sap.com

🌐 OpenSAP: Entire Series HERE!

🍎 Apple Podcasts: Listen on Apple!

Spotify: Listen on Spotify HERE!

Audible: Listen on Audible HERE!

The Art of Possible: My Experience with SAP Ariba and WalkMe

2025-12-17T16:19:06.384000+01:00

A Digital Transformation Leader's Journey 💼
I've been working with Procurement transformation project using S4 , Oracle , SAP Ariba and WalkMe since 2023, and I want to share some practical insights from my experience. After SAP acquired WalkMe in September 2024, this combination has become even more important for procurement transformations. ✨
Why I Started Looking at Digital Adoption Platforms 🤔
Early in my career, I thought good system configuration and proper training were enough. But I was wrong. 😅 Users would complete training, get certificates, and then still struggle with the system. They forgot what they learned within weeks, created their own shortcuts, and kept calling the helpdesk.
This is when I started exploring Digital Adoption Platforms like WalkMe. The idea was simple - instead of making users remember training, why not guide them exactly when they need help? 💡
My First WalkMe Implementation with SAP Ariba 🎯
In order to address System adoption challenge , we decided to use Walk-me for Ariba Guided buying transformation. We did a Business Value Assessment workshops with WalkMe's team. As part of those workshops we examined various workflows / Process flow and tried understanding user journey and when and how user are getting dropped and potential reasons behind it .
They helped us understand where exactly users were getting stuck. It wasn't where we thought! For example, we assumed requisition creation was the problem, but users were actually struggling with basic catalog search and navigation. 🔍
As outcome of this exercise we finalized 3 workflows for which we decided to develop walk-me content .
How WalkMe Actually Reaches End Users 🖥️
Let me explain the technical setup because this confused me initially. 😊
Getting WalkMe to Users' Computers ⚙️
We worked with our IT team to install the WalkMe browser extension on all users' machines. This wasn't something users could download themselves – with help of IT had to do a mass deployment. The good thing is WalkMe provides an All-In-One Installer. Our IT team could install it across with one installation file. This saved a lot of time and ensured everyone had the same setup. ✅
This installation was also done in phases where in region wise we installed to respective usebase.
How Login and Access Works 🔐
Here's something nice - WalkMe doesn't need separate login credentials. When users log into SAP Ariba Guided buying through our Single Sign-On (SSO), WalkMe automatically picks up those credentials. Users don't have to remember another password or do anything extra. 👍
Once they're logged into Ariba Guided buying , WalkMe content appears automatically based on their role/persona and what they're doing in the system. From the user's side, it just feels like Ariba has become more helpful.
What Users Actually See
Users see a small Walk Me widget (usually in the corner) and helpful tips that pop up when needed. They don't need to do anything special - the help just appears at the right time. The extension runs quietly in the background, watching what users are doing and showing guidance when required.
Building WalkMe Content: The Editor Tool & more 🛠️
Now, creating this content is a different story. As someone building the guidance, I use the WalkMe Editor.
The Editor Setup 💻
The WalkMe Editor is a desktop application that I install on my laptop. Along with it, there's an Editor Extension for the browser - this is different from what end users have. This confused me at first! 😅
The desktop app connects to my browser through this Editor Extension. This way, I can build content while looking at the actual Ariba screen side by side.
When You Need Technical Skills 👨‍💻
For our receiving compliance solution (which I'll explain later), we had some write programming which involves jQuery and some HTML , CSS skills as that use case of bit complex .

My Recommendation on Building Content
In my experience, about 80% of WalkMe content can be built using drag-and-drop. The remaining 20% needs some degree of programming. Either have someone on your team who knows JavaScript, or pair your business users with a developer for the complex parts.In our case , Walk-me product experts helped us time to time .
A Real Problem We Solved: Open Receiving Tasks 🎯
Let me share a specific challenge we faced during our Procurement transformation and how WalkMe helped us.
The Problem ⚠️
We found that many users not completing receiving action in Ariba GB on time .This was causing supplier payment delay.
Our Solution Using WalkMe 💡
We created a WalkMe ShoutOut (that's the popup notification) for users who had receiving tasks pending for more than one year. When they logged in, they saw a friendly but firm message: "You have pending receiving tasks that need attention."
The message included a guided walkthrough that took them directly to the receiving screen and showed them how to complete these tasks step by step.
We also added a process gate - if users tried to create a new requisition without completing their old receiving tasks, they'd see a reminder to complete them first. This wasn't about being strict; it was about maintaining data quality and helping users build better habits.

AI Generated Mock-up for ideation.

What Happened ✅
Within six weeks, the backlog of old receiving tasks was significantly reduced. More importantly, users started completing their receiving tasks on time. Its also reduced ticket volume for these issue with our support team.

How its can help for S4 HANA transformations
As now many organizations transitioning their ERP to latest version of S4 HANA , I belive walk-me can really good tool which expedites this . In normal scenario ,S4 HANA changes will have heavy dependency of ABAPer or SAP Technical resources but with walk-me such temporary changes can be managed in much shorter period .
Eg.
If for Particular Search help of Supplier we wanted hide some suppliers name or don’t want to allow selection of supplier this changes will need ABAP programming .
If such change is temporary in nature and after Supplier maintaince is complete , we wanted to revert change then it can be easily managed using Walk-me .

Some common Use-cases possible in Ariba / S4 HANA
• Smart walkthrough for Ariba Sourcing Event creation
• Smart walkthrough for Ariba Non-Catalog PR
• Temporarily hiding or blocking specific UI elements or buttons on Screens
• Temporarily controlling user accesses during site migration
• For Guided tour & as Companion offering help content is alongside respective Ariba Solution like Sourcing , SLP , GB etc.

Challenges I've Faced 😅
Not everything has been smooth. Here are some real challenges:
• Keeping Content Updated 🔄: When Ariba releases updates, WalkMe content sometimes breaks. You need to regularly review and update it - this requires discipline.
• Some Users Find It Annoying 😒: Power users who know the system well sometimes find WalkMe guidance intrusive. I make most content dismissible, and check analytics to see what users are consistently ignoring.
• Maintenance Takes Effort ⚙️: Creating WalkMe content is relatively easy, but keeping it current as business processes change needs proper ownership and governance.
• Multi-System Complexity 🔗: In companies using both SAP and non-SAP systems, ensuring consistent WalkMe experience across all systems needs careful planning.
Results I've Seen 📈
Every organization is different, but here are some consistent patterns:
• Training time for new users has reduced noticeably ⏱️
• Helpdesk gets fewer "how do I" questions 📞
• Data quality in requisitions and purchase orders has improved ✅
• Business process changes / critical announcements can be communicated faster through Walk-Me than waiting for formal training sessions or meetings 🚀
• Change management teams feel more empowered to help users quickly 💪
Practical Tips for Digital Transformation Leaders 💡
If you're considering WalkMe for SAP Ariba or S4HANA, here's my advice:
• Do Proper Assessment 🔍: Talk to your users and check analytics to understand where they actually struggle, not where you think they struggle.
• Involve Real Users Early 👥: Test your WalkMe content with actual end users before rolling it out. Their feedback can be surprising but very valuable.
• Build in Small Pieces 🧩: Create reusable content blocks. A tooltip used in multiple places is better than creating separate content everywhere.
• Plan for Ownership 📋: Decide who will maintain WalkMe content, how often it gets reviewed, and how updates are managed. This isn't exciting work but it's critical.
• Measure Business Impact 📊: Don't just look at WalkMe analytics. Check if requisition completion rates improved, if policy compliance increased, if support tickets reduced.
• Start Small 🌱: Begin with one critical process or one user group or region. Prove the value, then expand.
Final Thoughts 💭
Working with WalkMe and SAP Ariba /S4 HANA has taught me that technology transformation is really about people. The best procurement system won't deliver value if users can't or won't use it properly.
WalkMe isn't a magic solution. 🪄 It's a useful tool that, when implemented thoughtfully and maintained regularly, can significantly improve how users work with SAP Ariba.
The art of the possible isn't about fancy technology - it's about making technology work better for people who use it every day. ❤️

The Way forward with Walk-me + SAP Joule
The road ahead looks promising as WalkMe and SAP Joule continue to merge into a unified, intelligent experience layer. The Sapphire 2025 demo was just a preview of what’s coming. WalkMe’s real‑time guidance and automation will increasingly amplify Joule’s generative AI capabilities — creating a powerful model where Joule provides the intelligence, and WalkMe drives the execution.
These are my personal observations from my experience in digital transformation. Results may vary based on your organization's specific situation.

SAP for Me – Adoption Report – Drive More Business Value Realization

2025-12-31T02:00:02.799000+01:00

This blog is a continuation of my previous blog, Drive more Business Value out of your SAP Public Cloud Solution Subscriptions.

However, in this blog, I want to focus on the Adoption Report included in SAP for Me – Customer Insights as a quick way to understand opportunities for Business Value Realization.

But first, I would like to refer you to the blog SAP Adoption PDF Report generator in Customer Insights (in SAP for Me), written by my SAP colleague Jose Seren, to understand the overall report structure.

Now, similar to my previous blog, if you are an SAP Public Cloud customer running solutions like SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Ariba, etc., or you are a new SAP Business Suite customer running public cloud packages, this report can help you to understand areas of unrealized business value in your integrated system landscape.

While the report is very comprehensive, I only would like to focus on the Business Value Realization section, because it is here where you can see quick wins on value realization by focusing on value drivers for which you currently have no solution capabilities in use or low usage.

Let's look at the following example.

Business Value Realization Overview by Solution Area

In this example, this SAP customer is running several public cloud solutions including SAP Business Data Cloud, SAP SuccessFactors (Core HR and Payroll, Learning and Talent), SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, several SAP Procurement solutions (Ariba Buying and Invoicing, Ariba Sourcing, Ariba Central Invoice Management, etc.), and some SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition add-ons like Cash & Treasury, Multi-Bank Connectivity, and Group Reporting.

Now, the graphic below shows the total number of value drivers that have solution capabilities in use per solution area. For instance, if I look at SAP Business Data Cloud, the report indicates that out of 10 value drivers our customer is only using solution capabilities that impact 5 value drivers—so this means that there are great opportunities to bring more business value to this solution and impact the other 5 value drivers.

Business Value Realization Overview by Solution Area – Value Drivers with used and unused solution capabilities

Now, if we drill down in the report for SAP Business Data Cloud, the report presents to me the value drivers that currently have unused solution capabilities, which I can analyze to bring more business value to this solution area.

Detailed Business Value Realization – Business Data Cloud - Value Drivers with used and unused solution capabilities

As you can see from the report, I have an opportunity to start using solution capabilities that can impact these five value drivers.

Let me focus on the value driver “Reduce data management cost” in SAP Business Data Cloud—the report itself includes the solution capabilities that I can start activating to bring more business value. You can find them at the end of the Adoption Report under “Unrealized Business Value by Solution Area.”

Unrealized Business Value – Value drivers that can impact business outcomes by activating solution capability not used

Per the figure above, the customer could activate “Analytics Cataloging” solution capability to impact the value driver “reduce data management cost.” However, you can see that this solution capability will also impact other value drivers, including increase user confidence in data and improve analytics FTE productivity.

Unrealized Business Value – Value drivers that can impact business outcomes by activating solution capability not used

Now, the customer could also activate “Story Extensibility” solution capability to impact the value driver “reduce data management cost.” However, you can see that this solution capability will also impact other value drivers, including: reduce data integration cost and improve analytics FTE productivity.

The Adoption Report provides a very fast overview of unrealized business value. Alternatively to the report, and to explore the value drivers, solution capabilities, and opportunities to realize more business value, you can use the Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value section in SAP for Me, as I explained in my previous blog.

SAP for Me - Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value

After completing the analysis of the Business Data Cloud, the customer can move to any other area like SAP SuccessFactors in which three value drivers can be impacted with the activation of new solution capabilities.

Detailed Business Value Realization – SAP SuccessFactors Core HR and Payroll - Value Drivers with used and unused solution capabilities

Or decide to analyze unrealized value on the SAP Ariba Solutions and/or SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition. Since these are more comprehensive solutions, there is much more impact on additional value drivers of new solution capabilities not used by the customer.

Detailed Business Value Realization – SAP Ariba Solutions and SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition - Value Drivers with used and unused solution capabilities

As indicated before, the customer can also focus on unused value drivers that can impact several solutions in their landscape. For that, the customer can use the Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value section in SAP for Me, as I explained in my previous blog.

SAP for Me - Cloud Functional Usage – Business Value

I hope this Adoption Report included in SAP for Me provides you with some ideas to bring more business outcomes for your entire public cloud landscape.

Keep in mind that solution capabilities are expanding from traditional functional scope to also include SAP Business AI, so SAP will continue to add more in this area.

Remember, this is not the only tool that can be used; SAP has other tools such as SAP Signavio, SAP WalkMe, SAP LeanIX, and SAP Cloud ALM that can be used in tandem to help drive more business value from your SAP subscription. I encourage you to discuss these points with your SAP Customer Success Manager, SAP Account Executive, or SAP Partner. They may be able to provide you with additional recommendations and guidance.

Your insights and opinions are valuable, so please don't hesitate to contribute by commenting on this blog.

SAP Ariba Roadmap: Quality Gates Checklist in SAP Cloud ALM

2026-01-16T21:05:35.502000+01:00

Imagine you’re halfway through your Ariba implementation, and suddenly you discover that key testing activities from earlier phases weren’t completed. What a roadblock! You start to get anxious and stressed and you are wondering how to solve this problem and still meet the deadlines. If you’ve been involved in a project before, you know that sinking feeling all too well.

This is exactly where Quality Gates come to the rescue. At the end of each phase - Prepare, Explore, Realize, and Deploy - there is a task specifically designed to help you check whether all the key deliverables have been completed, align with stakeholders, validate the activities and configurations executed, and think of mitigation plans if something was missed. Think of it as your project’s safety net, catching issues before they grow into bigger problems.

For those using Road Map Viewer, you will have a ‘Conduct Project Quality Gate’ task and an Excel file as an accelerator with easy questions and answers to help you validate your deliveries. You will have to download it and share it with other stakeholders when needed.

But here’s the big news: if you’re working in SAP Cloud ALM, the Quality Gate Checklist is now available directly within the system. That means you no longer need to download the Excel file. You can answer questions, track the status of each item, add comments, and tag the responsible stakeholders - all in one place. This makes Quality Gates more actionable and ensures everyone on the project team stays aligned. See the video below with an example of how to locate this information and answer the questions.

With this improvement, your SAP Ariba projects can start 2026 on the right foot. Quality Gates Checklist in SAP Cloud ALM makes it easier than ever to reduce risks, stay aligned, and keep your project moving smoothly.

Feel free to share your comments, suggestions, or feedback in this blog post or directly in Road Map Viewer. We will be happy to assist and improve the quality of our roadmaps!

2602 Early Release Series for SAP Ariba and SAP Business Network releases

2026-01-21T01:25:59.278000+01:00

Sign up now for the 2602 Early Release Series

Follow this blog to receive notification of new series as soon as registration opens.

SAP strives to equip our customers and partners with valuable release readiness resources for each SAP Ariba and SAP Business Network quarterly release.

Early Release Series

Supplier Management & Risk
Procure to Pay
Source to Contract
Business Network

If you want to learn more and actively engage with SAP subject matter experts, we encourage you to participate in these informative sessions. Register now!

Quarterly Release Communications

Anyone from your organization that has chosen to subscribe to product notifications will receive these announcements.

The release calendar for SAP Business Network and release calendar SAP Ariba Applications identify release timing several quarters in advance.

Where to find out more details?

On demand replays of webcasts from completed quarterly releases can be consumed from Release Readiness Resources: Webcast Archive Page

SAP Ariba Procure to Order 2602 Release Key Innovations

2026-01-21T11:20:52.140000+01:00

Hello SAP Ariba Community, and welcome to our 2602 Key Innovations blog.
In this post, we’re sharing some key updates included in the Q1 2026 release in the procure to order space.

The focus this release covers flexibility in the Guided Buying RFQ process as well as ability to import contracts into SAP Ariba guided buying to help drive greater overall contract compliance and in turn more realised savings.

Use Standard Shipping Address for Request for Quotes in Guided Buying (GUIDEB-1267)

Based on the type of item and category, your organization may allow you to request a quote from one or more suppliers as the logical, stramlined process.

With this feature we have introduced more flexibility to select the ship-to address in the RFQ process in guided buying, you can now configure guided buying to either:

Display the user's default ship-to address on RFQ’s generated through guided buying (this is the default option)

Allow users to choose an alternate shipping address for RFQ’s if better aligned to your companies processes

In order to do this a new parameter needs to be enabled by your system administrator: (PARAM_ENABLE_RFQ_SHIP_TO_ADDRESS_IN_USER_CHOSEN_ENTITY)

Import Purchase Contracts into SAP Ariba Buying Solutions (ACC-267)

This feature enables buyers to import purchase contracts from SAP S/4HANA into SAP Ariba buying solutions as a customer configured option using the corresponding parameter ‘Automatic approval of contract requests sent using web services’

In SAP Ariba buying solutions, you can publish non-catalog items in the contract compliance module, which generates subscriptions for those items to make them available in the catalog search to help drive contract compliance.

The import utilizes web services capability in SAP Integration Suite, Managed Gateway for Spend Management and SAP Business Network, which connects SAP S/4HANA and SAP Ariba buying solutions.

For more related technical information you can also refer to:

Integration Support to Import Purchase Contracts from SAP ERP to SAP Ariba Buying Solutions via Web Services

Automatic approval of contract requests sent using web services.

Enable Users to Join the SAP User Research Panel (GUIDEB-1259)

With this feature, respondents of the user experience survey in guided buying can provide additional feedback by joining the SAP User Research Panel.

This allows a continuous feedback mechanism where it’s needed, in the application.

This in turn will help SAP product teams to collect continuous feedback and further focus the innovation Roadmap where its important.

This feature introduces changes to the user experience survey. Now, after users complete the survey, a thank you message and an option to join the SAP User Research Panel displays.

We hope these features will provide a blend of enhancements that will help to streamline process, increase adoption and add valuable feedback channels into SAP Product. Thanks for reading.

Resources:

Feature related materials:

SAP Ariba Connect - Release Readiness (Customers except CIM)
Readiness Community page (For CIM customers)

SAP Community for Intelligent Spend Management page
SAP Help Portal pages - Procurement and Network
What’s New

SAP Ariba Central Invoice Management 2602 Release Key Innovations

2026-01-21T15:39:27.494000+01:00

1. Launch Automatic Matching Manually (CIM-2465)

You can now trigger automatic matching directly from the Manage Supplier Invoices Centrally app while editing a draft invoice. With the new "Match Automatically" button, you can quickly validate invoice data against purchase orders or receipts without leaving your workflow.

Once you have chosen Match Automatically, you can determine which line items will be considered when you launch the automatic matching:

All items
Non-manually assigned items
Unassigned items
Items with errors

Any existing posting data that is provided for the selected line items will be deleted and recreated through the automatic matching. The supplier invoice will be saved and move to the process step Reference Object Matching.

Example of the User Interface

The screenshot below shows a new Match Automatically button along with the options for automatic matching in the Manage:

Benefits:

Saves time: Eliminate the need to navigate between screens to initiate matching.
Improves accuracy: Reduce errors by automating the validation process.
Boosts efficiency: Speed up invoice approvals with fewer manual steps.

This enhancement helps you to process invoices faster while maintaining compliance and control.

2. Decision Tables in Configure Assignment Group Rules App (CIM-2861)

Managing invoice assignments just got smarter. With this release, the Configure Assignment Group Rules app now supports Decision Tables, making it easier to define and apply complex routing rules.

When creating a variant in the Configure Assignment Group Rules app, you can now select Decision Table in the Assignment Group/User Rule field within the Step Configuration tab. Below are the available input parameter combinations for different decision tables. Assignment groups and users are the output:

Company Code and WBS Element
Company Code and Cost Center
Company Code, Invoicing Party, and Gross Amount
Company Code and G/L Account
Commodity Code

Example of the User Interface

The figure below shows the list of decision tables available in the Configure Decision Tables app for the assignment group and user determination:

Why it matters:

Simplified rule configuration: Decision tables provide a clear, structured way to define assignment rules, reducing manual effort and minimizing errors.
Enhanced flexibility: Use decision tables directly in the Assignment Group/User Rule field under the Step Configuration tab when setting up variants.
Improved accuracy: Ensure invoices are routed to the right teams or users based on predefined conditions, improving processing speed and compliance.

This feature empowers your finance and procurement teams to handle exceptions and approvals more efficiently, reducing bottlenecks and accelerating invoice processing.

3. Assignment Group/User determined by Custom Logic in the Configure Assignment Group Rules app (CIM-1759)

With this release, it is possible to determine the assignment group or user, or a combination of both, using custom logic.

In the Configure Assignment Group Rules app, you now have the option to choose an assignment group/user rule. This is available in the new Assignment Group/User Rule field in the Step Configuration tab.

If you choose Assignment Group/User Determined by Custom Logic in this field, it allows you to determine the assignment group or user of a step without specifying them during variant creation. The determination is done outside the app via an API.

Example of the User Interface

The screenshot below shows the Step Configuration tab in the Configure Assignment Group Rules app:

4. Simulation of Workflow Steps before Submission of Invoice (CIM-1759)

The latest release of SAP Ariba Central Invoice Management introduces exciting new features designed to simplify workflows, reduce errors, and improve collaboration between finance teams and suppliers.

Key Benefits of this Feature:

Enhanced Transparency – See the full approval path upfront, so there are no surprises.
Proactive Issue Resolution – Spot potential delays or missing approvals before submission.
Improved Efficiency – Reduce back-and-forth by ensuring invoices follow the correct workflow from the start.

Changes to the User Interface

The screenshot below shows tab when there is no request for information available and an approval workflow is yet to start:

The next screenshot shows the tab when a request for information has started but an approval workflow is yet to start:

The final screenshot below shows the tab when all the workflows have started:

This enhancement is just one way we’re making invoice management smarter and more intuitive for our customers.

5. New Field for Invoice Management (CIM-3034)

A new Contact Person field has been added to the invoice detail page, allowing users to designate a responsible individual for managing and approving invoices. This feature enhances accountability and streamlines the invoice approval process, ensuring timely payments and efficient workflow management.

This field is hidden by default. You can control its visibility using the Configure Business Data Scope app. For more information, see About Field Control. You can use the value help to enter a name in this field.

You can also set the contact person as an approver of an invoice. To do this, select Contact Person for The Invoice in the Agent Determination Rule field of the Step Configuration tab. This applies when creating a variant or adding a step in an existing variant in the Manage Workflows for Supplier Invoice Approval app.

In addition, you can configure automatic allocation of a supplier invoice to the name entered. To achieve this, select Contact Person for the Invoice in the Assignment Group/User Rule field of the Step Configuration tab. This applies when creating a variant or adding a step in an existing variant in the Configure Assignment Group Rules app.

A new Contact Person filter is also added to the invoice list page to filter the invoices based on it. This filter and the column are not available by default. See Adapting Filters and Creating Variants for more information on how to show or hide the filters and the columns. Any update made in this new field is recorded in the activity log.

Changes to the User Interface

The screenshot below shows you the Contact Person field:

Benefits:

Enhanced accountability – Designate a specific contact for each invoice, reducing confusion and delays.
Streamlined approvals – Faster processing with direct responsibility, leading to timely payments.
Improved workflow efficiency – Better tracking and communication for smoother invoice management.

This small but impactful feature helps teams work more effectively, reducing bottlenecks and improving collaboration across finance and procurement teams.

What’s Next?

Stay tuned for more innovations in SAP Ariba Central Invoice Management as we continue to enhance automation, visibility, and control in your invoice management processes.

Have questions or want to learn more? Reach out to your SAP representative or explore our help documentation at http://help.sap.com.

Let’s make invoice management simpler, smarter, and faster—together.

Resources:

Feature related materials:

SAP Ariba Connect - Release Readiness (Customers except CIM)
Readiness Community page (For CIM customers)

SAP Community for Intelligent Spend Management page
SAP Help Portal pages - Procurement and Network
What’s New

What's New in 2602, Release Navigator for Spend Management

2026-01-27T00:19:34.668000+01:00

Welcome to Q1 2026! A new year brings fresh innovations, and we’re excited to introduce the 2602 updates for the Release Navigator for Spend Management. This update is all about enhancing content maintenance, helping you stay ahead of the release!

Tool Overview

The Release Navigator for Spend Management is a tool provided by SAP Enterprise Support designed to be your central hub for understanding and managing new software releases for SAP Ariba, SAP Business Network, SAP Fieldglass, & SAP Concur. It allows you to easily locate essential resources for upcoming releases and quickly find cross-solution materials, documentation, webcasts, and more all in one tool!

New & Updated Content:

2602 What's New Viewer
2602 Early Release Webcasts
2602 Community Blogs:
- SAP Supplier Management & Risk
- SAP Procure-to-Order
- SAP Source-to-Contract
- SAP Category Management
2602 Feature Spreadsheet

2602 Feature Highlights:

SAP Ariba Procurement:

Generating Contract Summaries in SAP Ariba Contracts using AI [SCONTR-1266]
Modifying Event Duration and Searching Sourcing Requests Using Joule [SOURCE-2534]
Additional AI Copilot Joule Capabilities for Finding Suppliers, Supplier Contacts, and Supplier Management Projects [SLP-2411]

SAP Business Network:

Mass Aprove Order Confirmation Deviations [CSC-69956]
Sending Additional Address Details from TM to BN4L [FC-282]
Enhancement to Buyer Groups User Interface [NP-69370]

Innovation Schedule

To ensure a smooth user experience, the Release Navigator introduces new user‑experience updates once per year in August, alongside refreshed release content.

The Release Navigator will update automatically over the coming weeks—no action is required on your end.

Disclaimer: These dates are informational only and may change. The Readiness@Scale team has final decisions over any UX modifications.

Connect with Us

Your feedback helps shape future enhancements to the Release Navigator. We invite you to:

Complete our feedback survey
Share ideas or requests in the comments section
Learn more about the Readiness@Scale team
Explore additional content

Thank you for your continued engagement and support.

Best Run,
Readiness@Scale

SAP Enterprise Support

Enable complex service Procurement in Ariba with service entry sheet export to SAP

2026-01-29T06:12:16.312000+01:00

Background:

Service Procurement refers to the process of acquiring services from external suppliers to meet the needs of an organization. Unlike products, which invoices purchasing physical products, service procurement focuses on obtaining intangible offerings that can range from consulting and legal services to cleaning and IT support.

SAP Ariba procurement solutions provide businesses with a powerful suite of tools designed to address the complexities associated with service procurement.

Purpose:

This functionality will enable users to create service sheets for purchase orders with the item category "Service" in Ariba Buying. Upon completion of the approval flow, the service sheet will be transferred to the S/4 system for validation and creation against the purchase order. Once the creation response is received from S/4 to Ariba through the CIG system, Ariba will then communicate the service sheet creation to the supplier through the SAP Business Network.

Configuration Steps in Ariba B&I

Step 1: Request your DSC to submit a case to support asking for this feature to be enabled.

Create Service entry Sheet
ExportServiceSheet
Toggle SINV-5399 - Edit and resubmit the SES action for service sheet failed in external system due to ERP push error

Step 2: Basic self-service parameters to be enabled in Intelligent configuration Manager

Parameter	Value	Description
Application. Procure.EnableServiceitemFieldinRequsition	Yes	Allows users to mark requisition line items as service line items
Application.Procure.EnableitemCategoryOnRequsitionLine	Yes	Specifies whether the item category option to mark line items as service items is displayed on the requisiton summary page
Application.ServiceSheet.EnableERPIntegration	Yes	Specifies whether your site sends service sheets to the SAP ERP for approval.
Application.ServiceSheet.ServiceSheet ExternalApprovalEnabled	Yes	Determines whether service sheets must undergo approval in SAP ERP before moving to the processes state in the buying solution
Application.ServiceSheet.AllowNonCatalogItem	Yes	Specifies whether suppliers can add non catalog items to service sheet in Ariba
Application.ServiceSheet. EnableResendingOfFailedServiceSheetsToSBN	Yes	Determine whether the SAP Ariba solution initiates the resending of failed service sheets to SAP business network
Application.ServiceSheet.FixSESStatusIntegrationForCIG	Yes	Determine whether the status must be reset to the previous value for cancelled or force rejected service sheets that fail to export to SAP ERP from the Arina solution.

Step 3: Enable below managed gateway for spend and Network Integration tasks.

Export Service Sheet Asynchronously
Export Service Sheet Response to External System Asynchronously
Import Service Sheet Approval Status
Import Service Sheet Response Asynchronously
Import Service Sheet Status Response Asynchronously

** Disable webservice format tasks in integration configuration as they might interfere with the export Behavior.

Step 4: Add users to the below groups

Service Sheet Entry User
Service Sheet Editor

Configuration Steps in SAP

Step 5: Enable below parameters in S4

SPRO-->SAP reference IMG-->Integration with Other SAP Components--> Managed Gateway for Spend&Network for Buyer-->SAP Business Network Integration-->Application Specific Settings -->Service Sheet-->Maintain Parameters for Service Sheet

Parameter in S4	Mandatory	Description
ENTRYSHEET_CREATE	No	If the purchase order at SAP ERP is in the edit mode, the system would not allow to create a service entry sheet. Configure the duration (in seconds) for which the system would attempt to create a service entry when the purchase order at ERP is in edit mode
ENABLE_SES_ITERATION	No	This configuration is only for SAP Ariba Buying and Invoicing to avoid failure of the transaction document due to a locking issue while processing multiple service sheets for the same purchase order service type item

Parameter in S4	Mandatory	Description
SES_RESPONSE_ENABLED	No	Enable or disable the Ariba provided enhancements for service sheet response

Step 6: Defining Output message control for service sheet in S4 System

Application: ES - Entry Sheet

Program: ARBCIG_ENTRYSHEET_UPDATE

FORM routine: SEND_ENTRYSHEET_RESPONSE

Step 7: Maintaining Event Linkages to Generate Service Sheet Responses

Create and activate the SES_RESPONSE event type linkage to generate service sheet responses after you revoke or delete service sheets

Step 8: BADI implementation related to S4 service entry sheet creation and approval.

For auto approve SES in SAP - Implement BADI ARBCIG_SES_CREATE - Method UPDATE_SES_BAPITABLES - pass Service sheet header acceptance value
To send approve status from S4 to Ariba - Implement BADI ARBCIG_SESR_UPDATE - method POST_CHANGE_SESR_DATA - using call function ARBCIG_SAP_RESPONSE_TO_P2P send header approval status in import pull ServiceSheetImportPullRequest
For Ariba SES to be rejected outside financial posting period - Implement BADI ARBCIG_SES_DELETE - method UPDATE_SES_DELETE. Pass the posting date as SES rejection date (current date)

Conclusion:

Enabling complex service procurement in Ariba with the export of service entry sheets to SAP streamlines the procurement process and enhances efficient across organizations. This integration not only allows for a more organized method of service procurement but also ensures that the data is accurately captured and processed in SAP.

This end-to-end step configuration guide serves as a comprehensive roadmap for organizations looking to implement and optimize complex service procurement with a focus on practical integration with SAP.

Retrieving Users and Groups via SCIM: Integrating SAP Ariba with SAP Cloud Identity Services

2026-01-30T18:06:25.352000+01:00

SAP Ariba SCIM API

The SAP Ariba SCIM API is a REST API based on the SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) 2.0 specification. It is intended for use as an interface between SAP Ariba cloud solutions and SAP Cloud Identity Services to transfer user information as part of user management.

Prerequisites

To call the methods of this SAP Ariba SCIM API you must have SAP Ariba Procurement or Strategic Sourcing Realms.

ACCESS SAP Ariba APIs

1. Access SAP Ariba APIs : https://developer.ariba.com/api/home

2. Select the right Data Center where your SAP Ariba Realms located, in my case is Japan Data Center:

3. To find the API Specs, click Discover, fill the right solution, Procurement or Strategic Sourcing, search the page with SCIM API for User and Group Master Data and click.

4. Now we will request SCIM API. Go to Manage, click + to Create a New Application.

5. Fill necessary information and click submit:

6. Application created, you can click Action and then click Request API Access, then select the SCIM API and select SAP Ariba Realms that you want to retrieve data from. Then click Submit.

7. Screen shows as below and auto-Approval will happen in about 1 day:

8. Once approved, click Actions and click Generate Auth Secret. Note down them and will be used in API.

CALL SAP Ariba SCIM API

1. My personal preference is to test post and get in PowerShell and once it works ok, configure in Postman or Bruno to have a more filtered or formatted view of the result. Now open PowerShell:

2. Type below into powershell to post and get the Access_Token:

3. Enter and you will find the necessary access token and token type as below, note them down:

4. Now use the access token above to type below command, enter and all users will be listed as below:

Now all necessary info to call SCIM and retrieve user and group data is ready.

CALL SAP Ariba SCIM API in Bruno

1. Change to Bruno UI, create a new request, select Type as HTTP , fill Request Name , select URL with POST and fill the URL, then click Create.

2. Go to Headers, configure Content-Type as application/x-www-form-urlencoded.

3. Then go to params, configure below 3 attributes:

grant_type : client_credentials

client_id : Oauth Client Id

client_secret : Oauth Secret Generated

4. Run the request and note down the access_token:

5. Create a new request, select Type as HTTP , fill Request Name , select URL with GET and URL, then click Create.

6. Go to Headers, fill below four attributes:

Authorization : <token_type> <access_token>

apiKey : Application API Key

x-anId : Realm ANID *for test with -T

Accept : application/scim+json

7. Run the request, you can see more formatted data as below:

8. Based on the specs below, you can search more data with filters etc.

For example, you want to get User with email address equals below:

9. You can also retrieve all group data as below:

Identity Directory API (CIS - IdDS)

Manage users, groups and custom schemas in the cloud. Help Portal : https://help.sap.com/docs/cloud-identity-services/cloud-identity-services/identity-directory-scim-rest-api

Prerequisites

To call the methods of this SCIM REST API you must have a system as administrator with an assigned Manage Users role.

API SPECS

Please find detailed API info from here : https://api.sap.com/api/IdDS_SCIM/overview

ACCESS Identity Directory API:

Make sure you are Administrator User in CIS - idDS:

1. Administrator can login to CIS via link : https://<Tenant ID>.accounts.ondemand.com/admin/

2. To check other Administrators, click and select as below:

3. Call API via PowerShell by typing as below, click enter and you will see all users.

-u UserID:Password

-H "Accept: application/scim+json" `

-H "Content-Type: application/scim+json"

4. Now use Bruno to get better formatted result. Create a Request as below:

5. Clich Auth, then select Basic Auth from dropdown list, Fill UserName and password with your Administrator(User) email address and password.

6. Click Headers, configure Accept and Content-Type as application/scim+json.

7. Execute and all users of CIS(IdDS) retrieved as below:

8. Add filter based on user Login Name, execute then you can see the user has been extracted:

9. You can also retrieve group data by filter as below:

Summary

This blog walked through how to retrieve user and group master data using SCIM 2.0 APIs from both SAP Ariba and SAP Cloud Identity Services (Identity Directory / IdDS)—a foundational requirement for user provisioning and synchronization scenarios.

Instead of introducing the full functionality of Identity Provisioning Service (IPS), the focus was placed on the practical API calls that IPS relies on internally: how to access the API specifications, request API access, authenticate, and retrieve users and groups using SCIM-compliant endpoints. Both PowerShell and Bruno were used to demonstrate how to call these APIs and inspect responses in a structured and readable way.

By understanding how SAP Ariba and Identity Directory expose identity data through SCIM—along with supported filters, attributes, and authentication mechanisms—you gain deeper insight into IPS properties, mappings, and transformations. This knowledge is especially critical when enabling SAP Ariba Joule, where accurate user and group synchronization across SAP Ariba, SAP Cloud Identity Services, and SAP Build Work Zone is essential.

In short, mastering these SCIM APIs is not just about calling endpoints—it is about building a solid foundation for reliable identity integration in SAP’s AI-driven and Business AI–focused landscape.

AI Readiness: You don’t need an orchestra yet, you need a steady bass line

2026-02-05T19:01:46.690000+01:00

Any other big music fans in the procurement world out there? I know I am. And while I like music from most genres, what I really love is some intricate symphonic soul, like Isaac Hayes, or Curtis Mayfield. Strings, horns, keys, even a vibraphone. I get caught up in all the different sounds, the complex chords, how it all comes together. But a real groove needs a great bass line. If that one thing is off, the whole production feels wrong.

That’s how a lot of my customer conversations on AI in procurement feel lately. Everyone’s focusing on those extras – AI assistants, instant answers and insights, getting to talk to AI like a person, and shiny demos of the vast possibilities with SAP Joule. And while those things DO matter, and they are the end goal, without that steady bassline carrying us through, those other sounds won’t land the way they’re supposed to.

So what’s the bass line in SAP AI?

In SAP landscapes, a solid foundation comes down to a few important things.

Clean, consistent identity and access (IAS)
Reliable integrations and flows of data (BTP)
And, incredibly important, clear ownership and usable data in systems like Ariba

When identity is fragmented, data between systems becomes inconsistent, or processes start to vary depending on who’s involved and who’s taking action. When this happens, AI doesn’t become on-beat and insightful, it becomes…improvisational, like jazz (but not in the good way, more the kind that just feels like chaos). We need to feel the rhythm first, since procurement is often where we see issues show up first.

Maybe your suppliers don’t line up across systems. Or risk is managed in a separate system, and doesn’t connect to anything today. And, likely the most common thing we hear, users work around the process because it’s faster than doing it the right way.

These things aren’t always a technology problem, but more of a rhythm problem. Which is why building the foundation (bass line) is so important.

How are others laying down the groove and actually making progress? A few ways:

Standardizing across their SAP applications: This doesn’t mean everything has to be identical or locked down overnight. It usually starts much more simply: agreeing on how users authenticate, how suppliers are identified, and which system is the source of truth for what. When different SAP applications each have their own rules, logins, and data assumptions, things get out of sync fast. Standardization is what keeps the rhythm steady across the landscape instead of constantly drifting off-beat.
Building strong integrations through BTP: BTP is often talked about in very abstract terms, but in practice, this is about making sure data can move cleanly and predictably between systems. For procurement, this mostly means having supplier data flow consistently between Ariba and your ERP, risk info actually connecting back to suppliers, and integrations that are monitored and understood. When those integrations are brittle or one-off, that means AI is going to make guesses. We don’t want that.
Cleaning up supplier lifecycles and ownership in Ariba: Who owns onboarding? Who makes updates to supplier data? If you’re thinking, “It depends,” then that’s where problems likely start. Clarifying ownership of supplier lifecycles in Ariba doesn’t just improve data quality, rather it makes downstream automation and AI insights far more reliable.
Making processes easy enough that users can follow them: If a process is technically correct but painful in practice, users will work around it. Simplifying steps, reducing exceptions, and designing for how people actually work is part of the composition.
Policies in place that are actually enforced, both internally and with suppliers: Policies only help if they show up in the systems people use every day. When rules are enforced inconsistently (or not at all), data quality erodes, as does trust in the system.

That’s it, that’s the groove. Once you find this rhythm, the rest of the instruments can shine, take solos, and please a crowd. With that foundation, AI features become easier to adopt, and give better insights, and automation helps to reduce work, improve cycle time, ensure compliance, and other things you care about, instead of just confusing the people who actually have to use it.

Balancing Conflicting Priorities of Procurement and Supply Chain

2026-02-12T15:55:15.624000+01:00

From Factory Floor to Forecast: What Matt Donegan’s Procurement Stories Reveal About Where SAP Customers Are Heading 🚀

If you’ve ever wondered why procurement debates can get so heated—especially in manufacturing—Matt Donegan’s podcast conversation is a masterclass in the real-world tension behind “simple” sourcing decisions. 🧩 Beneath the lighthearted dog-and-TikTok opener, Matt digs into an issue SAP customers and partners know well: direct materials procurement isn’t just about savings—it’s about keeping production running, protecting quality, and managing risk across a supply chain that’s often far less predictable than it looks on a dashboard. ⚙️

What makes Matt’s perspective especially valuable is that it’s grounded in plant-site reality. He’s lived the pressure of missing ingredients, uncertain shipments, and the ripple effect that one supplier decision can create across operations. And for organizations modernizing with SAP, his stories point to a clear message: the future belongs to teams that connect sourcing strategy with shop-floor execution—using data, collaboration, and technology that people actually adopt. 📈

Direct vs. Indirect: Why the “Lifeblood” Spend Gets Different Rules 🧠

One of the most important framing points in the discussion is the distinction between direct materials, indirect materials, and services—because the business consequences are radically different. 🏭

Direct materials are inputs that become part of the finished product. They’re planned against forecasts, tied to production schedules, and directly impact what customers receive on a daily basis. ✅
Indirect materials support the business (think facility supplies, office goods, and warehouse items), but don’t appear on the bill of materials. 🧻
Services keep operations running—from maintenance to repairs to cleaning and MRO-related work. 🛠️

Why does this matter to SAP customers and partners? Because direct procurement runs on a different clock and carries different risk. A late shipment of a key ingredient can halt a production line—turning a “good deal” into an expensive disruption. ⏱️

Plant Managers Aren’t Graded on Savings—They’re Graded on Output 🎯

Matt’s biggest insight is also one of the most practical: plant leaders are running a business inside the business. 📦 They manage inputs, transform them, and ship outputs—and their priority is being a reliable supplier to their customers.

From that lens, “success” looks like:

First-pass quality (materials meet spec without rework) ✅
On-time, in-full delivery (OTIF) (materials arrive when and how much is needed) 📅
Available-to-promise reliability (customers can trust commitments) 🤝

This is where procurement gets tricky: centralized sourcing teams may be measured primarily on year-over-year savings, while operations teams are measured on uptime and performance. 📊 The result is a familiar tug-of-war: cost optimization versus production certainty.

For SAP ecosystems, this is a reminder that transformation isn’t just system change—it’s KPI alignment and governance design. 🧭

The Real Pain Point: Global Supply Chains Still Have “Visibility Gaps” 🌍

One of Matt’s most vivid stories is about overseas procurement: sending a PO, getting a quick confirmation, and then enduring weeks of uncertainty. 🚢

Even when suppliers are reliable, international logistics introduces unpredictable variables:

port delays
customs holds
limited tracking precision
last-mile scheduling issues
constraints on receiving capacity at the plant 🧱

Matt highlights a dimension many teams underestimate: the human and physical reality of receiving. Materials don’t just “arrive.” Someone must unload, inspect, store safely (sometimes in specialized containers), and route it into production. 👷

For SAP customers, this underscores why visibility isn’t just a “nice-to-have.” It is operational resilience. And for partners, it reinforces the value of designs that connect procurement, logistics, inventory, and quality processes into one continuous picture. 🧩

Consignment: The Underused Strategy That Solves Two Problems at Once 💡

One of the most actionable tactics discussed is consignment inventory, which Matt calls a best friend—and for good reason. 🤝

In a consignment model:

the supplier ships material to the buyer’s site
the buyer does not pay until the material is pulled for use
inventory can sit nearby as a buffer without burdening working capital 💰

This creates two strategic advantages:

Operational safety: the plant has backup stock when overseas shipments slip. 🛡️
Working capital relief: millions in inventory can be available without sitting on the buyer’s balance sheet. 📉

The catch? Consignment depends on strong supplier trust—typically built through years of partnership and reliable consumption patterns. 🧱 This is an important point for procurement leaders: resilience often comes from relationship maturity, not just contract terms.

The Collaboration Playbook: Data, Shared Strategy, and Stakeholder Buy-In 📊

When asked how organizations can reduce friction between central sourcing and operations, Matt returns to a simple idea: be data-driven—and bring stakeholders along early. 🧾

He describes an internal “negotiation” process between sourcing and plant teams:

which suppliers are non-negotiable due to quality risk
where contracts can be rebalanced without harming performance
how allocation (local vs. overseas) can hedge risk over time ⚖️

The critical enablers here are:

shared metrics (not just siloed KPIs) 📐
supplier performance data (quality, OTIF, rework rates) 🔍
tools people actually use (adoption matters as much as capability) ✅

For SAP customers, this is a blueprint: procurement transformation succeeds when the system supports cross-functional decision-making—not when it simply digitizes old silos. 🏗️

Future-Facing Take: AI Will Elevate the Human Side of Procurement 🤖➡️🧑‍🤝‍🧑

Matt’s forward-looking statement is refreshingly balanced: yes, automation will expand—especially across tactical work and data-heavy tasks. 🤖 But his “hot take” is that what will differentiate procurement professionals is not purely technical mastery.

Instead, the standouts will be those who excel at:

Stakeholder influence internally 🗣️
Strategic supplier relationships externally 🤝
Joint innovation with partners 💡
Risk mitigation through trust, audits, and shared plans 🛡️

In other words: as AI absorbs more of the “math,” procurement becomes even more human. And that’s a powerful lens for SAP customers investing in intelligent procurement: the goal isn’t replacing people—it’s freeing them to do higher-value work. 🚀

Conclusion: The Next Procurement Advantage Is Integration—Of Data and People ✅

Matt Donegan’s stories remind us that procurement isn’t a back-office function in manufacturing—it’s a lever that can protect uptime, improve quality, and reduce volatility across the supply chain. 🏭

For SAP customers and partners, the implications are clear:

Align KPIs across sourcing and operations to reduce internal conflict 🎯
Use data to shift debates from opinion to evidence 📊
Build supplier partnerships that unlock resilience tools like consignment 🤝
Invest in technology that supports collaboration—not just compliance 🧩
Prepare for AI-enabled procurement where relationship skills matter more than ever 🤖✨

If there’s one takeaway worth reflecting on, it’s this: the best procurement strategies don’t optimize a number—they optimize the business. 📈

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-027-aligning-procurement-and-supply-chain/id1764078646?i=1000749416873

https://open.spotify.com/show/5twXP1NehSqgCAznTnzQ5H