Purchase Order and Invoice Collaboration Using the Ariba Network

Ariba Network Integration enables you to collaborate in SAP S/4HANA with your suppliers via the Ariba Network. You can send electronic purchase orders to your suppliers, and you can receive purchase order confirmations, advanced shipping notifications, and electronic supplier invoices from the Ariba Network. You exchange the data using cXML messages.

Overview of the Purchase Order and Invoice Collaboration Process

The following table explains the process steps and the cXML message types used in each process step:

Process Step	Details	cXML Message Type
Sending purchase orders	You can send purchase orders as well as changes to purchase orders or cancellations from SAP S/4HANA to the Ariba Network. The following item types are supported: Standard items Limit items Third-party items Purchase orders can be transferred including the attachments they have at header level.	OrderRequest
Receiving purchase order confirmations	You can receive purchase order confirmations from your suppliers via the Ariba Network.	ConfirmationRequest
Receiving advanced shipping notifications	You can receive advanced shipping notifications from your suppliers via the Ariba Network, which creates inbound deliveries in SAP S/4HANA.	ShipNoticeRequest
Receiving invoices	You can receive invoices from your suppliers via the Ariba Network. The cXML message also transfers a PDF version of the invoice. The transfer of additional attachments is also supported. Error-free invoices can be posted automatically in SAP S/4HANA. Invoices with errors can be saved with errors and can later be processed manually.	InvoiceDetailRequest
Sending status updates for invoices	Status updates for received invoices are sent to your suppliers via the Ariba Network. For example, when an invoice is posted, paid, or canceled, or when a blocked invoice is released, a status update is sent.	StatusUpdateRequest

For more information about the above described process steps and the related cXML messages, see:

Connectivity Options

There are three ways of connecting SAP S/4HANA with the Ariba Network:

Direct connectivity: You establish a system connection between SAP S/4HANA and the Ariba Network without using middleware.
Mediated connectivity using HCI: You establish a system connection using SAP HANA Cloud Integration between SAP S/4HANA and the Ariba Network.
Mediated connectivity using PI: You establish a system connection using middleware between SAP S/4HANA and the Ariba Network.

Options for Connecting SAP S/4HANA with the Ariba Network

For mediated connectivity, the Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver is required. For information about which version is relevant for the functions you want to use, see SAP Note 1991088.

Configuration

For the baseline setup of the integration between SAP S/4HANA and the Ariba Network, we recommend that you use SAP Activate and SAP Best Practices. For more information, see service.sap.com/S4OP SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA, on premise edition Sourcing and Procurement Business Network Integration . If your requirements exceed the baseline setup, use the SAP Customizing Implementation Guide in the SAP S/4HANA system.