Workflow for Guided Buying Functional Documents API

The Guided Buying Functional Documents API is an inbound API that allows client application to update data in forms within guided buying.

Your client application receives data through an outbound API that you provide and it transmits data back through the inbound Guided Buying Functional Documents API. It has the information necessary to use the inbound API only if it first receives data from the outbound API.

The following steps are an overview of the workflow for this API:

  1. An application developer creates an outbound API that enables guided buying to send data to your client application.

    For more information, see Creating and Publishing an Outbound API.

  2. An application developer configures your client application to receive data through the outbound API and send data through the inbound Guided Buying Functional Documents API.

    For more information, see the documentation for your external system.

  3. An API administrator registers your client application on the SAP Ariba Developer Portal, which assigns it an OAuth client ID, client secret, and API key. Use the API key in every API call.

    For more information, see Help for the SAP Ariba Developer Portal.

  4. An API administrator obtains your outbound API and publishes it on the SAP Ariba Developer Portal.

    For more information, see Creating and Publishing an Outbound API.

  5. Guided buying users submit an externally managed form.

  6. Guided buying uses the outbound API to send identifying information for the form to your client application.

  7. Your client application uses the Custom Forms API GET operation to retrieve the list of custom form instances and their data. Then, it searches this list by ID and a date from the outbound API call to find custom fields and their values.

  8. Your client application processes the form data and sends status information back to guided buying through the Guided Buying Functional Documents API.

    For more information, see Receiving Data in Client Applications and Sending It Back to Guided Buying.