You can extend the purchasing process functionality of guided buying by using the SAP Ariba APIs. These APIs allow you to include external systems, such as ERP or accounting systems, in request processing.
Guided buying supports the following APIs:
Validating and Enriching Approvable Data in External API
This API checks guided buying request data, such as budget and accounting information, against ERP data and can also enrich that data. Guided buying uses this API to check request data after:
- A user submits a request
- A user or approver edits a request
- The last user in the approval graph approves a request
Users see if the API returns errors and warnings and can change their requests before submitting them.
Functional Documents API
This API makes it possible for client applications to update the status of externally managed forms, which are forms that are filled out in guided buying and processed by external systems. They allow you to use guided buying as a repository of general-purpose forms and to connect guided buying with client applications. For example, users might fill out a form to provide information for a supplier due diligence process. Guided buying sends it to a client application for processing, and guided buying displays the results. Or, a form might be a post-purchase evaluation that is processed by a client application, and users see the results in guided buying.
Real-Time Budget Check API
This API confirms that funding is available during the overall process of creating and approving a request. You can configure these checks to validate requests against budget information hosted in external ERP systems. This feature enables users to perform the following actions in the procurement workflow:
- Optionally, initiate budget checks in an external ERP system to check for availability of funds. Guided buying displays a Validate button on the Check out page that allows users to initiate budget checking manually.
- Reserve funds for submitted requests after budget checks in the ERP system are successful.
- Encumber funds for purchase orders created after requests are fully approved.
- Withdraw reserved funds to release them back into availability for withdrawn or canceled transactions.
Create Procurement Workspace API
This API creates empty procurement workspace projects for use in guided buying. Projects created through this API are the same as those created using the guided buying user interface. After a client application creates an empty procurement workspace project, guided buying users can use the user interface to add documents, such as request, invoices, or other projects, to it.
Note
The Validating and Enriching Approvable Data in External API and the Real-Time Budget Check API must be set up in the SAP Ariba Buying and Invoicing application, not the API developer portal.For more information on APIs, please visit the SAP Ariba APIs Portal.