SAP Self-Billing Cockpit enables suppliers to efficiently process self-billing documents and sets the stage for clearing processes in accounts receivable.
Receive Transmission
Receive and process incoming self-billing transmissions sent by buyers for direct shipment and third-party processes (consignment).
- The buyer creates a self-billing document in an external business system and sends it to the supplier.
- The system provides an API with a defined structure (SOAP) to receive transmissions from the buyer.
- Each message contains one or multiple transmissions, each transmission contains one or multiple self-billing documents, and each self-billing document covers one or multiple product items.
- The self-billing documents include the received product quantity and the requested net value to be settled.
- SAP Self-Billing Cockpit can interpret received transmissions in various ways before determining the processing logic. The processing is determined based on the action codes in the header and in the items.
- Header Code 005 indicates → self-billing (SBWAP)
- Header Code 000 indicates → self-billing invoice (SBINV)
Verification Checks
A series of edit checks, validations, and data retrieval performed on transmitted self-billing documents.
- The system performs a series of verification checks on the format of the received data. For example, does the currency match, is the invoice complete, do Unit of Measures equal?
- The system matches the internally created reference documents (delivery document, + eventually billing documents) with the received self-billing documents.
- If a self-billing document contains no errors, the system automatically proceeds to simulation. Otherwise, the billing clerk must take a look and resolve the error.
Simulation
Compare the results of the transmitted self-billing documents with the corresponding deliveries and billing documents to determine the results to be updated in SAP S/4HANA. During this step, the system compares the data of the transmitted self-billing documents with the internal data.
SBWAP vs. SBINV
| Self-Billing with Automatic Posting (SBWAP) | Self-Billing with Invoice Creation (SBINV) |
|---|---|
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Execution
Trigger the updates to, and the creation of, billing documents and journal entries in SAP S/4HANA.
- SAP Self-Billing Cockpit triggers the update and (if needed) creation of clearing documents in SAP S/4HANA.
- During processing, billing documents and journal entries are updated with the reference numbers that were transmitted by the buyer to ensure an automated allocation of the payment amounts and the respective clearing later on.
Confirmation
Receive confirmation back from SAP S/4HANA and mark the self-billing document as confirmed.
If billing documents have been successfully created in the integrated system, the self-billing document is confirmed. Otherwise, the system displays the relevant error messages.
Overview of Architecture
Usually buyers send the self-billing documents with external format like EDIFACT, Odette, VDA, and more. SAP Self-Billing Cockpit provides two SOAP APIs with XML to receive the self-billing documents from buyers. SAP recommends using the SAP Integration Suite to achieve the message mapping from external format to XML format. The supplier can use other middleware to achieve the message mapping.
SAP Self-Billing Cockpit is a cloud-native application deployed in SAP BTP, Cloud Foundry environment. It is integrated with the back-end system by OData and SOAP APIs. SAP Self-Billing Cockpit supports smooth integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud (with scope item 4H2 enabled). It also supports integration as of SAP S/4HANA 2020 FPS02. Furthermore, SAP Self-Billing Cockpit supports the integration with multiple SAP S/4HANA systems to have a single entry point for self-billing processing.
Note
You can find the detailed information in the released note: 2967401 - SAP Self-Billing Cockpit: Release Information Note.
Self-Billing Transactions by Automated Processing in a Unified Solution
SAP Self-Billing Cockpit streamlines self-billing transactions by automated processing in a unified solution.
SAP Self-Billing Cockpit has capabilities such as:
- Simulation
- Simulate processing and show results prior to document creation
- Invoice simulation in case of retroactive billing
- Monitor for all transmissions merging variants in legal processing and supply-chain
- Error Analysis & mass changes
- Integration to SAP S/4HANA Cloud/ OP back-end
- Autonomy in innovation due to "Deploy with Confidence"
Therefore, it can bring suppliers benefits such as:
- Monitor for all transmissions merging variants in legal processing (SBWAP + SBINV) and supply-chain in one central entry point. This allows suppliers to manage self-billing processes simply and holistically.
- Enhance efficiency through automated result simulation before execution - to avoid the creation of billing documents that have to be deleted again in case of issues.
- Gain greater visibility of issues with an intuitive user interface - for those of you who know the old self-billing solution in ECC, you will know what I am talking about.
- Get early insight into types of errors through error analysis.
- Reduce errors using automated processing.
- Save time through mass change capabilities.
SAP Self-Billing Cockpit Value Drivers
Reduction in customer billing, credit and collections cost by monitoring and manage self-billing processes holistically, simplifying the billing process.
Reduction of invoice error rate by having greater visibility to issues with an intuitive user interface, and early insight into types of errors through error analysis.
Reduce employee manual transaction effort by using automated processing, helping billing clerks to easily detect and process differences between the internal invoice and the corresponding self-billing document.
Reduce accounts receivable management cost by preparing self-billing documents for clearing in accounts receivables.
Differences Between the Old Solution in ECC and SAP S/4HANA
SAP Self-Billing Cockpit is the strategic SAP standard solution for self-billing: Functionality in SAP S/4HANA (transactions VSB1 and VSB1N is deprecated and future innovations will only be delivered in SAP Self-Billing Cockpit). In the following sections, you learn about the differences between the two solutions.
SAP Self-Billing Cockpit is SAP’s strategic solution to streamline your self-billing processes.
| SAP Self-Billing Cockpit | Old Solution | |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture Details |  Industry Cloud Solution built on SAP BTP |  Component within SAP S/4HANA |
| Modern & Intuitive UX |  One UX for SBWAP & SBINV based on SAP Fiori |  SBWAP: VSB1N / SBINV: just idoc processing |
| Roadmap Status | Strategic solution | No roadmap, solution deprecated |
| Tax Data Checks | Verification of transmitted tax data | Not available |
| Automatic Result Simulation | Check results before posting in SAP S/4HANA | Not available |
| Error Detection and Handling | Detect & eliminate errors early in the process | Not available |
| Mass Change Capabilities | Efficiently edit self-billing documents | Not available |
| Continuous Feature Delivery | Innovation delivered continuously* | Not available |
| Multiple Backend Support | Connect SBC to multiple SAP S/4HANA systems | Not available |
| Analytics | Leverage modern analytics capabilities | Not available |
*included in subscription, adjustments in SAP S/4HANA might be required.
Old Self-Billing Functionality
The existing Self-Billing Solution in SAP S/4HANA is deprecated and will not receive any innovations in the future. This means that to benefit from the innovative features that are already available in SAP Self-Billing Cockpit will not be For SBINV pure IDoc processing only. No monitor is available. Simplification Item.
New SAP Self-Billing Cockpit
How does the new solution differ from the existing?
- Two transactions (SBWAP + SBINV) are combined in one solution supporting multiple legal requirements across different countries/regions.
- Established and intuitive User Interface based on SAP Fiori.
- Automatic result simulation capability.
- Easy error detection due to color coding and more detailed differentiation of differences – shown are, for example, also tax differences.
- Mass change capabilities in case of errors in self-billing documents.
- Option to take notes on status or required action.
Hint
If you want to learn more about the solution capabilities and the look-and-fell in a hands-on manner, register for the SAP Self-Billing Cockpit Free Trial. In the free trial, you can walk through the solution, following guided tours that have been curated to emphasize its key functionalities.
Hint
Check out the latest road map for SAP Self-Billing Cockpit in SAP Road Map Explorer.
| Discover SAP Self-Billing Cockpit on SAP Store |  Hint Discover the SAP Self-Billing Cockpit in the SAP Store. |
| Help Portal for SAP Self-Billing Cockpit |  Hint Get more product information about the SAP Self-Billing Cockpit on SAP Help Portal. |
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