Creating Event Content using Microsoft Excel

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to create event content using Microsoft Excel

Importing Event Content Using Microsoft Excel

SAP Ariba Sourcing allows you to import sourcing event data from and export data to Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. This feature helps you to enter a large volume of data quickly or save event information outside of SAP Ariba Sourcing, or to collaborate with colleagues.

Using the Microsoft Excel options allows users to:

  • Build much of the event using Microsoft Excel instead of the SAP Ariba Sourcing user interface.
  • Copy content from one event to another, for example RFI to RFP, RFP to Auction.
  • Reuse the event content if you build an event and discover you selected the wrong event type.
  • Provide data to someone who doesn’t have access to SAP Ariba Sourcing.

Importing Content

To view the import menu, choose the Spreadsheet import/export icon.

Choose import method and upload file screen.
  1. Choose SAP Ariba Simplified format (items/questions only).

    The import options appear.

  2. Choose Line items or Questions, requirements, and attachments.
  3. Choose one of the following:
    • Add or edit event content.
    • Replace event content.
  4. To download the simplified Excel file, choose download.
  5. When the download completes, open the file in Microsoft Excel. To add line items, add or edit rows in the Line Items sheet; to add questions, add or edit rows in the Content sheet.
  6. To delete any row, in the Delete column, enter Yes and save your changes.
  7. In the Choose import method and upload file popup, use the file upload area (Drag and drop a "Simplified" format Excel sheet, click to browse) to drag and drop, or select your edited Excel file.
  8. Choose Import.

If an error occurs, you must correct the problem in your Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. If you choose Cancel, you are taken back to the Import Content from Excel page. Browse to your file again and try again to import it.

Not all errors cause an error to be displayed. For example, if you accidentally changed an optional column heading, the system ignores it during import, and the expected data under the column doesn’t appear. Always verify that the data you think you loaded is displayed online.

When the template is error free, SAP Ariba Sourcing returns you to the page from which you opened theImport Content from Excel page. Look through the imported information to see if it’s what you intended. If necessary drag and drop, or copy and paste the information to order it correctly.

Demonstration

Watch the video on how to import content via Microsoft Excel.

Importing Line Items from Excel

DemoStart Demo

Creating Content Using Smart Import

Smart Import from Excel

Smart import from Excel enables you to create content for an RFP event by importing data from an unstructured Excel file that contains one or more sheets including sheets for items, questions, and requirements.

You can import content from an unstructured Excel file while creating an RFP event or by editing an RFP event that is in draft state.

You can download sample Excel files for single-sheet import, multisheet import, and material master import from the Upload Excel file for smart import page. Sample Excel files are only for reference and aren’t meant to enforce any structure or format.

Smart import options for uploading an Excel file.

The unstructured Excel file must contain the contents for the RFP event in tables that include a header row. SAP Ariba Sourcing identifies the table structure in each of the worksheets and interprets the data to populate content such as items, questions, and requirements for the RFP event. You can review and revise the mapping from the SAP Ariba Sourcing UI before the populated content is added to the event.

The content to be imported from the unstructured Excel file should be in a simple table format. Data in complex tables aren'tsupported for import from unstructured Excel file.

Excel file is in a simple table format.

Note

A simple table contains a maximum of one level of header (row, column, or both), whereas a complex table contains multiple levels of headers (rows, columns, or both). A complex table may also contain merged or straddled cells.

When you import content from an unstructured, multi-sheet Excel file, SAP Ariba Sourcing provides suggestions for mapping the sheets in the Excel file to supported content types:

  • Items
  • Questions
  • Requirements

You can either confirm these suggestions or modify the suggestions as required. If any of the sheets ddon'trender to a direct mapping to a content type, the sheet is marked as a sheet that won'tbe imported. If you ddon’tot agree with the suggestion, you can add the sheet to the import. If you choose to add the sheet to the import, a mapping is assigned to the sheet by SAP Ariba Sourcing. You can confirm or modify the mapping as necessary.

Depending on the number of sheets and mapping to content type, the preview page contains up to 3 tabs:

  • Preview items
  • Preview questions
  • Preview requirements
In the Line Items , Quantity column, choose More, then Edit.

After you confirm the mappings, the contents from the Excel sheet are uploaded to tthe event,vent and a preview is displayed for your review and confirmation.

You can use the Manage worksheets option to review and modify the sheet mappings after importing the content. You can preview the contents that you added to the event and modify mappings of the fields as necessary. When you review the field mappings for an item, you can choose to modify the mapping, mark the mapping as reviewed, or delete the field.

In Manage Worksheets, choose +Include this sheet.

Restrictions

The following restrictions apply to smart import from unstructured excel files to create RFP event line items:

  • Unstructured Excel file-based import is supported only for the locale EN.
  • Unstructured Excel file-based import isn't supported for sites connecting through Russia Data Center.
  • Unstructured Excel file-based import isn't supported for the following types of events:
    • Auctions
    • RFI events
    • Large-capacity events
  • Excel files of only .xls or .xlsx formats are supported for import of line-item content to an RFP event.
  • The following items aren't supported for import from the unstructured Excel file:
    • Sections.
    • Multiple tables or content types on the same sheet.
    • Mix of content, such as terms, questions, and requirements, in the same table.
    • Conditions.
    • Complex formulas, such as SUM, AVERAGE, and so on, are not supported.
    • Prerequisite questions.
  • Importing content from an Excel file to an event replaces any content that was already added to the event.

Follow the Procedure of Importing Content from an Unstructured Excel File While Creating an RFP Event in the Event Management Guide.

Using Smart Import

DemoStart Demo

Viewing and Adding Intelligent Recommendations for Questions in Guided Sourcing

Recommended Content

SAP Ariba recommends questions to include in a guided sourcing event based on event, item, commodity, region, department, and supplier data in the current event and similar past events, and on questions you asked in similar past events.

Information used to generate the recommendation includes item name; event name; department; commodity and region, both at the event and item level; and suppliers added to the current event. After you train the machine learning model, the recommendation is also based on information from similar past events, including event, item, and supplier information, and questions you asked in similar past events.

For all fields except Question and Event name, if the data used to train the machine learning model mostly includes values for these fields, they are used in the recommendation. However, if these fields are mostly empty in the training data, they aren't used in the recommendation.

If you've retrained the machine learning model, data used to make the recommendation also includes past experience with the model. For example, if the model recommends 10 questions and the user chooses only six of them, then the next time you retrain the machine learning model, this information is used to refine the model.

Procedure

  1. Open a guided sourcing event for editing. If the event is published, choose the More actions icon (...) in the upper-right corner of the event page and select Event options,Edit event.

    If SAP Ariba Sourcing has recommended content for the event, a band appears at the top of the Questions, requirements, and attachments panel, stating We have content recommendations.

  2. In the band, choose Add content from recommendations.The Add recommended content panel appears, showing the list of recommended questions and the number of previous events that contained these questions.
  3. From the Add recommended content panel, choose the check boxes next to the questions you want to add. Then, select Add at the bottom of the panel.

    When you add a question, the question's response type, initial value, and attachments, if any, are automatically added.

    To deselect a question after you've selected it, uncheck the checkbox next to the question. To select all questions, choose the checkbox next to Questions in the Add recommended content panel.

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