Managing Requisitions

Before submitting your request, comments and attachments can be added to support approvers ability to evaluate and make an approval decision. Additionally, comments and attachments can be made visible to suppliers on the resulting purchase orders by selecting the Visible to Suppliers checkbox. This ensures suppliers can see comments and attachments on the purchase orders in SAP Business Network for Procurement.​

Comments and attachments can be added at either the header level or the line item level.

To add comments or attachments at the header level of a PR:

1. Open the PR.
2. Scroll down and find the Comments and Attachments sections.
3. Add comments or attachments as needed.
4. Optionally, mark comments or attachments visible to suppliers to allow visibility by suppliers on resulting Purchase Orders.

Attachments and comments can be added at the item level of the purchase requisition. This option is particularly useful when the purchase requisition includes items from different suppliers. It allows the requester to dedicate specific comments and attachments to each supplier.

To add attachments or comments to a PR line item:

1. Select the line item from the list in the PR.
2. Open the Actions menu.
3. Select Edit.
4. On the line item details page, scroll down and select the Add Comment or Add Attachment buttons.
5. Optionally, users can mark comments or attachments as Visible to Supplier which would make them available for suppliers to view on the resulting Purchase Order.

An approval flow is a set of rules that determine the approval process for a specific type of document, such as a purchase requisition. This flow can be represented as a diagram that includes approval request nodes and arcs.​

• Nodes: Each node specifies an approver, which can be an individual user, a group, or an approver list. The approver receives updates on the progress of the approvable item.​
• Arcs: Arcs are lines that show the order in which approval requests are processed.​

This visual representation helps ensure a clear and organized approval process.

Approvers can be arranged in two ways:​

Parallel: Notifies all approvers simultaneously. For example, both Gene Halas and the Purchasing Manager group receive the document at the same time.

Serial: Notifies approvers one after the other. For example, Archie Rooney and the Purchasing Agent are notified only after Gene Halas has approved the document.​

For a document to be fully approved and advance through the system, all required approvers must approve it. Approvers can either approve or deny entire documents, not individual items. For example, a requisition with multiple line items must be either entirely approved or entirely denied; approvers cannot approve or deny individual line items separately.

Approval flows can contain various types of approval nodes:​

Individual User: A user added to the approval flow, typically part of a supervisory chain or identified on the document being approved.​

Group: Any member of the group can approve or deny the document. The first user to act completes the approval requirement, moving the request to the next node or withdrawing it if denied. Groups must be predefined via user groups.​

Approval List: A combination of individual users and groups. The first user to act, whether an individual or a group member, completes the approval requirement for the entire node.

A requisition is a formal request to purchase a product or service, typically initiated by a business. It requires approval from designated users before any action can be taken. Once approved, the request can be acted upon. For example, after a purchase requisition is fully approved, SAP Ariba generates a purchase order and sends it to the supplier.

To submit a purchase requisition for approval, fill out all required fields, then select the Submit button.

A requisition's status indicates its current stage in the approval and fulfillment process. You can always find the requisition status in the top right corner of the document.

Common statuses in a purchase requisition include:

• Draft – PR is being created and not yet submitted.

• Submitted – PR has been submitted for approval.

• Composing – PR is still being edited.

• Denied – PR was rejected during the approval process.

• Approved – PR is fully approved and ready for further processing.

• Ordering – PR is in the process of generating a purchase order.

• Ordered – Purchase order has been created from the PR and PO has been delivered to the supplier.

• Partially Ordered – Only part of the PR has been converted into a PO.

• Receiving – Some items have been received, but not the total amount or quantity.

• Received – Items or services have been received.

• Closed – PR is complete; no further action needed.

• Canceled – PR was canceled before completion.

To edit a saved requisition, select the Edit button. Requisitions with a status of Composing or Submitted can be edited. Editing a requisition places it back in the Composing state.​

Additionally, users with the appropriate group membership can edit a requisition during the approval process pending approval edit rules permit.

The requester (or certain users of specific purchasing groups) can delete a purchase requisition if the document is in the Composing status. If the requisition has already been submitted, the requester must first withdraw it before deleting.

Whenever someone takes action on a requisition, such as submitting, changing, or approving it, the system tracks it in the History tab of the PR. This ensures that all modifications and updates are documented, promoting transparency and accountability.

Play the video to learn how to change Purchase Requisitions.

To import requisitions for material and service items from an external ERP system, navigate to: ​

Core Administration → Site Manager → Import/Export → Data Import/Export task

Imported requisitions can include individual line items and kit line items.​

For material line items, requisition documents are sent in cXML format to the buying solution through the SAP Business Network. Once processed into an order, the purchase order is dispatched to the appropriate supplier through the SAP Business Network.​

The requisition import functionality allows you to:​

• Create new requisitions​.
• Update previously imported requisitions.​
• Cancel/delete previously imported requisitions.