Integration Overview

Introduction

SAP Ariba sourcing is a procurement tool used to manage the whole sourcing lifecycle process from source to pay. SAP Ariba can be used to manage sourcing events and select suppliers. Keelvar complements this solution by providing optimization capabilities.

The Keelvar SAP Ariba Connector is making the procurement journey even simpler by synchronizing information between the two systems and making the most of an integrated solution synchronizing from SAP Ariba to Keelvar and exporting data to SAP Ariba Sourcing.

Please reach out to your customer success manager or our support team (support@keelvar.com) if you are interested in the SAP Ariba connector. The request will be reviewed and approved by Keelvar’s Sales Team before being forwarded to Keelvar’s Integration Team for processing.

SAP Ariba Connector Flow

Users trigger the desired sourcing event in SAP Ariba and then send it to Keelvar. Within Keelvar, the SAP Ariba-initiated event is created and launched, Bids are collected and validated, cost models are built, and optimized award scenarios are analyzed. The final award data is sent to SAP Ariba for downstream processing.


Figure 1. SAP Ariba Connector Flow

Data synchronization

The data synchronization between the system flows in one linear direction:

  • Supplier data is synchronized from Ariba to Keelvar in real-time.

  • Line item data is synchronized from Ariba to Keelvar only if it is defined in Ariba in the first place. Otherwise, it should be synchronized from Keelvar to Ariba.

  • Bid data is synchronized from Keelvar to Ariba.

  • Allocation data is synchronized from Keelvar to Ariba.

  • Event state is synchronized from Keelvar to Ariba.

This applies to standard and large capacity events, subject to SAP Ariba event size limitations.

If there are changes to the line items or suppliers defined on the SAP Ariba event, when they're published in SAP Ariba, the Connector will synchronize those changes to the event in Keelvar Sourcing Optimizer. In certain cases - e.g. adding line item - the event may need to be paused before the change can be made, and resumed thereafter. This is handled automatically by the Connector.

For supplier data or line-items originated in SAP Ariba the data should be maintained in SAP Ariba. Data is only transferred from Keelvar to SAP Ariba when the event is awarded and closed.

Event information 

Event information is transferred from SAP Ariba to Sourcing Optimizer on the initial import of the event to Keelvar.

  • Event name defined in SAP Ariba becomes the event name Sourcing Optimizer.
  • The Ariba event identifier (Document ID) will be automatically populated in Keelvar as an event tag.
  • Event start and end time is shared from SAP Ariba event to Sourcing Optimizer.
  • Project team members from SAP Ariba are added to the event team in Sourcing Optimiser with appropriate permissions. Users are only added if corresponding accounts exist in Keelvar.
  • Attachments in the SAP Ariba event are transferred to Keelvar as corresponding supporting documents on initial import.
  • The primary event currency from SAP Ariba is set as the primary currency in Keelvar.

Templates

The information exchanged between SAP Ariba and Keelvar comprises of the content aspect of the events, not the structure. Templates are used to transfer the structure of an Event from SAP Ariba to Keelvar. 

Within SAP Ariba sourcing, projects originate from templates that outline event-specific rules and information categories. To seamlessly integrate this process into Keelvar, the integration setup involves generating an event in Keelvar's system that mirrors the template present in SAP Ariba. These templates essentially encapsulate the foundational framework of the event:

  • Bid Sheet Structure
  • Cost Calculation
  • Event Settings
  • RFI
  • Supplier welcome message

There can be one or more templates configured in SAP Ariba to push events to Keelvar. These may be selected from a list, or configured in SAP Ariba to be only available depending on some header information defined when creating the SAP Ariba event - e.g. commodity. There is also the option of setting up a blank template, so the Bid sheet structure will be designed in SO for each event. 

There are two possible template configurations:

  • Bid structure is defined in Keelvar - Source of truth is Keelvar: On event launch in SAP Ariba the blank template is created in Keelvar. The Bid structure is defined in Keelvar and pushed to SAP Ariba on event closure.
  • Bid structure replicating SAP Ariba Event - Source of truth is SAP Ariba: When the event is launched in SAP Ariba the Connector creates a replica of the template in Keelvar to match the event in SAP Ariba. For the content to flow between both platforms, column names and settings need to be identical on both sides.

Templates are configured during integration set-up with the support of the Professional Services team.

SAP Ariba Integration FAQs

  • Yes, both project types are supported. It's important to highlight that with quick projects, an event is instantly generated, activating the connector simultaneously. In contrast, for full projects, the connector is triggered only when an event is created, not upon the project's initiation. 

  • No, it is not possible. An event needs to be created in order to trigger the connector.

  • The bidding data will not flow to Ariba initially; however, it is possible to manually configure which columns should be exported to Ariba if required. It is important to note that column setup occurs during the initial configuration and is not a per-event setup. For more information and assistance with this process, please don't hesitate to contact Keelvar Support at .

  • Yes, it is possible to have templates for different types of events such as Auctions, RFQ or RFI only events.

  • Event name, event welcome message, business contact, bid open/close time, event team, attachments, suppliers, items. Other elements can be configured as part of the event template used in Keelvar SO – e.g. cost calculation, event settings, RFI, and supporting documents. The event name and suppliers are the minimum elements to be transferred from SAP Ariba.

  • Yes, there are specific guidelines regarding line-item limits in SAP Ariba, based on the event's size and the number of terms involved. For large-capacity events, the limits depend on the number of terms, while for standard-capacity events, they vary based on the same criteria.

  • Yes, but the preferred path is to send awarded items from Keelvar to SAP Ariba sourcing and then have them flow into contracts from there. The features used to export data to SAP Ariba Sourcing and to Ariba Contracts are configured separately, so exporting to both systems is possible.

  • Yes, there is a supplier limit for large-capacity events in SAP Ariba, with similar considerations for invited bidders.

  • No, column names cannot be changed once the structure has been sent to Keelvar.

  • Suppliers must be added to the SAP Ariba event and will transfer to Keelvar’s Invite page with the option to invite from Keelvar. Suppliers must not be added in Keelvar.

  • All closing bids will be transferred to SAP Ariba sourcing with winning bids flagged. Winning bids are the result of the chosen scenario in Keelvar.

  • Yes, if no line items are defined on the SAP Ariba event on initial publish, you can use Keelvar as if Keelvar was being used stand-alone; however, suppliers must come from SAP Ariba. This is so Keelvar knows where to map the bids too when pushing back into SAP Ariba after the bid.

  • Once the bid is complete, users can create and evaluate scenarios. Once the decided “Award Scenario” is created, then the user can close the event and communicate the award (step 7 within Keelvar’s waterfall navigation). This will automatically trigger the export of the data back to the SAP Ariba event. A manual scenario will be created that reflects the allocations of the “Award Scenario” in Keelvar, and the SAP Ariba event will be awarded using that scenario.

  • Users have to log into both applications. SSO can be configured on Keelvar with SAP Ariba as the Identity Provider (IdP). This would mean that users would only have to enter their SAP Ariba credentials, and could automatically login to Keelvar using SSO.

  • As a project owner, it is very likely you have been added automatically as an event administrator. Therefore, the event can be found in your Keelvar dashboard. The SAP Ariba document ID will be added to the Keelvar event tag (e.g. SAP Ariba Document ID: Doc1392405204).

  • You are able to manually add any team members to your events at any time. It is also possible to map SAP Ariba User Groups with the Keelvar Teams template to automatically give access to specific team members once an event is created in Keelvar. The mapping is done by engineering in the connector.