Quote automation configuration and integration guide

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Quote automation configuration and integration guideAriba NetworkSAP Ariba Discovery

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Quote automation configuration and integration guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Ariba Network is now part of SAP Business Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

New menus for the 2105 release. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7User interface changes for buyers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

About quote automation in Ariba Network and SAP Ariba Discovery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Quote automation feature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Enabling quote automation functionality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Quote automation restrictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Flow of QuoteRequest and QuoteMessage cXML documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Quote automation workflows for buyers and suppliers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Contents of RFQ event and supplier's quote. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Restrictions on attachments to RFQ postings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Adding users to manage RFQ postings on Ariba Discovery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Inviting suppliers to bid on RFQ postings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Awarding the business to suppliers and sending the bid information to the ERP system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Notifications in quote automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Viewing RFQs and quotes received on Ariba Network for troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Topics about configuring quote automation in Ariba Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26About configuring quote automation in Ariba Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Role of posting configuration templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30How to configure the flow of RFQ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39How to configure the supplier category matching rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39How to configure the Standard posting configuration template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41How to create a new posting configuration template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42How to add attachments to a posting configuration template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44How to configure a custom commodity mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45How to map currency exchange rates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46How to enable sending supplier bid and buyer award attachments with Quote Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . 47How to restrict the visibility of the opportunity amount to suppliers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47How to configure the QuoteMessage flow rule to send supplier bid rejection information. . . . . . . . . . . . . 48How to configure a quote automation rule to allow buyers to select currency while awarding. . . . . . . . . . 48How to duplicate a posting configuration template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49How to configure a quote automation rule to automatically attach all bids while awarding. . . . . . . . . . . . 49How to configure an RFQ template for custom language fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

2 PUBLICQuote automation configuration and integration guide

Content

How to create a report template for generating RFQ related reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Topics about configuring business units in Ariba Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52About business units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52How to create a business unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53How to manage business units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54How to activate a business unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55How to assign a business unit during user creation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Topics about configuring quote groups in Ariba Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57About quote groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57How to create quote groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58How to invite vendors using quote groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Topics about supplier enablement in quote automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Supplier enablement in quote automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Supplier enablement for suppliers matched by SAP Ariba Discovery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62Enablement of suppliers specified in RFQ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62Managing supplier enablement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

How to enable public supplier enablement for RFQ postings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63How to customize and preview the quote automation invitation notification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Topics about integration of your ERP with Ariba Network for quote automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Integration of your ERP with Ariba Network for quote automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

The QuoteRequest document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66The QuoteMessage document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Configuring Oracle ERP for integration with quote automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71How to manage support for RFQ and QuoteMessage transactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Configuring SAP S/4HANA Cloud for integration with quote automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Configuring SAP ECC for integrating with quote automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Additional data validation in SAP ECC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76SAP ECC integration requirements and limitations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Configuring your system for Quote Request documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77The extension of IDoc REQOTE.ORDERS05. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Configuring the IDoc Partner Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78Activating the IDoc extension. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

About configuring your system for Quote Message documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79About RFC/ARBA/QUOTE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

About configuring the Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80About configuring SAP NetWeaver PI value mappings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80About configuring integration scenarios in the Integration Directory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81About Configuring and Activating the RFQ to Ariba Discovery Integration Scenario. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Quote automation ERP integration configuration tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Quote automation configuration and integration guideContent PUBLIC 3

How to configure the Integration Scenario. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82How to transfer the Integration Scenario. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82How to select the model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83How to assign components to the Integration Scenario. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83How to configure connections in the Integration Scenario. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84How to generate objects for the Integration Scenario. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85How to configure the communication channel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85How to configure the interface determination settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86How to activate the Integration Scenario. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86How to configure the Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver to send QuoteRequest documents to Ariba Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87How to upgrade and configure the cXML Adapter version for the communication channel. . . . . . . . . 87Messages mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88


Content

Quote automation configuration and integration guide

This guide is for SAP Ariba administrators responsible for configuring direct integration between the ERP systems, Ariba Network, and SAP Ariba Discovery to quickly build and publish tactical Request for Quotation (RFQ) events (RFQs and RFQ responses).

Quote automation automates the flow of RFQs and RFQ responses.

This guide applies to:

● SAP Ariba Discovery

Related guides

● Buying on SAP Ariba Discovery● Selling on SAP Ariba Discovery

Quote automation configuration and integration guideQuote automation configuration and integration guide PUBLIC 5

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Ariba Network is now part of SAP Business Network

What is SAP Business Network?

SAP Business Network is a cloud-based collaboration offering that can help you transform disconnected supply chains into unified, collaborative, and intelligent networks that remove barriers and centralize data.

With a unified network, you can connect to all trading partners through a single directory, collaborate using shared data and workflows, and apply network-wide intelligence to guide decisions and improve your business.

Is SAP Business Network a new or different network?

No; SAP Business Network is the new solution name for the trading partner portal that all Ariba Network suppliers use as part of SAP's unified network vision. The transaction network behind the portal remains branded as Ariba, and remains operated by Ariba Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of SAP SE).

What exactly is renamed to SAP Business Network and what stays Ariba Network?

Two supplier experiences are renamed as SAP Business Network: the trading relationship request invitation-based onboarding for enterprise accounts, and the supplier homepage and workbench for all enterprise and standard accounts. All other network experiences remain branded with Ariba Network or SAP Ariba Supply Chain Collaboration.


Ariba Network is now part of SAP Business Network

New menus for the 2105 release

The Ariba Network Inbox and Outbox have been replaced with object-oriented menus for all buyers and suppliers. Menu items are now grouped logically by process, improving navigation and usability.

User interface changes for buyers

The Back to classic view link now appears at the top of each page.

The following table describes previous menu paths for buyers and their counterpart in the new object-oriented menus.

Old menu New menu

Home Dashboard Home Dashboard

Home Supply Chain Monitor Home Supply Chain Monitor

Home Supply Chain Dashboard Home Supply Chain Dashboard

Inbox Invoices Invoices Invoices

Inbox Timestamp Verification Invoices Timestamp Verification

Inbox Order Confirmation Fulfillment Order Confirmations

Inbox Ship Notices Fulfillment Ship Notices

Inbox Transport Confirmations Fulfillment Transport Confirmations

Inbox Service Sheets Fulfillment Service Sheets

Inbox AP Plus Transactions Payments AP Plus Transactions

Inbox Charge File Payments Charge File

Inbox Notifications Quick links Notifications

Inbox Unassigned Invoices Invoices Unassigned Invoices

Inbox Archived Invoices Invoices Archived Invoices

Inbox Pending Queue Quick links Pending Queue

Inbox Sales Orders Fulfillment Sales Orders

Inbox Component Receipts Fulfillment Extended collaboration

Quote automation configuration and integration guideNew menus for the 2105 release PUBLIC 7

Old menu New menu

Inbox Product Replenishment Fulfillment Product Replenishment

Outbox Orders and Releases For buyers without SAP Ariba Supply Chain Collaboration:

Orders Purchase Orders

For buyers with SAP Ariba Supply Chain Collaboration:

Orders Orders and Releases

Outbox Extended Collaboration Fulfillment Extended collaboration

Outbox Time and Expense Sheets Fulfillment Time and Expense Sheets

Outbox Transport Requests Fulfillment Transport Requests

Outbox Discount Opportunities Payments Discount Opportunities

Outbox Scheduled Payments Payments Scheduled Payments

Outbox Remittances Payments Remittances

Outbox Receipts Fulfillment Goods Receipts

Outbox Scheduled Payments Files Payments Scheduled Payments Files

Outbox Payment Batches Payments Payment Batches

Outbox Requests for Quotation Orders Requests for Quotation

Outbox Requisitions Orders Requisitions

Outbox Inquiries Orders Order Inquiries

Outbox Component Shipments Fulfillment Extended collaboration

Outbox Documents to Resend Quick links Documents to resend

Outbox Product Activity Quick links Product Activity Messages

Quality Quality Review Quality Review

Quality Quality Inspection Quality Inspection

Quality Quality Notification Quality Notification

Quality Quality Setting Quality Setting

Planning Forecast Planning Forecast

Planning Planning Collaboration Planning Planning Collaboration

Planning Capacity Planning Capacity Collaboration

N/A Planning Sales Report

Customization Quick links Customization


New menus for the 2105 release

Old menu New menu

Catalogs Catalogs

Supplier Enablement Manage Vendors Supplier Enablement Manage Vendors

Supplier Enablement Active Relationships Supplier Enablement Active Relationships

Supplier Enablement Supplier Groups Supplier Enablement Supplier Groups

Supplier Enablement Contacts Supplier Enablement Contacts

Supplier Enablement Configure Supplier Enablement Configure

Supplier Enablement Upload Quality Codes Supplier Enablement Upload Quality Codes

Supplier Enablement Upload Part, Plant and Product Codes

Supplier Enablement Upload Part, Plant and Product Codes

Supplier Enablement Upload Carrier Codes Supplier Enablement Upload Carrier Codes

Supplier Enablement Monitor Supplier Enablement Monitor

Supplier Enablement Tasks Supplier Enablement Tasks

Supplier Enablement Supplier Information Portal Supplier Enablement Supplier Information Portal

Supplier Enablement Upload Vendors Supplier Enablement Upload Vendors

Administration Users Administration Users

Administration Configuration Administration Configuration

Administration Audit Administration Audit Log

Administration MasterList Administration MasterList

Administration Resend Copy Documents Quick links Documents to resend

Administration Replace Partner Administration Replace Partner

Reports Reports

Document Archive Archived Documents Quick links Archived Documents

Document Archive Download Status Quick links Download Status

File Downloads Quick links File Downloads

Messages Messages

Quote automation configuration and integration guideNew menus for the 2105 release PUBLIC 9

About quote automation in Ariba Network and SAP Ariba Discovery

Quote automation feature [page 10]

Enabling quote automation functionality [page 12]

Flow of QuoteRequest and QuoteMessage cXML documents [page 13]

Quote automation workflows for buyers and suppliers [page 14]

Contents of RFQ event and supplier's quote [page 16]

Adding users to manage RFQ postings on Ariba Discovery [page 19]

Inviting suppliers to bid on RFQ postings [page 20]

Awarding the business to suppliers and sending the bid information to the ERP system [page 21]

Notifications in quote automation [page 23]

Viewing RFQs and quotes received on Ariba Network for troubleshooting [page 24]

Quote automation feature

The quote automation feature is useful for procurement personnel who are tasked with occasional non-catalog purchases that involve low spend amounts and do not require complex sourcing processes. Quote automation provides a direct integration between your ERP system, Ariba Network, and SAP Ariba Discovery to quickly build and publish tactical Request for Quotation (RFQ) events.

Quote automation supports the following document types:

● QuoteRequestRepresents the RFQ event

● QuoteMessageRepresents the supplier’s response, and is also known as RFQ response.

Quote automation automates the flow of RFQs and RFQ responses.

When a procurement personnel creates a purchase requisition in the ERP system, an RFQ event originates in the ERP system and is sent across Ariba Network to SAP Ariba Discovery, where an RFQ posting is created and published. Once an RFQ event is posted on SAP Ariba Discovery, you cannot edit it. Quote automation provides you with full control about which suppliers to invite for bidding to your RFQ posting. You can have SAP Ariba Discovery match suppliers based on goods or service categories from your approved vendor list or public suppliers, or manually invite suppliers. Invited and matched suppliers receive notifications about the business opportunity from Ariba and they can respond to the RFQ posting on Ariba Discovery. Depending on your quote automation posting configuration, the winning bid can automatically be sent back to the originating ERP system with no required action in SAP Ariba Discovery, or a procurement agent can review the responses and award suppliers in SAP Ariba Discovery before the winning bids are sent to the ERP system.



Quote automation supports the ability to invite suppliers specified in your RFQ. The invited supplier is asked to create an Ariba Network account through automated notifications, if they do not have an Ariba Network account. Once they have registered and created their company profile, their information becomes available for automatic matching of suppliers to RFQ postings on SAP Ariba Discovery.

Quote automation provides you with a powerful and fully configurable way to obtain quotes from suppliers for RFQ postings. Using the supplier-matching functionality provided by SAP Ariba Discovery, quote automation streamlines the process of selecting suppliers, evaluates bids from them, and awards business. You can configure quote automation to be fully automated. In this scenario, you only create a purchase requisition in the ERP system, and the winning bid automatically is sent back to the ERP system. You can also configure quote automation to invite suppliers of your choice to the bidding process, evaluate bids, and award the business to suppliers either in SAP Ariba Discovery or in the ERP system.

The following figure shows an example of how data flows between an ERP system and Ariba Network when there is a vendor match:

Buyers can use quote automation to perform the following tasks in SAP Ariba Discovery:

● Invite suppliers to bid on an RFQ posting.● Award the business to a supplier.● Split the business and award to different suppliers.● Export the supplier responses.

For detailed information about what buyers can do in SAP Ariba Discovery, refer to Buying on SAP Ariba Discovery.

Suppliers can use quote automation to perform the following tasks in SAP Ariba Discovery:

● Respond to an RFQ posting by providing a bid.● Add attachments to line items on a quote.● View the bid history for a quote.

For detailed information about what procurement personnel can do in SAP Ariba Discovery, refer to Selling on SAP Ariba Discovery.

Quote automation configuration and integration guideAbout quote automation in Ariba Network and SAP Ariba Discovery PUBLIC 11

Additional references

Enabling quote automation functionality [page 12]

Flow of QuoteRequest and QuoteMessage cXML documents [page 13]

Enabling quote automation functionality

To enable quote automation, please contact your Customer Success Manager or Account Manager for more information about quote automation.

Suppliers must be registered on Ariba Network to participate in the RFQ postings.

Quote automation restrictions

Quote automation has the following restrictions:

Restrictions for buyers

● Quote automation supports direct integration adapters to the Quadrem Network, Oracle ERP R11 or above, and SAP ECC 6.0 EHP0 or higher with SAP Process Integration 7.1 or higher.

● Quote automation supports only one default posting configuration template. You can create multiple posting configurations and make them active.

● SAP ECC and Oracle adapters only support the ability to send the lead bid or the manually awarded bid results back to the ERP system and do not support the ability to send all bidding results to the ERP system.

● Quote automation does not accept a QuoteRequest containing more than 100 line items.● If the Auto Award feature is enabled, Ariba Network automatically awards the lowest bid supplier. In a scenario

of partial bidding on an event, where one or more suppliers bid on the same line item(s) and with the same quantity, then Ariba Network automatically awards to the lowest bid supplier. In a scenario of full bidding on an event, where one or more suppliers bid on all the line items and for the full quantities, Ariba Network automatically awards the supplier with the lowest bid irrespective of the number of suppliers invited or matched.

● When the auto award functionality is enabled, and the posting configuration is configured to send all bids or lead bids to the ERP system, Ariba Network sends only the winning bid information.



Restrictions for suppliers

● Suppliers must have an Ariba Network account to respond to RFQ postings.

Flow of QuoteRequest and QuoteMessage cXML documents

The following steps describe the flow of QuoteRequest and QuoteMessage cXML documents:

Prerequisite: By default, the Ariba Network configures the flow of RFQs to Sourcing. To configure the flow of RFQs to SAP Ariba Discovery, you must change the the RFQ routing method to Ariba Network. However, you can control the flow of each RFQ by including an extrinsic when the the RFQ event is generated in the ERP system. This extrinsic overides the configured routing method in Ariba Network. For more information, refer About configuring quote automation in Ariba Network [page 26].

1. Procurement personnel generates a purchase requisition (RFQ event) in the ERP system. The RFQ event is required to create an RFQ posting in SAP Ariba Discovery.Your Ariba Network adapter converts the RFQ event to a QuoteRequest cXML document and sends it to Ariba Network. The QuoteRequest cXML document [page 16] contains header-level data and line-item level data. You can invite suppliers to bid on the RFQ posting by including supplier information in the RFQ event [page 20].Once Ariba Network receives the RFQ event, based on the posting configuration [page 30], the RFQ event is converted to an RFQ posting and published on SAP Ariba Discovery. Once the RFQ posting is published on SAP Ariba Discovery, you cannot edit any details of the RFQ posting.

NoteOnce you create an RFQ event in the ERP system, if you cannot see the RFQ posting on SAP Ariba Discovery, you can check for the status of the RFQ event on Ariba Network [page 24]. If you do not see the RFQ event on Ariba Network, you can check the log files of Ariba Network and the ERP system for troubleshooting.

2. Based on the details of the RFQ posting, SAP Ariba Discovery sends out email notifications [page 23] inviting the matched suppliers. You can configure the supplier matching rules for SAP Ariba Discovery, and invite specific suppliers to participate in bidding to the RFQ posting. For more information about how to configure supplier matching rules, refer About configuring quote automation in Ariba Network [page 26].

3. Using a link provided in the email invitation notification, the suppliers log in to SAP Ariba Discovery and view the RFQ posting.The suppliers can respond to the postings if they are interested. These supplier responses are known as bids.

4. Once the RFQ posting moves to the Closed state, you can review the bids received for the RFQ posting, and then select the preferred bidder to award the business [page 21]. You can manually close the RFQ posting anytime without the need for the RFQ posting to move to the Closed state.When you award the business, SAP Ariba Discovery sends the award information to the ERP system in the form of an RFQ response known as the QuoteMessage cXML document. The QuoteMessage cXML document [page 16]contains detailed information about the winning bid and the supplier.You can configure quote automation in such a way that all the supplier bids or the lead bids are sent to the ERP system [page 30]. Quote automation provides a facility to auto award the business to a supplier by analyzing


the bids for the lowest bidder. For more information about awarding the business, refer Awarding the business to suppliers and sending the bid information to the ERP system [page 21].

5. The winning bidder receives a notification email from SAP Ariba Discovery indicating that they have won the business. All the suppliers who have bid on the RFQ posting but did not win the business are notified by SAP Ariba Discovery that they have not won the business.


Quote automation workflows for buyers and suppliers [page 14]

About configuring quote automation in Ariba Network [page 26]

Quote automation workflows for buyers and suppliers

Buyer view

The following steps describe the high level workflow to obtain supplier bids for an RFQ posting:

1. The Ariba Network buyer administrator configures [page 26] the flow of RFQs via Ariba Network. By default, the flow of RFQs is set to Sourcing Pro.

2. If required, on the quote automation configuration page of Ariba Network, the buyer administrator performs all or some of the following steps:○ Configure the supplier matching rules○ Configure the posting configuration template○ Specify the currency exchange rates○ Specify the custom commodity codes

For more information, refer About configuring quote automation in Ariba Network [page 26].3. Buyer creates an RFQ event in the ERP system. The Ariba Network Adapter for ERP converts the RFQ event to a

QuoteRequest cXML document and sends it to Ariba Network. Ariba Network routes it to SAP Ariba Discovery for publishing as an RFQ posting.

4. The buyer administrator logs in to SAP Ariba Discovery to view the RFQ posting, and if required, invites specific suppliers.The buyer administrator can add users on Ariba Network and entrust them to handle tasks related to RFQ postings on SAP Ariba Discovery. For more information, refer Adding users to manage RFQ postings on Ariba Discovery [page 19].

5. Based on the details of the RFQ posting, SAP Ariba Discovery sends out email notifications to the matched suppliers to participate in the bidding process. The suppliers login to SAP Ariba Discovery and participate in bidding to the RFQ posting.

6. Once the bidding for the RFQ posting ends, the buyer administrator or the buyer users on Ariba Network can manually award the business to the suppliers. If the auto award option is enabled by the buyer administrator,



SAP Ariba Discovery automatically awards the business to the supplier who has provided the lowest bid. Once the business is awarded, SAP Ariba Discovery sends the winning bid and supplier information in a QuoteMessage cXML document to the ERP system. If the buyer administrator or the buyer user has to contact a supplier, the profile page of the supplier on SAP Ariba Discovery allows a message to be sent to the supplier.

NoteYou can anytime manually close the RFQ posting, and then award the business to one or more suppliers, or perform the task of awarding in the ERP system. The posting configuration allows you to specify the type of bids that SAP Ariba Discovery sends to the buyer's ERP. For example, you can specify in the posting configuration whether all bids, or the lead bids, or only the winning bid information is sent to the ERP system.

The following diagram shows an example of buyer sequence of actions:

Supplier view

The following describes the workflow for a supplier:

1. Ariba Network sends invitations to the invited and vendor matched, to participate in the RFQ postings. Public SAP Ariba Discovery suppliers that match the product or service category are notified if the configuration rules allow.○ Invited and vendor matched suppliers receive an email notification containing a link to the RFQ posting and

indicating that they have been matched to an RFQ posting.○ Public SAP Ariba Discovery suppliers that match the product or service category for the RFQ posting

receive a notification from SAP Ariba Discovery indicating that they have been matched to an RFQ posting. Publicly invited suppliers receive a single digest notification that includes all the postings that match their capabilities. For more information, refer Inviting suppliers to bid on RFQ postings [page 20].


Suppliers click a link in the email notification that takes them to the SAP Ariba Discovery log in page.

NoteSuppliers that do not have an Ariba Network account must register before they can access the posting.

2. Suppliers log in to SAP Ariba Discovery to view details of the RFQ posting.3. If suppliers want to participate in the RFQ posting, they can initiate their response by providing a bid to the

posting. Suppliers can provide multiple bids for the same RFQ posting and see their bid history.

Note○ Suppliers subscribed to Quadrem need not provide payment details and a payment while bidding.

Suppliers can provide multiple bids for the same posting. Suppliers can see their bid history.○ Suppliers subscribed to Gold and Platinum subscription packages of Ariba, need not provide any

payment details or payment while bidding.○ For RFQ postings, SAP Ariba Discovery does not allow suppliers to ask questions to buyers.


Role of posting configuration templates [page 30]


Awarding the business to suppliers and sending the bid information to the ERP system [page 21]

Contents of RFQ event and supplier's quote

Contents of RFQ event

The QuoteRequest cXML document contains the following information:

● The open date for the RFQ posting● The close date for the RFQ posting● The commodity classification domain used by the ERP system to refer the line items● Supplier details whom you want to invite to participate in the bidding● Type of suppliers preferred for vendor matching● Type of supplier bid information to be sent to the ERP system● Lead time required● Comments● Line item information, such as:

○ Manufacturer Part ID



○ Manufacturer Name○ URL to refer the line item

The following line item details are displayed in the RFQ posting on SAP Ariba Discovery:

● Line item number● Name● Commodity● Estimated price and the currency● Quantity● Date by which the delivery is required● Address for which the delivery or service is required

The QuoteRequest cXML documents which do not contain the RFQ opening date, RFQ closing date, and line item information do not get published on SAP Ariba Discovery. For more information about viewing the RFQ events received on Ariba Network, refer Viewing RFQs and quotes received on Ariba Network for troubleshooting [page 24]. You can anytime close the RFQ posting on SAP Ariba Discovery.

NoteIf the QuoteRequest cXML document specifies attributes for the following elements:

● quoteReceivingPreferenceThis element specifies the type of bid information that the ERP system will accept. If this element specifies an attribute, then the specified attribute will override the posting configuration setting where you specify the type of bid information to be sent to the ERP system.

● matchingTypeThis element specifies the type of vendors to be matched for the RFQ posting. If this element specifies an attribute, then the specified attribute will override any vendor matching configurations that you specify in quote automation rules.

Buyers can use the comments tag in the QuoteRequestHeader section of the cXML QuoteRequest document to provide generic RFQ posting level comments such as payment terms and delivery terms that apply to all the line-items of an RFQ posting. Quote automation captures the comments provided in the cXML QuoteRequest header and displays them on the RFQ posting details page.

NoteThere is no limit to the number of characters that you can include in the comments. SAP Ariba recommends to keep the comments short.

The QuoteRequest cXML document can contain the following information for each line item:

● Requested Delivery Date● Supplier Part ID● Supplier Part Auxilliary ID● Manufacturer Part ID● Manufacturer Name● Buyer Part ID● URL● Lead time● Tax Description


● Shipping Terms● Comment

If the QuoteRequest cXML document contains any of this information and the fields for displaying the information is configured in posting configuration, SAP Ariba Discovery displays it on the Provide Your Quote window for suppliers. The supplier can use this information to understand more about the required product or category, and provide a competitive bid. Depending on the way these fields for displaying the information is configured in the posting configuration, the supplier can also edit these fields to modify the information.

When buyers create RFQs with attachments at the header or line-item level, Ariba Network includes the attachments in the RFQ posting in SAP Ariba Discovery accordingly.

When buyers update an RFQ in the ERP system with new attachments, Ariba Network replaces any existing attachments in the RFQ posting on SAP Ariba Discovery.

Contents of supplier's quote (QuoteMessage cXML document)

You can consult with the procurement personnel and decide the type of information that you will require a supplier to submit while bidding to an RFQ posting on SAP Ariba Discovery. The type of information submitted by suppliers in bidding can help you evaluate the suppliers as per your requirements. Once you finalize the required information that a supplier should provide for a bid, you can configure the quote template fields in the posting configuration so that the supplier provides the required information. The quote template fields allow you to define the information required from a supplier. Ariba Network generates the QuoteMessage cXML document using the currency specified by supplier.

By default, the quote template provided in the posting configuration by SAP Ariba Discovery contains the following required fields:

Table 1: Required fields of the quote template

Field name Description

Unit Price The price for each unit of the line item.

Quantity The quantity of line item that the supplier can deliver.

Total cost of the bid The total cost includes the shipping cost and the tax.

Tax The tax calculated on the bid.

Shipping Cost The shipping cost for the delivery of the line items.

Ship To The address to which the line items will be delivered.

You cannot remove the required fields from the quote template in the posting configuration. For more information about how to include more fields in the quote template or modify the fields, refer to Role of posting configuration templates [page 30].

Ariba Network administrators can configure a default transaction rule in Ariba Network to allow sending supplier bid responses and buyer award related attachments with Quote Messages to ERP systems.




How to enable sending supplier bid and buyer award attachments with Quote Messages [page 47]

Restrictions on attachments to RFQ postings

For buyers:

● Buyers can add attachments to RFQ postings only if the RFQ is in the preview state and not open for bidding.● On SAP Ariba Discovery, buyers cannot edit or upload attachments for RFQ postings.● Ariba Network supports all file formats for attachments to the RFQ postings, except for the following:

.adp, .app, .asp , .bat, .cer, .chm , .com, .cpl, .crt, .exe, .fxp, .hlp, .inf, .ins, .isp, .js, .jse, .ksh, .mad, .maf, .mag, .mar, .mas, .mat, .mav , .maw, .mda, .mde, .mdt, .mdw, .msc, .msi, .msp, .ops, .pcd, .pif, .prg, .pst, .reg, .sct , .shs, .tmp, .vb, .vbe, .vbs, .vss, .vst, .vsw, .wsc, .wsf, .wsh.

● By default, Ariba Network supports any number of attachments with a maximum combined size of 10 MB per RFQ posting. However, you can increase the attachment limit to a maximum of 100 MB by contacting your Designated Support Contact to log a service request.

For suppliers:

● Ariba Network supports all file formats for attachments to the RFQ responses, except for the following:.adp, .app, .asp , .bat, .cer, .chm , .com, .cpl, .crt, .exe, .fxp, .hlp, .inf, .ins, .isp, .js, .jse, .ksh, .mad, .maf, .mag, .mar, .mas, .mat, .mav , .maw, .mda, .mde, .mdt, .mdw, .msc, .msi, .msp, .ops, .pcd, .pif, .prg, .pst, .reg, .sct , .shs, .tmp, .vb, .vbe, .vbs, .vss, .vst, .vsw, .wsc, .wsf, .wsh.

● The size of the RFQ response or the Quote message document, including attachments, that Ariba Network can send to an ERP system depends on the value configured for your organization. This size can be configured to any value between 0 MB and 100 MB.

Adding users to manage RFQ postings on Ariba Discovery

You can add users on Ariba Network so that they can perform tasks, such as analyzing the bids or closing and awarding tasks on RFQ postings in SAP Ariba Discovery. Once you create users on Ariba Network, you can assign specific pre-defined roles to the users based on your requirement and then configure the permissions on the role.


For example, if you want to create a user with access to only postings on SAP Ariba Discovery, then you can assign the role of a Purchasing Manager to the user and provide Public Postings permission to the role. This user can only close and award postings on SAP Ariba Discovery. You can also add users and assign roles where the users can configure quote automation.

For more information about adding users and assigning roles, refer to Ariba Network Buyer Administration Guide.

Inviting suppliers to bid on RFQ postings

The different ways in which suppliers are invited to participate in an RFQ posting is described as follows:

● Suppliers specified in RFQ : You can invite suppliers to participate in bidding for an RFQ posting by including the details of one or more suppliers in the RFQ which is generated in the ERP system. If the suppliers invited in the RFQ do not have Ariba Network accounts, quick enablement invitation mails are sent to the suppliers to register on Ariba Network. Once the suppliers accept the invitation and register on Ariba Network, the suppliers can participate in bidding to the RFQ postings on SAP Ariba Discovery. By default, Ariba Network supplier enablement features are available for quote automation. For more information, refer to Topics about supplier enablement in quote automation [page 60].If the invited suppliers in the RFQ event already have Ariba Network accounts, Ariba Network sends email invitations to the suppliers. The invitations contain links to access the RFQ posting details on SAP Ariba Discovery. When the suppliers log on to SAP Ariba Discovery using the link, an option is provided to either use the existing Ariba Network account or create a new one.You can customize and preview the quote automation invitation email in the Supplier Enablement tab of Ariba Network. For more information, refer to Topics about supplier enablement in quote automation [page 60].

● Suppliers matched by SAP Ariba Discovery: Once an RFQ posting is posted, SAP Ariba Discovery automatically invites suppliers that match the product or service category for the RFQ posting from your approved vendor database in Ariba Network. Suppliers receive invitations informing that they are matched to the requirements of the RFQ posting. The email invitation contains a link to access the details of the RFQ posting on SAP Ariba Discovery. By default, SAP Ariba Discovery matches commodities with approved vendors unless you change the vendor matching rules for quote automation. SAP Ariba Discovery suppliers that are not part of the buyer's approved vendor database are known as public suppliers. Public suppliers are invited if you configure supplier category matching rules to allow all suppliers to be matched. Public invitations are sent by SAP Ariba Discovery to matching suppliers, similar to an SAP Ariba Discovery daily digest email notification. For more information about digest notification, refer Buying on SAP Ariba Discovery.You can control supplier matching for quote automation by configuring the supplier matching rules in Ariba Network. Public suppliers cannot view RFQ postings in SAP Ariba Discovery posting search results unless you configure vendor matching rules to allow public supplier matching.For more information about the different types of email notifications that SAP Ariba Discovery generates, refer to Notifications in quote automation [page 23].

Overriding supplier matching rules set in Ariba Network

SAP Ariba Discovery applies supplier matching rules specified in Ariba Network to an RFQ posting. However, if you want to over-ride the supplier matching rules set in Ariba Network, you can include the SupplierSelector element in the QuoteRequest cXML document and specify the matchingType attribute. Therefore, you can



include the matchingType element in the QuoteRequest document that is sent to the Ariba Network. Ariba Network uses the specified matching type for the RFQ posting. Any configured quote automation related supplier matching rules in Ariba Network are ignored.

For more information, refer to cXML Solutions Guide.

Inviting vendors to bid even when the Supplier Enablement activities are not completed

After the vendors are uploaded to Ariba Network, buyers can search and invite suppliers using vendor ID to bid on postings even when the vendors have not completed Supplier Enablement activities. This feature helps buyers to immediately get bid responses from the invited vendors.

After buyers invite vendors to bid on a posting, vendors receive the quote automation invitation notification. Vendors can register as a public supplier or consolidate with an existing public supplier on Ariba Network, and immediately bid on the posting without completing Supplier Enablement activities.

Awarding the business to suppliers and sending the bid information to the ERP system

Once an RFQ posting moves to the Closed state, where the RFQ posting is closed for further bidding by suppliers, you can award the business in any of the following two ways:

● Manually award the business to suppliers.When a posting moves to a Closed state, SAP Ariba Discovery sends an email notification to you and the users you have created on Ariba Network informing that it is time to create an award for the RFQ posting. You can log in to SAP Ariba Discovery and create an award for the RFQ posting. For more information, refer to Buying on SAP Ariba Discovery.Once you award the business, SAP Ariba Discovery notifies the winning bid suppliers and sends the winning bid information with the supplier details to the ERP system.

● SAP Ariba Discovery automatically awards the business to a supplier if the Ariba Network buyer administrator has enabled the Auto Award feature in the posting configuration template.If Auto Award feature is enabled, when the posting enters the Closed state, the lowest bid among suppliers who have bid for the full quantities of all the line items is selected and awarded. SAP Ariba Discovery notifies the winning bid supplier through an email and sends the winning bid information to the ERP system. Even when Auto Award is enabled, at any time before the RFQ posting moves to the Closed state, you can manually close the RFQ posting and award the business to the preferred supplier. Once you close the RFQ posting, you cannot reopen the RFQ posting for bidding.

NoteIn a scenario of partial bidding on an event, where one or more suppliers bid on the same line item(s) and with the same quantity, then Ariba Network automatically awards to the lowest bid supplier.

When the winning bidder's supplier information is sent to the ERP system, if the supplier details do not exist on the ERP system, sending the bid information fails and a notification is triggered to the buyer. For more information about this notification, refer Notifications in quote automation [page 23].


Splitting an award

You can split the business and award to multiple suppliers. You can either award different line items to different participating suppliers or you can split each line item either by percentage or by quantity and award to different participating suppliers. For example:

● If an RFQ posting has 5 line items, you can award 3 items to one supplier and 2 items to another supplier.● If an RFQ posting has 1line item containing 7 numbers quantity of the item, you can award 2 numbers to one

supplier and 5 numbers to another supplier.

The ability to split a business and award to mutiple suppliers is very helpful. For example, consider the following scenarios where you can use the split award functionality:

● Two suppliers bid with different lead times to supply the required items. Assume you need some quantity of the item immediately and then you can wait for the remaining quantity of the item. In this scenario, you can award some quantity of the line item to the supplier who requires the least time to supply.

● Assume, you need 100 numbers of line item 1. Two suppliers bid for the line item 1, but while one supplier can supply only 40, another supplier can supply only 70. In this scenario, you can award the business to both the suppliers by splitting the line items into the required quantities.

● Two suppliers bid to an RFQ posting. One of the suppliers is from the approved vendor list, while another supplier is a public supplier registered with SAP Ariba Discovery. You may prefer giving the business to a supplier from the approved vendor list, however you might also consider awarding some part of the business to a new supplier, so that you can hedge the risk of relying only on one supplier. In this scenario, you can use the split awarding feature.

When buyers split an award, for each line-item, quote automation highlights the supplier who quoted the lowest unit price. If more than one supplier quotes the same lowest unit price and the same quantity for a line-item, quote automation highlights all the supplier bids and buyers have to manually correct the bid to whom they want to award the business. However, if more than one supplier quotes the same lowest unit price but the quantitities are different, quote automation highlights the bid by the supplier who bid for the maximum quantity.

NoteEven before an RFQ posting moves to the Closed state, you can manually close the RFQ posting for further bidding by the suppliers. Once you close an RFQ posting, you cannot reopen the RFQ posting. If you want to reopen an RFQ posting, you have to create new RFQ from your ERP system.

Automatically sending the bid information to the ERP system

SAP Ariba Discovery can automatically send the bid information to the buyer's ERP. You can configure the posting configuration so that only the required type of bid information is sent to the ERP system.

In the posting configuration, you can choose one of the following types of bid information that SAP Ariba Discovery will automatically send to the ERP system:

● All bidsThe supplier bid is sent immediately to the ERP system whenever any supplier submits a bid. You can analyze the bids in the ERP system or store them in the ERP system.



NoteThe ability to send all supplier bids to the ERP system requires custom adapters. SAP ECC and Oracle adapters do not support the ability to send all bidding results to the ERP system.

● Winning bidsSAP Ariba Discovery sends only the winning bid and supplier information to ERP.

● Lead bidsLead bid is the latest bid provided by the supplier. For example, if a supplier has bid multiple times to an RFQ posting, the latest bid submitted by the supplier for an RFQ posting is considered as the lead bid. When an RFQ posting enters the Closed state, only the lead bids from all participating suppliers are sent sent to the ERP system.



How to configure a custom commodity mapping [page 45]

Notifications in quote automation

Notifications play an important role in quote automation. The following table describes the email notifications generated in quote automation.

Notification type Event that triggers notification

Buyer invites a supplier from the approved vendor list A supplier from the buyer's approved vendor list receives a notification inviting to participate in bidding to an RFQ posting. The notification contains a link which the supplier uses to access and view the details of the RFQ posting.

Buyer invites a supplier to register on SAP Ariba Discovery to participate in bidding

When a buyer includes one or more supplier information as part of the RFQ in the ERP system, and if these suppliers are registered members of SAP Ariba Discovery, then this notifica-tion is triggered to the new suppliers inviting them to register on SAP Ariba Discovery.

Buyer invites SAP Ariba Discovery public supplier A public supplier on SAP Ariba Discovery receives a notifica-tion from a buyer inviting to participate in bidding to an RFQ posting. The notification contains a link which the supplier uses to access the details of the RFQ posting.


Notification type Event that triggers notification

SAP Ariba Discovery invites a vendor matched supplier to participate in an RFQ posting

A vendor matched supplier from the buyer's approved vendor list receives a notification from SAP Ariba Discovery inviting to participate in bidding to an RFQ posting. The notification contains a link which the supplier uses to access the details of the RFQ posting.

SAP Ariba Discovery invites a vendor matched public supplier to participate in an RFQ posting

A vendor matched public supplier receives a notification from SAP Ariba Discovery inviting to participate in bidding to an RFQ posting. The notification contains a link which the supplier uses to access the details of the RFQ posting.

RFQ posting has ended Buyer receives a notification informing that the RFQ posting has ended and it is time to award the business.

Supplier is selected as the winner in SAP Ariba Discovery Supplier receives a notification informing that the supplier has won the bid to the RFQ posting. The notification contains a link which the supplier can use to view the details of the RFQ posting.

Buyer has awarded the business on SAP Ariba Discovery A participating supplier for an RFQ posting receives a notifica-tion that the buyer has awarded the business to another seller.

Bid details could not be sent to the ERP system Buyer receives a notification when the bid details could not be sent to the ERP system because the ERP system did not contain the details of the winning supplier.

If you receive this notification, perform the following steps:

1. Verify if the supplier is present in your ERP system. If the supplier is not present, create the supplier in your ERP and generate the Vendor Key.

2. Log in to Ariba Network and add the Vendor Key to this supplier relationship.

For more information about adding the vendor key to supplier relationships, see Enabling suppliers on Ariba Network.

Viewing RFQs and quotes received on Ariba Network for troubleshooting

If an RFQ event created in the ERP system does not appear in Ariba Network, check the log files of the Ariba Network Adapter for the ERP system, and the log files of Ariba Network.



NoteIf an RFQ fails to reach Ariba Network, you have a grace period of 72 hours to investigate, resolve the error, and reprocess the RFQ.

You can view the RFQs received from the ERP system and the suppliers' quotes received, on the Outbox tab of Ariba Network. To view the RFQs click Orders Requests for Quotation .

During quote automation posting configuration, if you have not checked the Enable owner seeing responses before event closes, you cannot see the supplier responses in SAP Ariba Discovery before the event closes. However, you can still see the number of quotes received for each RFQ under the Quotes Received column for each RFQ in the Outbox.

On the Requests for Quotation page, you can view the RFQs received from the ERP system. For more details about the RFQ, click on the required RFQ link. Subsequently, on the Details tab of the RFQ, you can view details, such as the status and when it was submitted. On the History tab, you can view details, such as what action was performed, when the action was performed, and whether the action was successfull.

On the Details tab, you can perform the following actions:

● Resend the RFQ to SAP Ariba DiscoveryIf an RFQ is not published on SAP Ariba Discovery, you can use the Resend button to republish the RFQ on SAP Ariba Discovery.

● Export the Quote Request cXML documentIf an RFQ is not published on SAP Ariba Discovery, you can perform troubleshooting on the Quote Request cXML document to see if there is any missing information which prevents the RFQ from being published.

For each RFQ, you can also view the number of quotes received in the Quotes Received column. To view details about the quotes, click on the number under the Quotes Received column. Subsequently, the Quotes page displays the quotes received for the RFQ. To view more details of the quote, click on the quote. On the Details tab of the quote details page, you can perform the following actions:

● Resend the quote to the ERP systemIf a quote is not sent to the ERP system, you can use the Resend button to resend the quote.

● Export the Quote Message cXML documentIf a quote is not sent to the ERP system, you can perform troubleshooting on the Quote Message cXML document to see if there is any missing information which prevents the quote from being sent. Click Export cXML to download the cXML document and view it.


Topics about configuring quote automation in Ariba Network

This section describes how the buyer administrator can perform quote automation related configuration tasks in Ariba Network.



How to configure the flow of RFQ [page 39]

How to configure the supplier category matching rules [page 39]

How to configure the Standard posting configuration template [page 41]

How to create a new posting configuration template [page 42]

How to add attachments to a posting configuration template [page 44]


How to map currency exchange rates [page 46]


How to restrict the visibility of the opportunity amount to suppliers [page 47]

How to configure the QuoteMessage flow rule to send supplier bid rejection information [page 48]

How to configure a quote automation rule to allow buyers to select currency while awarding [page 48]

How to duplicate a posting configuration template [page 49]

How to configure a quote automation rule to automatically attach all bids while awarding [page 49]

How to configure an RFQ template for custom language fields [page 50]

How to create a report template for generating RFQ related reports [page 51]

About configuring quote automation in Ariba Network

Quote automation provides you with the flexibility to configure and control the process of getting quotes for RFQ postings. Before a buyer creates a purchase requisition in the ERP system, the buyer administrator must configure quote automation in Ariba Network. You can perform tasks, such as specifying supplier matching rules, and creating a posting configuration which acts as a template for the suppliers to provide bidding information. Using the template fields in a posting configuration, you can control the level of information which you want from the supplier during a bid. You can also define a posting configuration where you can specify whether only the winning bids, lead bids, or all the bids are sent to the ERP system, or you can also allow SAP Ariba Discovery to determine the least bidder and award the business to the supplier.



The configuration tasks for quote automation are:

● Configuring the flow of RFQsQuote automation allows you to configure the flow of RFQs, whether you want Ariba Network to route them to Ariba Discovery or Sourcing Pro. By default, the routing configuration is set to Sourcing Pro which means that Ariba Network routes the flow of RFQ events to Sourcing Pro. Once you configure the flow of RFQ events to Ariba Discovery, then SAP Ariba Discovery posts the RFQ events.However, if the RFQ is originating from SAP S/4HANA ERP system, you can also control the flow of each RFQ by specifying the following extrinsic in the RFQ:processingTargetThis extrinsic specified in the header of the QuoteRequest cXML document overides the RFQ event routing configuration set in Ariba Network for quote automation. You can specify one of the following values in the processingTarget extrinsic:○ QuoteAutomation○ sourcingRequest

An example of the code snippet containing the extrinsic:

<Extrinsic name="processingTarget">sourcingRequest</Extrinsic>

If you specify the value of the extrinsic as QuoteAutomation, Ariba Network processes the RFQ event and routes it to SAP Ariba Discovery irrespective of the routing configuration set in Ariba Network.For more information, refer the cXML Solutions Guide.

● Configuring supplier category matching rulesSAP Ariba Discovery matches appropriate suppliers according to your preferences and notifies them about the business opportunity. For each buyer, Ariba Network segregates all suppliers into the following two types:○ Suppliers in your approved vendor database○ All the public suppliers registered on Ariba Network

You can configure supplier category matching rules to specify which type of suppliers are invited to RFQ postings based on the product and service categories of the RFQ posting. For example, you can configure a rule to specify that if commodities in the Chemicals category are specified in the RFQ posting, only vendors in your approved vendor database are invited, and if commodities in the Office Suppliers and Printing category are specified in the RFQ posting, all public Ariba Network suppliers are invited.Quote automation provides a default rule which you can configure so that SAP Ariba Discovery applies the default rule for all categories for which you do not configure a supplier matching rule. By default, SAP Ariba Discovery matches commodities with approved vendors.for more information, refer Inviting suppliers to bid on RFQ postings [page 20].

● Defining posting configuration templatesThe posting configuration is a template using which you can control the processes of bidding, awarding of business, and sending bid information to the ERP system. Ariba Network provides a pre-configured template known as the Standard posting configuration using which you can create multiple posting configurations.Using a posting configuration, you can:○ Specify the information which a supplier provides in a bid to an RFQ posting.○ Allow SAP Ariba Discovery to auto award business to the least bidder.○ Specify the type of bids that SAP Ariba Discovery sends to the ERP system.○ Allow suppliers to view an RFQ posting details before the RFQ posting opens for bidding.○ Allow suppliers to bid to an RFQ posting before it opens for bidding.○ Ensure that the participating suppliers bid on all the line items of an RFQ posting.○ Enable owner seeing the supplier bids before the event closes.

For more information, refer Role of posting configuration templates [page 30].

Quote automation configuration and integration guideTopics about configuring quote automation in Ariba Network PUBLIC 27

● Configuring custom commodity mappingSAP Ariba uses the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC) classification domain for mapping commodities. However, the ERP systems might use different standards for mapping commodities. Configuring commodity mapping ensures that the commodity codes used in the ERP system are mapped to the UNSPSC codes used in Ariba Network.During vendor matched supplier enablement, the commodity map configuration allows the RFQ posting to be published using UNSPSC codes and matched to the supplier's profile which uses UNSPSC codes. For example, consider a scenario where your ERP system uses North American Product Classification System (NAPCS) classification domain to map commodities. You can map the NAPCS codes to the UNSPSC codes which Ariba Network uses to map commodities. Ariba Network provides a CSV template which you can use to map commodity codes between both classification domains.The fields specified in the CSV template are described in the following table:

Table 2:

Information type Description

Domain The domain refers to the name of the commodity classifica-tion system used in the ERP system.

Unique name The unique name refers to the code used to represent the commodity in the ERP system.

Name The name or description of the commodity for which the unique name is used in the ERP system.

UNSPSC Code The code representing the commodity as per the UNSPSC classification system

NoteSAP Ariba recommends you to use level 4 codes. You must provide the correct UNSPSC codes. If you do not provide the correct UNSPSC codes, Ariba Network generates an error message.

UNSPSC Description The description of the commodity as per UNSPSC.

●While bidding on the Provide Your Quote page, suppliers can select a different currency than the one specified in the RFQ posting. Ariba Network displays the currency exchange rate between the two currencies. Suppliers must bid for all the line items using the same currency. When a supplier views an RFQ posting for the first time, Ariba Network displays the value of the Opportunity Amount in the currency specified in the supplier's profile. After a supplier selects a currency and successfully bids, Ariba Network retains the selected currency as the supplier's preference and uses it when the supplier bids again on the same RFQ posting, but suppliers can choose to bid in any other currency at any time.Suppliers can provide multiple bids in different currencies. While viewing the bid details, you can view the latest currency conversion rate. If buyers provide a currency conversion rate in Ariba Network, it displays that currency conversion rate on the bid details page. It includes the currency chosen by the supplier and the buyer-specified currency conversion rate in the QuoteMessage cXML document. The ERP uses the currency specified in the QuoteMessage cXML document to generate the purchase order.



NoteBy default, Ariba Network displays the exchange rate daily using the data from a Bloomberg feed. The exchange rates are gathered by Bloomberg from multiple pricing sources. However, if buyers specify a currency exchange rate, it overrides the currency exchange rate provided by Ariba Network.

On the View Supplier Bid Information page, Ariba Network displays the currency conversion rate between the buyer's currency and the currency in which supplier has bid. Buyers can use the conversion rate to decide the competitiveness of a bid before making a decision to award the business to a supplier. Ariba Network uses the currency conversion rate to display the values in buyer's currency. For example, if buyer's currency is in Dollars and supplier has bid in Pounds, on the View Supplier Bid Information page, the buyer can view the latest currency conversion rate provided by Ariba Network. When the bid is viewed by buyer, Ariba Network calculates the values in Dollars according to the latest currency conversion rate and displays on the View Supplier Bid Information page. Suppliers can use the CSV bid template to bid in their preferred currency and specify the values for all the money-related fields in the preferred currency.However, you can map currency exchange rates so that suppliers can view the currency exchange rates in SAP Ariba Discovery before competitively bidding to an RFQ posting. When you map a currency exchange rate, Ariba Network shows the exchange rate set by you instead of the exchange rate from Bloomberg. Suppliers can use this information to determine an appropriate price in the same currency as specified in the RFQ posting and match the expectations of the buyer. The currency mapping information also helps the supplier determine the price for a revised bid. The supplier can revise the bid if there is a change in the business environment or if there are frequent fluctuations in the currency exchange rates. This feature allows the supplier to bid in the buyer’s currency while making an estimate of how much it will cost in their own currency which results in an informed decision.For example, the buyer specifies a currency exchange rate of 1 Dollar = 0.75 Pounds. The buyer has specified Dollar as the currency in the RFQ posting. Based on this currency exchange rate information, if the supplier calculates the cost of the product as 1.5 Pounds, the supplier quotes 2 Dollars during the bid process. Once the supplier wins the bid, the buyer specifies 1.5 Pounds in the purchase order (PO) before sending the PO to the winning supplier.



How to configure the flow of RFQ [page 39]

How to configure the supplier category matching rules [page 39]




How to map currency exchange rates [page 46]


Role of posting configuration templates

Quote automation provides posting configuration templates which allow you to control the information required from a supplier in a bid, decide the level of automation required in awarding the business, and determine which type of bids are sent to the ERP system. The ways in which posting configurations allow you to control the whole process of getting quotes for RFQ postings are described as follows:

● Specify the information which a supplier needs to provide in a bid to an RFQ postingYou can ensure that the supplier provides the required information in a bid. For example, you can create fields and set the Required parameter to the fields. This ensures that the supplier provides the required information in the Provide Your Quote window on SAP Ariba Discovery while bidding to an RFQ posting.

● Allow SAP Ariba Discovery to auto award business to the least bidderThe auto award feature automates the whole process of selecting the least bidder and awarding the business to the least bidder. If you enable Auto Award, once the buyer generates the purchase requisition in the ERP system, on the RFQ posting closing date, SAP Ariba Discovery analyzes the bids received for the RFQ posting, selects the least bidder, and awards the business to the least bidder.

● Specify the bids that SAP Ariba Discovery sends to the ERP system.You can specify whether SAP Ariba Discovery sends all bids, winning bids, or the lead bids to the ERP system.

● Allow suppliers to view the RFQ posting details during the preview period.Preview period is the time between when SAP Ariba Discovery publishes the RFQ posting and the bidding start time. The preview period starts when the RFQ posting is published and ends when the bidding starts. Preview period provides time for suppliers to review the posting, plan their bidding strategy, and decide how to respond. Using the posting configuration, you can control whether you want suppliers to view the RFQ posting details during the preview period.

● Allow suppliers to bid to the RFQ posting before the RFQ posting opens for bidding.Using the posting configuration, you can control whether you want suppliers to bid for the posting during the preview period.

● Ensure that the suppliers bid on all the line items of an RFQ posting.You can ensure that only the suppliers who bid on all the line items are allowed to submit their bid. This rule is helpful to analyze the bids while selecting the least bidder. If you do not want to split the business and award to multiple suppliers, you can enable this rule. However, the supplier may not bid on the full quantities of the line items.

● Enable the buyer to see the responses before the event closes.This rule enables the buyer or the buyer administrator to see the supplier bids before the RFQ posting closes. This rule helps the buyer to take an early decision, if adequate bids are received, to select the preferred bidder by closing the event and awarding the business.

Quote automation provides a pre-configured default template known as the Standard posting configuration which you can modify to suit your requirements. You can also create your own template based on the Standard posting configuration.

The following screenshot shows the posting configuration template which you can configure:



Buyers can specify a posting configuration template while creating an RFQ and quote automation captures the template name from the RFQ and applies the template to the RFQ posting in SAP Ariba Discovery. Depending on business requirements for an RFQ, buyers can apply a posting configuration template from the available templates in quote automation to the RFQ. While creating an RFQ in the ERP system, buyers must provide a template name that exactly matches the posting configuration name in quote automation.

If a template is not active or if the name specified in the RFQ does not match with any template in quote automation, Ariba Network does not publish the RFQ. If an RFQ does not specify a template, quote automation applies the default template to the RFQ posting.

Determining which type of bids are sent to the ERP system

The posting configuration allows you to specify the type of bids that SAP Ariba Discovery sends to ERP system. By default, SAP Ariba Discovery sends the winning bid information to the ERP system. You can specify which of the following bid types you want to send to the ERP system:


● Winning bids● All bids● Lead bids

The lead bid refers to the latest bid provided by a supplier to an RFQ posting.

Standard posting configuration

The Standard posting configuration is the default posting configuration template provided by Ariba Network. It helps you specify the amount of automation required in sending bids to the ERP system and the information that a supplier must provide while bidding. The template contains both required fields and optional fields, and you can edit or remove the optional fields. You can create multiple posting configurations using the Standard posting configuration as a template. At any given time, you can make only one posting configuration as the active one.

Note● Once you create a new posting configuration, you cannot delete it. However, you can make it inactive by

clearing the Active checkbox.● If the cXML QuoteRequest document from ERP system contains attributes that are not configured in the

posting configuration, quote automation does not display the attributes on the RFQ posting in SAP Ariba Discovery.

The standard posting configuration has the following required fields for which a supplier must provide the required information:

Attribute Description

Unit Price The price for one unit of the line item.

Quantity The quantity for a line item that the supplier can provide.

Total Cost The total cost of the bid.

Tax The total tax calculated for the bid.

Shipping Cost The shipping cost for the line items.

Ship To The address to which the items should be shipped.

By default, the Standard posting configuration also contains the following optional fields:

● Requested Delivery Date● Supplier Part ID● Supplier Part Auxilliary ID● Manufacturer Part ID● Manufacturer Name● Buyer Part ID● URL● Lead time● Tax Description



● Shipping Terms● Comment

You can either edit or remove these fields. If the QuoteRequest cXML document contains optional fields, and if these fields are configured in the posting configuration, SAP Ariba Discovery displays the information in the Provide Your Quote window for the supplier to view the information. The supplier can edit the information if the posting configuration allows. Even if the QuoteRequest cXML document does not conatin the information related to the optional fields, you can still use the fields in the posting configuration to get information from the supplier. For example, you can use the URL field to provide a description of a line item to the supplier. You can also use the same URL field to get the information from the the supplier. The supplier can provide a URL to describe the line item that will be supplied.

When you add a new field to the posting configuration template, quote automation verifies whether field names match extrinsic names exactly (including letter case and space) in the cXML QuoteRequest document. If the field name matches, quote automation captures the value of the corresponding extrinsic field and later displays them in the RFQ posting. While bidding, if suppliers modify the values of these fields, quote automation populates the corresponding extrinsic fields in the cXML QuoteMessage document.

NoteTo map the the Money tag in cXML QuoteRequest document, use the Money type of field in the posting configuration template.

While adding new fields to a posting configuration, specify the following parameters to define each new field:

Table 3:

Parameter Description

Type Specifies the type of field. You can select from the following available options:

● text● money● number● date● tax● list

Buyers can configure a template field as a list data type and provide a set of values from which suppliers can choose to indicate their preference. Buyers can also configure the list data type to allow suppliers to specify their preferred value if it is not specified in the given list. For example: a buyer creates a delivery time required list and provides the values of 10 days and 15 days. Buyers can allow suppliers to provide a value that is not specified in the list such as 20 days or 30 days.For each list, you can create a maximum of 30 options. You can enter a maximum of 80 characters in each option of the list. If a list option contains a comma in its text, in the bid template, which is in CSV format, the list option appears as two different options.


Parameter Description

Response Required Whether it is required for the supplier to respond for the field.

Buyer’s initial value The initial value provided by you.

Supplier can edit Specifies whether the supplier can edit the field.

Use Buyer’s initial value as Specifies whether the value given in the Buyer’s initial value is maximum, minimum or any value. If you choose Maximum, the supplier cannot provide a value which exceeds the value specified in the Buyer’s initial value field. If you choose Minimum, the supplier cannot provide a value which is lesser than the value specified in the Buyer’s initial value field.

If it is a date field, you can choose either Earliest or Latest options from the Use Buyer's initial value as dropdown menu.

For the Money, Number, and Date type of fields, you can choose Not Applicable to accept any value that suppliers provide. Quote automation does not validate the value provided by suppliers for that field. For example, you may sometimes want to allow suppliers to enter any value.

How to configure taxes

Buyers can configure the applicable taxes that they want to be reported by suppliers so that they can take an in informed decision to award business. It is up to the buyer to configure the applicable taxes and these taxes may not constitute of all the taxes required for the line-item. Buyers can consider the total tax paid for a line-item while analysing the bids. Buyers can also allow suppliers to add, modify, or remove taxes.

After buyers configure the taxes in a posting configuration template, suppliers can specify the taxes when they bid on the RFQ. Buyers can allow suppliers to add additional taxes. Buyers can allow suppliers to include taxes in the unit price of a line-item and report it. When suppliers include taxes, the Total Applicable Taxes does not include the tax while calculating the total tax.

Quote automation provides a list of preconfigured taxes for Brazil.

Note● You cannot configure taxes for the default and currently active posting configuration template. To use this

feature, create a new posting configuration template and then configure taxes.● Legacy tax value reading from RFQ is discontinued as buyers can configure it in the posting configuration

template.

For example:

The buyer configures the following taxes on the posting configuration template:

● Sales Tax● Service Tax



● Value Added Tax

The supplier enters the following details while bidding on the line-item:

● Sales Tax = $100● Service Tax = $30● Value Added Tax = $50

Quote automation calculates the total tax as = $100 + $30 + $50 = $180

If the supplier includes Service Tax, quote automation calculates the tax for the line-item as = $100 + $50 = $150

NoteThe CSV bid template does not allow suppliers to add new tax types.

When you select Tax from the Type dropdown list, the following new fields appear:

● Choose Country● Tax Type● Tax Rate Type● Buyer's Initial percentage

The Rules section of the posting configuration template displays the following two tax related rules:

● Allow Supplier to add more taxes● Allow Supplier to include taxes in price

Additionally, the Rules section of the posting configuration template displays the following rule:

● Allow buyer to hide Opportunity AmountBuyers can restrict the visibility of the opportunity amount (price per unit) to suppliers so that suppliers are not influenced while bidding for an RFQ. You can enable this rule in the posting configuration template. If you enable this rule and do not provide a base price, quote automation displays the value of Opportunity Amount


as Unspecified for suppliers. By default, this rule is disabled. Buyers can view the base price in the supplier bids CSV file even if the rule is enabled.

NoteWhen you enable this rule, in the posting configuration template, SAP Ariba recommends you to set the Buyer's Initial Value field of Unit Price as Not Applicable because the supplier cannot see the unit price.

Default Standard posting configuration rules

By default, the Standard posting configuration enables the following options:

● Enable preview period before bidding opens● Enable the owner seeing responses before event closes● Enable Auto Award

You can either edit the existing standard posting configuration or create a new posting configuration. Any new posting configuration that you create always contains the required fields of the standard posting configuration. You cannot remove the required fields from the new posting configuration which you have created.

How to configure posting configuration templates

You can use posting configurations to automate the whole process of obtaining quotes. The following scenarios help you understand how to configure a posting configuration template that suits your business need:

● Scenario 1: Fully automated processThe fully automated process minimizes the role of a buyer. Once the purchase requisition is created in the ERP system, and subsequently, when the RFQ posting is closed for bidding, SAP Ariba Discovery automatically selects the least bidder from the supplier responses and sends the winning bid information to the ERP system where the buyer can create a purchase order (PO).To build a fully automated process, make the following changes to the posting configuration in the Rules section:○ Check Enable Auto Award.○ Check Bid on all line items.○ Choose Winning Bids from the Specify the bid information to send to ERP dropdown list.

Usually, suppliers are unable to supply all the line items. In such a scenario, you can create an RFQ posting with only one line item so that you can get more supplier responses.

● Scenario 2: Partially automated process with awarding done in SAP Ariba DiscoveryOnce the bidding time for an RFQ posting ends, you can analyse the bids and manually award the least bidder or the preferred bidder. Once the business is awarded, SAP Ariba Discovery sends the winning bid information to the ERP system. To build a partially automated process, make the following changes to the posting configuration in the Rules section:○ Uncheck Enable Auto Award.○ Choose Winning Bids from the Specify the bid information to send to ERP dropdown list.

● Scenario 3: Partially automated process with awarding done in the ERP systemOnce the bidding time for an RFQ posting ends, SAP Ariba Discovery sends all the bids information to the ERP system where you can analyze and award the business. In this scenario, as soon as a supplier response is



received, SAP Ariba Discovery sends the bids information to the ERP system. To build a partially automated process, make the following changes to the posting configuration in the Rules section:○ Uncheck Enable Auto Award.○ Choose All Bids from the Specify the bid information to send to ERP dropdown list.

NoteIf you choose Lead Bids from the Specify the bid information to send to ERP dropdown list, SAP Ariba Discovery sends the lead bids information to the ERP system once the RFQ posting closes. In this scenario, you might need to wait till the RFQ posting closes to make a decision.

While creating a posting configuration template, Ariba Network buyer administrators can add attachments to it from an attachment repository so that suppliers can view the required information while viewing the RFQs.

The attachments that you add while creating a posting configuration template page are stored in the Attachment Repository so that you can add the same attachment while creating new templates.

Any update to the QuoteRequest cXML from the ERP overwrites the existing attachments and re-attaches the files from the posting configuration template along with the attachment from the updated QuoteRequest cXML if any. If you have added attachments on the RFQ posting page, when the RFQ is updated from the ERP, the attachments added through the RFQ posting page are removed.

Copying any posting configuration

Buyers can copy any posting configuration as a starting point to create a posting configuration and make further changes to it. This saves buyers' time and effort in recreating similar posting configurations. Buyers can also use the search functionality to search for posting configurations.

NoteBuyers cannot use the search feature to search for the Standard template.

Extending the closing time for RFQs

Buyers can extend the close date and time of an RFQ to provide more time to suppliers to bid.

To extend the closing time of an RFQ, update it from the ERP system containing the revised closing date and time. Ensure that the type tag is set to update in the revised QuoteRequest cXML document sent from the ERP system. When you extend the closing time, quote automation sends an notification email to the invited suppliers.

NoteSAP Ariba recommends:

● extending the closing time when the RFQ is still in open state.● extending the closing time by more than two hours so that sufficient time is given to Ariba Network to send

the notification email to the invited suppliers and for suppliers to respond.


Viewing the list of uninterested suppliers

Buyers can view the list of uninterested suppliers. You can also configure a QuoteMessage flow rule that when enabled, sends a QuoteMessage cXML document to the ERP system whenever an invited or approved supplier indicates that they are not interested in bidding. The QuoteMessage cXML document also includes the reason why the supplier is uninterested.

Language translations for custom fields

Buyer administrators can upload language translations of custom field names created in a posting configuration template so that suppliers can view the translated labels on the Provide Your Quote page. Quote automation provides a CSV template file which administrators can download, edit with the required language translations and upload to the posting configuration template. The CSV template file contains the following columns:

● Custom Field Label● Translated Custom Field Label● Translated Custom Field Initial Value

You can upload only one translation file for each language for each posting configuration template. Quote automation checks the browser language locale set and displays the translated custom fields if available, to the suppliers.

If a template does not consist of custom fields, quote automation does not allow you to upload language translations for templates that do not have custom fields.

Note● The maximum size of a label is 60 characters.● Quote automation custom fields support all the languages that Ariba Network supports.● The custom field label in the translation file, the posting configuration template, and the Quote Request

cXML document must be the same.




How to add attachments to a posting configuration template [page 44]


How to duplicate a posting configuration template [page 49]

How to configure the QuoteMessage flow rule to send supplier bid rejection information [page 48]

How to restrict the visibility of the opportunity amount to suppliers [page 47]

How to configure a quote automation rule to automatically attach all bids while awarding [page 49]



How to configure an RFQ template for custom language fields [page 50]

How to create a report template for generating RFQ related reports [page 51]

How to configure the flow of RFQ

Context

The RFQs orginate from the buyer's ERP. You can configure the flow of RFQs to SAP Ariba Discovery by configuring the routing method in Ariba Network.

Procedure

1. Choose Administration Configuration .2. On the Configuration page, click Quote Automation.

The quote automation configuration page appears.3. Click the Quote Automation Rules tab.

The Quote Automation Rules tab appears.4. Choose Ariba Network from the Quote Request Routed Via dropdown menu.5. Click Save.6. Click Done.

You are returned to Configuration page.

How to configure the supplier category matching rules

Context

For each product or service category, you can configure how SAP Ariba Discovery identifies and matches suppliers for the RFQ postings by specifying whether only the vendors in your approved vendor database or all the registered Ariba Network suppliers are allowed to participate in bidding to the RFQ posting.


SAP Ariba Discovery applies the default rule, My Approved Vendors Only, for all product and service categories for which you do not configure a supplier matching rule.

Procedure



The Quote Automation Rules tab appears.4. Scroll down to the Category Matching Rules section and from the Default Rule drop-down menu, choose one

of the following types of suppliers:

○ All Suppliers○ My Approved Vendors Only

Ariba Network will allow only those suppliers matching the selected type to participate in the bids process for all the product or service categories for which you have not created a supplier matching rule. If you select the All Suppliers option, all the suppliers registered with Ariba Network can participate in the bidding process for all the categories for which you have not created a supplier matching rule.

5. In the Product or Service Category text box, enter the required product name for which you want to create a rule. Once you type a word in this text box, Ariba Network displays a list of matching product category suggestions which you can select. Alternatively, you can also click the Browse link provided beside the Product or Service Category textbox to view the Product and Service Category Selection page and add all the product or service categories for which you want to create a rule.

Ariba Network displays the Create Rule button.6. Click Create Rule.

Ariba Network adds the product or service category rule.7. For the rule created in Step 6, select the required matching supplier type from the Matched Suppliers

dropdown menu.8. Click Save.9. Click Done.




How to configure the Standard posting configuration template

Context

The Ariba Network buyer administrator can make the Standard posting configuration template provided by Ariba Network as the default template and make it active. Based on the fields specified in the posting configuration template, the supplier provides the required information while bidding to an RFQ posting. You can also control the automation of the whole process of getting quotes for the RFQ postings.

For more information about the fields on the posting configuration template, refer Role of posting configuration templates [page 30].

Procedure


The quote automation configuration page appears.3. Click the Posting Configuration tab.

The Posting Configuration tab appears and displays the Standard posting configuration and any other posting configuration available. This tab also shows which posting configurations are active and who has updated the posting configuration, and when was the last time the posting configuration was updated.

4. To view details of the Standard posting configuration, click Standard.

Ariba Network displays all the details of the Standard posting configuration.5. If you want to make the Standard posting configuration provided by Ariba Network as the default template,

then select Use as the default template check box.6. If you want to make the Default Template active, select Active check box.7. Make any other changes to the template as required.8. Click Update.9. Click Done.



How to create a new posting configuration template

Context

In this procedure, the Ariba Network buyer administrator creates a new posting configuration template which is created from the standard posting configuration template.

For more information about the fields on the posting configuration template, refer to Role of posting configuration templates [page 30].

Procedure



The Posting Configuration tab appears and displays the standard posting configuration template and any other posting configurations available. This tab also shows which posting configurations are active, and who has updated the posting configuration, and when was the last time the posting configuration was updated.

4. Click Create.

Quote Automation displays all the fields of the Standard configuration template which you can modify to create your own posting configuration.

5. In the Name text box, enter the name of the posting configuration.6. In the Comments text box, enter the description of the posting configuration.7. If you want to make this posting configuration as the default posting configuration, then select Use as the

default template checkbox.8. To edit a field, click the Edit button available for the required field.

You cannot edit or remove some required fields like Price and Quantity. The Remove and Edit actions are disabled for these required fields.

The Edit Template Fields window opens.9. On the Edit Template Fields window, make the following changes:

a. In the Labels text box, enter the name of the field.b. From the Type dropdown menu, select the required type of input you want the supplier to give. For

example, you can select number, money, date, list, tax, or text.c. In the Buyer's initial value text box, specify the value.

Based on the option selected in sub-step d, the supplier cannot either exceed the value specified by buyer or the supplier cannot specify a value lower than the value specified in this sub-step c.



d. From the Use Buyer's initial value as dropdown menu, select Maximum or Minimum options.

If you set this rule to minimum, the supplier cannot enter a value lower than the value specified in sub-step c. If you set this rule to maximum, the supplier cannot enter a value more than the value specified in sub-step c.

e. From the Response Required dropdown menu, select Yes if you want the supplier to respond, else select No.

f. From the Supplier Can Edit dropdown menu, select Yes if you want to allow the supplier to edit the field and specify a different value, else select No.

g. Click Update.10. To add a new field, click Add New Field.

The Edit Template Fields window appears.11. On the Edit Template Fields window, make the following changes:

a. In the Labels text box, enter the name of the field.b. From the Type dropdown menu, select the required type of input you want the supplier to give. For

example, you can select number, money, date, list, tax or text.c. In the Buyer's initial value text box, enter the value of the qoute.

Based on the option selected in sub-step d, the supplier cannot either exceed the value specified or the supplier cannot bid lower than the value specified in this sub-step c.

d. From the Use Buyer's initial value as dropdown menu, select Maximum or Minimum options.

If you set this rule to minimum, the supplier cannot provide a value less than the value specified in sub-step c. If you set this rule to maximum, the supplier cannot specify a value more than the value specified in sub-step c. If the field selected in Sub-step b is Date, then you can choose either Earliest or Latest options from the Use Buyer's initial value as dropdown menu.

e. From the Response Required dropdown menu, select Yes if you want the supplier to respond, else select No.

f. From the Supplier Can Edit dropdown menu, select Yes if you want to allow the supplier to edit, else select No.

g. Click Update.12. On the Rules section, select the required checkboxes for the following rules:

○ Enable preview period before bidding opens○ Enable participants place bids during preview period○ Bid on all line items○ Enable owner seeing responses before event closes○ Enable Auto Award○ Allow Supplier to add more taxes○ Allow Supplier to include taxes in price

13. Select the type of bids from the Specify the bid information to send to ERP dropdown menu which you want Ariba Network to send to ERP. This dropdown menu has the following options:

○ Winning Bids○ All Bids○ Lead Bids

14. Click Save.15. Click Done.


You are returned to the Configuration page.

How to add attachments to a posting configuration template

Context

Ariba Network buyer administrators can add files to the Attachment Repository and then add them while creating posting configuration templates so that suppliers can view the information on the RFQ posting page.

Restriction● You cannot delete any file from the Attachment Repository if the file is in use by any posting configuration.● You cannot add attachments to a posting configuration template once you have created it.

Procedure



The Posting Configuration tab appears and displays the standard posting configuration template and any other posting configurations available.

4. Click the required posting configuration for which you want to add attachments.

Quote automation displays the details of the posting configuration.5. Click Update.6. Click Add Attachments.

The Add Attachments dialog box appears.7. Do one of the following:

○ Select the required files to attach to the posting configuration.

○ If the required file does not exist in the Attachment Repository, click Choose File and navigate to the required file on your system, and click Add to Repository. Once the file appears in the Attachment Repository, select the file.

8. Click Save.



How to configure a custom commodity mapping

Context

On the Commodity Mapping tab, you can perform the following tasks:

● Download the CSV template that is used to map the commodities.● Upload a commodity mapping file.● Download a CSV file that contains a list of active commodity mappings.● Delete all the commodity mappings.

Procedure


The quote automation configuration page appears.3. Click the Commodity Mapping tab.4. To download the CSV template, click on the Download template link.

Ariba Network downloads a CSV file that is named as Commodity_Mapping_Upload.5. Enter the required custom commodity codes related information in the CSV template file and save the file.6. Click Choose File.

The Open window appears which you can use to select the CSV template file created in Step 5.7. Click Upload.

Ariba Network uploads the CSV file containing the commodity mappings and displays the details of the uploaded file.

8. To delete commodity mappings, click Delete Mappings.9. To view the active commodity mappings, click Download Active Mappings.10. To edit the active commodity mappings, download the active mappings file, make the required changes to

commodity mappings and then upload the file.11. Click Done.



How to map currency exchange rates

Context

You can map the exchange rates between currencies so that suppliers can view the exchange rates. In SAP Ariba Discovery, suppliers can view the exchange rates specified by the buyer to determine a competitive price while bidding for an RFQ posting.

On the Currency Mapping tab, you can add multiple currency mappings. For example, you can add a mapping with the source currency in Dollars and the target currency in Pounds. You can also add another mapping where the source currency is in Pounds and the target currency is in Dollars.

On the Currency Mapping tab, you can perform the following tasks:

● Add currency exchange rate mappings.● Search for a currency exchange rate mapping.● Edit currency exchange rate mappings.● Remove currency exchange rate mappings.

Procedure


The quote automation configuration page appears.3. Click the Currency Mapping tab.4. To add a currency exchange rate mapping between a source currency and a target currency, click Add

Mapping.

The Add Currency Mapping window appears.5. Select the required currencies which you want to map from the dropdown menus.6. Enter the exchange rate in the text box.7. Click OK.8. To edit a currency exchange mapping, click Edit button available beside the currency exchange rate mapping,

and make the required changes in the Edit Currency Mapping pop-up dialog box.9. To remove a currency exchange mapping, click Remove available beside an existing currency exchange rate.10. Click Done.




How to enable sending supplier bid and buyer award attachments with Quote MessagesYou can allow Ariba Network to send supplier bid and buyer award related attachments with Quote Message documents to the ERP systems.

Procedure

1. Choose Administration Configuration .2. On the Configuration page, click Default Transaction Rules.

The Default Transaction Rules page appears.3. Go to the Quote Automation Rules section.4. Click Send attachments with Quote Message.5. Click Save.

How to restrict the visibility of the opportunity amount to suppliersYou can use the posting configuration template to restrict the visibility of the opportunity amount for suppliers.

Procedure




4. Click the required posting configuration for which you want to restrict visibility of opportunity amount for suppliers.

Quote automation displays the details of the posting configuration.5. Scroll down to the Rules section, and check the Hide Opportunity amount from suppliers rule.6. Click Save.


How to configure the QuoteMessage flow rule to send supplier bid rejection informationYou can configure a quote automation rule to send QuoteMessage cXML documents to an ERP system whenever suppliers reject invitations to bid.

Procedure



The Quote Automation Rules tab appears.4. In the Configure Quote Message Flow section, check Send a Quote Message when suppliers reject bids.5. Click Save.

How to configure a quote automation rule to allow buyers to select currency while awardingBuyer administrators can configure a quote automation rule to allow buyers to select the currency while awarding bids.

Procedure



The Quote Automation Rules tab appears.4. In the Configure Quote Message Flow section, select the Allow buyers to specify the award currency while

awarding bid check box.5. Click Save.6. Click Done.




How to duplicate a posting configuration templateYou can copy an existing posting configuration template to create a new posting configuration template and make changes to it.

Procedure




4. Click the required posting configuration template which you want to copy to create a new posting configuration.

Quote automation displays the details of the posting configuration.5. Scroll down to below the Rules section, and click Copy.

Quote automation creates a new posting configuration template and copies all the fields and rules from the posting configuration template which you had selected.

6. In the Name text box, type the name of the new posting configuration template and make any other required changes to the template.

7. Click Save.

Quote automation creates a new posting configuration template.

How to configure a quote automation rule to automatically attach all bids while awardingBuyer administrators can configure a quote automation rule to automatically attach all bids and send the PDF file to the ERP system while awarding bids.

Procedure


The quote automation configuration page appears.


3. Click the Quote Automation Rules tab.

The Quote Automation Rules tab appears.4. In the Configure Quote Message Flow section, select the Auto attach supplier responses as PDF while buyer

awards check box.5. Click Save.6. Click Done.


How to configure an RFQ template for custom language fieldsYou can download the RFQ translation template file, translate labels for custom fields, and then upload the translation file.

Procedure



The Posting Configuration tab appears.4. In the Custom Fields Translation section, click the translation template file to download it. After you have

downloaded the file, make the required changes in the CSV file.5. Select the language for which you want to upload the translated labels.6. Click Choose File to select the file containing the translated labels which you have done in Step 4.7. Click Upload Translation.8. Click Done.



How to create a report template for generating RFQ related reportsBuyers can generate RFQ related reports if they have the required permissions.

Procedure

1. Choose Reports from the menu bar.2. Click Create.3. Enter a unique title that will help you and other users identify this report from a list. For example, “RFQ

response rate - Detail.”4. Enter a description. The description is useful for identifying the scope and target of the report for all account

users. For example, “Detailed report of RFQ responses.”5. Select a value from the Time zone drop down list. Date and times in your report file use the time zone you

select here, expressed as GMT +/-. In addition, Ariba Network uses the time zone to determine the range of information collected for the report.

6. Choose a language. Ariba Network uses this language for labels in the resulting report file. It displays report data in the language in which the information was entered into the system.

7. From the Report Type drop down list, select one of the following reports based on your requirement:○ RFQ response rate - Detail○ RFQ response rate - Summary

8. Click Next. Ariba Network displays the Schedule page with details for the report type you selected.9. Click either Manual Report or Scheduled Report. To generate a manual report, go to the Reports page and

click Run. Ariba Network automatically generates scheduled reports using the frequency that you specify.10. If you choose Scheduled Report, Ariba Network refreshes the page and displays the Scheduling section. Do

the following:○ Select a date range. By default, a scheduled report includes three months beginning with tomorrow’s date.○ Choose a value from the Automatically Run list to set the report generation frequency.○ Enter up to three email addresses, each separated by single comma. Ariba Network sends a notification to

these addresses when the report status is Processed.11. Click Next.

The Criteria page appears.12. From the Date Range drop down list, select the required time period.13. From the Business Unit drop down list, select the required business unit.14. From the RFQ Status drop down list, select the required status.15. Click Submit.

Ariba Network puts your report into the queue. You can view and download it when its status is Processed.16. To view and download the report, select the report template and click Download. Click one of the following:

○ Open to view the report. Your browser starts Microsoft Excel and displays the report.○ Save to save the report to your computer.


Topics about configuring business units in Ariba Network

This section describes how the buyer administrator can configure business units in Ariba Network.

About business units [page 52]

How to create a business unit [page 53]

How to manage business units [page 54]

How to activate a business unit [page 55]

How to assign a business unit during user creation [page 55]

About business units

Buyer administrators can restrict their users from accessing all RFQ postings. Buyer users can be allowed access to specific RFQ postings which are mapped to purchasing divisions or company divisions also known as business units or business divisions. Buyer users can view only those RFQs belonging to the business units to which they are mapped to.

The buyer administrator can create business units in Ariba Network and map the users to the required business units. The administrator can map the users to more than one business unit. This feature regulates the visibility of RFQs to users based on the business units to which the users are mapped and also the business unit id mapping done for the RFQs. Ariba Network buyer administrators and buyer users can filter RFQs using filters. On SAP Ariba Discovery filter for RFQs, buyer users can view business units to which they are mapped.

On the ERP system, you can map each RFQ to only one business unit id. The name of the business unit created in Ariba Network and the name of the business unit id to which the RFQ is mapped in the ERP must be the same. You cannot update the RFQ with a new business unit id.

NoteIf the cXML document for an RFQ posting does not contain the business unit id in the QuoteRequestHeader section, all buyer users on Ariba Network can see the RFQ posting even if they are mapped to specific business units in Ariba Network.

The Ariba Network buyer administrator can view all the RFQ postings even if the buyer administrator is attached to a business unit. When a Ariba Network buyer administrator makes any user as an administrator and maps the user to a business unit, the newly created administrator user can only view RFQ postings which are mapped to the that business unit.

You can deactivate or activate business units in Ariba Network. Once a business unit is deactivated, Ariba Network does not display it in the list of business units. After you deactivate a business unit, all users mapped to it cannot view the RFQs mapped to the deactivated business unit. However, Ariba Network buyer administrators can view all



the RFQs associated with the deactivated business unit. Ariba Network buyer administrators can view all RFQs and filter them according to business units, even if the business units are deactivated.

Prerequisite

Ensure that you use Cloud Integration release 9.0 or higher if you want Ariba Network to display the feature to create business units.


How to create a business unit [page 53]

How to manage business units [page 54]

How to activate a business unit [page 55]

How to assign a business unit during user creation [page 55]

How to create a business unitYou can create any numbers of business units and map users to them.

Procedure

1. Choose Administration Configuration .2. On the Configuration page, click Manage Business Units.

The Manage Business Units page opens.3. Click Create Business Unit.

The Create Business Unit page opens.4. In the Business Unit ID text box, enter the required name of the business unit.5. In the Description text box, enter the required description for the business unit.6. Optional: To check if the business unit name you entered is available, click Check Availability.

If the business unit name is available, Ariba Network displays the message Available in green color below the text box. If the business unit name is already used, Ariba Network displays the message Business Unit ID exists. Please enter a different ID.

7. To add users to the business unit, select the required users in the Users section.

By default, the Users section displays the first 100 users. To find a user that is not displayed in the list, you can use the Search by User ID button.

Quote automation configuration and integration guideTopics about configuring business units in Ariba Network PUBLIC 53

8. Click OK.

Ariba Network creates the business unit and adds the selected users to it.

How to manage business unitsContext

You can perform the following actions on a business unit that you have created:

● View the details of a business unit● Edit the details of a business unit● Add users to a business unit● Remove users from a business unit

Procedure


The Manage Business Units page opens.3. To view the details of a business unit like description and the users mapped to it, click Details for the required

business unit.

The Business Unit Details page appears.4. To deactivate a business unit, click Deactivate.

Ariba Network deactivates the business unit.5. To edit a business unit, click Edit for the required business unit.

The Edit Business Unit page appears. From this business unit, you can add or remove users. You can also modify the description of the business unit.

6. Click OK.



How to activate a business unitAfter you deactivate any business unit, you cannot view it in the list of business units on the Manage Business Units page. To activate a business unit, you must search for it on the Create Business Unit page and then activate it.

Procedure


The Manage Business Units page opens.3. To view the details of a business unit like description and the users mapped to it, click Details for the required

business unit.

The Business Unit Details page appears.4. Click Create Business Unit.

The Create Business Unit page opens.5. In the Business Unit ID text box, enter the name of the business unit that you want to activate and click Check

Availability.

Ariba Network displays a message indicating whether the business unit exists and if it is activated or deactivated. If the business unit is deactivated, Ariba Network displays the following two links:○ Reactivate Business Unit with its users○ Reactivate Business Unit with my current selection

6. Do either of the following:○ Click Reactivate Business Unit with its users to reactivate the business unit along with its existing users.

Ariba Network activates the business unit.○ Click Reactivate Business Unit with my current selection after selecting the required users.

7. Click OK.

How to assign a business unit during user creationWhile creating users, you can assign one or more business units to them.

Procedure

1. Choose Administration Users .2. Click Manage Users.

Quote automation configuration and integration guideTopics about configuring business units in Ariba Network PUBLIC 55

3. Scroll down to the top right of the user results table and click the Create User icon.The Create User page appears.

4. Type the required information in the New User Information section.5. In the Business Unit Assignment section, select the required business units to which you want to map the

user.

You can map more than one business unit to a user.6. Click Done.



Topics about configuring quote groups in Ariba Network

This section describes how the buyer administrator can configure quote groups in Ariba Network.

About quote groups

Buyers can simultaneously invite multiple suppliers, in one click, to bid on RFQs by assigning quote group names for vendors in the vendor CSV upload. While uploading a vendor CSV file, buyers can assign one or more quote group names for suppliers. Buyers can use the quote group name to invite all the suppliers tagged with the quote group name.

ExampleFor all the suppliers who can supply fuel, buyers can assign a quote group name fuel suppliers in the vendor CSV file. While inviting suppliers on SAP Ariba Discovery, buyers can select the fuel suppliers quote group name so that all the suppliers tagged with that name are invited in one single click.

The CSV vendor upload file includes a Quote Group column where buyers can specify the quote group name for each vendor. Buyers can assign multiple quote group names for a vendor. If you are using Microsoft Excel application to edit the CSV vendor upload file, use comma separated values to specify multiple quote group names in the Quote Group column. If you are using any editing application other than Microsoft Excel, use double-quotes to specify multiple quote groups.

Example"Supplier Quote Group ABC, Supplier Quote Group XYZ"

To create a quote group, assign the quote group name to a vendor in the CSV vendor upload file. Ariba Network will create the quote group once the file is uploaded. After the quote group is created, the Manage Vendors page in the Supplier Enablement tab displays the quote group name in the Quote Group column. The Vendor Details tab in the Supplier and Vendor Details page displays the list of quote groups to which the vendor is assigned.

Once the quote groups are created, on SAP Ariba Discovery, you can invite vendors using the quote group names.

Quote automation configuration and integration guideTopics about configuring quote groups in Ariba Network PUBLIC 57

How to create quote groupsYou can assign quote group names to vendors by uploading a vendor CSV file.

Procedure

1. Choose Supplier Enablement Manage Vendors .2. On the Manage Vendors page, click Upload dropdown menu and click Vendors.

The Upload Vendors page appears.3. Complete the following steps if you do not have a completed vendor CSV file:

a. Click Download Template on the Upload Vendors page to download the vendor CSV file template.b. In the vendor CSV file template, enter supplier details, including quote group information in the Quote

Group column.c. Save the vendor CSV file.

4. Enter a name for the vendor list you are uploading in the Name field.5. Click Choose File and browse for your saved vendor CSV file, then click Open.6. Click Upload.

Ariba Network validates the uploaded vendor CSV file and displays its name, status and other information in the Upload Details table. You must click Refresh Status to view any updated changes.

How to invite vendors using quote groups

Context

You can invite vendors using quote groups.

Procedure

1. In SAP Ariba Discovery, click the Postings tab.2. Click the title of the posting for which you want to invite suppliers.3. Click the Bids tab.

The Bids tab appears.4. From the Invite More Suppliers dropdown menu, click Invite by Vendor ID.

The Invite Vendors window appears.


Topics about configuring quote groups in Ariba Network

5. From the Quote Groups dropdown menu, click the required quote group.

The Invite Vendors page displays the list of vendors assigned to the selected quote group.6. If required, make changes to the list of vendors by checking or unchecking the check boxes.7. Click Invite.8. Click Done.

Quote automation configuration and integration guideTopics about configuring quote groups in Ariba Network PUBLIC 59

Topics about supplier enablement in quote automation

Quote automation supports enablement of suppliers when an RFQ posting is created, whether the suppliers are buyer invited or SAP Ariba matched.

A special type of account (private supplier account) is created when a buying organization invites a supplier that does not have an Ariba Network account to participate in an RFQ posting.

You can initiate supplier onboarding on Ariba Network using the Quick Enablement through Ariba Quote Automation Invite if the suppliers specified in the RFQ are not present on Ariba Network or if the suppliers matched by SAP Ariba Discovery have not taken ownership of their accounts.

To ensure that suppliers are matched in all RFQ postings and the required bids are sent to your ERP system, Ariba Network supports the following:

● Quote automation specific supplier enablement process when suppliers are invited from an approved vendor database.

● Quote automation specific supplier enablement process when Ariba Network invites suppliers specified in the QuoteRequest cXML document.

● Workflow for sending the winning public supplier details to the ERP using QuoteMessage cXML document

Flow Invited enablement Vendor matched enablement Public enablement

Matching suppliers ERP VendorKey is used to identify existing vendor sites in the Ariba Network.

Private suppliers that have a trading relationship with the buyer are matched using the product or service category and sales territory information.

SAP Ariba Discovery suppliers are matched using the product or service category and sales territory information for the RFQ posting.

Quote automation quick enablement

Triggered when the identified supplier was not imported as part of the Ariba Network Vendor List or is linked to a private supplier relationship.

Triggered when the matched supplier is still private.

Not applicable for public suppliers

Winning suppliers Winning bids are sent to the ERP system with reference to the ERP Vendor Key.

Winning bids are sent to the ERP system with reference to the ERP Vendor Key.

When public suppliers are missing ERP Vendor Key values, the QuoteMessage is not sent from Ariba Network.

For more information, see Enabling suppliers on Ariba Network.

Supplier enablement in quote automation [page 61]

How to enable public supplier enablement for RFQ postings [page 63]

How to customize and preview the quote automation invitation notification [page 64]



Supplier enablement in quote automation

Supplier enablement terms

The following supplier enablement terms apply to quote automation.

Term Definition

Supplier notification Suppliers receive a notification when a new activity is assigned to them.

Supplier reminders Suppliers receive a reminder when a task is overdue.

Vendors A vendor is a supplier in the buyer’s ERP system. Vendors are identified on Ariba Network with unique vendor IDs. Your organization stores vendor details in your ERP systems. The vendor ID on Ariba Network typically reflects the vendor ID used in the ERP system.

If your organization uses SAP Ariba Procurement solutions (or Invoice Automation and Purchase Order automation with Oracle Fusion Middleware adapters), a vendor is identified on Ariba Network with a unique vendor compound key. The vendor compound key consists of up to three fields: Vendor ID, Site ID, and Site Auxiliary ID. The fields used in your configura-tion depend on the type of ERP system used. (These fields reflect the ID of the supplier site as it is stored in the ERP system.)

Your organization can upload vendor information to Ariba Network to kick off the supplier enablement process:

1. After the upload, you can assign supplier enablement activities and tasks and start the enablement process for selected vendors.

2. The selected vendors receive a trading relationship request email.3. After a vendor registers and accepts the terms of use, a dedicated supplier account is

created on Ariba Network and a relationship is automatically established with the buying organization that sent the request.

4. All supplier account details are then maintained by the suppliers, and your organization continues to manage all vendor details.

Private supplier A special type of an account (private supplier account) created when your organization invites a supplier that doesn't have an Ariba Network account to participate in an RFQ posting.

Quote automation configuration and integration guideTopics about supplier enablement in quote automation PUBLIC 61

Term Definition

Supplier enablement methods The method used to initiate a trading relationship for the following types of suppliers:

● Already registered on the Ariba Network● Not yet registered and doesn't have an Ariba Network account● Private suppliers – For these suppliers, you can link multiple unique supplier IDs (from

the procurement application) to a single ANID/Vendor ID in Ariba NetworkAvailable methods:

● Searching and adding registered suppliers● Using quick enablement through quote automation, purchase order, payment proposal,

CC invoice (invoices sent from SAP Ariba Procurement solutions or the ERP system), ICS invoice (invoices sent from invoice conversion service providers), or request for quotation

● Requesting a trading relationship with suppliers● Posting a supplier self-nomination project so that suppliers can proactively initiate a re

lationship request with you

Quick enablement through quote automation

A supplier enablement method, by which ERP systems send a cXML quote request to create Ariba Network accounts for suppliers.

Supplier enablement for suppliers matched by SAP Ariba Discovery

Ariba Network invites suppliers that match the product or service category and location data for the event from your approved vendor database. An ERP vendor master load file is required on Ariba Network to match suppliers.

To match against private relationships, product or service category and sales territory must be present in the Ariba Network vendor master load file.

Transaction-only public suppliers that you have an existing relationship with aren't used for matching in the quote automation vendor match enablement process. You must use the quote automation invited enablement process to invite transaction only public suppliers you have an existing relationship with the RFQ posting.

Enablement of suppliers specified in RFQ

Ariba Network invites one or more suppliers present in the QuoteRequest cXML sent from your ERP system.

If public relationship information about a supplier is missing on Ariba Network, Ariba Network sends a quick enablement invitation to the supplier, in addition to the RFQ posting details.

If invited suppliers already exist as transaction-only suppliers on Ariba Network, they are notified about the RFQ posting, and a relationship is established when they participate in the event.



Managing supplier enablement

Through Ariba Network, you can monitor the enablement process for your suppliers. You can add a single supplier or upload multiple suppliers and start enablement for them. We recommend setting up one-time activities before starting enablement for suppliers. For more information, see Enabling suppliers on Ariba Network.

How to enable public supplier enablement for RFQ postingsYou must enable public supplier enablement for quote automation to ensure that the winning bids of public suppliers are sent to the your ERP system.

Context

If enabled, Ariba Network invites suppliers that match the product or service category and location data for the RFQ posting. If a supplier wins the RFQ posting but doesn't have a trading relationship with your organization, you can link the suppliers to your ERP vendor list.

Procedure

1. Choose Administration Configuration .2. On the Configuration page, click Default Transaction Rules.3. Find the Quote Automation Rules section.4. Click Forward quotes from public suppliers.5. Click Save.

Quote automation configuration and integration guideTopics about supplier enablement in quote automation PUBLIC 63

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How to customize and preview the quote automation invitation notificationYou can customize the quote automation invitation notification to make it specific to your organization or to a particular RFQ.

Context

When a supplier has the Quote Automation column set to Yes in the master vendor load file and supplier enablement has started, Ariba Network sends suppliers quote automation invitation notifications. When the supplier registers on Ariba Network, a relationship is established with your organization.

Procedure

1. Choose Supplier Enablement Configure .

2. Choose Actions Create/Edit Custom Content for the Quote Automation Letter template.3. Enter and format the custom text, and choose a language (and a country/region, to create country/region-

specific content).

NoteYou must first create English content for a country/region before you can create content for that location in any other language.

4. Click Save.

5. To preview the quote automation invitation notification, choose Actions Preview Template for the quote automation letter template.

View an example of the letter sent to suppliers by the Ariba Network. You can also specify the language and country/region for the preview.

6. Click Done.



Topics about integration of your ERP with Ariba Network for quote automation

Integration of your ERP with Ariba Network for quote automation [page 65]

Configuring Oracle ERP for integration with quote automation [page 71]

Configuring SAP S/4HANA Cloud for integration with quote automation [page 74]

Configuring SAP ECC for integrating with quote automation [page 75]

Configuring your system for Quote Request documents [page 77]

About configuring your system for Quote Message documents [page 79]

About configuring the Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver [page 80]

Quote automation ERP integration configuration tasks [page 81]

Integration of your ERP with Ariba Network for quote automation

Buying organizations can integrate their ERP systems with Ariba Network for the purpose of creating RFQ posting. This enables buyers to manage quotes and purchase orders from within your ERP system with the added benefits of SAP Ariba Discovery award functionality and Ariba Network supplier research. Quote automation feature currently supports integration with the following ERP systems:

● SAP ECC● Oracle ERP● SAP S/4HANA Cloud

RFQ postings are built based on the cXML data received from an ERP system and the quote automation posting configuration. The buyer sends the QuoteRequest documents from ERP and the Ariba Discovery applications respond with QuoteMessage documents.

The buyer sends a cXML QuoteRequest document, which contains all the information needed to create an RFQ posting, from your ERP system to SAP Ariba Discovery through the Ariba Network. SAP Ariba Discovery creates an RFQ posting and invites suppliers to participate based on the criteria specified in the cXML QuoteRequest document and the quote automation posting configuration. The awarded bids are sent back to the ERP system through the cXML QuoteMessage document.

NoteQuote automation does not support multi ERP environment. However, if you want to configure quote automation in a multi ERP environment, while configuring the end points for your custom system ID, additionally also ensure to configure Quotes field in document routing for the Default system ID.

Quote automation configuration and integration guideTopics about integration of your ERP with Ariba Network for quote automation PUBLIC 65

The Quote Document Type Definitions (DTDs)

The cXML standard uses multiple DTDs to optimize the performance of validating parsers. The requests for quotation is defined in a DTD named Quote.dtd.


● cXML Reference Guide● cXML solutions guide● Ariba Network adapter for SAP NetWeaver● About the Ariba Network adapter for Oracle Fusion Middleware

The QuoteRequest document [page 66]

The QuoteMessage document [page 69]

The QuoteRequest document

A cXML QuoteRequest document represents an RFQ received by Ariba Network adapter for SAP NetWeaver from SAP ERP. It is intended to generate an RFQ posting request in SAP Ariba Discovery. The document contains request details.

The following example shows the basic structure of a QuoteRequest document:

<QuoteRequest> <QuoteRequestHeader> header information </QuoteRequestHeader> <QuoteItemOut> QuoteItemOut information </QuoteItemOut> </QuoteRequest>

For more information about cXML, see the cXML Solutions Guide and the cXML User's Guide.

The QuoteRequestHeader

The QuoteRequestHeader includes general information about the request for quotations that is sent to a supplier.



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QuoteRequestHeader has the following attributes:

Attribute Name Description

requestID Unique internal number specifying the buyer’s system ID for the request for quotations.

This field is mandatory.

requestDate The date and time of the QuoteRequest document.


requestVersion The version number of the QuoteRequest in the buyer’s system. This is applicable when there is a change to the original QuoteRequest. The version number for the original QuoteRequest document should be 1 and must increment by 1 for each subsequent version.

For example, the second version of the QuoteRequest must be 2.

type Type of QuoteRequest, one of:

● new● update● delete

The default value is “new”.

currency The currency in which the request for quotation is to be bid.

templateName The template used by the Ariba Discovery application. The template can outline the terms and conditions regarding the details for a request for quotation sent between the buyer and SAP Ariba Discovery application.

The QuoteRequestHeader element has the following elements:

Element Name Description

Name The name of the QuoteRequest. This field is optional.

MasterAgreementIDinfo The ID number of the buyer for the corresponding master agreement of the contract or release order. This field is optional.

SupplierSelector Defines the supplier selection criteria for a QuoteRequest. This field is optional.

The SupplierSelector element has the SupplierID element with the following attribute:

● MatchingType: Specifies how suppliers are matched for a QuoteRequest.The SupplierSelector attribute can have the following values:

● InvitationOnly: Suppliers are matched with the suppliers that have been invited to join the network.

● approvedVendorOnly: Suppliers from the vendor master list. However, the sourcing application may filter the suppliers that can bid based on the product or service category and territory matching rules.

● public: Any public supplier. The supplier can also exist in the vendor master list.This field is mandatory.

Total The total amount of the QuoteRequest. This field is optional.

Description Description of the QuoteRequest. This field is optional.

ShipTo The Ship to information for the QuoteRequest. This field is optional.



Contact The contact information for the request. There may be more than one Contact element. This field is optional.

Extrinsic Extraneous data specific to the request. There can be more than one Extrinsic element, and there is always one Terms extrinsic.

The QuoteItemOut

Each QuoteItemOut in a QuoteRequest stores details on a line item.

A QuoteItemOut has attributes and elements.

The QuoteItemOut element has the following attributes:


Quantity The number of items.

If the order type is “blanket” and has supplier and commodity level items, the default value is “1.” This quantity is not considered to calculate the subtotal. Instead, the MaxAmount in the BlanketItemDetail is used to indicate any line level amounts.


lineNumber Line position of the item in an order. Used to maintain a reference between the items in the document with the type as “new” and “update.”

This field is optional.

agreementItemNumber The buyer’s master agreement identifier for the line item in a release blanket purchase order.


requestedDeliveryDate The delivery date requested for the line item.


QuoteItemOut has the following elements:

● ItemID● ItemDetail● ShipTo● Shipping● Tax● SpendDetail● Contact● Comments



The QuoteMessage document

A supplier can respond to the request for quotations (QuoteRequest) by sending a quote or bid. SAP Ariba Discovery sends these quotes using the QuoteMessage document to the buyer.

The following example shows the basic structure of a QuoteMessage document:

<QuoteMessage> <QuoteMessageHeader> header information </QuoteMessageHeader> <QuoteItemIn> QuoteItemIn information </QuoteItemIn> </QuoteMessage>

For more information about cXML, see cXML Solutions Guide and cXML User's Guide.

The QuoteMessageHeader

QuoteMessageHeader element provides general information about the QuoteMessage sent to the buyer.

The cXML quoteMessage document that describes an award document received in response to an SAP RFQ must include the Currency attribute in the quoteMessageHeader element. The Currency attribute defines the currency used. Currency can be defined using ISO or non-ISO currency codes.

The QuoteMessageHeader has the following additional attributes:


Type The supplier action on the QuoteRequest. Can have one of the following values:

● accept● reject● update● final● award


quoteID Unique ID of the quote.


quoteDate Date on which the quote was submitted.


The QuoteMessageHeader header has the following elements:


SupplierID The unique identification of the supplier. There can be more than one SupplierID. This field is mandatory.



Total The total amount of the QuoteRequest.

ShipTo The ShipTo address from the QuoteRequest.

Contact The Contact information for the QuoteRequest.

QuoteRequestReference Contains the RequestID and requestDate.

QuoteRequestReference has the following attributes:

● requestID: Unique internal number specifying the buyer’s system ID for the request for quotations. This attribute is mandatory.

● requestDate: The data and time of the QuoteRequest documentQuoteRequestReference has the following element:

● DocumentReference: indicates when a document type is update or delete. It refers to the most recent quoteRequest document.

Comments Contains comments about the request. This field is optional.

The QuoteItemIn

QuoteItemIn describes supplier action on a line item in the QuoteMessage. A QuoteMessage may contain multiple QuoteItemIn definitions.

The QuoteItemIn element has attributes and elements.

The QuoteItemIn element has the following attributes:


Type The supplier action on the QuoteRequest. Can have one of the following values:

● accept● reject● update● final● award


Quantity The number of items.

If the order type is “blanket” and has supplier and commodity level items, the default value is “1.” This quantity is not considered to calculate the subtotal. Instead, the MaxAmount in the BlanketItemDetail is used to indicate any line level amounts.


lineNumber Line position of the item in the QuoteRequest. Used to maintain a reference between the items in the document with the type as “new” and “update.”





requestedDeliveryDate The delivery date requested for the line item.


rank The rank of the bid.

A QuoteItemIn has the following elements:

● ItemID● ItemDetail● ShipTo● Shipping● Tax● SpendDetail● Contact● Comments

Configuring Oracle ERP for integration with quote automation

Quote automation is supported in Ariba Network Adapter for Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g. RFQs created in Oracle Financials are integrated with Ariba Network. As part of this integration, the following types of Oracle RFQs are supported:

● Standard RFQ● Bid RFQ● Catalogue RFQ

In addition, QuoteMessages that are sent in response to RFQs are also integrated between Ariba Network and Oracle Financials. The integration is supported for Oracle Financials versions 11i (11.5.10.2) and R12 (12.1.1).

The QuoteMessages

QuoteMessages are sent to Oracle as Standard Purchase Orders, but QuoteMessages do not contain accounting information. Because Oracle expects accounting information for purchase orders, you must maintain the accounting combination id in the Value_Map table for standalone RFQs.

If the RFQ is against a requisition, the adapter uses the accounting details from the first line in the RFQ and applies them to all the lines of the purchase order. Purchase orders are created in Oracle as ‘non-approved’ purchase orders, so you can edit the purchase order and modify the accounting information as needed.

If the QuoteMessage is for an award type, then only the BPEL does any further processing, otherwise the processing stops and an email notification is sent.


Oracle ERP integration requirements

To support integration of RFQs and QuoteMessages, new request types QuoteRequest and QuoteMessage are provided. You need to provide these values for the requestType parameter when you configure the ChannelsConfig.properties file for both these transactions.

In addition, for the cXML Version parameter, enter 1.2.025 or higher for RFQ and QuoteMessage transactions respectively.

If you want to receive an email notification when supplier are present in Ariba Discovery and Ariba Network, but not in your Oracle ERP system, then you must configure the Forward Quotes From Public Suppliers rule in Ariba Network Buyer.

If Quote Messages include suppliers that exist in Ariba Discovery and Ariba Network, but not in your Oracle ERP system, then you must create the supplier in your Oracle ERP system and add the Vendor ID to the Active Relationship for that supplier.

Integration of RFQs

Ensuring that RFQs created in Oracle Financials are pulled by the adapter is a three-step process.

The configuration steps are as follows:

1. Create a custom table called ARIBA_TRANSACTION_FILTER_TAB by running CustomTableCreationScript script in the Oracle ERP Apps Schema.

2. Based on the type of RFQ you need to pull, insert values in the above table. For example, run the statement - Insert into ARIBA_TRANSACTION_FILTER_TAB(TRANSACTION,PARAMETER_NAME,VALUE) values ('RFQ','DOCTYPE','CATALOG') to pull catalog RFQs. The adapter pulls the RFQ based on the DOCTYPE maintained for each RFQ type in the table. However, you can use pull based on any other parameter as required.

3. In Oracle, after you create and save the RFQ document, you must change the status to 'Active'. Only RFQs with the status of ‘Active’ are pulled.

Integration of quote messages

To support integration of QuoteMessages, you need to specify values in the VALUE_MAP table.

In the VALUE_MAP table, maintain values for the following parameters:

MAP_TYPE MAP_KEY MAP_VALUE

ACCOUNT COMBINATION ID CHARGE_ACCOUNT_ID <value>

BUYER UNIQUE IDENTIFIER AGENT_ID <value>

These parameters are required for standalone RFQs that are not created against a requisition. You must maintain the account combination ID in the VALUE_MAP table because the QuoteMessage document is sent as a standard purchase order to Oracle Financials and to create POs in Oracle Financials, account combination ID is required. Similarly, you must maintain the agent name or agent ID in the VALUE_MAP table because when a PO is pushed to



the interface tables, agent name or agent ID is required. The agent name or agent ID is the unique identifier for the Ariba Network buyer maintained in Oracle Financials. You can retrieve the agent ID by querying the PER_PEOPLE_F table in the Oracle ERP Apps Schema.

In addition to these parameters, you also need to maintain the matching type for each RFQ document in the VALUE_MAP table. For example, Insert into VALUE_MAP values (‘RFQ’, ‘STANDARD’, ‘invitationOnly’). This indicates that the RFQ document type STANDARD is mapped to invitationOnly supplier matching type. If no matching type is maintained, then by default, the cXML Adapter sends the approvedVendorOnly matching type to Ariba Network.

Oracle ERP integration limitations

The supplier who sends a quote response must exist in Oracle Financials. The supplier must be a valid supplier in Oracle. Only one quote per supplier is supported. The adapter only supports sending the lead bid back to the ERP system. All other bids are not sent to the ERP system.

How to manage support for RFQ and QuoteMessage transactions

You manage RFQ and QuoteMessage transaction support to ensure integration between Oracle Financials and Ariba Network.

Procedure

1. Download AribaNetworkAdapterOracleFusion_11g_vCI_x_FR.zip file from connect.ariba.com.

2. Extract the above zip file on your file system.3. Deploy the BPEL processes for the RFQ and quote message transactions. QuoteRequest and QuoteMessage

BPEL processes can be deployed using the BuidlNDeploy tool.4. Configure the ChannelsConfig.properties file for both RFQ and quote message transactions.

Monitoring the RFQ and QuoteMessage transactions

When you deploy the BPELs to the Weblogic Server using Ariba Network adapter for Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g, you can monitor the status in Enterprise Manager console (EM).

All the logs are available under <soa_home>/servers/<domain>/<soa server)/logs.


Customizing RFQ and QuoteMessage transactions

You can perform customizations in the third BPEL process OutQuoteRequestCustomMap and InQuoteMssasgeCustomMap for RFQ and quote message transactions respectively.

Customizations are supported only in the custom BPEL process.

Configuring SAP S/4HANA Cloud for integration with quote automationThis section describes the automation of Central Procurement quotes (cRFQ) with Ariba Network. For more information on configuring quote automation in Ariba Network, see Topics about configuring quote automation in Ariba Network [page 26].

Central Procurement consolidates multiple requisitions received from multiple connected SAP S/4HANA Cloud systems into a single quotation called Central RFQ (cRFQ). The cRFQs are sent to SAP Ariba Discovery through SAP Ariba Cloud Integration Gateway. In addition, buyers also create RFQs, as part of the Quote Automation flow, in Central Procurement and send them to SAP Ariba Discovery through SAP Ariba Cloud Integration Gateway.

When suppliers submit their responses in SAP Ariba Discovery, the Quote Message is sent to SAP Ariba Cloud Integration Gateway. An optional extrinsic in the Quote Request and Quote Message cXML documents allow SAP Ariba Cloud Integration Gateway to identify cRFQs and route the related supplier responses from SAP Ariba Discovery back to Central Procurement. This new extrinsic is called quoteBusinessObject:

Extrinsic Sample Code

quoteBusinessObject Sample Code

<QuoteRequest> .... <QuoteRequestHeader> <Extrinsic name="quoteBusinessObject">central</Extrinsic> </QuoteRequestHeader> .... </QuoteRequest>

● If the extrinsic value implies cRFQ as shown above, SAP Ariba Cloud Integration Gateway sends the responses to Central Procurement.

● Otherwise, the responses are handled according to the Quote Automation flow.

NoteSimilarly, for Quote Message, the extrinsic is available under QuoteMessageHeader.



Configuring SAP ECC for integrating with quote automation

Users can initiate an RFQ posting from their SAP ECC system and receive awards back as SAP ERP purchase orders using the Ariba Network adapter for SAP NetWeaver.

Using the RFQ Module in their SAP ERP system, users can create a request for quotation from a purchase requisition or from scratch. Ariba sends the winning bid information back to the SAP ECC system and a purchase order is created in the SAP ERP system.

The SAP ERP RFQ process

To create an RFQ posting in SAP Ariba Discovery, SAP ECC users create an RFQ in SAP ERP MM Standard RFQ Module.

Users can create RFQs in SAP ECC from a purchase requisition, from scratch, or potentially from an existing ERP contract. Users select a supplier matching option, enter event open and close dates, and specify line items with material groups and receiving plants.

The SAP ECC adapter only supports the ability to invite one supplier through the Invited supplier case. Users should create a Ariba Marketplace Vendor, that allows them to invite all approved vendors to the RFQ posting.

A new document type can be created for this purpose or an existing document type can be used.

The supplier matching type is tied to the document type and a value mapping must be maintained.

SAP ECC one vendor limitation

SAP ECC only supports the ability to invite one specific supplier using the invited supplier method. If you want to invite multiple suppliers to your SAP Ariba event, SAP Ariba recommends to use the Vendor Match Option.

In this case, the PI does not send supplier information to Ariba and Ariba invites multiple suppliers in the vendor and public matching methods.

To set up Vendor Matching, you must maintain the following value mappings in the SAP NetWeaver PI system:

● Source Agency "RFQ_ERP" with scheme "VendorConfig"● Target Agency "RFQ_XI" with scheme "VendorConfig"

The SAP ERP QuoteMessage process

After an RFQ posting ends, SAP Ariba sends a Quote Message cXML document with the winning bid results back to SAP ECC. The Quote Message cXML document is transformed and mapped to BAPI structures in SAP Netweaver PI and a purchase order is created through RFC.


If the awarded supplier specified in the Quote Message is from a public SAP Ariba Discovery event and the supplier does not exist in the SAP ECC Vendor database, there are two options: Use Stop-Flow with email notification or use the one time vendor concept.

One time vendors

When you configure the posting configuration in Ariba Network, Ariba Network sends the Quote Message cXML document to your ERP system.

If the posting configuration is not configured in Ariba Network, the Quote Message cXML document stays in the Ariba Network and Ariba sends an email notification to the RFQ initiator. Ariba Network continues to attempt to read the SAP ECC Vendor ID and sends the document when the SAP ECC Vendor ID is available.

When the posting configuration is configured to send the Quote Message cXML document to your ERP system, a purchase order cannot be created in your ERP system if the vendor does not exist in your ERP system. To overcome this issue, you can use the one time vendor functionality available in SAP ECC as a secondary option.

Utilizing the one time vendor functionality involves creating a one time vendor in SAP ECC and specifying the one time vendor ID in the PI configuration mapping. After the one time vendor ID is mapped in the PI configuration, purchase orders are created using the one time vendor ID and the address for the vendor who submitted the bid.

Additional data validation in SAP ECC

When a purchase order is created in SAP ECC, the quote number is stored on the purchase order as the reference document number. The RFQ number is not stored on the purchase order because SAP ECC validates if the supplier on the RFQ and purchase order are the same.

You can view the logs to verify that the supplier on the RFQ and purchase order are the same. In the approved and public vendor scenarios, the system uses the “Ariba Marketplace Vendor”, so the vendors on the purchase order and RFQ do not match and the RFQ reference is not stored on the purchase order.

Logging for purchase order creation:

● TCode used: /nslg1● Object: /ARBA/ASCADAPTER● SubObject: /ARBA/QUOTEMESSAGE

SAP ECC integration requirements and limitations

SAP ECC integration requirements

Quote automation integration with SAP ECC requires SAP ECC 6.0 EHP0 or higher with PI 7.1 or higher.



To support the integration of RFQs and QuoteMessages, you must run the configuration wizard for the request types to create the communication channel.

In addition, for the cXML Version parameter, enter 1.2.025 or higher for RFQ and QuoteMessage transactions.

SAP ECC integration limitations

Quote automation integration with SAP ECC has the following limitations:

● The SAP ECC adapter only supports the ability to invite one supplier through the Invited supplier case. SAP Ariba recommends using the Vendor Match Option for competitive RFQ postings.

● SAP ECC does not support the ability to add attachments to the RFQ line item level.● The SAP ECC adapter only supports the ability to send the lead bid back to the ERP system and does not

support the ability to send all bidding results to the ERP system.● After SAP Ariba sends back the bidding results, users can only create purchase orders in SAP ECC.● Bid attachments are not transferred to purchase orders.● One time vendor option does not support purchase order automation.● Ariba does not support the ability to make changes after the RFQ posting is published. If changes are made in

SAP ECC after the RFQ posting is published, the event will fail and SAP Ariba will send an email notification to the ERP initiator.

● Ariba does not recommend creating RFQs with service lines.

Configuring your system for Quote Request documents

To support QuoteRequest documents the SAP NetWeaver PI mapping contents for iDoc ORDERS05 must be extended, and the iDoc extension must be activated.

The Extension of IDoc REQOTE.ORDERS05

iDoc REQOTE.ORDERS05 has been extended in /ARBA/RFQ to support sourcing requests. New Ariba Network adapter for SAP NetWeaver PI mapping contents transform the iDoc for which the user has designated the RFQ as a StrategicDourcingDocType during RFQ creation to a QuoteRequest cXML document that contains information specific to generating a sourcing request in SAP Ariba Discovery when the cXML document is sent to the Ariba Network.

Configuring the IDoc Partner Profile

Update the SAP iDoc configuration to add the /ARBA/RFQ extension type and specify a message type of REQOTE.


Make the following specific required configuration modifications:

● IDoc Basic Type: ORDERS05● IDoc Extension Type: /ARBA/RFQ● Message Type: REQOTE

For more information, refer Configuring Your SAP ERP System in the Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver Setup Guide.

Activating the IDoc Extension

To activate the iDoc extension, you must create a custom project with Enhancement Assignment MM06E001 and component EXIT_SAPLEINM_002 and then activate the project.

The extension of IDoc REQOTE.ORDERS05

iDoc REQOTE.ORDERS05 has been extended in /ARBA/RFQ to support sourcing requests. New Ariba Network adapter for SAP NetWeaver PI mapping contents transform the iDoc for which the user has designated the RFQ as a StrategicDourcingDocType during RFQ creation to a QuoteRequest cXML document that contains information specific to generating a sourcing request in SAP Ariba Discovery when the cXML document is sent to the Ariba Network.

Configuring the IDoc Partner Profile

Update the SAP iDoc configuration to add the /ARBA/RFQ extension type and specify a message type of REQOTE.

Make the following specific required configuration modifications:

● IDoc Basic Type: ORDERS05● IDoc Extension Type: /ARBA/RFQ● Message Type: REQOTE

Additional References

Configuring Your SAP ERP System in the Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver Setup Guide

Activating the IDoc extension

To activate the iDoc extension, you must create a custom project with Enhancement Assignment MM06E001 and component EXIT_SAPLEINM_002 and then activate the project.



About configuring your system for Quote Message documents

To create Quote Message documents, SAP Ariba needs three pieces of information: Company Code, Purchase Organization, and Material Group.

SAP Ariba fetches this information from the RFQ. SAP Ariba pulls account information from the requisition if the RFQ was created with reference to a requisition. If not, SAP Ariba fetches the accounting information from the /ARBA/PARAM_TAB table.

NoteThe accounting logic does not apply if the RFQ has a material number.

About RFC/ARBA/QUOTE

A new RFC/ARIBA/QUOTE is available. It uses BAPI_PO_CREATE1 to create a purchase order for the awarded quote messages.

The RFC does the following:

● Provides defaults values for missing information in the cXML.● Maintains the TCode - SM30 parameter with the table name /ARBA/PARAM_TAB,

The table needs to be maintained as follows:

Variable Name Field Name Number Include / Exclude Option Value

QUOTE ACCTASSCAT 0 I EQ K

QUOTE ASSET 0 I EQ 100

QUOTE COSTCENTER 0 I EQ 0000004120

QUOTE DOC_TYPE 0 I EQ NB

QUOTE GL_ACCOUNT 0 I EQ 0000404000

QUOTE ONETIME_VENDOR 0 I EQ 0000003960

QUOTE ORDER 0 I EQ 23122

QUOTE ORDER_TYPE 0 I EQ NB

QUOTE PLANT 0 I EQ 3000

QUOTE SUB_NUMBER 0 I EQ 44444

QUOTE WBS_ELEMENT 0 I EQ 3423

● New NetWeaver PI mapping contents transform the ‘Quote Message’ cXML to /ARBA/QUOTE.● See the TCode-SLG1 for checking POs or Contracts that has been created in SAP ERP system.


About configuring the Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver

Configuring Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver involves these steps:

● Configuring Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver PI value mapping● Configuring integration scenarios in the integration directory● Assigning components● Generating objects● Configuring communications channels● Configuring Interface Determination settings

About configuring SAP NetWeaver PI value mappings

SAP NetWeaver PI source and target values must be appropriately mapped to support QuoteRequest messages.

Configure SAP NetWeaver PI value mappings as indicated in the following table:

Source Value Target Value Parameter Name Notes

XI_Global XI IsMultiERPModeEnabled Indicates whether multi ERP is enabled or not.

XI_Global XI DefaultLanguageCode Default language.

LANG_ERP LANG_ISO ERP Language code Key value pair of ERP-ISO language map.

RFQ_ERP RFQ_XI RFQDummyVendor Indicates whether a vendor is an “Ariba Marketplace Vendor”.

RFQ_TYPE RFQ_ASN_TYPE ERP’s RFQ document type Key value parameter of ERP doc type with Ariba Network supported doc type - invitationOnly, approvedVendorOnly, public


For more information, see Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver Setup Guide.



About configuring integration scenarios in the Integration Directory

Import the Design package into the Integration Repository, and then use an integration scenario from the Integration Repository as a template for configuring the corresponding transactions for RFQ to SAP Ariba Discovery integration and SAP Ariba Discovery Award to Contract in the Integration Directory.

About Configuring and Activating the RFQ to Ariba Discovery Integration Scenario

Configuring and activating the integration scenario is a four-step process.

1. Transfer the Integration Scenario from the Integration Repository to the Integration Directory.2. Configure the Integration Scenario.3. Configure the Communication Channels.4. Activate the new configuration.

Quote automation ERP integration configuration tasks

How to configure the Integration Scenario [page 82]

How to transfer the Integration Scenario [page 82]

How to select the model [page 83]

How to assign components to the Integration Scenario [page 83]

How to configure connections in the Integration Scenario [page 84]

How to generate objects for the Integration Scenario [page 85]

How to configure the communication channel [page 85]

How to configure the interface determination settings [page 86]

How to activate the Integration Scenario [page 86]

How to configure the Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver to send QuoteRequest documents to Ariba Network [page 87]

How to upgrade and configure the cXML Adapter version for the communication channel [page 87]

Messages mapping [page 88]


How to configure the Integration Scenario

After the Integration Scenario is selected, you must configure it. Configuring is a four-step process.

Context

Integration scenario configuration includes:

Procedure

1. Select Model.2. Assign Components.3. Configure Connections.4. Generate Configuration Objects.

How to transfer the Integration Scenario

The first step to configure the integration scenario for the Request for Quotation transaction is to transfer to the Integration Directory, the integration scenario loaded into the Integration Repository when the Design package is imported.

Procedure

1. From the SAP NetWeaver PI main page, select Integration Directory Integration Builder , and then login into the Configuration: Integration Builder application.

2. In the Integration Builder menu, select Tools Apply Model from ES Repository .3. In the first screen of the Transfer Model from ES Repository wizard, Select Process Integration Scenario, click

the Name field, then click the Display Input Help drop down list and select Input Help. Select the following Process Integration Scenario from the Enterprise Services Repository screen:

○ Name: AR_QuoteRequest_Receive○ Namespace: http://ariba.com/xi/ASN/QuoteRequest○ Software Component Version: ARIBA_SUPPLIER_CONN_ADAPTER, CI5 of ariba.com

4. Click Continue.5. If required, change the name of the scenario for the Integration Directory6. Click Finish.



Results

Once the transfer is completed, the Model Configurator window appears.

How to select the model

The first integration scenario configuration step is to select a model.

Procedure

1. Click Select Component View in the Model Configurator.2. Click Apply to select the unique model that is selected by default.

Next Steps

Assign components to the application components of the selected integration scenario.

How to assign components to the Integration Scenario

The second integration scenario configuration step is to assign components.

Procedure

1. In the Model Configurator, click the Assign Component button.2. In the Assign Components window, select the Business System Components for A2A tab to assign

components for Ariba Network.3. Click on the Insert Line button ('+') to add a component entry in the table if no component entry line is present.4. Click on the row under the Communication Component column, then click on the Value List drop down and

select Value List <F4. Select the communication component name BS_SAPR3_50, from the selection list and click Apply.

NoteFor Multi ERP implementation, add the multiple communication components defined for multiple SAP ERP systems by repeating the steps 3 and 4.


5. Click the Next Role button (the right arrow) to go to the next screen in the window.6. Click the Insert Line button (’+’) to add a component entry in the table if no component entry line is present.7. Click on the row under the Communication Component column, then click on the Value List drop down and

select Value List <F4. Select the communication component name BS_ASN, from the selection list and click Apply.

8. Click the Save Settings button to save the changes.

Next Steps

Define sender/receiver relations for the individual connections in the Integration Scenario and specify Communication Channels that are relevant for the sender/receiver relations.

How to configure connections in the Integration Scenario

The third integration scenario configuration step is to configure connections.

Procedure

1. In the Model Configurator, click the Configure Connections button. You must assign Communication Channels to set up the connections.

2. In the Connections from Component Assignment tab in the Configure Connection window, click the empty Communication Channel cell corresponding to BS_ASN in the Receiver Business System Components table.

3. Click the New Communication Channel button (the icon at the top left), and then select Create Communication Channel with Template to start the Create Communication Channel wizard.

4. Click Continue, and in the next page click the Name field, then click the Display Input Help drop down list and select Input Help. Select the following Communication Channel Template:

○ Name: CCT_Quote_cXML_Receiver○ Namespace: http://ariba.com/xi/ASN/QuoteRequest○ Software Component Version: ARIBA_SUPPLIER_CONN_ADAPTER, CI5 of ariba.com

5. Click Continue, modify the channel name to CC_QuoteRequest_cXML_Receiver, and then click Finish.

TipIf you have already created and configured a Receiver channel for BS_ASN for another transaction, you can create the communication channel by copy from a channel already configured.

NoteThe communication channels for SAP ERP Sender system are not required.

6. Click the Activate All Connections button, and then click OK in the dialog box.



7. Click the Save Settings button to save the changes.

Next Steps

Generate the objects. Generation creates the configuration objects if they do not exist. If they already exist, they are reused and enhanced, if required.

You can also simulate generation for test purposes.

How to generate objects for the Integration Scenario

The fourth integration scenario configuration step is to generate objects.

Procedure

1. In the Model Configurator, click the Create Configuration Object button.2. In the Create Configuration Object window, make the following settings:

○ General: Generation (select the radio button for this option)○ Scope of Generation: Select both the active check boxes – Receiver Determination, and Interface

Determination.3. Select the Create New radio button under Change List for Generated Objects and use the proposed name or

modify it.4. Click on Start to begin generating objects.5. When object generation is complete, click Apply to save the new configuration settings.

A log file is created by this operation. You can close the log file without saving it, or you can optionally save it if required for your needs.

How to configure the communication channel

Configure the communication channel CC_QuoteRequest_cXML_Receiver under the AR_QuoteRequest_Receive Configuration Scenario.

Procedure

1. Under Communication Channel, double-click |BS_ASN|CC_QuoteRequest_cXML_Receiver to open it, or right-click and select Open.


2. In the Parameters tab, set the parameters in the Authentication section to match your Ariba Network Buyer account configuration.

NoteIf you created the channel by copy from an existing channel, you need to change the request type to QuoteRequest in the Outbound Request Type field.

3. If required, edit the other parameters.4. Save your changes.

How to configure the interface determination settings

Configure the interface determination settings to enable mapping enhancements.

Context

Configuring the Interface Determination is a mandatory step if you need to configure the mappings.

Procedure

1. Expand Interface Determination, and then click BS_SAPR3_50 | | REQOTE.ORDERS05./ARBA/RFQ | | BS_ASN.

2. In the Receiver Interfaces section of the Edit Interface Determination window, click the operation mapping value under the Operation Mapping column, then click the Value List drop down and select Value List.

3. Select the operation mapping IFM_REQOTE_ORDERS05_ARBA_RFQ_2_cXML and click Apply.

4. The Multiplicity column displays the value "0..unbounded".

5. Save the interface determination settings.

How to activate the Integration Scenario

The final configuration step for supporting the QuoteRequest transaction in SAP NetWeaver PI is to activate your newly created scenario.

Procedure

From the Change List tab on the main application screen, activate all the Change Lists containing the objects created and modified during the component setup.




For more information, see Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver Setup Guide (specifically the Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver for SAP Suite Add-On chapter).

How to configure the Ariba Network Adapter for SAP NetWeaver to send QuoteRequest documents to Ariba Network

Context

Configuring the Ariba Network adapter for SAP NetWeaver system to send QuoteRequest documents to Ariba Network is a four step process.

Procedure

1. Import transports into SAP ERP system.2. Install SAP ERP enhancements for RFQ creation.3. Install SAP ERP enhancements for RFQ cancellation.4. Ensure that you have cXML adapter version 1.2.025 or greater.

How to upgrade and configure the cXML Adapter version for the communication channel

You must use version 1.2.025 (or later) of the cXML adapter for Quote Request and Quote Message support.

Procedure

1. Upgrade your cXML adapter to version 1.2.025 or later.a. Download an archive with the latest version of the cXML adapter from the following location:

root/Archive/SCA/AribaNetworkAdapterSAPNetweaver.sca

Where root is the root directory for your NetWeaver installation.


b. Deploy the archive.2. Update the communication channel with the new cXML version information.

a. In the Parameters tab, set the parameters in the cXML Configuration section to match your Ariba Network Buyer account configuration.

b. Update the cXML version parameter to the 1.2.025 version.c. Save and activate the changes.

Messages mapping

Two new message mapping namespaces were added to support QuoteRequest and QuoteMessage.

The following new mapping namespaces have been added:

● http://ariba.com/xi/ASN/QuoteRequest● http://ariba.com/xi/ASN/QuoteMessage

For more information, see the mapping worksheets on http://connect.ariba.com .



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