In my previous blog, I emphasized the significance of inbound channels in addressing the challenges faced by Accounts Payable departments. The blog highlighted how SAP Ariba Central Invoice Management effectively tackles these inbound channel challenges by implementing various channels, leading to a high degree of automation. In the November 2023 release, SAP Ariba Central Invoice Management took two significant steps to advance its inbound channels by introducing the following:

1. SAP Business Network Integration: SAP Business Network is a secure, global platform designed for the exchange of various business transactions, including Purchase Orders, Invoices, Catalogs, and Payments. This integration empowers customers to fully leverage the potential of SAP Business Network, enabling them to send invoices directly to their buyers through the network. Suppliers can also integrate their backend systems with SAP Business Network to efficiently track generated invoices against received Purchase Orders. For SAP Business Network invoices, the Document Information Extraction process step is bypassed, as optical character recognition (OCR) and information extraction services are unnecessary. After the “Received” process step, the invoice proceeds through the following steps: Company Code Determination, Supplier Determination., Account Determination, etc.
2. Compliance with Local Authority Requirements: Compliance with local authority requirements has become more critical than ever. With this release, the capability to receive invoices from legal networks and exchange systems i.e. Peppol into SAP Ariba Central Invoice Management’s inbound processing module through SAP Document and Reporting Compliance DRC will be available. This functionality is currently only available for Peppol in Germany and Norway.
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This first release opens the door for future integration in future releases with e-invoicing platforms required by local authority.

Other features that were released in the November 2023 release include the following:

• SAP Ariba Central Invoice Management users are now able to provide direct feedback to the product. This feedback allows SAP to improve the product.
• Fiori Horizon as default user interface theme: Horizon is the new default theme for SAP Ariba Central Invoice Management.

At SAP, we continuously strive to improve and simplify the invoice management process to enhance efficiency and accuracy for our customers.

Additionally, I would like to invite you to explore our previous blogs that showcase the exciting innovations introduced in SAP Ariba Central Invoice Management. To access these informative resources, please follow these links: Astrid Luckart Blog, and Roxana Craciun Blog.

By following my profile, you can stay informed about future releases and updates on SAP Ariba Central Invoice Management. Don’t miss out on the latest advancements that can revolutionize your financial processes.

For more information on SAP Ariba Central Invoice Management, check out the following links:

• SAP Procurement Release Readiness Community for release information
• Help Portal Product Page for SAP Ariba Central Invoice Management
• SAP Ariba Central Invoice Management Overview blog
• Intelligent Spend Management Community