Product Information
Intercompany integration solution for SAP Business One – Central Blog (updated Jun 4 2021)
SAP is no longer selling or supporting “Intercompany Integration Solution for SAP Business One” – therefore the content in this blog post is outdated.
For more details please refer to this note: https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/3250656
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Attention, update note: As of this last change as of June 2021, I no longer maintain this blog as my responsibilities at SAP have changed.
Some information may become outdated or inaccessible.
Please refer to the other documentation, rollout and enablement materials on the topics addressed here. Kind regards, Peter
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Dear all,
In this post, I keep you updated about the Intercompany integration solution for SAP Business One, providing you an easy and central entry point to all relevant and up-to-date information. I work in the solution management for SAP Business One and manage the Intercompany integration solution.
Most recent updates:
On Jun 4, we delivered PL42, for its content see overview SAP Note 3028552.
See Top ReSolutions for Intercompany Integration Solution for all enhancements in recent patches. Intercompany and the Integration hub are compatible with SAP Business One Version 9.3 and Version 10 on MS SQL or SAP HANA.
General:
This proven SAP add-on is key to streamline intercompany activities with SAP Business One. It is a unique option for companies with multiple business units or subsidiaries that run the SAP Business One and need intercompany integration capabilities.
Our solution is very successful in more than 65 countries and around nine hundred satisfied customers. The solution is very mature and is constantly being further developed, closely integrated into the development and maintenance process of SAP Business One core and the integration framework to be functional and technically always up to date.
Pricing
The solution is on the SAP Business One Reseller Pricelist. For private cloud deployments, an additional subscription-based licensing model is available.
Find some explanation of the pricing model in this blog. Basically, Intercompany, as a native add-on, significantly extends/upgrades the functionality and the benefits of SAP Business One overall. For example, each master data record or transaction exchanged via ICO, is fully available for the whole SAP Business One functions and for all users. That’s why the price of ICO is tied to the number of users of the SAP Business One core functions (licensed users). There’s simply no concept in ICO on “intercompany users” since the functional upgrade and benefits do not only exist for individual users. For details, please consult a SAP Partner.
Series of enhancements and further plans
The number of customers and users grows at an above-average rate. We have therefore made significant further investments in the solution. Existing customers benefit significantly from increased performance/throughput, stability, enhanced or rounded functionality, new installations are much easier and faster. See the Top ReSolutions for all details.
Based on general requirements, our product strategy, and market feedback we constantly improve and refine the solution. Find current plans on page #27 in the road map for SAP Business One.
Requirement/DRQ process for Intercompany
We follow the SAP-wide process of customer influence. In the SAP Business One session, intercompany topics are also dealt with, look up HERE all related Improvement Requests (IRs). Customers and partners are very welcome to vote for existing IRs or to place their own ideas there. For general info see this blog.
The integration solution offers the following features to corporate groups:
- Share common business data
- Support of standardized business processes across companies
- Transparency over operations across the group incl. financial consolidation
- Control and collaboration beyond company borders
Here you can find some further public information:
Informative Fact Sheets:
- Solution Overview
- Centralized Payment
- Financial Consolidation
- Intercompany Allocation
- Intercompany Trade
- Intercompany Reporting
- Master Data Replication
Comprehensive Blog content:
- Configuring key mapping
- Master data replication and content sharing across partner companies
- Financial Consolidation
- Intercompany trade between partner companies
- How to setup service operations across landscape
- Allocation of Income and Expenses across partner companies
- Global Data Authorization and Alert Administration
- Managing the intercompany landscape
- Global Intercompany Reporting
- Delegation of Vendor payments to partner companies
- SAP Help Portal: Intercompany integration solution for SAP Business One.
- YouTube features these Intercompany Videos (recently added customer stories: Grandluxe, SYSGO AG, Stommpy, and Fortune International
Some more info on the Intercompany integration solution (s-user required):
The Solution Brief, Solution Details Deck, as well as the SAP Help Portal Intercompany Page, featuring the most recent Administrator´s and User Guide.
About localization: The solution is localized for 43 countries, see the Administrator’s Guide, section Localized Countries. For any need beyond current localizations, see SAP Note 2154976.
Actually the integration solution is currently used in over 65 countries. Support for Central MENA has been added in December 2019, among other countries, see this blog.
Downloading the software: SAP Partners and customers find patches for upgrade or direct installation in Software Download Center -> SAP Business One -> SAP Business One Products -> B1 Intercompany Integration -> B1 Intercompany Integration 2.0.
Due to the solution’s technical nature, you can use patch files both for fresh installations and for updating existing installations. This also applies to potentially offered Hotfix files.
Useful SAP Notes:
- SAP Note 1844555, “Troubleshooting in the intercompany integration solution” (also features information about versions, compatibility, and performance optimization)
- SAP Note 2267770 Patch Delivery Schedule – Find release dates for Patches
Training resources: For SAP Partners, there’s “Additional Training for SAP Business One – Intercompany Integration Solution 2.0 for SAP Business One” available on PartnerEdge.
Many comprehensive, short videos can be found on SAP Help Portal Intercompany Page.
Check also the Implementation and Operations Manual document.
SAP Community: Blogs and Questions & Answers
For Q&A, use tag: the intercompany integration solution. Follow this tag, raise or answer questions. Find here any content on intercompany tag, incl. Blogs. In SAP Community, the intercompany team tries to clarify your questions asap and give you the best possible assistance.
Best regards, Peter
Picture above: The Intercompany Solution Cockpit. This cockpit makes the system easy to operate from one single screen and significantly improves the overall handling, monitoring, and troubleshooting, as well as allowing reactive and proactive actions.
Picture above: Setup screen, Template Configuration.
Quite a meaningful information update. good job peter!!
Peter,
Can you comment on how SAP addresses (through Intercompany) COGS between Sales Company and Purchasing Company in any of the new releases?
Scenario:
Company A is a custom retail company and purchases all of their goods from Company B. They don't have pricing from Company B until they do a Goods Receipt P.O. How would Intercompany handle this so that the Company A is reflecting the correct COGS in the G/L for each transaction? Does it take cost from the amount on the Delivery from Company B into the GRPO in Company A and then (because the procurement document is created by the SO) update the COGS accordingly?
I realize I may have answered my own question, but I would still appreciate clarification.
Also, is there anyway to automate the entire stream for external customers, e.g. POS order come into the system through XML and create orders. Is there an API compliment that developers can work with?
Thanks in advance,
Donald
Please excuse Donald, we have overlooked this question. Anyway, even for the records and others here’s a reply now:
In intercompany integration solution, each company may have different valuation method to calculate the cost in the system. Based on valuation method, SAP Business One calculates cost. The intercompany integration solution uses the valuation method as provided by SAP Business One.
The intercompany integration solution automatically creates an intercompany transaction as a reciprocal transaction in the SAP Business One application of another business unit. When a sender branch company creates a purchase order in its SAP Business One application, the solution automatically triggers the creation of a sales order in the recipient company and in the Sales Order, solution copies the quantity and pricing information from the purchase order.
For automation requirement you mentioned, B1iF is XML based integration platform available with SAP Business One. Programmer can easily read data from POS system in XML format. Various adapter like File adapter, DI Adapter, HTTP Adapter for web service call, etc. are available. SAP Business One sales order can be created by writing your own integration scenario.
Hope this helps, Peter
Hi Peter,
I've opened the softwre download link, and can't find Integration 2.0 PL 12,
the latest one is only PL 10
where can I download the patch ?
Regards,
Hendra
Dear Hendra, the column Patch Level shows PL12 correctly.
best, peter
Dear Peter
I would like to know installation, configuration and performance are still complex and slow?
is it still stable?
Regards
Edmund
Dear Edmund,
Thank you for your questions. I do not know where and from when your impression to this SAP solution comes.
The intercompany integration solution is an integral part of our portfolio to cover the (often very complex) requirements of intercompany /large B1 landscapes in a very comfortable and simple manner. It is very successfully used in over 60 countries, trend rising sharply.
In fact, we have a very comprehensive agenda for H1 2017, we will update you here and over other channels in a few weeks.
Just send me a PM for further exchange or to arrange demo/expert call.
Best, Peter
Dear Peter
Thanks for your information.
Since we have tried to install the intercompany intergration solution 2.0, but not the latest PL.
But we find out that the installation seems complex and more software require to install
Also the configuration seems complex to meet the customer requirement.
It is not stable, I create a purchase order from A and send to B company, B company may not receive any notices and sales order.
Maybe, I install it on my notebook. I feel that the performance becomes slow.
I am not sure that SAP has related document that if the reader follow the instructions, step by step. the reader can do install, configure, apply the intercompany intergration solution. And we can understand and know the power of intercompany intergration solution.
As XL reporter, it show the steps clear and I can follow the instructions step by step, then I can know the full picture about this tools.
Regards
Edmund
Dear Edmund, your comment is now a while ago and related to older versions and the past. I'm curious if you've had a chance to gather positive experiences in the meantime (esp. after Series of 2017′ enhancements and further enhancements in 2018) or if you still have some problems or see other issues. I would be glad about a direct message, then we can talk about it. Thanks, Peter
Thanks for the update Peter.
Do you know if this patch fix the SAPB1 Hana issue with long time to create intercompany tables and fields (activate add-on) ? I have experienced 1-2 hours for the add-on the be activated in a company and this is unusual and problematic. We have to install this add-on after hours since users cannot be out for such a long time. Not sure how Hana environment takes this long whist SQL server takes 10-15 mins.
Thanks
Hi Dick,
Thank you for this question.
Actually the background for the issue you describe is quite generic, it’s a limitation of current implementation of DI API in conjunction with SAP HANA, how a huge number of UDTs and UDFs is being handled. So just as a clarification, this problem is not specific to intercompany integration solution, it potentially affects any add-on as well having huge number of UDTs and UDFs.
In the past this issue was even more severe, with SAP Business One 9.1 PL09 a significant improvement in the add-on registration process was realized. So it also depends on which version you have made this experience.
However, current solution is not completely satisfactory, as your description underlines. We will try to reduce the problem further, enabling faster implementation without such side effects.
Just to mention, about performance in general and other enhancements of the intercompany integration solution we will have very positive news in a few weeks, we will update you over various channels.
Hope this helps,
Best regards, Peter
I have a question.
We want to extract information from our B1 HANA system, and use it in our website. Qty on hand, pricing, customer order history.
Is this module what we need? Or do we need something else?
Dear Larry,
Unfortunately, Intercompany integration solution has a completely different scope, as explained above. In order to address your mentioned requirement, I suggest you contact your implementation partner.
Best regards, Peter
Hi Experts,
We have to create B1 to B1 integration scenario using b1if.
Our vendor is Implemented SAP Business one on his premises, now we have to integrate his SAP Business oNe AR invoice to Our SAP SAP Business one AP Invoice - Draft.
Whenever Vendor creates an AR Invoice in his SAP B1 system then AP Invoice Draft should be created in Our SAP B1 System (both SAP business one servers are different).
Can anyone help me to create this scenario, what will be the steps? how to do SLD configuration.
waiting for your reply.
Thanks and regards,
Pravin Baji
Hi Peter,
Awesome blog work you have here!
I've been searching throughout the SAP resources, blog, and the web and I couldn't find the Intercompany compatible PL versions for SAP Business One 10.0.
Can you help me? I have the 10.0 PL01 B1 version.
Thanks in advance,
Cheers,
Edgar
Dear Edgar, you're right, there's no such info on it yet. Actually, we do not support the early adoption versions available.
Background here is that we a) must adjust for some technical changes, esp. in case of SAP HANA 2.0, this also includes some adjustment on B1 side and b) the tremendous testing efforts. So, we currently plan to announce v10 compatibility for Intercompany as well the Integration Hub for MS SQL in late April 2020, for SAP HANA DB in July 2020. This is our cautious assessment/plan, I hope that at SAP HANA we can be even a bit faster.
I'll also add that info to the blog and compatibility note for better clarity.
Thanks for your understanding,
Best regards, Peter
Dear Peter,
Thanks a lot for your answer,
I'm looking forward to get your feedback on the dates you mentioned.
BR,
Edgar
Hi Peter
the new ICO version presents rework problems when there are SP Transaction Notification. Is there a way to make both work properly?
Thanks and regards,
Dave
Hi David, for a review of your individual question in relation to your specific system environment please contact our support. Best regards, Peter
Hello everyone,
I have a query, this is my scenario:
I have 5 databases in SQL and 3 in HANA but I need to connect all these databases by ICO.
Do someone knows if this is possible to do that?
Regards
Orlando
Hi Orlando,
Yes, This is possible. You can connect the SQL and HANA databases together in the Intercompany Solution.
First, you need to configure the company databases in the B1if SLD registration page (that is, the instances of the integration component running the Integration Solutions Installer).
Afterward, you can include these SLD's in the Intercompany landscape.
Also, to fetch the events from the remote server, you need to configure the event sender as well.
For more details on configuring SLD's and event sender on remote servers, You may refer to this URL:
https://help.sap.com/doc/b12822689fa0424a91e7ec57d0c02a8b/2.0/en-US/Multi_Instances_of_Integration_Framework.pdf
Thanks,
Pankaj Sharma
Hi All,
Maybe I'm missing some obvious documentation but is the Intercompany Add-on available as a lightweight extension directly from SAP? I've only found this https://blogs.sap.com/2016/06/15/sap-b1-intercompany-add-on-installation-made-easier/ where we can compile the given files into our own extension package but was wondering if this is supported by SAP *and* if safe to install on the Cloud Control Center? I didn't see any explicit documentation that says it is *not* supported for Cloud Control Center (9.3 PL14 to be specific).
Can anyone confirm?
***Edit*** - Actually found confirmation that it is indeed supported but I am unable to find a lightweight deployment version of the add-on. https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/1855972
Wondering if we just need to package ourselves and that's how it is handled?
Thanks,
Jaz
Hi Jaz,
Currently, The intercompany solution lightweight add-on is not available. It is planned to be available in the upcoming intercompany solution patch i.e Patch level 43.
Thanks,
Pankaj Sharma
Hi Pankaj,
Does that mean that we can compile the extension ourselves as mentioned in the blog I linked for Cloud Control Center purposes?
Thanks,
Jaz
Hello Jaz Parmar
No, you don't need to compile the addon. You basically just repackage it:
Hope this helps,
Joerg.
Hello Everyone ,
We just came to know that "SAP will stop selling new licenses of "Intercompany integration solution for SAP Business One", Any one here came across or have more information on this about the alternatives?
Thanks,
Vamsi
Hello Vamsi Parimisetti
There is no official information on alternatives yet. You should mark the SAP note 3250656 as a favorite to get updates in this respect.
3250656 - Product Alternatives to Intercompany Integration Solution for SAP Business One
Best regards,
Joerg.