Once upon a time, in the bustling realm of corporate endeavors, I, Kanishka the Build Man, was the go-to citizen developer within our dynamic team. I usually work on solving business problems with technical solutions for our team, but coding is not exactly my forte. Thanks to SAP Build, I use low code to create apps and processes effortlessly, just like playing with LEGOs, piecing together prebuilt components and content to build solutions that meet our business needs without needing to program things with code.
One fine day, my project manager evgeniy.gorbunov had an interesting problem to solve. Our team deals a lot with external agencies for workshops and SAP Build Roadshows, and guess what? There are tons of purchase orders to handle for that. With the number of Roadshow events increasing each year, the paperwork is crazy. So, we needed to make things simpler.
That is when I met Mr. chinmayagorachanda.chaudhury, an Integration Consultant, and my partner in crime for ousting this manual administrative work. Chinmaya has great expertise in dealing with complex integrations across the SAP Business Technology Platform. He also helps us in optimizing the solutions we build using SAP Build ensuring scalability and security. And this is the Fusion Development story, a beautiful collaboration between technical and non-technical colleagues to reach our dreams.
(AI generated : Citizen Developer and IT Expert)
Invoice Problem
So let us get back to our invoice problem, where we idea stormed a solution to sort out the purchase order chaos and our Fusion Development journey felt like a dance, with synchronized collaboration choreographed by Evgeniy.
For our roadshows, we encounter a multitude of invoices covering catering, event locations, and various miscellaneous expenses. These expenses vary across locations in terms of costs and currency. While some places are easy to manage, others pose a real hassle, making it difficult to keep track of overall expenses.
Ideally, we are aiming to create an app for our local organizers to submit invoices. Given the diverse range of expenses ahead, a standard process will not suffice. Instead, we need a dynamic process capable of sorting expenses, making automatic decisions for low-cost items, and drawing human attention to high-cost expenses. This ensures a thorough review by the team before adding them to the roadshow expenses.
During this process, we also recognized the versatility of this scenario, where the need to submit and process the files extends across different lines of businesses. For example,
This is my favorite part of SAP Build, how we can extend and reuse a solution for different scenarios.
The Idea takes shape
We tried to break down our problem step by step and used multiple references from the SAP Community to create this solution. Thanks to all the contributors to SAP Community. But once we brainstormed the idea, it did not take us long to realize it. Upon receiving the receipts of the various scanned documents, we can extract the data using OCR capabilities from SAP Build Process Automation, and go through the respective approvals dynamically, and submit the data to SAP S/4HANA for further processing and posting.
Invoices from different organizations require varying handling methods, as they may come in different formats, such as paper-based or via email. Based on the information present on the invoice (sender, received goods or services, day of payment, gross amount), multiple approvals may be necessary.
Before the automation, upon the receipt of the Invoice, the following activities were taking place in the organization to manage the expense:
However, with the improved process after the implementation of automation and receipt and scanning of the invoice:
SAP Build and its Allies
Using SAP Build Apps, we gather invoices and employ SAP Build Process Automation to establish a dynamic invoice process. However, the challenge lies in finding a storage solution for these invoices. Chinmaya suggested using SAP Document Management Service, a service offered in SAP Business Technology Platform.
Great, now the process involves uploading the invoice to SAP Document Management Service and sharing the file details with SAP Build Process Automation. Subsequently, SAP Build Process Automation retrieves the invoice file from SAP Document Management Service, extracting the necessary information. And yes, this is a state-of-the-art Build scenario. To ensure the security of this symphony of integration and to facilitate its scalability, we also plan to use the SAP Integration Suite because what is an integration without SAP Integration Suite? 🙂 Using SAP Integration Suite, we can seamlessly monitor and administer the integration, guaranteeing a smooth and secure flow of data and processes.
This allows us to seamlessly connect SAP Build and SAP Document Management Service. While utilizing the API from Integration Suite in SAP Build was straightforward for me, the setup posed some challenges. Thanks to our integration expert, Chinmaya, who handled this setup for us. In the next blog, he explains in detail the technical setup of this scenario. It will be an interesting read for the IT experts. A Tale of Fusion Development with SAP Build: The Conclusion
To sum it up, using SAP Build has made our Roadshow invoice management much smoother. It's not just about the Roadshow – this approach lays the groundwork for handling all sorts of business tasks more efficiently in the future. This tale is an example of how fusion development, blending citizen developers and IT experts, can make a big difference in an organization's success.
Happy Building!! 🪖🛠️💻
Continuation: A Tale of Fusion Development with SAP Build: The Conclusion
Join the SAP Builders group to get the latest and greatest on SAP Build. And follow us on social media for daily news: LinkedIn, Twitter.
One fine day, my project manager evgeniy.gorbunov had an interesting problem to solve. Our team deals a lot with external agencies for workshops and SAP Build Roadshows, and guess what? There are tons of purchase orders to handle for that. With the number of Roadshow events increasing each year, the paperwork is crazy. So, we needed to make things simpler.
That is when I met Mr. chinmayagorachanda.chaudhury, an Integration Consultant, and my partner in crime for ousting this manual administrative work. Chinmaya has great expertise in dealing with complex integrations across the SAP Business Technology Platform. He also helps us in optimizing the solutions we build using SAP Build ensuring scalability and security. And this is the Fusion Development story, a beautiful collaboration between technical and non-technical colleagues to reach our dreams.
(AI generated : Citizen Developer and IT Expert)Invoice Problem
So let us get back to our invoice problem, where we idea stormed a solution to sort out the purchase order chaos and our Fusion Development journey felt like a dance, with synchronized collaboration choreographed by Evgeniy.
For our roadshows, we encounter a multitude of invoices covering catering, event locations, and various miscellaneous expenses. These expenses vary across locations in terms of costs and currency. While some places are easy to manage, others pose a real hassle, making it difficult to keep track of overall expenses.
Ideally, we are aiming to create an app for our local organizers to submit invoices. Given the diverse range of expenses ahead, a standard process will not suffice. Instead, we need a dynamic process capable of sorting expenses, making automatic decisions for low-cost items, and drawing human attention to high-cost expenses. This ensures a thorough review by the team before adding them to the roadshow expenses.
During this process, we also recognized the versatility of this scenario, where the need to submit and process the files extends across different lines of businesses. For example,
- Our sales representatives may need to process various sales-related documents such as entering customer data to create a lead in our CRM system.
- Our HR professionals need to consolidate the data of the young talents during the conferences and events. please see an example in this YouTube video
This is my favorite part of SAP Build, how we can extend and reuse a solution for different scenarios.
The Idea takes shape
We tried to break down our problem step by step and used multiple references from the SAP Community to create this solution. Thanks to all the contributors to SAP Community. But once we brainstormed the idea, it did not take us long to realize it. Upon receiving the receipts of the various scanned documents, we can extract the data using OCR capabilities from SAP Build Process Automation, and go through the respective approvals dynamically, and submit the data to SAP S/4HANA for further processing and posting.
Invoices from different organizations require varying handling methods, as they may come in different formats, such as paper-based or via email. Based on the information present on the invoice (sender, received goods or services, day of payment, gross amount), multiple approvals may be necessary.
Before the automation, upon the receipt of the Invoice, the following activities were taking place in the organization to manage the expense:
- Manual entry of the required information in a spread sheet.
- Spread sheet is sent to approve the invoices.
- Approvals are given within the spreadsheet and sent back to the requester.
- Manually maintain the invoices in the ERP system.
However, with the improved process after the implementation of automation and receipt and scanning of the invoice:
- Relevant information is automatically extracted.
- Business rules select the appropriate approver.
- If needed, approval is completed within the process.
- The invoice is automatically pushed to the ERP system for further processing.
Invoice Process flow
SAP Build and its Allies
Using SAP Build Apps, we gather invoices and employ SAP Build Process Automation to establish a dynamic invoice process. However, the challenge lies in finding a storage solution for these invoices. Chinmaya suggested using SAP Document Management Service, a service offered in SAP Business Technology Platform.
Great, now the process involves uploading the invoice to SAP Document Management Service and sharing the file details with SAP Build Process Automation. Subsequently, SAP Build Process Automation retrieves the invoice file from SAP Document Management Service, extracting the necessary information. And yes, this is a state-of-the-art Build scenario. To ensure the security of this symphony of integration and to facilitate its scalability, we also plan to use the SAP Integration Suite because what is an integration without SAP Integration Suite? 🙂 Using SAP Integration Suite, we can seamlessly monitor and administer the integration, guaranteeing a smooth and secure flow of data and processes.
This allows us to seamlessly connect SAP Build and SAP Document Management Service. While utilizing the API from Integration Suite in SAP Build was straightforward for me, the setup posed some challenges. Thanks to our integration expert, Chinmaya, who handled this setup for us. In the next blog, he explains in detail the technical setup of this scenario. It will be an interesting read for the IT experts. A Tale of Fusion Development with SAP Build: The Conclusion
To sum it up, using SAP Build has made our Roadshow invoice management much smoother. It's not just about the Roadshow – this approach lays the groundwork for handling all sorts of business tasks more efficiently in the future. This tale is an example of how fusion development, blending citizen developers and IT experts, can make a big difference in an organization's success.
Happy Building!! 🪖🛠️💻
Continuation: A Tale of Fusion Development with SAP Build: The Conclusion
Join the SAP Builders group to get the latest and greatest on SAP Build. And follow us on social media for daily news: LinkedIn, Twitter.
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