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SAP Ariba Connector

SAP Ariba Network

cXML + REST Integration via Azure Function Middleware

Overview

The merchantCENTRAL SAP Ariba Connector enables automatic order processing between the SAP Ariba Network and Business Central. Communication is handled through an Azure Function Middleware that converts cXML documents to JSON.

Features

Feature Description Phase
Order Import Purchase Orders (OrderRequest) β†’ Sales Orders PoC
Shipping Confirmation Ship Notice (ASN) β†’ Ariba PoC
Order Confirmation ConfirmationRequest β†’ Ariba Phase 2
Invoices InvoiceDetailRequest β†’ Ariba Phase 2
PunchOut Catalog Bidirectional catalog integration Phase 3

Technical Details

Architecture

SAP Ariba Network ←→ Azure Function Middleware ←→ Business Central
       (cXML)              (cXML ↔ JSON)              (AL / REST)
  • Protocol: cXML (primary) + REST APIs (supplementary)
  • Authentication: OAuth 2.0 for REST, SharedSecret for cXML
  • Middleware: Azure Function (.NET) for cXML parsing and building
  • Data Format: cXML β†’ JSON β†’ AL processing

Security

  • SharedSecret validation for incoming cXML messages
  • OAuth 2.0 for outgoing REST calls
  • Credentials stored in Business Central's IsolatedStorage

Prerequisites

  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (Cloud)
  • merchantCENTRAL Hub App
  • SAP Ariba Network supplier account
  • Azure Subscription for the middleware

β†’ Documentation β†’ Contact