With the SAP Ariba 2105 release, planned May 21st, Ariba Network will be part of SAP Business Network. Below is a short summary of what network buyers need to know about these changes, and recommended preparation.
As always, the full general availability (GA) release scope for Ariba Network (including above mentioned features) will be communicated via the release readiness notification (to subscribe: see FAQ) and the Release Readiness page on Ariba Connect three weeks before release.
A new supplier portal and workbench is already being rolled out to select Ariba Network suppliers via an Early Adopter program since last year. Starting May 21st, this Early Adopter program will convert into a global rollout to all Ariba Network suppliers, as Ariba Network becomes part of SAP Business Network. 6/1/21 Update regarding the global rollout: Due to overall daily active user volume and need to manage network service performance, supplier accounts will be transitioned to the new portal in phases, from May 21st throughout June/early July 2021.
Key changes
Recommended preparation for buyers
Key changes
Recommended preparation for buyers
SAP Business Network strategy
Key changes
Recommended preparation for buyers
As always, the full general availability (GA) release scope for Ariba Network (including above mentioned features) will be communicated via the release readiness notification (to subscribe: see FAQ) and the Release Readiness page on Ariba Connect three weeks before release.
1. New supplier portal home page and workbench
A new supplier portal and workbench is already being rolled out to select Ariba Network suppliers via an Early Adopter program since last year. Starting May 21st, this Early Adopter program will convert into a global rollout to all Ariba Network suppliers, as Ariba Network becomes part of SAP Business Network. 6/1/21 Update regarding the global rollout: Due to overall daily active user volume and need to manage network service performance, supplier accounts will be transitioned to the new portal in phases, from May 21st throughout June/early July 2021.
Key changes
- Suppliers will see two new pages, the portal homepage and workbench, both user configurable to be optimized the way they work, like organizing their work by customer.
- We simplified the navigation menu across all network pages, and are replacing 'inbox' and 'outbox' with 'orders', 'invoices', and 'fulfillment', making it easier for new suppliers to find the transaction flows they need based on document type (or business process).
- And suppliers will see new widgets on their home page, which they can select based on their role. Some widgets provide quick status overviews, or an activity feed, while other show leads/opportunities, trends, or performance insights.
Seamless transition
- There is no action required for suppliers. Document processing flows (i.e. order confirmation, invoice creation, and supply chain collaboration documents) remain the same.
- Starting mid April, we'll announce portal roll out via notifications on the supplier login page, in the network supplier home page, and in the HelpCenter. These notifications point to the self-enablement page, with five short videos a user can watch to understand how to use and benefit from the new supplier portal and workbench. This page is available in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese and Japanese.
- Supplier account administrators are notified two weeks before transition, and recommended to share the link to the self-enablement page with all account users.
- In addition, when a supplier user first log-in to the new portal, they will see a welcome pop-up which also points to that same self-enablement page - in case they missed any of the earlier notifications.
- Lastly, all users have the option to revert to the old portal by clicking on “Back to Classic View”, allowing gradual adoption if needed.
Recommended preparation for buyers
- The supplier portal and workbench roll out does not require any changes to buyers network configurations, transaction rules, or migration of transaction documents.
- Buyers are recommended to:
- Watch the videos on the supplier self-enablement page to understand the key changes.
- Inform key supplier-facing contacts at your organization of these changes, for example by suggesting them to review the same videos.
- Update any in-house created supplier-facing training materials and user guides that contain a screenshot of the network home page, so it will be consistent with the new supplier experience. The self-enablement page contains a visual reference guide with screen captures of the new portal that you can re-use.
- An overview of above recommendations with support resources can be found in the short presentation New Supplier Portal and Workbench: Update for Network Buyers
- For further questions, contact your Customer Engagement Executive
2. Improved supplier onboarding experience for TRR-based invitations
Key changes
- Buyers can now establish a regional onboarding program, where the TRR letterhead, buyer logo, and send-from address represents the local entity instead of corporate headquarters, making it easier for suppliers to know who is inviting them.
- When creating a new network account, suppliers will now be supported with more robust data entry validation, which increases data quality and therefore opportunity for consumption by buyers.
Recommended preparation for buyers
- This feature will be 'automatically on' for all network buyers, but requires buyer account configuration to take advantage of the new TRR letter and buyer-branding capabilities.
- Buyer are recommended to:
- Read through the first three sections of the Feature at a Glance document, published in Ariba Connect. Pre-release version can be viewed here; final version with detailed configuration information will be made available via Release Readiness page on Ariba Connect 3 weeks before GA.
- Determine whether to adopt immediately at GA, or postpone.
- Or register for a webcast with Q&A on Wednesday May 12th at 07:00am PDT, covering both the new onboarding experience and an overview of the new supplier portal.
- For further questions, contact your Customer Engagement Executive or your Network Deployment Lead if you have an active Supplier Enablement service subscription.
3. Ariba Network will be Part of SAP Business Network
SAP Business Network strategy
- SAP’s network strategy is to unify our existing networks by providing a common onboarding service, directory, login site, portal, collaboration flows, and analytics.
- Ariba Network is the first network to become part of SAP Business Network and adopt the SAP Business Network portal and improved onboarding services.
- For a buyer this means that all trading partner onboarding across all SAP's networks and networked solutions in near future can be done through a single process, resulting in one-time registration on SAP Business Network, and with unified portal access to all networked processes.
Key changes
- Ariba Network buyers will not yet see SAP Business Network solution name change on their portal, as this is being planned as part of a new buyer portal, sometime later 2021.
- Suppliers will see SAP Business Network instead of Ariba Network starting May 21st on the following pages:
- TRR invite letter
- Onboarding landing page
- New account creation page
- Supplier login page
- New portal home page
- New portal workbench
- The solution name change doesn’t impact any of the supplier accounts (ANID), login credentials, transactions, or network configurations.
Recommended preparation for buyers
- Buyers are recommended to:
- Share this name change information with internal teams that support Ariba Network-based document collaboration (like Orders, Invoices, and Supply Chain Collaboration).
- For further information, visit the SAP Business Network page.
- SAP Managed Tags:
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