Integration and architecture: Ovenca alongside your ERP
Ovenca runs next to the ERP. Catalogs, purchase requisitions, approvals and catalog maintenance by suppliers sit in Ovenca. Purchase orders, contracts and master data stay with the ERP as the system of record.
This page shows IT leadership, enterprise architects and SAP teams which process step happens in which system and which interfaces connect the systems.
- OCI punchout, cXML
- Ovenca calls the supplier shop, the cart comes back
- API
- Between Ovenca and the ERP, in both directions
- CSV, Excel and BMEcat import
- From the supplier or procurement into Ovenca
- SSO with SAML 2.0 and OIDC
- From the identity provider into Ovenca
Where Ovenca sits in your system landscape
The platform map shows the four modules, the integration layer and the connected systems. The table below names the system of record for each task.
User groups
OvencaOperated on-premise or in a private cloud
- Requesters in the business units
Catalog Shop
Search, compare, order. Free-text orders with catalog suggestions.
- Procurement
Catalog Management
Import, validate and approve catalogs. Configure SmartForms and punchout catalogs.
- Suppliers
Vendor Portal
Maintain catalogs themselves, resolve queries on the item, submit for approval.
- Administration
Admin Area
Roles and permissions, legal entities and plants, visibility, reporting.
Integration layer
- OCI punchout
- cXML
- API
- CSV, Excel and BMEcat import
- SSO with SAML 2.0 and OIDC
- Purchase requisitions and orders
- Contracts, material numbers, master data
ERP systems
SAP (ECC, S/4HANA), Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, Infor, Sage, DATEV, in-house systems
- Purchase requisitions and orders
- Contracts, material numbers, master data
- Call with user context
- Shopping cart via OCI or cXML
External supplier catalogs
Punchout into the supplier's shop
- Call with user context
- Shopping cart via OCI or cXML
| Task | System of record | What happens there |
|---|---|---|
| Catalogs, search and cart | Ovenca, Catalog Shop | Requesters search internal catalogs and punchout catalogs and add items to the cart. |
| Approval | Ovenca | Approvals run across several levels. Routing by category is possible. |
| Catalog maintenance | Ovenca, Catalog Management and Vendor Portal | Suppliers maintain their own catalogs. Procurement checks the data and approves it. |
| Purchase orders | ERP | Approved carts are transferred to the ERP. The purchase order is created and managed there. |
| Contracts and master data | ERP | Contracts, material numbers and master data stay in the ERP and are made available to Ovenca for search. |
Order flow: from need to purchase order in the ERP
The flow has six steps. Four take place in Ovenca, one in the interface and the last one in the ERP.
Ovenca
Ovenca
Need
A requester in a business unit opens the Catalog Shop. Sign-in can run through single sign-on with your identity provider.
Ovenca
Ovenca
Search in the Catalog Shop
Search covers internal catalogs and punchout catalogs. For needs without a catalog item there is the free-text order with catalog suggestions.
Ovenca
Ovenca
Cart
Catalog items and items from supplier shops sit in one shared cart.
Ovenca
Ovenca
Approval
The cart goes through approval, across several levels and routed by category where required.
Interface
Interface
Transfer to the ERP
The approved cart is transferred through the ERP interface as a purchase requisition or purchase order.
ERP
ERP
Purchase order in the ERP
The purchase order is created and managed in the ERP. Contracts and master data stay in the ERP as well.
Which document is transferred and which fields it carries depends on your ERP and is defined during the evaluation on the basis of your system landscape. You receive the interface specification as part of that process.
Punchout: supplier shops in the same cart
With punchout, the requester moves from the Catalog Shop into a supplier's shop and brings back the cart filled there. Ovenca passes the user context with the call and receives the cart via OCI or cXML.
Ovenca, Catalog Shop
Open a punchout catalog
In the Catalog Shop the requester selects a catalog that is set up as a punchout.
Supplier's shop
Session in the supplier shop
Ovenca calls the stored catalog URL with the configured parameters and the user context.
Supplier's shop
Select items
The requester puts together the selection in the supplier's shop and completes the cart there.
Ovenca, Catalog Shop
Cart in Ovenca
The shop returns the cart. The fields are assigned through the mapping, then approval follows as for catalog items.
Punchout configuration in Catalog Management
- Sub-tabsDetails, Mappings, Parameters and History. Each punchout catalog has its own mappings, call parameters and change history.
- ProtocolThe protocol is selected per catalog, OCI in this case.
- Punchout levelThe level is defined on the catalog, level 1 in this case.
- Catalog URLThe address at which Ovenca calls the supplier's shop.
- EncodingThe character encoding of the call, UTF-8 in this case.
View from the product with demo data.
Interfaces at a glance
Five interfaces connect Ovenca with the ERP, suppliers and your identity provider.
| Interface | Direction | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| OCI punchout | Ovenca calls the supplier shop, the cart comes back | External supplier catalogs in the Catalog Shop. The fields of the OCI cart are assigned through the OCI Cart Mapping. |
| cXML | Ovenca calls the supplier shop, the cart comes back | Punchout into supplier shops that use cXML instead of OCI. |
| API | Between Ovenca and the ERP, in both directions | Transfer of purchase requisitions and purchase orders to the ERP. Contracts, material numbers and master data are taken over from the ERP. |
| CSV, Excel and BMEcat import | From the supplier or procurement into Ovenca | Loading and updating catalog data, in Catalog Management and in the Vendor Portal. |
| SSO with SAML 2.0 and OIDC | From the identity provider into Ovenca | User sign-in through your company's identity provider. |
Field descriptions, formats and examples are part of the interface specification. You receive it during the evaluation.
Mappings in the Admin Area
The Admin Area holds dedicated tables for the mapping between catalog data and the ERP.
- SAP units of measure
- Units of measure from catalogs are mapped to the units of measure in SAP.
- OCI Cart Mapping
- Defines how the fields of an OCI cart are taken over.
- UNSPSC Mapping
- Maps categories to the UNSPSC classification.
- Legal entities and plants
- The organisational structure is maintained in the Admin Area.
Connecting SAP and other ERP systems
Ovenca is not tied to a particular ERP. SAP and all other ERP systems can be connected.
ERP systems
- SAP (ECC, S/4HANA)
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Oracle
- Infor
- Sage
- DATEV
- In-house systems
SAP integration in production: LANXESS
LANXESS AG has used Ovenca worldwide since 2014. SAP contracts and material numbers are integrated directly into product search there.
LANXESS is a speciality chemicals group listed in the MDAX with approx. 11,800 employees in 32 countries.
Several ERP systems, legal entities and plants
Corporate groups rarely work with a single ERP. Ovenca models the organisation through legal entities and plants and can be connected to several systems.
- Several ERP systems
- Ovenca can be connected to several ERP systems or to several SAP instances. We clarify the assignment in a technical discussion based on your landscape.
- Legal entities
- Legal entities are managed in the Admin Area as separate units and assigned to catalogs.
- Plants
- Plants are maintained in the Admin Area and are likewise available as an assignment on catalogs.
- Permissions and visibility
- Permissions are granted per role and take legal entities and plants into account.
Related pages
Platform
Security and operations
Operating models, data residency, access control and audit trail.
SAP environment
Procurement in an S/4HANA environment
How Ovenca fits into an S/4HANA transformation.
SAP environment
Replacement for SAP SRM
Standard maintenance for SAP SRM 7.0 ends on 31 December 2027.
Glossary
Punchout
The term and the sequence of the punchout procedure.
Glossary
OCI
The Open Catalog Interface for calling catalogs from the procurement system.
Glossary
cXML
The XML format for punchout and business documents.
Technical discussion about your system landscape
In the discussion we go through your landscape and show how Ovenca is connected. Three details help with preparation.
- ERP systems and instances to be connected
- Supplier shops to be reachable via punchout
- Preferred operating model: on-premise or private cloud
Request a demo or a technical discussion
Tell us briefly about your system landscape and what prompted your enquiry. Your contact is Jens Bohl.