Replace your catalog system: on Ovenca in three to six months
You want to replace your current catalog or procurement system. Switching to Ovenca usually takes three to six months, whichever system you use today.
This page shows how the switch works, what we align with you and what you should have ready.
- Duration
- Usually 3 to 6 months
- Current system
- Any catalog or procurement system, such as SAP Ariba or SAP SRM
- ERP
- Stays in the lead, processes there unchanged
- Cutover
- On a fixed date or in parallel operation
- Contact
- Directly with the vendor
How the switch works
Six steps from the first inquiry to productive use. The alignment in steps 2 to 5 runs side by side, not one after the other.
Inquiryusually 3 to 6 monthsProductive
- Introduction
Steps 2 to 5 run side by side
- Align the ERP connection
- Align user management
- Align roles and permissions
- Align and migrate catalog data
- Test and cutover
Which system runs during this time
Current system: stays in operation until all areas have switched
Ovenca: being set up
Ovenca: productive
ERP: remains the leading system throughout
usually 3 to 6 months
- Introduction
- Align the ERP connection
- Align user management
- Align roles and permissions
- Align and migrate catalog data
- Test and cutover
Which system runs during this time
Current system: stays in operation until all areas have switched
Ovenca: being set up
Ovenca: productive
ERP: remains the leading system throughout
- Ovenca
- ERP
- Current system
Introduction and product demo
You describe your starting point: which system you want to replace, which ERP systems you run and how many catalogs and suppliers are affected. We show you Ovenca using your own use cases.
- From you
- An overview of your system landscape, catalogs and suppliers
- Result
- You know whether Ovenca fits, and we know the scope.
Align the ERP connection
Together with your IT we define which data comes from the ERP, such as contracts, material numbers and master data, and how shopping carts and orders are handed over to the ERP. Your ERP remains the leading system.
- From you
- Contacts for the ERP and the existing interfaces
- Result
- Defined interfaces between Ovenca and your ERP
Align user management
We clarify where user accounts come from and how your employees sign in. Sign-in works by single sign-on via SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect.
- From you
- Contacts for your identity management
- Result
- Your employees sign in with the account they already have.
Align roles and permissions
We define with you who may order, approve and maintain catalogs, and which catalogs are visible to which companies and sites.
- From you
- Your current rules for permissions and approvals
- Result
- Role and approval concept for Ovenca
Align and migrate catalog data
Existing catalogs are imported via CSV, Excel or BMEcat and checked. Punchout catalogs are connected via OCI or cXML. Your suppliers get access to the Vendor Portal and correct errors in their catalogs there themselves.
- From you
- Existing catalog files and the list of punchout suppliers
- Result
- Checked catalogs and connected suppliers in Ovenca
Test and cutover
You test Ovenca with your own data. Then you switch on a fixed date or area by area while the old system keeps running. Once all areas have switched, the old system is shut down.
- From you
- Test users from purchasing and the business units
- Result
- Ovenca is productive, the old system is out of service.
Why the switch is fast
The speed comes from how the product is built and from short paths in the project.
Your ERP stays as it is
Orders, contracts and master data stay in the ERP. What is replaced is the catalog and supplier system in front of it, not the purchasing process in the ERP.
Catalogs can be taken along
File catalogs enter the system via CSV, Excel or BMEcat. Punchout catalogs use the OCI and cXML standards and can be pointed to Ovenca.
Suppliers do their part
Catalogs are checked on submission. Suppliers get the feedback in the Vendor Portal and correct errors themselves. Your purchasing team does not rework them.
You talk to the vendor
Onveda develops and operates Ovenca itself. Questions about features and interfaces go straight to the team that implements them.
No fixed cutover date needed
Ovenca can run alongside your current system. Areas or sites switch one after the other, and both systems hand over to the same ERP.
What the duration depends on
Where your project falls between three and six months depends on five points. We give you a schedule for your project as soon as we know your system landscape.
ERP systems and interfaces
One ERP system is connected faster than several systems on different release levels.
Catalogs and suppliers
The number of catalogs, their format and the number of punchout connections determine the migration effort.
Companies, sites and countries
A rollout across several countries runs in waves and takes longer than a start at one site.
Your capacity in IT and purchasing
Alignment and testing need contacts on your side who can make decisions.
Contract of the current system
Term and notice period define when the switch has to be complete.
What to bring to the first conversation
With this information we can estimate scope and duration early. What you do not know yet, we clarify together.
Systems
- Which system is to be replaced
- ERP systems and their versions
- Identity management used for sign-in
- Term of the existing contract
Catalogs and suppliers
- Number of catalogs and approximate number of items
- Existing catalog formats
- Suppliers with a punchout catalog
- Who maintains the catalogs today
Organisation
- Companies, sites and countries
- Approximate number of requesters
- Current approval rules
- Contacts in purchasing and IT
Done before: the return from SAP Ariba
LANXESS AG has worked with Onveda since 2014. In 2021 the group moved to SAP Ariba. In 2025 it asked to return, and in 2026 the system was rolled out worldwide again.
The case study describes the starting point, the scope and the stages of the collaboration.
Frequently asked questions about switching
Usually three to six months. The duration depends on the number of ERP systems, catalogs, suppliers and sites, and on how much capacity your IT and purchasing teams can contribute.
Any catalog or procurement system that works in front of the ERP, for example SAP Ariba, SAP SRM or an in-house development. What matters are the catalogs, the supplier connections and the interfaces to the ERP, not the vendor of the current system.
No. Ovenca can run alongside the current system. Individual areas, sites or countries switch one after the other until the old system can be shut down.
File catalogs are imported via CSV, Excel or BMEcat and checked in the process. Punchout catalogs are connected to Ovenca via OCI or cXML.
Suppliers with a file catalog get access to the Vendor Portal and submit their catalogs there. They correct errors themselves. Suppliers with a punchout catalog point their connection to Ovenca.
Your ERP remains the leading system for orders, contracts and master data. Ovenca is connected through interfaces that we align with your IT.
Discuss your switch
Tell us briefly which system you want to replace. We will get back to you with a proposed date.