SAP Ariba is a leading cloud-based procurement and supply chain collaboration solution that helps enterprises streamline buying and selling processes. Extending SAP Ariba’s capabilities through custom applications can unlock further business value by integrating procurement workflows with other enterprise systems or tailoring user experiences.
SAP Business Application Studio (BAS) offers a modern cloud-based development environment tailored for SAP solutions. Developers can use BAS to build, extend, and integrate applications for SAP Ariba leveraging SAP’s APIs, cloud SDKs, and integration tools.
This article covers how to develop applications for SAP Ariba within SAP Business Application Studio, highlighting key concepts, tools, and best practices.
¶ Understanding SAP Ariba Extensions
SAP Ariba provides several ways to extend and integrate its platform:
- Ariba APIs: RESTful APIs that enable integration with procurement, supplier management, contract management, and more.
- SAP Integration Suite: Facilitates connectivity between SAP Ariba and other SAP or third-party systems.
- Custom Applications: Applications built on SAP BTP that consume Ariba APIs to automate or enhance procurement processes.
Developing such applications in BAS allows developers to leverage a full cloud-native stack, including Node.js, SAP CAP, Fiori UI, and more.
SAP BAS provides:
- An integrated IDE with support for Node.js, Java, and SAP CAP development.
- Built-in Git and DevOps integrations for version control and CI/CD.
- SAP Fiori tools for building user-friendly procurement dashboards and apps.
- Seamless integration with SAP BTP services like API Management and Connectivity.
- Open SAP Business Application Studio and create a new Dev Space for SAP Fiori or SAP CAP.
- Install necessary extensions such as SAP Fiori tools, REST Client, and SAP Cloud SDK.
Use these APIs to fetch or post procurement data.
To build a backend service that interacts with SAP Ariba APIs, initialize a CAP project:
cds init ariba-app
cd ariba-app
npm install @sap-cloud-sdk/core @sap-cloud-sdk/http-client
Create service definitions and handlers that call Ariba APIs using the SAP Cloud SDK.
Use the SAP Fiori tools to build intuitive UIs that display procurement data:
- Create a Fiori Elements app based on OData services from your CAP backend.
- Design dashboards for purchase orders, supplier status, and invoices.
- Use UI5 controls optimized for mobile and desktop.
¶ 5. Secure Connectivity and Authentication
- Use SAP BTP Connectivity service to securely connect to SAP Ariba APIs.
- Implement OAuth 2.0 or Basic Authentication as per API requirements.
- Store credentials securely in BAS environment variables or SAP BTP Destination service.
¶ 6. Test and Deploy
- Test your application locally within BAS.
- Deploy to SAP BTP Cloud Foundry or Kyma Runtime.
- Use SAP API Management for managing and monitoring API usage.
- Build a CAP service that polls the SAP Ariba Purchase Order API.
- Process and filter purchase orders based on status.
- Expose filtered data through an OData service.
- Develop a Fiori UI app to visualize purchase order statuses in real-time.
- Notify procurement teams of critical status changes via email or SAP Workflow.
- Use SAP Cloud SDK: Simplifies calling SAP Ariba APIs with built-in retries and security.
- Modularize Applications: Separate backend API integration and frontend UI logic.
- Leverage SAP BTP Services: Utilize Destinations, Connectivity, and API Management for scalable integrations.
- Implement Proper Error Handling: Handle API throttling and errors gracefully.
- Follow Security Guidelines: Protect sensitive procurement data using SAP BTP security features.
Developing applications for SAP Ariba using SAP Business Application Studio empowers enterprises to extend and customize procurement processes efficiently. With BAS’s comprehensive tooling and SAP BTP’s integration capabilities, developers can create secure, scalable, and user-friendly applications that enhance procurement operations.
Whether it’s automating workflows, integrating with ERP systems, or building custom procurement dashboards, BAS provides the ideal environment to innovate on top of SAP Ariba’s powerful platform.