Streamline Your SAP-centric Business Processes with API-Driven Automation
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Are you looking to improve the efficiency and productivity of your SAP ERP-centric business processes? You’re not alone, especially in today's fast-paced business environment. One way organizations achieve this efficiency is by automating complex, data-intensive processes using APIs. These processes often involve SAP and other systems, and APIs enable seamless data sharing between them – helping to automate various business processes like order processing, inventory management, and customer account management. Join our webinar on October 18 to learn more about the benefits of using APIs to automate SAP-centric business processes, and what that could mean for your business. We’ll also demonstrate how APIs can automate data creation and management processes that require data from multiple systems. You’ll come away knowing: the role of automation in your digital transformation journeyhow APIs can be used to automate specific processes – with practical examplesbest practices for using Precisely Automate and APIs to automate business processeshow Precisely Automate can become the hub for automating complex, SAP-centric processes across your organization
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Streamline Your SAP-centric Business Processes with API-Driven Automation
- 1. Streamline your SAP-centric Business Processes with API-driven Automation Andrew Hayden | Precisely Simplifying complex, data-intensive SAP®️ processes
- 2. Winshuttle is now part of Precisely, the leader in data integrity
- 3. The global leader in data integrity software Our data integrity software, data enrichment products, and strategic services deliver accuracy, consistency, and context to power confident business decisions. Brands you trust, trust us Data leaders partner with us of the Fortune 100 99 Customers in more than 100 2,500 employees customers 12,000 countries Integrate Enrich Locate Verify Data Integrity Suite
- 4. Agenda • Automation, hyperautomation and digital transformation • Artificial intelligence in automation • The value of an automation platform • Success Stories • Key takeaways • About Precisely
- 6. Accelerating digital transformation Data is the fuel for decision-making today $1.04 trillion spent on Hyperautomation by 2026 80% of CEOs accelerating digital transformation 45% of enterprises using SAP are leveraging automation 67% spending more on technology than people Market is growing at 12% per year Gartner KPMG KPMG ASUG
- 7. Be more agile Customer needs: Go faster Improve the quality and integrity of your most important data
- 8. Technology is a means to an end: Data is the currency of digital transformation - HfS Blog
- 9. Data Process Interdependence of process and data Interdependence of process and data
- 10. Digital Transformation Elements Data & Processes Automation Cloud AI/ML Business Networks and cross-company collaboration User Experience Digitalization Self-service End-to-end process integration Process Intelligence
- 11. Precisely Automate portfolio WORKFLOW-ENABLED PROCESS AUTOMATION Automate and streamline SAP processes using workflows • Advanced form and workflow capabilities • Advanced data stewardship capabilities via web forms • Data automaton and management (Excel – SAP) • Extensive Audit and ROI reporting • Detailed process analytics • Process governance • Centralized management • Server-side file management and execution • Attended or unattended automation • Business-focused, low-code environment Business users work in Excel or web forms Automate Evolve Automate Studio STANDALONE DESKTOP Exchange data with SAP quickly and easily using Excel • Data creation and maintenance • Data migration • Operational reporting • Data stewardship Business users work in Excel GOVERNED Share, manage, & control Precisely across the enterprise • Basic 2-step workflow • Centralized management • Granular control of licenses, users & policies • Extensive audit and ROI reporting • Server-side job execution Automate Studio Manager Business users work in Excel
- 13. 13 APIs Connected SAP data management and process automation • RESTful API’s for automating end-to-end processes • Efficiently integrate systems to processes and eliminate manual data management • Connect multiple systems and cloud services with SAP • Streamlined master data processes
- 14. Set of RESTful APIs for SAP data & process automation SAP Data API REST API that enables direct integration with SAP for scenarios that don’t require data enrichment. Applies to Studio Manager and Evolve. Presentation name 14 Digital Access API REST based API that enables external software to kick start or update an Evolve workflow for users to contribute data before it is ultimately posted to SAP. 3rd-party API support Connecting to other REST APIs that enables an Evolve process to connect to different system of records to read or update data.
- 15. SAP Data API Presentation name 15
- 16. Presentation name Simplifying SAP data integration Adding value in the automation eco-system 16 SAP Data API RESTful API that enables direct integration with SAP for scenarios that don’t require data enrichment. SAP ERP PFM API Call RPA Bots Partners Third-party applications Governance and server scheduling SAP Data API
- 17. 17 SAP Data API Details Document history and API usage data Client Secret, Secure Token, and Certificate security options Created using Automate Studio SAP API (JSON) mapping Managed by Evolve API Gateway Usage-based API licenses (record-based usage) Centrally stored in Evolve SAPAPIStore Library Synchronous REST API that enables direct integration with SAP for scenarios that don’t require data enrichment for systems.
- 18. SAP Data API Moving data from applications to SAP without workflow Presentation name 18 Automate Studio Manager or Automate Evolve SAP Data API SAP ERP Application Data Unattended Process Automation SAP ERP System Direct integration with SAP for scenarios that don’t require data enrichment
- 19. SAP Data API Moving data from applications to SAP without workflow Presentation name 19 Automate Studio Manager or Automate Evolve SAP Data API SAP ERP Application Data Unattended Process Automation SAP ERP System Direct integration with SAP for scenarios that don’t require data enrichment
- 20. SAP Data API + RPA Bot Moving data from applications to SAP without workflow using RPA Bots 20 SAP ERP Systems of Record and data stores Automate Studio Manager or Automate Evolve SAP Data API Process Automation Direct integration with SAP for scenarios that don’t require data enrichment Application data RPA Bots collect data from one or more systems RPA Bots
- 21. Digital Access API Presentation name 21
- 22. Presentation name Evolve only APIs Triggering Evolve processes 22 Evolve Digital Access API RESTful API that enables external process to kick start or update an Evolve workflow for users to contribute data before it is ultimately posted to SAP. SAP ERP PFM Proces s Data Process and Data management Automate Evolve
- 23. 23 Digital Access API Details Document history and API usage data Client Secret, Secure Token, and Certificate security options API called from third party system Managed by Evolve API Gateway Usage-based API licenses (record-based usage) Stored inside form or Excel workflow solution Asynchronous REST API that enables external applications to start Evolve workflow processes, get/complete process assignments, and get data from a form
- 24. Evolve + Digital Access API + CRM Enabling multi-application end-2-end process automation 24 User Input SAP ERP Systems of Record and data stores Automate Evolve workflow Digital Access API Process Automation CRM Records CRM System Automatically post data updates to SAP upon final approval Request Form Data Collection SAP Validation Review & Approval
- 25. Evolve + Digital Access API + 3rd Party Software Automate invoice processing and approval Presentation name 25 Automate Evolve: Invoice Review & Approval Workflow Process SAP ERP Digital Access API Kicks off workflow Process Trigger Process Automation SAP ERP PDF Invoice received Structured Invoice Data Approved invoice posted to SAP ERP, for payment, and original PDF attached Invoice Form Received Data Collection SAP Validation Review & Approval Review, compare and attach invoice
- 26. Evolve + Digital Access API + SAP Trigger review and approval workflows from within SAP Presentation name 26 Automate Evolve: Invoice Review & Approval Workflow Process Digital Access API Process Triggered inside SAP Process Automation ERP Form Received Data Collection SAP Validation Review & Approval Approved data posted to SAP ERP
- 27. Supplier Data Management Request Form AUTOMATE EVOLVE Data Collection SAP Validation Review & Approval Spectrum OnDemand DATA QUALITY & ENRICHMENT DATA SOURCES Systems Spreadsheets & docs Databases Portals People DATA TARGETS Systems Data lakes Reports Databases Data pools Apps VENDOR EnterWork s PRODUCT CUSTOMER ASSET LOCATION MATERIAL ENTERWORKS MDM CENTRALIZED DATA GOVERNANCE CROSS-DOMAIN INTELLIGENCE DATA QUALITY SAP ERP PFM ENTERPRISE GRADE WORKFLOW DEEP INTEGRATION WITH SAP AND ENTERWORKS Save to System of Record Internal Requestor
- 28. 3rd Party REST API Presentation name 28
- 29. Evolve + 3rd Party REST API + Data Source Account Address Verification for Sales and Service Processes 29 User Input SAP ERP Systems of Record and data stores Automate Evolve workflow 3rd Party REST API Process Automation Precisely Spectrum Spatial Address data source Automatically post accurate account data to SAP upon final approval Account Create Form Data Collection SAP Validation Review & Approval
- 30. 30 User input SAP S/4HANA ERP Systems of Record and data stores Automate Evolve workflow Review, approve, and/or enrich data for posting 3rd Party REST API Process Automation Application and Product Data Automatically post new or updated record to SAP upon final approval Evolve + 3rd Party REST API + Multiple systems Synchronize data between SAP S/4HANA and Other Sources
- 31. Evolve + 3rd Party REST API + AI/ML Algorithm Intelligent, AI-based auto-fill: Material Create process 31 User Input SAP ERP Systems of Record and data stores Automate Evolve workflow 3rd Party REST API Process Automation Evolve AI Framework Artificial Intelligence Framework Automatically post accurate material data to SAP upon final approval Material Create Form Data Review and Corrections SAP Validation Review & Approval Evolve AI Algorithm
- 32. AI comes in various flavors Generative AI Predictive AI Goal Create new content Make accurate predictions Algorithms Complex algorithms and deep learning based on LLMs Statistical algorithms based on machine learning and observations Output New content such as text, images, music, etc. Predictions such as the likelihood of a field value or routing destination
- 33. Master Data Creation - Materials Constant new materials creations and changes Highly manual, complex process with lots of possible data entry error points
- 34. Master Data Creation - Materials To improve data quality, companies typically set out to define 100s of data validation rules Embed your business rules to improve data quality
- 35. Challenges in establishing business rules Heavy reliance on SMEs and tacit knowledge Gaining cross- functional alignment is time consuming Covering edge cases in a rule is difficult Even rules do not achieve 100% data quality What if you could eliminate the need for many of these rules by using Machine Learning?
- 36. Master Data Creation with ML ML output fields are used to pre- populate and validate form fields User enters minimum number of input fields New material creation request ML predicts output fields based on delivered input fields
- 37. Benefits of AI & Machine Learning • Improve data entry and decision making through recommendations • Improve data quality through ML-based checks • Create rules and predictions that are not possible without ML • Reduction of hard-coded rules • Reduce complexity to determine business rules • Reduce time to value in solution development
- 38. Rest API data connection support Presentation name 38 • Query Control • Lookup Control • Participant Resolvers • Drop Down • Data Connection Adapter Plugin • Webservice Control
- 39. Wrap-up
- 40. Key Takeaways Hyperautomation success depends on adopting a best-of- breed portfolio approach • Automation is key for achieving data integrity • AI and Machine Learning will drive digital transformation • Automate’s flexible platform can be the heart of a successful automation strategy • We have an established track record of delivering automation success • Focus on complex, data-intensive, master data use cases that are centered on ERP
- 41. Let’s continue the conversation… Contact us Set up a 30-minute personalized demo +1-877-700-0970 “Get in touch” on www.precisely.com www.precisely.com Demos White Papers Case Studies
- 42. Thank you!
Editor's Notes
- Alternative Headlines: - Alternative Sub-Headlines: Hyperautomation for your digital transformation dreams Driving digital transformation success
- What are we going to talk about today…
- Why is automation such a hot topic in the IT world these days? The pandemic showed many of the shortcomings of our decades of digital transformation efforts. We have spent years and countless dollars digitizing our data and processes, but when the pandemic hot, many of us were caught flatfooted by it’s limitations. As a result, we are now seeing that for many of us, the next step on our digital transformation journey is automating our critical business processes. Many of these are centered on SAP ERP systems and involve creating and managing master data. Now, let’s look at the needs and wants that companies have coming out of the pandemic and how they can be addressed through automation.
- Gartner – And growing at 12% CAGR KPMG KPMG ASUG Gartner
- Talk track: Coming out of the pandemic, many of the critical needs our companies have are the same as they were before the pandemic, but now there is a more urgent need to address them before we are faced with another sudden, existential disruption. Talking with our customers we believe the three core needs that companies have, which can be addressed by automation are: 1.) The need to be more agile, with the ability to pivot and adapt when our businesses or markets are disrupted. 2.) We continue to need to go faster to meet competitive threats and keep up with the ever-accelerating changes we see in the marketplace 3.) We need to do these first two while improving the quality and integrity of our most important data – our master data. Since data has become the fuel we use to make critical business decisions, we need to make sure that it is of the highest quality and that we can rely on it.
- This quote does a great job of summing up the importance of data in executing digital transformation. It sets up our discussion for the interdependence of process and data and sets Precisely apart from many of the other process automation providers.
- Multiple pressures for CXOs to become more agile and productive drive their Digital Transformation initiatives using Hyperautomation to transform their business processes. The era of tactical automation is shifting towards a more holistic and orchestrated process automation and improvement. To accomplish this companies look not only at Automation and Digitalization but many other aspects like Integration, User Experience, Process Intelligence etc and it often involves a redesign of existing processes. And that’s also where data and the correlation between data and processes that we have been touting for years comes into play. In this context of transforming processes holistically and end-to-end, companies understand the importance of data and the connection between data and process. And now as part of Precisely we can offer customers both Hyperautomation and Data quality and Integrity solutions to support these strategic Digital Transformation initiatives.
- The Precisely Automate portfolio offers a flexible set of offerings that can help you achieve your automation goals. Automate Evolve is our process automation platform that delivers a flexible, scalable solution environment that can automate almost any SAP-centric process challenge. In addition to the process automation and workflow capabilities, Evolve also includes the data management and automation capabilities of our Studio product Automate Studio is the premier Excel-to-SAP automation platform for simplifying and streamlining almost any SAP ERP process that does not require workflow. Automate Studio Manager enhances the capabilities of Studio by centralizing and governing Automate Studio processes including capabilities for server-side job execution and scheduling as well as simple two-step workflow. And, the entire Precisely Automate portfolio includes integrated data stewardship capabilities that help you significantly improve initial data quality. We’ll talk more about the capabilities of the portfolio in a few minutes.
- Why is automation such a hot topic in the IT world these days? The pandemic showed many of the shortcomings of our decades of digital transformation efforts. We have spent years and countless dollars digitizing our data and processes, but when the pandemic hot, many of us were caught flatfooted by it’s limitations. As a result, we are now seeing that for many of us, the next step on our digital transformation journey is automating our critical business processes. Many of these are centered on SAP ERP systems and involve creating and managing master data. Now, let’s look at the needs and wants that companies have coming out of the pandemic and how they can be addressed through automation.
- With the 20.2 release of Winshuttle Evolve, the platform now includes a set of RESTful APIs that enable Evolve to manage and automate broader, end-to-end processes by connecting multiple systems and cloud services with SAP. These API's help solution developers efficiently integrate systems to and processes to eliminate manual data management that often leads to poor data quality and ungoverned process tracking. For teams creating seamless, end-to-end solutions, Evolve automates business processes that require complex SAP data interactions with other, third-party systems like Salesforce, or that use the ODATA protocol. Traditionally, processes like these required inflexible, custom solutions that do not easily adjust to dynamic business environments. Evolve gives you the agility and flexibility you need to compete and thrive in today's business landscape.
- With Evolve 20.2 we are including access to three RESTful API’s that will further enhance your digital transformation and automation efforts. They are: SAP Data API: REST API that enables direct integration with SAP for scenarios that don’t require data enrichment. It acts as the last-mile into SAP for other applications and combines eliminates the need for RPA bots to screen-scrape the UI to deliver faster, more stable process automation. Evolve Digital Access API: This RESTful API allows you to seamlessly launch Evolve workflow processes for either human-assisted workflows or completely automated sequences with your SAP ERP system. Evolve 3rd-party API support: This RESTful API enables Evolve solution developers to easily integrate with other systems of record that have RESTful APIs, such as Salesforce or SAP’s ODATA service. You can query data from these third-party systems into your process or send This combination of API’s available with Evolve 20.2 delivers a significant benefit to SAP teams looking to be part of larger, more complex digital transformation and automation efforts.
- SAP Data API RESTful API that enables direct integration with SAP for scenarios that don’t require data enrichment. It acts as the last-mile into SAP for other applications and combines eliminates the need for RPA bots to screen-scrape the UI to deliver faster, more stable process automation. The SAP Data API enables direct and differentiated integration, via the Winshuttle Function Module, with SAP ERP systems for loading data into SAP and has scalable runtime performance. It is an add-on to Studio Manager and Evolve and activated by a license key. Easy inbox upgrade This API is commonly applied to these types of direct SAP integration RPA Bots Partners software integration like Abbyy Or third party applications that need to get data easily in and out of your SAP ERP system with enormous flexibility offered by the ease of leveraging studio scripts..
- Note to sales: This is summary of what we used to call user governance in Foundation.
- SAP Data API RESTful API that enables direct integration with SAP for scenarios that don’t require data enrichment. It acts as the last-mile into SAP for other applications and combines eliminates the need for RPA bots to screen-scrape the UI to deliver faster, more stable process automation. The SAP Data API enables direct and differentiated integration, via the Winshuttle Function Module, with SAP ERP systems for loading data into SAP and has scalable runtime performance. It is an add-on to Studio Manager and Evolve and activated by a license key. Easy inbox upgrade This API is commonly applied to these types of direct SAP integration RPA Bots Partners software integration like Abbyy Or third party applications that need to get data easily in and out of your SAP ERP system with enormous flexibility offered by the ease of leveraging studio scripts..
- SAP Data API RESTful API that enables direct integration with SAP for scenarios that don’t require data enrichment. It acts as the last-mile into SAP for other applications and combines eliminates the need for RPA bots to screen-scrape the UI to deliver faster, more stable process automation. The SAP Data API enables direct and differentiated integration, via the Winshuttle Function Module, with SAP ERP systems for loading data into SAP and has scalable runtime performance. It is an add-on to Studio Manager and Evolve and activated by a license key. Easy inbox upgrade This API is commonly applied to these types of direct SAP integration RPA Bots Partners software integration like Abbyy Or third party applications that need to get data easily in and out of your SAP ERP system with enormous flexibility offered by the ease of leveraging studio scripts..
- Evolve + Digital Access API + SAP Scenario: SAP process that needs a review and approval workflow triggered from within SAP. Essentially an SAP-centric round trip with Evolve workflow. (XOM use case????)
- The Digital Access API allows you to seamlessly launch Evolve workflow processes for either human-assisted workflows or completely automated sequences with your SAP ERP system. For human-assisted workflows, you use a web form leveraging all of the functionality in Evolve. This slide shows how other system of records use the Digital Access API to start or update an Evolve workflow (so both Process and Data are involved in this workflow interaction). Similarly, the workflow may connect with these systems to store or retrieve information as part of the workflow execution.
- Note to sales: This is summary of what we used to call user governance in Foundation.
- Evolve + Digital Access API + 3rd Party software Example: Email invoice received and digitized by Abby, API call made to Evolve to kick off review and payment approval workflow for SAP Finance Process and approve your invoices with SAP Build Process Automation https://discovery-center.cloud.sap/missiondetail/3260/3344/
- Evolve + Digital Access API + SAP Scenario: SAP process that needs a review and approval workflow triggered from within SAP. Essentially an SAP-centric round trip Evolve workflow. (Schwartz IT use case????) Cost centers created in SAP, wanted to have business users to be able to review in a business user-friendly interface. Evolve delivered a quick way to accomplish this.
- Larger MDM use case for Evolve and EnterWorks managing data across multiple systems and EnterWorks calls the SAP Digital Access API through Evolve
- Evolve + Digital Access API + SAP Scenario: SAP process that needs a review and approval workflow triggered from within SAP. Essentially an SAP-centric round trip with Evolve workflow. (XOM use case????)
- Evolve + Digital Access API + SAP Scenario: SAP process that needs a review and approval workflow triggered from within SAP. Essentially an SAP-centric round trip with Evolve workflow. (XOM use case????)
- Evolve + Digital Access API + SAP Scenario: SAP process that needs a review and approval workflow triggered from within SAP. Essentially an SAP-centric round trip with Evolve workflow. (XOM use case????) Delivers the data into the form in a synchronous way. Data goes to Algorithm. AI reviews data and then fills the form.
- Confluence Page Link: https://wsservicedesk.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/WPD/pages/1741062149/Solution+Data+Connection+Rest+API
- Questions? Can you also do Vendor and Customer masters too? I’m on S4 Hana will this work with my system? I have custom fields in my material master, does this work for those? We often have fields that the business is missing can you make them require even if SAP doesn’t require them? We would love to speak to you in more detail about your product data processes and how we can help you make an impact to your business , so please feel free to reach out to us.