Vantree’s Integrated EDI Solution For SAP Business One

You have invested in an ERP to increase efficiency, and visibility and eliminate mistakes, but you need to integrate EDI data to avoid absorbing hidden costs that significantly impact your bottom line. 

With hundreds of orders and invoices flowing to and from your organization into your supply chain community, manual data entry does not cut it anymore. The good news is that there is a better way to manage EDI processes – one that helps you streamline EDI data and keep staff engaged. 

Vantree offers a fully embedded EDI solution for SAP Business One to help small to midsize businesses make the most out of their ERP system by seamlessly integrating EDI data.  

In this blog post, we will uncover how as an organization you can 1) optimize your business, 2) invest in your future and 3) strengthen relationships. 

What is EDI integration in SAP Business One?

Electronic data interchange (EDI) can be used in SAP to exchange business documents with external partners. Due to its widespread use in global trade, EDI integration for SAP is indispensable for growing businesses.

SAP Business One’s integration framework simplifies the connection to other business management software. Business technology partners can take advantage of this functionality to offer all kinds of custom integration options, including extensions and API solutions for SAP Business One.

Thanks to the pre-built ERP integration found in modern cloud systems, a full-service provider can allow you to easily manage EDI document delivery to and from SAP Business One ERP. Working in tandem SAP and EDI provide a central hub for all of a company’s document processing needs.

What are the 15 modules of SAP Business One?

SAP Business One counts with 15 functional modules, meant to address the different needs of a company. While each module can handle the tasks it is meant for on its own, modules can be linked together to work synergically.

The modules are:

• Administration: The application’s various core settings are managed here.
• CRM: Its purpose is to link common sales employee tasks to other modules.
• Financials: Core journal entries can be created here. Likewise, the definition of Chart of Account is set up in this module.
• Opportunities: Potential sales and purchases are kept track of in this module with the help of lead generation.
• Sales – A/R: The sales flow (Quotation > Order > Delivery > AR Invoice) is managed here.
• Purchasing – A/P: In a similar manner to the previous module, the purchase flow (Quotation > Order > GRPO > AP Invoice) is handled through this module.
• Business Partners: This module maintains trading partner data, including Leads, Customer, and Supplier master data.
• Banking: The payment of incoming and outgoing fees can be handled in this module.
• Inventory: The master data of inventory, including the quantity and value of merchandise, can be tracked here. 
• Resources: This module handles resource data, including the capacity and planning data for both machine and human resources.
• Production: Through this module, one can create production orders and maintain Bill of Materials master data.
• Project Management: Projects can be outlined and defined here.
• Material Requirements Planning (MRP): This module is used to define the required sales/production items requires to make purchase order recommendations.
• Service: Maintains the management of service contracts and creates service calls.
• Human Resources: This module is used for employee data entry, including names, contact details, roles, and more.

What are the benefits of implementing an EDI solution for SAP Business One?

An SAP Business One EDI integration solution can augment the operational efficiency of your business management system and drastically streamline supply chain operations. An EDI SAP full-service solution has the ideal b2b integration features to create better trading partner relationships.

For instance, businesses have access to an accounting integration solution capable of handling all financial processes by using SAP Business One’s financial module. Through an interconnected EDI solution, a company can achieve accurate communication of financial data with its business partners, thus enabling faster invoice payments, improved error management, lower operating expenses, and other substantial benefits.

The advantages of SAP Business One-EDI integration include:

• Receiving updates on prices and discounts in real-time directly from SAP
• Customers and partners can view stock information in real-time
• SAP will automatically register commands and quotation requests
• Likewise, offers and order confirmation orders are sent automatically to customers
• SAP will automatically add shipping notes to a customer’s system
• Automatic generation of goods import receipts and sales invoices
• Sales invoices generated in SAP are automatically delivered to customers’ systems
• Return requests from a client’s system are automatically delivered to SAP Business One.

How many types of EDI processes are there in SAP Business One?

EDI SAP solutions address two distinct business processes: the outbound process and the inbound process.

The outbound process

This process will send a document from the SAP system to a business partner. It follows these steps:

1. An application document, such as a purchase order or an invoice, is created using the SAP system.
2. The application document is formatted into an IDoc.
3. The new IDoc is transferred from the SAP to the operating system.
4. The IDoc is ready for use.

The inbound process

The inbound process works inversely to the outbound process. It functions like this:

1. SAP received an IDoc through pre-built connections to a partner’s business systems.
2. An application document is created using the information gathered from the IDoc.
3. The application document can be viewed. It is the same as any other EDI document created manually using the system.

How to implement EDI in SAP Business One?

SAP users can map EDI into IDocs, which can be directly posted into SAP ERP. A third-party, specialized EDI solution can be used to view EDI within the SAP ecosystem.

Eliminate EDI errors & inefficiencies

When dealing with a high volume of EDI documents through manual data entry, users can likely cause errors. Did you know that users spend an average of 8 hours a week entering data manually and correcting EDI-related mistakes? Growth in transaction volume amplifies this problem as it requires more time and resources to process documents correctly. 

Vantree’s Embedded EDI Solution for SAP Business One allows users to send and receive high volumes of EDI documents efficiently, reliably, and automatically in just a few clicks, allowing SAP users to focus on value-added tasks like keeping customers engaged. 

Vantree’s Embedded EDI Solution for SAP Business One is customized uniquely for your business, down to each trading partner relationship and document type, ensuring that your trading partners’ requirements are met and yours too. Additionally, you have 24/7 visibility on EDI data, allowing you to filter documents by trading partner/status/dates and more. 

SAP users can also automate specific tasks for importing and exporting EDI documents such as Purchase Orders (850), Purchase Order Acknowledgements (855), and Invoices (810), creating many opportunities to eliminate countless errors in the same environment you work in every day. This feature can help streamline your business processes by as much as 70%. 

Vantree’s Docman Module gives SAP users stress-free access to raw data, including all necessary details to accept orders. To prevent SAP users from processing inaccurate data, Vantree’s Embedded EDI Solution for SAP Business One will notify you of any errors based on trading partner requirements and business validation rules, so you do not have to worry about it. You will also be able to view the details of the errors, so you or a team member can fix them promptly. 

Invest in your future 

EDI automation is a critical step in your digital transformation goals, as it allows you to anticipate higher transaction volumes with your supply chain community. With 90% of B2B transactions transmitted through EDI, integration is essential to meet new client demands. 

Ten years ago, GB Micro Electronics chose Vantree as their EDI partner for SAP Business One. Since then, they have successfully onboarded large retailers such as Staples, Rona, and Shoppers Drug Mart and expanded their 3PL division. Solange Dugas, President of GB Micro Electronics, shares how Vantree helped her company grow by the millions, overcome challenges and save thousands of dollars. 

“It was Christmas time, and we had a few weeks to get EDI on track. So, I called your president and asked him if he thought we could do this. He said yes, and we did it. It was many, many millions of businesses for us. So, we were very appreciative.”  

As you can see, if you are not thinking ahead and investing in EDI automation, you are missing significant growth opportunities. Working with a reputable EDI provider gives you the confidence to face new challenges in a fast-changing market. 

Sustain long-lasting relationships  

In The New Level Podcast Episode, EDI Automation with Jim Gonzalez, he explains the concept of supplier scorecards. Companies like Amazon keep track of the costs and benefits of doing business with suppliers. With so much competition between suppliers and challenges with bad EDI behaviour, retailers have the power to decide whether to continue doing business with you anymore, simply to cut their losses. 

When investing in Vantree’s Embedded EDI Solution for SAP Business One, you are investing in exchanging faster, cleaner, and more accurate data for you and your customers. Since your ERP contains the source of truth of your data, Vantree’s staff can develop innovative solutions to import and export data error-free, eliminating frustrations for your clients and other members of your supply chain community. This is especially important when selling online. 

Aside from implementing EDI automation solutions integrated into your ERP, it is important to have a responsive, reliable, and competent EDI provider to avoid harming essential business relationships and leaving you frustrated, uncertain, and in a panic. 

Your EDI provider should work as an extension of your IT team, reaching out to your trading partners on your behalf to fix any errors promptly. You will feel relieved of your concerns when you have consistent support and automation technology from your EDI provider. 

Modules designed with users in mind 

Vantree’s Embedded EDI Solution allows SAP users to enjoy a simple and intuitive interface to import and export EDI documents from your ERP. Inside the SAP Business One interface, SAP users can find the following Vantree Add-Ons: 

1. Docman – to manage all inbound and outbound documents such as Invoices (810), Purchase Orders (850), Purchase Order Acknowledgements (855) & more. 
2. ASN Builder – to create and automate Advanced Shipment Notices (856-ASN), keep track of your orders, and print custom labels  

3. EFT – to create incoming and outgoing payments based upon the Payment Remittance Advice (820) 

EDI services

Vantree supports hundreds of EDI documents and can support other transaction types such as API, JSON, XML, Webservices, Flatfile & more. Let us know if you are interested in learning more about this solution.  To view a demo, click here.