For smooth business process management, modern organisations use numerous applications dedicated to finance, logistics, customer service, and other areas. The effectiveness of their operations depends on how well these applications work together. SAP integration with external platforms enables process automation and supports efficient company functioning.
SAP integration – why is it so important?
The SAP system is used in many organisations as a central solution responsible for key areas of operations, including HR, finance, sales and production. However, these companies also use other tools, such as e-commerce platforms, logistics systems, CRMs and marketing automation tools. Automating processes between SAP and these tools significantly improves work efficiency. This is because it eliminates the need for manual data entry, but that’s not all. Other benefits of automation include:
- reducing the risk of errors and data duplication
- preventing productivity declines
- improving reporting
- enabling decisions based on current data
What are the benefits of integration? SAP and external platforms
SAP integration with other systems offers numerous benefits. These include process optimisation. Integrated solutions enable the creation of consistent process chains. Automated integration also improves the customer experience. This is because the response time to customer needs is reduced. It happens as order, payment, and delivery data are updated instantly.
Integrating SAP with external platforms means automatic data transfer between systems, which reduces the risk of errors and repetitive tasks. Integration also supports scalability and increases flexibility. Adding new tools and services does not disrupt the entire ecosystem. It also means lower operating costs as a result of eliminating manual labour and repetitive tasks, as well as increased accuracy of automatically synchronised data.
SAP integration with external platforms – how does it work?
SAP offers a wide range of integration technologies and tools. Which ones? Among the most commonly used is SAP Cloud Platform Integration (CPI). This solution allows you to combine cloud and on-premise applications in a single ecosystem. SAP API Management, on the other hand, enables you to create APIs used to exchange data between systems, monitor them and manage them.
What else? Logistics and production are areas where fast document exchange is particularly important. Thanks to EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), it runs smoothly and without disruption. Ready-made integrators and connectors are used to quickly connect SAP with external e-commerce platforms or payment systems.
SAP integration in practice
How does this work in practice? In the case of e-commerce businesses, information about orders placed in an online shop is automatically transferred to the SAP system. This results in the instant generation of an invoice and the sending of shipping instructions to the logistics system. The process is thus much more efficient and smoother.
In the case of HR solution integration, employee data from recruitment systems is automatically synchronised with the SuccessFactors module. In finance, integration with external banking systems allows for automatic transaction posting and full control of financial flows. In production and logistics, production orders generated in the SAP are automatically sent to MES systems. In turn, shipment data from logistics systems is instantly transferred to SAP, enabling the entire process to be tracked.
In summary, the essence of SAP integration with external platforms is much more than just a technical connection between the two solutions. It is a big step towards full automation of business processes and the foundation of digital transformation in modern enterprises. It eliminates barriers between systems and makes data available in real time where it is needed. It is a way to increase process consistency and thus gain a competitive advantage in the market.