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SRM & Other System Integrations with Zalion

Beyond ERP and email systems, Zalion supports integration with SRM platforms, file systems such as SharePoint/OneDrive, and middleware platforms. This page describes the available options in detail.

SAP Ariba Integration

Overview

Zalion connects with SAP Ariba to import purchase requisitions (PRs), create sourcing events, write back award decisions, and synchronize supplier data.

What the integration does:

  • PR → Zalion: Ariba purchase requisitions are imported into Zalion and automatically converted into sourcing events (RFQ/RFI/RFP) according to your routing rules.
  • Award → Ariba: When an event is awarded in Zalion, supplier, price, and selected line items are written back to the originating purchase requisition in Ariba.
  • Suppliers → Zalion: Supplier master data can be batch-imported into Zalion for discovery and sourcing.

Data Flow

  1. Read PRs via Ariba Open APIs (ORP) or scheduled pulls
  2. Transform & validate line items (ship-to, cost center, taxonomy, custom fields)
  3. Create events in Zalion with mapping of line items and attachments
  4. Write back award (supplier + commercial terms) via API/SOAP
  5. (Optional) Enrich supplier data from Ariba in Zalion

Protocols

  • REST: Ariba Open APIs (Operational Reporting for Procurement, Document Approval, View Management)
  • SOAP: Requisition Import/Update (legacy Buyer endpoints) for PR write-backs

Prerequisites (Customer-Provided)

  • SAP Ariba Administrator access (DSC) to configure APIs/workflows
  • Ariba Developer Portal app(s) for the required Open APIs
  • OAuth Client ID/Secret (per API app) and Ariba Buyer email for test transactions
  • SOAP RequisitionImportPull/Update endpoint access (if SOAP is used)
  • Staging UI access for end-to-end testing

Setup in SAP Ariba

Enable Open APIs (REST):

  1. Create an application in the Ariba Developer Portal
  2. Request access to: Operational Reporting for Procurement (ORP), View Management, Document Approval
  3. Generate Client Secret, provide Client ID and Realm values to Zalion

Enable Web Service APIs (SOAP) (if required):

  1. Ask Ariba Support to enable the PR import/export feature in your tenant
  2. In Integration Manager, enable the Requisition Import endpoint
  3. Provide Zalion with the WSDL URL, service username/password, and target endpoint

Approval Workflow Hook (optional):

A Zalion approval node can be added to the Ariba workflow to automatically route specific PRs (e.g., below threshold, tail spend categories) into Zalion sourcing.

Configuration Options

Area Options (Examples) Default
Header Fields Requester, Company Code, Cost Center, Plant, Currency, Delivery Date Enabled
Item Fields Material/Description, Quantity, Unit, Price, Category, Tax Code Enabled
Custom Fields Up to N buyer-specific fields (e.g., Project ID, WBS Element) Disabled
Attachments Include PR header/line attachments Enabled
Splitting Rules Split PR into multiple Zalion events by category/plant/threshold Disabled
Supplier Routing Pre-populate invitees from Ariba preferred suppliers Disabled

Supplier Synchronization

  • Create/Update suppliers in Zalion from Ariba master data via batch upload or API
  • Required: unique supplier name and at least one primary contact email
  • Typical fields: Name, DUNS/VAT, addresses, contact details, categories, payment terms, diversity flags

Testing & Go-Live

  1. Connectivity test: OAuth token + SOAP ping
  2. Sample PR import: small PR with 1–2 line items
  3. Edge cases: tax lines, service items, attachments, currencies
  4. Award write-back: confirm correct PR updates in Ariba
  5. Volume test: process ≥1,000 PRs, monitor latency and throttling
  6. Go-live checklist: credentials rotated, alerting active, fallbacks defined

SharePoint / OneDrive (Microsoft 365) via Microsoft Graph

Zalion securely exchanges files in customer-provided SharePoint document libraries or OneDrive folders. Authentication is via Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD); access is restricted to defined sites/folders.

Capabilities

  • Structured file pull/push (e.g., inbound/outbound folders)
  • Versioning & change tracking (SharePoint standard)
  • Optional delta fetches for efficient synchronization
  • Schedule-based (typ. 4× daily) or near-real-time via webhooks (optional)

Requirements

  • Microsoft 365 tenant with SharePoint Online/OneDrive
  • Admin consent by a global administrator in Entra ID
  • Designation of target site, document library, and folder structure
  • (Recommended) Least privilege: Sites.Selected permission with explicit assignment only to required sites/libraries
  • Optional: IP allowlisting or conditional access rules

Security

  • OAuth 2.0 (client credentials) via Entra ID
  • Transport encryption TLS 1.2+/1.3
  • Access strictly limited to shared sites/folders (RBAC, Sites.Selected)
  • Logging via Microsoft 365 Audit Log; additional auditing in Zalion

Admin Consent — Process

  1. Receive consent link: Zalion generates a tenant-specific admin consent link.
  2. Review & approve: Global admin opens the link, reviews app name/publisher, and grants consent.
  3. Service principal created: Entra ID creates the service principal in the tenant.
  4. Restrict access (recommended): Assign Sites.Selected role, grant site permissions only to defined target sites.
  5. (Optional) Conditional Access: Restrict by IP ranges, device state, time windows.
  6. Validation: Zalion validates access with a test file.

Middleware Integration

Organizations using integration platforms such as Boomi, MuleSoft, SnapLogic, Lobster, or myOpenFactory can connect Zalion via secure middleware endpoints.

Capabilities

  • Leverage existing transformation logic and routing
  • Scalability across multiple systems and business units
  • Supports both real-time and scheduled data flows

Requirements

  • Middleware must provide secure connection endpoints
  • Authentication via tokens, keys, or signed payloads
  • Optional data format mapping within the middleware

Security

  • All communication is encrypted (TLS 1.3 or middleware standard)
  • No access to underlying systems — Zalion connects to the middleware only
  • Logging and traceability via the middleware layer

Recommended for: Organizations with standardized IT architectures or complex system landscapes.