SAP Ariba Interview Cheatsheet

1. Overview

What is SAP Ariba?

A cloud-based procurement and supply chain collaboration platform covering:

  • Sourcing
  • Procurement (P2P)
  • Contract Management
  • Supplier Management
  • Ariba Network (buyer–supplier collaboration)
  • Supply Chain Collaboration (SCC)

2. Key SAP Ariba Modules

1. Ariba Sourcing

  • RFI, RFP, RFQ
  • Auctions (English, Dutch, Reverse)
  • Event Management
  • Scoring & Evaluation
  • Supplier Bidding Optimization

2. Ariba Contracts

  • Contract workspace
  • Clause library
  • Contract authoring
  • Approval workflows
  • Contract compliance

3. Ariba P2P (Procure-to-Pay)

  • Guided buying
  • Purchase requisition
  • Purchase order
  • Invoice management
  • Catalog management
  • Budget checking

4. Ariba Supplier Management

  • Supplier Lifecycle & Performance (SLP)
  • Supplier Risk Management
  • Qualifying questions
  • Scorecards

5. Ariba Network

  • Supplier onboarding
  • PO/Invoice collaboration
  • ASN, Goods Receipt
  • Catalog uploads
  • Flip documents

3. SAP Ariba Integration

Integration Methods

  1. CIG (Cloud Integration Gateway)
  2. SAP PI/PO
  3. API-based integration
  4. cXML for transactions
  5. IDoc for backend SAP ECC/S4HANA

Common Integrated Documents

  • PO (Purchase Order)
  • GR (Goods Receipt)
  • Invoice / Invoice Status
  • ASN
  • Contract metadata
  • Sourcing award data

4. Ariba Key Concepts

Master Data

  • Suppliers
  • Items & Material Groups
  • Cost centers
  • Ledger/GL accounts
  • Users & roles

Catalogs

  • Punch-out catalog
  • CIF catalog upload
  • Spot Buy catalog

Approvals

  • Approval flows
  • Dynamic & rule-based approvals
  • Contract approvals
  • Requisition approvals

Document Types

  • Event documents
  • Contract workspace
  • Requisition, PO
  • Invoice, credit memo
  • Amendment versions

5. Ariba Sourcing Key Points

  • Event templates
  • Scoring rules
  • Supplier communication
  • Pricing conditions
  • Best Value Analysis
  • Auto-award features
  • Event reports (CSV/XML)

6. Ariba Contracts Key Points

  • Contract request vs contract workspace
  • Clause library
  • Contract hierarchy
  • Team members / access control
  • Amendments (versioning)
  • Contract metadata integration

7. Ariba P2P Key Points

  • Guided Buying UI
  • Catalog search
  • Shopping cart → PR → PO
  • Non-catalog items
  • Budget checks & limit items
  • Invoice exception handling
  • 2-way, 3-way, 4-way matching
  • Ariba Approval Rules Engine

8. Ariba Network (AN) Key Points

Buyer Side

  • Supplier onboarding
  • Transaction rules
  • Network settings

Supplier Side

  • PO flip to invoice
  • ASN creation
  • Tax rules
  • Ariba SNAP accounts

9. Common Real-Time Scenarios

  1. Sourcing event → Award → Contract → Catalog creation → Procurement.
  2. Supplier onboarding (SLP) → Risk rating → Qualification → P2P transactions.
  3. Invoice mismatch → Exception → Resubmission workflow.
  4. Punchout catalog not returning items → Fix OCI/cXML mappings.
  5. Contract metadata sync failed → Reprocess via CIG monitor.

10. Frequently Asked Interview Questions

  1. What is SAP Ariba and what modules does it include?
  2. Difference between Ariba Sourcing and P2P.
  3. What is Guided Buying?
  4. What is the role of the Ariba Network?
  5. What is CIG and why is it used?
  6. Explain cXML and its usage in Ariba.
  7. What is a Sourcing Event Template?
  8. Steps of creating an RFQ in Ariba.
  9. Difference between contract request and contract workspace.
  10. What are catalogs and their types (Punchout, CIF)?
  11. How does PO Flip work for suppliers?
  12. What are approval flows in Ariba?
  13. Difference between 2-way, 3-way, 4-way matching.
  14. What is Supplier Lifecycle & Performance (SLP)?
  15. What is Ariba Buying vs Buying & Invoicing?
  16. What are exception invoices?
  17. What is the role of the clause library?
  18. How does Ariba integrate with SAP ECC/S4HANA?
  19. What are the main advantages of using Ariba?
  20. Explain the Supplier Risk Management module.
  21. How does invoice reconciliation work in Ariba?
  22. What is a Contract Hierarchy?
  23. Difference between Full and Partial Punchout.
  24. How does budget check work?
  25. What is Spot Buy catalog?
  26. Explain Commodity Codes vs Material Groups.
  27. What is Document Versioning in Contracts?
  28. Explain the role of Workflow rules in P2P.
  29. What is Sourcing Award Monitoring?
  30. Steps to set up a new supplier in Ariba.
  31. What is a Service Sheet in P2P?
  32. How are Sourcing events evaluated?
  33. How is supplier performance tracked?
  34. How does SaaS delivery help in Ariba adoption?
  35. Difference between ANID and SAP Supplier ID.
  36. How do changes in PO sync back from SAP?
  37. Explain contract compliance in Ariba.
  38. How do you troubleshoot failed CIG transactions?
  39. What is a Staged Invoice?
  40. What are Ariba Error Codes and where to check logs?

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