Data flow between OnBase and the SAP system is bidirectional, but it is primarily initiated by OnBase. OnBase pulls (requests) data from the SAP system as well as pushes (submits) data into SAP. All OnBase-to-SAP communication is performed through a web services API. From within the SAP system, users can click a hyperlink to view a document, at which point an OnBase viewer is invoked.
Data that is pulled from the SAP system is used primarily to facilitate indexing within OnBase. Data that can be indexed can include vendor names and addresses, invoice header and line item detail, and so on. The frequency of data polling can be configured in the OnBase Application Server.
Data that is pushed from OnBase to the SAP system is the creation of the invoice in SAP. Once all of the indexing and Workflow processing is complete in OnBase, the invoice can be posted to the ERP to create the invoice. In some cases, this process may happen automatically based on successful capture and OCR of all required information; in other cases, the process may be a step initiated as part of OnBase Workflow.
The integration runs regularly throughout the day with OnBase polling the ERP system for information, and then as invoices are processed through OnBase, they are pushed to the ERP system in real time.