Role of CIB in the Rossum Coupa integration
General information about the Rossum Coupa API integration can be found in the white paper available on the Rossum web page here.
Technically and from the process point of view, the Rossum–Coupa integration can be divided into three layers:
Technical Integration Components
Coupa Integration Baseline (CIB) - predefined business logic
Customized Coupa Integration
Technical Integration Components
Certified Rossum Integration is based on communication with the Coupa Core API. The integration is technically composed of several components of the Rossum extensible platform:
Coupa Import extension - Configurable extension that can regularly replicate master data using API calls with filtering and field listing.
Coupa Export Pipeline - Set of Coupa API calls to export extracted, validated, and enriched data from Rossum to Coupa to create the document (invoice/credit note).
Master Data Hub - Component of the Rossum platform that hosts the master data replicated from Coupa and allows for configurable queries to the data based on the document context.
Formula Fields - Feature integrated into the Rossum platform that allows for data transformations directly in the definition of the extraction schema. The logic of the Coupa integration related to transformations and calculations is implemented using this technology.
Rules - Feature integrated into the Rossum platform that allows for configurable actions (such as validations, user UI messages, etc.). The logic of the Coupa integration related to data validation and user interaction is implemented using this technology.
Coupa Integration Baseline (CIB)
As described above, different components of the Rossum Coupa integration and Rossum’s extensible platform provide the technical means for implementing the integration. Technical components, however, do not deliver any value until they are used and configured for the benefit of the customer.
It is clear from experience that it is close to impossible to find a “one-size-fits-all” business logic configuration. Both Rossum and Coupa offer a certain degree of customizability. Decisions made when the Coupa system is implemented affect requirements for the Rossum part of the workflow.
Rossum solves this challenge in two layers. The Coupa Integration Baseline (CIB) is the first layer, and the second custom layer will be discussed in the next chapter.
CIB represents a preconfigured solution that can be deployed to the Rossum organization of the customer, automatically connected to the Coupa instance of choice, and handle Non-PO and PO-backed workflows, including Tax Coding. It comes with two document extraction schemas (line- and header-level taxation) and logic to process extracted values. The CIB business logic is described in detail in the child pages of this page.
Customized Coupa Integration
The CIB described above is a great benefit in Coupa integration delivery; however, the majority of customers have specific requirements and Coupa configurations. To deliver high-quality integration and achieve automation of the process (ideally all the way to submitting the document in Coupa), customizations and enhancements of the CIB business logic are needed. Rossum usually leads the implementation project where business process requirements and Coupa configurations are analyzed. The configuration of Rossum is then enhanced and customized to solve and ideally automate every aspect of the process. Here are some examples that are usually solved as part of the customized integration on top of the CIB functionality:
Account Coding (lookup of the billing segments) -
The structure of the account segments in Coupa is configured during Coupa onboarding based on the structure of the organization. Rossum analyzes the resulting configuration, replicates the lookup values representing the segments, and implements logic to populate the values based on the document context and historical data or defaulting datasets provided by the customer. The goal is to automate as many documents as possible.
Handling of the Bank Details (Remit-To)
We see that customers take different approaches to the maintenance of bank details information in Coupa. Some use custom fields; others work with Remit-To records. Identification of the correct Remit-To record and verification of payment details are often subject to custom solutions.
As usual, automation is key. However, in this case, it is also important to mention the security aspect. The customer is able to discover discrepancies between the master data and the information extracted from the document and act accordingly.
Contract backed documents
Calling something a non-standard workflow might be tricky. However, not all workflows possible in Coupa are covered by our Coupa Integration Baseline (this might change in the future). One example is contract-backed invoices. Our baseline does not implement this workflow, but we can deliver it as a custom enhancement if required.
Coupa Custom Fields handling
Sometimes customers require custom fields to be created in Coupa. These customizations might be related to the requirements and limitations of the target accounting system that receives data from Coupa, internal business process requirements, etc.
Rossum workflow is often affected by these Coupa customizations and has to be adjusted accordingly.