Basware Purchase-to-Pay 20.8 New Features


Contents

1 Introduction

This document contains descriptions of new features in Basware Purchase-to-Pay 20.8 and its maintenance releases.

2 Procurement

2.1 Add approval schemes to agent agreements

Module(s): Marketplace
Feature ID: ALUSTA-73459
Release: P2P 20.8
Feature Implementation: Customer can take into use

Buyer organizations can now use approval schemes for agent agreements. When an approval scheme is added to an agent agreement, defined users are notified and may have to approve any changes to the content of the agreement. This feature is particularly important for agent agreements that are updated via automatic uploads. In this case, upon each upload the changes are marked for the approver to see and approve. 

Approvals can be requested for any of the following types of catalog changes:

Approver rules follow the same logic as for supplier-uploaded catalogs. Note that quality scoring rules, visible when creating an approval scheme, are not in use for agent agreements. 

When the approval scheme is ready, it can be added to agent agreements by selecting the agreement, then adding the approval scheme to the agreement. Users can create as many approval schemes as they need, but only one approval scheme can be added to each agent agreement.  

2.2 Content loading templates library

Module(s): Marketplace
Feature ID: ALUSTA-73457
Release: P2P 20.8
Feature Implementation: Feature is in use automatically

The template directory is a newly added functionality within the Flexible Content Loader. Template directory is a single place for administrator buyers or suppliers to view and download the latest versions of templates that can be used to upload content.

After clicking Content Loading Templates, the user is directed to the Content Loading Templates library, where all templates are listed with their format and available versions. Users can click on a file name to see a short description and download the latest version of the file.

Note that all templates are available here, not only templates that can be used with the flexible content loader. For example, files to upload related items and matrix items cannot be used with the flexible content loader yet.

2.3 Custom mappings for the flexible content loader

Module(s): Marketplace
Feature ID: ALUSTA-73438
Release: P2P 20.8
Feature Implementation: Customer can take into use

Administrator buyers can use the flexible content loader to upload agent agreements and agent stock and suppliers can use it to upload price lists. In some cases, none of the standard mappings meet the needs of the buying or supplying organizations. For these cases, users now can create custom mappings for the flexible content loader. With custom mappings, it is easy to upload catalog content using files in any format. Suppliers and buying organizations can create as many custom mappings as they need, to easily handle content in many different formats. 

To map fields in the source file to the appropriate fields in Marketplace, the user simply drags and drops the source column to the appropriate destination column. Mapping supports one-to-one field mapping and price breaks for items. 

If data from the source column needs to be changed to a different format, or to contain different content, users can set up mapping actions for that column. Several different actions can be specified for a field mapping, and are executed sequentially.

 

After creating the custom mapping, the user can find the mapping in the Mapping Directory and use it to upload catalog content.

2.4 Changed by supplier tasks pending since release 20.3 automatically rejected

Module(s): Purchase
Feature ID: ALUSTA-72642
Release: P2P 20.8
Feature Implementation: Feature is in use automatically

Order response handling was changed in release 20.4 so that Changed by supplier task was redesigned. For maintenance purposes, all the open Changed by supplier tasks that have been created using release 20.3 or older will be automatically rejected when release 20.8 is taken into use.

All affected tasks are in test environments.

2.5 Purchase order actions available on Purchase Professional Tools list view

Module(s): Purchase
Feature ID: ALUSTA-71087
Release: P2P 20.8
Feature Implementation: Feature is in use automatically

In Purchase Professional Tools, purchase order actions are now available from the list view as batch actions. The user previously needed to open the purchase order to find the actions. 

The available actions will vary based on the purchase order status. 

 

image2020-5-26_15-53-31.png

2.6 Status name changed from “Order created” to “Creating order”

Module(s): Purchase
Feature ID: ALUSTA-61724
Release: P2P 20.8
Feature Implementation: Feature is in use automatically

Earlier, the purchase order status immediately showed “Order created” after the purchase requisition was approved. In some rare error cases this status would be displayed even if the order was not created and sent to a supplier yet. To help users better understand the actual purchase order status, “Order created” status was changed to “Creating order.” This new status name better reflects the actual status of the purchase order.

2.7 Adapting order management process to purchase order format in Purchase Pro Tool

Module(s): Purchase
Feature ID: ALUSTA-70799
Release: P2P 20.8
Feature Implementation: Feature is in use automatically

Release 20.6 introduced a new feature that allowed Basware Purchase to limit the available actions for some purchase order types. The limitations assist in compliance with PEPPOL ordering standards, which do not allow the buyer to change the order or send order cancellation messages.

Purchase Professional Tools now also includes the same limitations to available actions for PEPPOL orders. 

Normal XML order sending is not impacted.

2.8 Allow purchase order editing while order is in ‘Sending failed’ state

Module(s): Purchase
Feature ID: ALUSTA-69588
Release: P2P 20.8
Feature Implementation: Feature is in use automatically

If purchase order sending fails and the order has a status of “Sending failed,” the purchase order can be edited. This enhancement allows users to fix purchase order information, in case some error in the order content was causing the order sending to fail. 

2.9 Show Order REST API HTTP error response details for purchase professional users

Module(s): Purchase
Feature ID: ALUSTA-72120
Release: P2P 20.8
Feature Implementation: Feature is in use automatically

If your organization is using the Order REST API to send purchase orders to suppliers and order sending fails, the HTTP error response details are shown in raw format in order history for users with rights to Purchase Professional Tools.

image2020-6-10_8-37-29.png

The detailed error message makes it easier to solve possible problems in order sending.

This feature is not available if orders are sent to suppliers using traditional AnyERP integration.

3 AP Automation

3.1 AP Pro - Invoice locking enhancement

Module(s): Invoice Automation
Feature ID: ALUSTA-64747
Release: P2P 20.8
Feature Implementation: Feature is in use automatically

Invoice locking has been enhanced in AP Pro. Now, an invoice is not locked if a user clicks an editable fields or opens the header data selection lists on invoice lines or coding rows. An invoice is locked automatically only if the user changes the invoice data. For example,  if the user enters a value from keyboard to a text, date, or sum field, or changes a value in a lookup list field, the invoice is locked until the changes are saved. 

This enhancement reduces the number of accidental invoice locks and makes it possible for users to copy data from text, sum, and date fields without locking the invoice for other users.

3.2 Quick navigation between invoices and payment plans for personal users

Module(s): Invoice Automation
Feature ID: ALUSTA-67438
Release: P2P 20.8
Feature Implementation: Feature is in use automatically

Accounts Payable users often have many invoice and payment plan tasks pending. Previously, these users were always taken back to the task list after completing each task, which significantly increased their handling time. 
Now when a user has completed a task on a document, they are navigated to the next task instead of back to the task list. This significantly reduces loading time. Users can also navigate easily to the previous or next task within the same document type (invoices or payment plans)

The new navigation tool is supported for invoices and payment plans opened from Tasks tab or Home page. Navigation is not supported for documents opened from document search or an email link.

Note that the tabs at the top of the page may vary depending on your organization’s use of Basware P2P.