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AI-coordinated inbound logistics for SAP Business One.
AI-coordinated inbound logistics on SAP Business One POs — ETAs, ASNs, dock scheduling, delay alerts — for MRO and production materials. Goods Receipt PO syncs via Service Layer.
- 9 ERP integrations
- Multi-country
- EN / ES / PT support
- 2-3 week deployment
70%
less procurement time
8-15%
average savings per PO
2-3 weeks
to go live
The problem
SAP Business One's Purchasing module is built around Purchase Orders and Goods Receipt POs — the start and the end of the inbound cycle. Everything in the middle happens in email. Your buyer sends 'hi, when will this ship?' emails, copies supplier replies into a spreadsheet, chases again a week later, and hopes nothing critical slips. For MRO (indirect) POs — spare parts, facility supplies, consumables — late deliveries usually only surface when stock runs out. For production materials feeding your manufacturing floor, a late truck means line stoppage, and the discovery happens only at the receiving dock. SAP B1 has no native ASN workflow, no carrier tracking, no dock scheduling coordination, and no way to differentiate urgency between MRO and production inbound.
The solution
Sourced's Delivery Activation module adds an active coordination layer on top of SAP B1 without changing the Purchasing module. When a PO is added in B1, Sourced's AI Buyer opens a structured conversation with the supplier: confirms the ship date, requests the ASN when the shipment leaves, coordinates the dock-arrival window with your warehouse, tracks the shipment through carrier integrations, and escalates delays based on category-specific rules — aggressive for production materials, lighter for MRO. When goods arrive and your warehouse confirms, the Goods Receipt PO is created in SAP B1 via the Service Layer REST API with accurate line quantities.
AI communicates with suppliers on every inbound PO — ETA confirmation, ASN coordination, delay chasing
Category-based escalation: production materials and MRO follow different urgency rules
Goods Receipt PO created in SAP B1 via Service Layer REST API when warehouse confirms arrival
How Delivery Activation works with SAP B1.
Purchase Order added in SAP B1
The PO is created and approved in SAP B1 (by Sourced's procurement module or by your team). Sourced reads it through the Service Layer REST API and initiates the activation workflow per line.
AI conversation with the supplier
The AI Buyer opens a structured email or portal conversation: confirms the ship date, requests ASN timing, aligns on the dock-arrival window with your warehouse. Supplier replies (in natural language) get parsed and recorded.
ASN received, carrier tracked
When the supplier sends the advance shipment notice, Sourced captures carrier, tracking, expected arrival. Carrier integrations pull live tracking; any exception signal (missed scan, delayed ETA) raises alerts with enough lead time to react.
Category-based escalation
Production-critical POs — flagged via SAP B1 Item Group, custom User-Defined Field, or warehouse-bound inventory type — get aggressive early alerts. MRO follows lighter escalation. Rules map to your SAP B1 item hierarchy, configurable per category.
Goods Receipt PO in SAP B1
Your warehouse confirms receipt in Sourced (full or partial, with exact quantities). Sourced creates the Goods Receipt PO in SAP B1 via the Service Layer REST API, linked to the original PO, with discrepancies flagged for finance review.
SAP B1 alone vs SAP B1 + Delivery Activation.
| Capability | SAP B1 + Sourced | SAP B1 alone |
|---|---|---|
| AI-driven ETA confirmations per PO | ||
| Structured ASN workflow | ||
| Carrier tracking integration | ||
| Dock-arrival coordination with warehouse | ||
| Category escalation (MRO vs direct materials) | ||
| Goods Receipt PO via Service Layer REST API | Manual | |
| Proactive delay alerts with lead time | ||
| OTD metrics feeding next RFQ/RFP shortlist | Basic reporting | |
| Custom SAP B1 add-on installed | N/A |
Why SAP B1 manufacturers pick Delivery Activation.
Built for manufacturing inbound realities
SAP B1's strength in mid-market manufacturing means most buyers face both MRO and production material POs daily. Sourced applies differentiated AI coordination by category — aggressive escalation for line-critical direct materials, lighter workflows for MRO — with rules mapping to your SAP B1 Item Group taxonomy.
No SAP Partner project, no B1if work
SAP B1 Integration Framework (B1if) could be used to build an inbound coordination layer — at the cost of XML flows, on-premise server maintenance, and partner engagement. Sourced delivers the capability as a SaaS; your team connects through Service Layer credentials and configures rules without SAP B1 add-on development.
AI Buyer does the chasing
Your buyers stop writing 'any update on PO #XXX?' emails. The AI Buyer manages the back-and-forth loop with every supplier on every inbound PO — polite, persistent, fully logged — and only raises human attention when supplier commitments actually slip.
Dock scheduling coordination
Your warehouse has shift windows, concurrent-receipt limits, and crane/forklift availability. The AI coordinates the delivery window with your warehouse team and the supplier, negotiates a viable slot, and updates both sides automatically if the plan changes.
Goods Receipt PO via Service Layer
Warehouse confirms receipt in Sourced; we create the Goods Receipt PO in SAP B1 via the Service Layer REST API — accurate quantities, links to the original PO, discrepancies flagged for finance review. Your SAP B1 receiving data flows into accounting normally, with no manual entry.
Runs alongside Boyum, Produmex, and other add-ons
If your SAP B1 already has Boyum (usability) or Produmex (warehouse/manufacturing), Sourced coexists. Our sync is data-layer via Service Layer, not UI-layer — no conflict with your existing add-on stack. Works with both on-prem and SAP B1 Cloud deployments.
Frequently asked questions.
Does this replace the Goods Receipt PO workflow in SAP B1?
No. The Goods Receipt PO remains the authoritative SAP B1 record of what was physically received — Sourced creates it via Service Layer REST API when your warehouse confirms arrival. What Sourced adds is the active coordination before receipt — ETA confirmation, ASN, dock scheduling, delay escalation — which SAP B1 doesn't cover natively.
How do we differentiate MRO vs production material rules?
Escalation rules configure per SAP B1 Item Group, User-Defined Field, or warehouse destination. Production-critical item groups trigger aggressive chasing and 48-hour advance delay warnings; MRO item groups follow lighter thresholds. Rules map directly to your existing SAP B1 item taxonomy — no separate classification work.
Do we need a SAP Partner to install this?
No. Integration uses SAP B1's standard Service Layer REST API with credentials assigned to a dedicated Sourced service user. No custom add-on package, no DI API workarounds, no SAP Partner consulting engagement. Your SAP B1 admin completes the connection in under an hour.
What if we're on older SAP B1 with only DI API?
Service Layer has been available since SAP B1 9.2 (released 2016). Most supported SAP B1 versions expose it. For legacy on-prem pre-9.2 deployments, DI API integration is possible but adds setup complexity — contact us for details.
Does this work with SAP B1 Cloud?
Yes. SAP B1 Cloud exposes Service Layer the same way the on-prem version does. Sourced connects to your cloud instance's Service Layer endpoint through standard HTTPS — no additional infrastructure on your side.
How do you handle drop-shipments and 3PL fulfillment?
The AI coordinates with drop-ship suppliers and 3PLs the same way — ETA confirmations, ASNs, delivery windows, receipt confirmations. SAP B1's native drop-ship handling stays intact; Sourced adds the active coordination layer. For 3PL arrangements, we coordinate with the 3PL for arrival at your warehouse (or at the next node if you run multi-warehouse).
What about multi-company databases in SAP B1?
Each company database connects separately. Delivery Activation runs per company with its own supplier conversations, escalation rules, and Goods Receipt PO postings. Shared reporting across companies (cross-company OTD metrics, supplier scorecards) is available from Sourced's analytics layer.
How long does it take to stand up?
Two to three weeks: Service Layer REST API connection in sandbox and production, category escalation rules mapped from SAP B1 Item Groups, supplier onboarding to the ASN workflow, and carrier integration activation.
See Delivery Activation on a SAP Business One sandbox
Book a 30-minute demo. We'll create a PO in SAP B1, watch the AI open the delivery conversation with the supplier, simulate a late shipment, and show the Goods Receipt PO posting automatically through Service Layer.