SAP Integration
Mid-size forwarders and distributors run SAP Business One; large shippers run S/4HANA. We connect either one to your TMS and CRM, so shipments, invoices and customer credit stop living in separate worlds.
Logistics companies we work with
Quick answer
How do you integrate SAP Business One with a TMS or CRM?
You integrate SAP Business One through the Service Layer, its OData-based REST API, with an integration service that reads shipments from the TMS and writes business partners, sales orders and A/R invoices into SAP. The DI API remains an option for add-ons on the SAP server. For S/4HANA we use its OData APIs, or IDocs where the landscape already runs on them.
- Vendor
- SAP SE
- Integration surface
- Business One: Service Layer (OData, /b1s/v2/), DI API, B1if. S/4HANA: OData APIs, IDoc
- Auth
- Service Layer session login; S/4HANA communication users and arrangements
- Objects
- Business partners, sales orders, deliveries, A/R invoices, items
- CRMs
- HubSpot, Salesforce
How we approach it
Business One or S/4HANA: how we scope an SAP logistics integration
The first call tells us which SAP we are dealing with, and that changes everything. Business One is one company database with a clean REST interface; we can scope it in days. S/4HANA usually comes with an SAP team, an integration platform and change control, so we fit into their process instead of around it.
In both cases we keep SAP as the financial record and never let the TMS or the CRM overwrite a posted document. Shipments create orders and invoices; corrections go through credit memos, the way your accountants expect.
And we decide early what sales needs to see. Most of the time it is three things on the CRM account: open orders, open balance and the last invoice date.
Service Layer, DI API or IDoc: which SAP interface do you need?
Business One and S/4HANA expose data differently. The right interface depends on the edition and on what your SAP team already runs.
-
Business One Service Layer
The OData REST API for Business One, on SAP HANA or SQL Server, served under /b1s/v2/. It handles business partners, documents and user-defined fields without software on the SAP server.
-
Business One DI API
A .NET library for add-ons that run next to the SAP client. We use it only when an existing add-on already depends on it.
-
B1if integration framework
SAP's own middleware for Business One. If your partner already runs scenarios in B1if, we plug into them rather than add a second layer.
-
S/4HANA OData and IDoc
S/4HANA publishes OData APIs for sales and finance objects, and many landscapes still exchange IDocs. We work with your SAP team on communication arrangements and users.
Data mapping
Which shipment records become SAP orders, deliveries and invoices?
SAP stays the financial record. The TMS feeds it, and the CRM reads from it.
-
Business partner
From: TMS customer or forwarding client
To: SAP business partner (customer)
When: Customer approved
-
Shipment
From: TMS shipment with charges
To: Sales order with service items
When: Shipment booked
-
Delivery
From: Delivered or closed shipment
To: Delivery document (where used)
When: Proof of delivery
-
A/R invoice
From: Rated sell charges
To: SAP A/R invoice linked to the order
When: Shipment closed
-
A/P invoice
From: Carrier or agent costs
To: SAP A/P invoice or vendor document
When: Cost confirmed
-
Balance and credit
From: SAP customer balance and credit limit
To: CRM account properties
When: Daily or on change
How does SAP data reach HubSpot or Salesforce?
-
SAP and HubSpot
Connector exists, F5 builds the restThird-party connectors link Business One and HubSpot for partners, orders and invoices. We set one up, or build on the Service Layer when shipments and margin have to reach HubSpot.
-
SAP and Salesforce
F5 builds it on the APIWe build on the Service Layer or S/4HANA OData: accounts with balance and credit, orders and invoices as related records, ready for Salesforce reports.
What sales and marketing get
What are the benefits of connecting SAP to your TMS and CRM?
-
One financial record
Shipments post to SAP as orders and invoices, so finance closes the month from SAP alone.
-
Fewer billing errors
Charges flow from the rated shipment, not from a retyped spreadsheet.
-
Customer credit in the CRM
Reps see balance and credit limits from SAP before they quote.
-
Order history for account growth
Order and invoice history per account shows who is growing and who is going quiet.
What our team builds
What can F5 build on SAP?
Anything with an API, an EDI feed, a database or a file export can be connected. If the connector you found stops short, our engineers build the rest, from the first data map to the system in production.
-
Two-way sync
SAP records flow into HubSpot or Salesforce, and the changes sales makes go back where your process needs them. Real time where it matters, scheduled where volume is high.
-
Custom objects and fields
Invoices, payments, credit limits and margin per shipment as real CRM records, linked to the account, not notes in a text field.
-
Middleware you can trust
A layer between the systems with retries, logs and alerts, so a failed record is fixed in minutes instead of found at month end.
-
Revenue attribution
The campaign that produced each lead travels to the quote, the shipment and the invoice. Marketing reports revenue, not form fills.
-
Dashboards and alerts
Account health, volume drops, open quotes and overdue invoices as CRM reports and Slack or email alerts for the people who act on them.
-
Portals, quote tools and apps
Customer portals, instant quote tools and internal apps on top of SAP. See custom logistics software development.
Why logistics teams hire F5 for SAP
- Logistics first. We know how a shipment becomes an invoice and where margin leaks, so the data map starts from your operation, not from a generic ERP template.
- One team for engineering and growth. The people who build the integration also run campaigns on that data, so every field we sync has a sales or marketing use.
- Any system, any stack. APIs, SOAP and XML, EDI, databases, SFTP files and legacy on-premise systems. If the data exists, we can move it.
- Production standards. Monitoring, alerting, documentation and a handover your IT team can read. We support the build after launch.
- Scope before code. You get a data map and a build plan first, so you know what moves, in which direction and on which trigger before anything is built.
Running SAP with a CRM nobody trusts?
Tell us which records your team needs. We reply with a data map and a build plan.
How SAP integration projects run
- Step 1
Map the data
We list the SAP records your sales and marketing teams need, agree the field mapping and decide which system owns each field.
- Step 2
Connect and test
We build the connection on the SAP interface your account licenses, with retries, logging and a test run on real records before go-live.
- Step 3
Turn data into pipeline
Dashboards, workflows and alerts in the CRM, so reps see shipments next to deals and marketing sees which campaigns produced revenue.
- Step 4
Monitor and extend
Error alerts, schema changes and new objects as you grow, with one team accountable for the integration and the marketing that uses it.
Part of our logistics software integration service. For quote tools, portals and apps on top of SAP, see custom logistics software development. Built for freight forwarders.
FAQ
SAP integration FAQ
What is ERP integration?
+
What is ERP integration?
+ERP integration is connecting the ERP, where orders, invoices and accounting live, to the other systems a company runs, so records move automatically. In logistics the usual pair is the TMS or forwarding software on one side and the CRM on the other, with the ERP in the middle as the financial record.
Does SAP Business One have an API?
+
Does SAP Business One have an API?
+Yes. The Service Layer is the OData-based REST API for Business One, available on SAP HANA and SQL Server. The DI API is the older .NET library used mainly by add-ons.
Can SAP Business One integrate with HubSpot?
+
Can SAP Business One integrate with HubSpot?
+Yes. Third-party connectors sync business partners, items, orders and invoices with HubSpot. When you also need shipments from the TMS, we build on the Service Layer instead. See our logistics software integration service.
What is the difference between SAP Business One and S/4HANA for a logistics company?
+
What is the difference between SAP Business One and S/4HANA for a logistics company?
+Business One is SAP's ERP for small and mid-size companies, common among forwarders and distributors. S/4HANA is the enterprise suite large shippers and 3PLs run, usually with an SAP team and integration platform. The integration approach follows the edition.
Is SAP TM the same as SAP S/4HANA?
+
Is SAP TM the same as SAP S/4HANA?
+No. SAP Transportation Management is SAP's TMS, sold as part of the S/4HANA suite or standalone. This page covers the ERP side; if you run a different TMS, it feeds SAP through the interfaces above.
Get in touch
Talk to us about your SAP integration
Tell us what you sell and who buys it. We will tell you, honestly, whether this is the right channel for you and what it would take.
- 1 We reply within one business day, from a person, not a sequence.
- 2 A 30-minute call on what you sell, to whom, and how you close today.
- 3 If we can build demand for it, we say what it would take. If not, we say that too.
Prefer to talk now? Pick a 30-minute slot or write to hi@f5-out.io.