Common data management

for Ariba Sourcing

Purpose
• This is for administrators to learn about defining, importing, and
maintaining master data common to all SAP Ariba Strategic Sourcing
solutions.
• Common master data refers to information such as users, groups,
suppliers, and commodity codes, used by all SAP Ariba Strategic
Sourcing solutions.
• Common master data is generally static, meaning transactions use
master data but don’t change the data.
What is CDM
● Users, groups, and information that determines capabilities for
groups
● Suppliers
● Geographic regions
● Commodity codes
● Currencies and currency exchange rates
● Units of measure
● Departments within your organization
Import from SAP ERP
You can also integrate SAP Ariba Strategic Sourcing solutions with an SAP ERP to
import the following common master data:
● Supplier data
● Item data and other SAP material master data
● Article master and category attribute hierarchy data

After the initial set of common master data is loaded by SAP Ariba, you can modify (update,
delete and add) the common master data yourself.
You can modify the data in two ways:
a) Using workspace and tasks in Ariba Administrator
b) Using csv file import
Best practice in using CSV file import
• Use a data management system to track all your data changes.
• Before deleting data, you should export the data to CSV files by running data
export tasks.
• Reverify new or updated objects by data export.
• Regularly exporting data can also help you keep track of your current
configuration.
Adapter source values
• Adapter source values indicate which system is the source of truth for a given
piece of information, or object.

• When you create, edit, or delete an object (such as a user or group) in Ariba
Administrator, your changes are saved to the database. But depending on the
adapter source value for the object, your changes may be overwritten or deleted
the next time you run data import tasks.
Cont.…
• External – The object and all its data fields are maintained in an external system,
such as a set of CSV files. Objects with this adapter source can be overwritten or
deleted when data is imported from the external system.
• AribaManaged - The object is not maintained in an external system. Objects with
this data source are maintained in Ariba Administrator.
• ManuallyMaintained - The source of the object is an external system, but the
object cannot be overwritten or deleted when data is imported from the external
system.
• SYSTEM - Objects created by the SAP Ariba solution, such as the default user
groups, have this adapter source. You cannot edit objects that have the SYSTEM
adapter source.
Defining commodity codes and commodity
code mappings
• Commodity codes are used to classify products and services.
• Commodity codes classify products and services throughout the global marketplace. These
codes allow applications to categorize and display products and services in an intuitive
hierarchy.
• There are a variety of emerging global standards for classification systems. 3 common
classification system or domain are:
• United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC)
• North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
• eClass Standardized Material and Service Classification
• You can define multiple commodity code domains for your site; however, only one domain is
designated as the default commodity code domain and is visible to the user.
• The default commodity code domain is specified by the
Application.ClassificationCodes.SystemCommodityCodeDomainName site configuration parameter;
Code hierarchy
• Many classification systems support hierarchies. For example, UNSPSC codes are
eight-digit numbers. Each code consists of four pairs of digits that create a hierarchy
of increasingly specific categories.
• The finer the granularity of the product description, the more digits in the UNSPSC
code.
• For example, the UNSPSC code for wooden pencils is: 44121706
which breaks down into the following categories:
• 44 Office equipment, accessories, and supplies
• 12 Office supplies
• 17 Writing instruments
• 06 Wooden pencils
• A value of 0 for any code is interpreted as a wildcard.
• The finer the granularity of the product description, the more digits in the
UNSPSC code.
• For example, the UNSPSC code for wooden pencils is: 44121706
which breaks down into the following categories:
• 44 Office equipment, accessories, and supplies
• 12 Office supplies
• 17 Writing instruments
• 06 Wooden pencils
• A value of 0 for any code is interpreted as a wildcard.
Domain Mapping
• Commodity code maps translate commodity codes from one domain to another.
• You may need commodity code maps in the following scenarios:
• You use material or item data from an external system in sourcing events or contracts and the
external system uses a different commodity code domain.
• You use catalog items from suppliers with supplier product codes in sourcing events or contracts.
• You define commodity code mapping on the Commodity Code Mappings worksheet.
• DomainFrom
• ValueFrom
• DomainTo
• ValueTo
• Example: ecc1, A57_OfficeSupplies, unspsc,44