Clean Core, Smart Extensions

Today’s finance systems need to flex. When market dynamics shift, regulations change, or business models pivot, monolithic technology stacks become anchors. IT leaders get this. They’re driving the adoption of AI and Accounts Payable (AP) automation to shift toward more modular, adaptive technologies that allow finance leaders to navigate the future.

AI-driven finance transformation means embracing cloud-native platforms, composable architecture, and intelligent automation—and getting them to work together. These technologies centralize data, drive workflow decisions, and are continuously learning how to be more efficient. They help finance teams improve accuracy, manage exceptions, and generate real-time insights that improve business-wide decision-making.

As organizations in SAP environments modernize finance, IT teams are under heightened pressure to manage costs, risks, and complexity. Staying within these guardrails for invoicing processes can be a challenge, which is where Invoice Lifecycle Management (ILM) becomes critical. ILM Encompasses the complete lifecycle journey – from receipt to payment and reconciliation – to deliver the automation and control finance teams need and ensure the ROI that is paramount to it. Because AP processes vary widely across industries, shaped by supplier relationships and system capabilities, ILM adapts to these differences that can impact everything from invoice cycle times to compliance risk.

Basware integrates with SAP and offers the AI and automation finance teams need to improve AP efficiency and control—without adding to ERP complexity. Building expertise from processing billions of transactions globally, Basware enables finance teams to tailor AP to unique environments without custom code or dependency on SAP S/4HANA migration timelines. When evaluating AP projects, calculating ROI potential and making the business case for automation are essential first steps.

AP That Works with Your SAP Strategy

As an SAP-certified partner with connectors for ECC and SAP S/4HANA, Basware integrates using SAP-native technologies, middleware via SAP Integration Suite, or APIs for cloud scenarios. ILM capabilities consolidate systems and processes, allowing organizations to deploy people and resources to higher-value strategic work rather than manual invoice processing.

Smart extensions preserve system uptime, create cost efficiencies, and maintain the integrity of SAP’s clean core strategy—delivering AI-driven workflows and analytics without custom code. Finance teams gain AP process efficiency and control without the costly, time-consuming IT overhead that comes with building custom solutions.

Intelligence Across the Invoice Lifecycle

Basware’s ILM platform embeds AI capabilities in every stage of invoice processing. It automatically extracts data from every line item on invoices. For non-PO invoices, Basware AI suggests coding based on historical patterns, minimizing effort and improving accuracy over time. The system continuously learns from AP team interventions, which helps reduce exceptions and the manual work required for each transaction.

Advanced automatic matching collects data from invoices, purchase orders, and receipts to increase match rates. The platform predicts invoices at risk of being paid late and automatically determines the correct approval workflow based on invoice data. These ILM capabilities empower finance teams to optimize liquidity and cash flow while maintaining the control and visibility IT requires.

To learn more about how Basware helps customers build intelligent invoice management in SAP environments read: Modernizing Invoice Lifecycle Management in SAP Landscapes: A Strategic Guide for Finance Systems Owners

What This Means for SAPinsiders

• The Basware ILM platform manages your entire invoice lifecycle from invoice capture until reconciled and paid and works natively with multiple ERPs, both SAP and non-SAP.
• AI and machine learning drive data accuracy and a continual learning system for PO/Non-PO invoices that improves with human input over time.
• Automating invoice processing and coding IT and finance work together to eliminate manual errors, streamline workflows, and lower the cost of AP operations.